Tag: immigration

Supreme Court allows Trump administration to move forward with ‘public charge’ rule

The Hill logoThe Trump administration can move forward with a rule to make it harder for immigrants who rely on public assistance to gain legal status while a court challenge plays out, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday.

The Supreme Court voted 5-4 along ideological lines to lift a nationwide injunction on the proposal imposed by a federal judge in New York while the case is playing out in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals.

The rule, from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), would make it easier for immigration officials to deny entry or legal status to people likely to rely on government assistance. Continue reading.

Supreme Court comes to Trump’s aid on immigration

The Hill logoThe Supreme Court has repeatedly come to President Trump’s aid over the border, bolstering his efforts to build a wall and turn aside migrants seeking asylum on the southern border.

The latest example came Wednesday night, when the court issued an unsigned order allowing the administration’s stringent new asylum policy to remain in place while battles over its legality continue.

The new rule is essentially a blanket rejection of asylum-seekers who pass through Mexico before arriving at the southern border, denying entrance to almost all Central American migrants, who make up the majority of the recent surge in border-crossers.

View the complete September 14 article by Chris Mills Rodrigo on The Hill website here.

Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Members Return From Bipartisan Visit to Southern Border

WASHINGTON – Last Friday, members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus visited McAllen, TX to see facilities and conditions at the southern border. The trip was led by Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) and Rep. Lloyd Smucker (R-PA). Members visited the Donna Holding Facility for family units and unaccompanied children, the Port of Entry in Hidalgo, a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) living and learning center for unaccompanied minors run by the non-profit BCFS, and the McAllen Central Processing Center.

After the visit, the Members sat together to continue the Caucus’s discussions of potential solutions that members of both parties could support. Afterward, the group held a press conference that can be viewed here.

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Click here to view the full press conference that followed the group discussion Continue reading “Phillips, Problem Solvers Caucus Members Return From Bipartisan Visit to Southern Border”

How Much Slower Would the U.S. Grow Without Immigration? In Many Places, a Lot

New census data shows that big cities and rural counties depend on international migration the most.

As the United States debates the right levels of immigration — and whether, as President Trump suggested, there is room for much more of it — new census data shows that international migration is keeping population growth above water in much of the country.

Although international migration dropped in 2017 and 2018, it accounted for nearly half of overall American population growth in 2018 as birthrates declined and death rates rose.

International migration helped rural counties record their second straight year of growth, according to local population estimates for 2018 that the Census Bureau released on Thursday. And immigrants bolstered urban counties that have been losing residents to more affordable areas. Even so, the three largest metro areas in America — New York, Los Angeles and Chicago — all shrank slightly.

View the complete April 18 article by Jed Kolko on The New York Times website here.

FACT CHECK: Wardlow Would Use the Attorney General’s Office to Enforce President Trump’s Cruel Immigration Policies

Recent reporting counts the number of children detained at the border at more than 12,800, but Wardlow would enforce Trump’s immigration policies as AG

Minnesota  – During tonight’s Attorney General debate between Congressman Keith Ellison and Doug Wardlow on KSTP, Congressman Keith Ellison reiterated his long-standing belief in a humane immigration policy that treats people fairly while protecting the security of all Americans.

Meanwhile, Republican Doug Wardlow continued to stand by President Trump’s cruel immigration policies, even as recent reporting has shown thatmore than 12,800 children are being detained at the border in recent months.

But Wardlow not only supports the President’s cruel immigration policies, he would use the Attorney General’s Office to enforce them. In a recent WCCO TV interview, Wardlow stated his strong support for President Trump and his immigration policies:

WARDLOW:
“I think it’s very important that the Attorney General work with federal law enforcement to make sure Minnesotans are safe by enforcing our immigration laws”

INTERVIEWER:
“You are a strong supporter of President Trump’s. Do you feel that President Trump’s policies on immigration are right for Minnesota?”

WARDLOW:
“I think they are right for Minnesota.”

Last month, a Wardlow campaign document was released, stating that “Doug Wardlow will institute these duties when he is your MN Attorney General,” including: “Defend President Trump’s agenda in court.”

Minnesotans need an Attorney General who will work for Minnesotans and protect the rights of all families, not someone who will serve President Trump and his cruel policy of family separation.

