Tag: Trump immigration policy

How the government shutdown is making the U.S. immigration system even worse

Protesters rally against the separation of immigrant families in front of a U.S. federal court. Credit: John Moore, Getty Images

“The irony is not lost on us that immigration court is shut down over immigration.”

Over two weeks into the partial federal government shutdown and with no end in sight, the fight over $5 billion for a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border wall has put the federal immigration system at standstill.

While cases for immigrants in government custody are proceeding, immigration courts are not holding hearings for non-detained immigrants during the shutdown, meaning immigrants re-authorizing work visas, applying for permanent residency, or contesting government charges on deportability are in a precarious situation.

Missing even a single day of hearings could add hundreds to the current backlog of 800,000 cases — over a million if you include the ones the U.S. Attorney General wants on the docket.

View the complete January 7 article by Rebekah Entralgo on the ThinkProgress.org website here.

Trump Blames Democrats Over Deaths of Migrant Children in U.S. Custody

President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, during his surprise visit to American troops in Iraq this week.Credit: Al Drago, The New York Times

President Trump blamed Democrats on Saturday for the deaths of two migrant children in detention at the southwest border this month, wielding the episodes as justification to fund a border wall.

The comments came in twin posts on Twitter, where the president spent much of the day denouncing Democrats as the partial government shutdown approached its eighth day over his demand for funding for the wall.

“Any deaths of children or others at the border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally,” he wrote in one message, his first public remarks about the deaths. “They can’t. If we had a wall, they wouldn’t even try!”

View the complete December 29 article by Maggie Haberman on The New York Times website here.

Judge strikes down bulk of Trump asylum policy

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down most of the policies former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued that made it almost impossible for victims of domestic and gang violence to seek asylum.

Judge Emmet Sullivan, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the policies, which created a stricter test to satisfy the “credible fear” standard for asylum claims, were unlawful.

He also ordered the government to return to the United States the plaintiffs who were unlawfully deported under the policy.

View the complete December 19 article by Lydia Wheeler on The Hill website here.

7-year-old migrant girl taken into Border Patrol custody dies of dehydration, exhaustion

Facing an uncertain future, migrants confront a series of choices – seek asylum in Mexico, return back home or cross the border illegally. (Drea Cornejo , Jon Gerberg/The Washington Post)

A 7-year-old girl from Guatemala died of dehydration and shock after she was taken into Border Patrol custody last week for crossing from Mexico into the United States illegally with her father and a large group of migrants along a remote span of New Mexico desert, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.

The child’s death is likely to intensify scrutiny of detention conditions at Border Patrol stations and CBP facilities that are increasingly overwhelmed by large numbers of families seeking asylum in the United States.

According to CBP records, the girl and her father were taken into custody about 10 p.m. Dec. 6 south of Lordsburg, N.M., as part of a group of 163 people who approached U.S. agents to turn themselves in.

View the December 13 article by Nick Miroff and Robert Moore on The Washington Post website here.

DNC on Death of 7-year-old Girl in Government Custody

DNC Hispanic Media Director Enrique Gutiérrez released the following statement in response to the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl while in CBP custody:

“Everyone must be treated with dignity and respect—whether you’re a U.S. citizen or a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl immigrating with her family to the U.S. Since the start of this administration’s ‘zero-tolerance’ policy, we’ve seen an escalation in the cruel treatment of immigrants, with children being separated from their parents, housed in cages, and fleeing tear gas retaliation by the U.S. Border Patrol. This cannot be who we are as a country, and we need an immediate investigation to ensure this never happens again.”

DHS asks Pentagon to extend the military’s Mexico border deployment through at least January

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen speak with troops deployed to the Mexico border in Texas. Credit: Reuters

The Department of Homeland Security asked the Pentagon on Friday for a 45-day extension of the U.S. military presence at the Mexico border, a request that would stretch the deployment until at least the end of January.

The Defense Department is expected to agree to the extension in the coming days, well ahead of the mission’s current expiration date, which is Dec. 15. Pentagon officials have said some of the 6,000 active-duty personnel stationed along the border in Texas, Arizona and California would be brought home and replaced by other units.

President Trump ordered the deployment to preempt the arrival of thousands of Central American migrants traveling in caravan groups and seeking to enter the United States. His administration has characterized the migrants, who have concentrated along Mexico’s border with California, as a grave security threat.

View the complete November 30 article by Nick Miroff on the Washington Post website here.

Trump’s racist border stunt means troops won’t be home for Christmas

Credit: Andrew Harnik, AP Photo

Trump is expected to extend the deployment of troops to the southern border until January.

In the midst of World War II, Bing Crosby recorded the song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” about soldiers in Europe longing to be with their family for the holiday. At that time, Americans were fighting Nazis.

Fast-forward to 2018, and Trump (who coddles Nazis) is forcing troops to be separated from their families during the holidays — but not for any noble cause.

According to NPR, Trump is expected to prolong the deployment of thousands of troops along the southern border into January.

View the complete November 28 article by Dan Desai Martin on the ShareBlue.com website.

Trump suggests without evidence that some tear-gassed migrants were ‘grabbers’ who took others’ children

President Trump said Nov. 26 that U.S. agents used tear gas on migrants at the U.S. -Mexico border because they were “being rushed by some very tough people.” (The Washington Post)

GULFPORT, MISS. — President Trump on Monday suggested without evidence that some of the migrants who