‘That was not the deal’: McCarthy, Ryan renege on immigration vow

the following article by Rachael Bade was posted on the Politico website July 24, 2018:

The California Republican aiming to be speaker backs away from a promised vote on a guest worker program.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has been asking members to support him for speaker next year, when Paul Ryan is set to retire. But the standoff on a vote McCarthy promised could alienate some would-be allies. Credit: Alex Wong, Getty Images

House GOP leaders are reneging on a vow to hold an immigration vote before the August recess, a move that puts House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy in a particularly awkward spot as he seeks to become the next speaker.

In June, McCarthy (R-Calif.) personally promised several rank-and-file members a vote on a new guest-worker program for farmers, an offer backed by Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). The assurance was critical at the time: It persuaded Reps. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) and Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) not to sign on to an effort — which Republican leaders were desperately trying to stop — to force a vote on legislation creating a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, the immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. The so-called discharge petition ultimately fell two signatures short.

But now, Republican leaders have no plans to take up the guest-worker program before the summer break, according to four sources in leadership. Ryan does not want to hold a vote that’s certain to fail, they said — though proponents of the guest-worker bill said McCarthy’s original promise to hold a vote was unconditional.

View the complete article here.

Former Trump adviser: Family separations ‘terrible optics’ for the administration

The following article by Mary Tyler March was posted on the Hill website June 24, 2018:

President Trump‘s former homeland security adviser, Tom Bossert, said on Sunday that the past week was filled with “terrible optics” for the White House — something that, he said, could have been avoided.

“This week has just been gripping imagery and terrible optics for the administration,” Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Part of this was avoidable.”

“This week has just been gripping imagery and terrible optics for the administration,” Bossert said on ABC’s “This Week.” “Part of this was avoidable.” Continue reading “Former Trump adviser: Family separations ‘terrible optics’ for the administration”

Sessions says immigrants should apply for asylum at ports of entry, where many have been turned away

The following article by Rebekah Entralgo was posted on the ThinkProgress website June 18, 2018:

“They can go to our ports of entry if they want to claim asylum and they won’t be arrested,” he claimed.

Credit: Screengrab

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions addressed the National Sheriffs’ Association Monday morning in New Orleans, Louisiana, delivering a speech riddled with misinformation about the nation’s immigration policies, particularly as they relate to asylum claims.

Sessions defended the administration’s policy of separating children from their parents at the border and alleged that if immigrants simply waited their turn at ports of entry to claim asylum, they would not be arrested.

“We do have a policy of prosecuting adults who flout our laws to come here illegally instead of waiting their turn, claiming asylum at ports of entry. They can go to our ports of entry if they want to claim asylum and they won’t be arrested,” Sessions said. “We cannot and will not encourage people to bring their children or other children to the country unlawfully by giving them immunity in the process.” Continue reading “Sessions says immigrants should apply for asylum at ports of entry, where many have been turned away”

‘Prison-like’ migrant youth shelter is understaffed, unequipped for Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy, insider says

The following article by Molly Hennessy-Fiske was posted on the Los Angles Times website June 14, 2018:

A rare inside look inside the Southwest Key shelters where migrant children are sent after they’re separated from their parents at the border under Trump’s new “zero tolerance” policy.

Colleagues at a government-contracted shelter in Arizona had a specific request for Antar Davidson when three Brazilian migrant children arrived: “Tell them they can’t hug.”

Davidson, 32, is of Brazilian descent and speaks Portuguese. He said the siblings — ages 16, 10 and 6 — were distraught after being separated from their parents at the border. The children were “huddled together, tears streaming down their faces,” he said. Continue reading “‘Prison-like’ migrant youth shelter is understaffed, unequipped for Trump’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy, insider says”

US government can’t keep track of kids Trump rips from their families

The following article by Oliver Willis was posted on the ShareBlue website May 25, 2018:

The Trump administration’s callous policies mean families are being ripped apart at the border. And the U.S. is losing immigrant children.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions

The Trump administration is abusing helpless children through the new immigration policies it has enacted.

In its zeal to inflict harm on a minority population that Trump has previously denigrated with terms such as “animals” and “rapists,” families of undocumented immigrants are now being ripped apart at the border.

Not only are those families experiencing the brutal trauma of being separated in a strange country, but they’re also losing track of the children affected in the process.

One cruel act is being followed up by another act of cruelty, simply to satiate Trump’s own bigotry and the hatred embraced by his core supporters.

Continue reading “US government can’t keep track of kids Trump rips from their families”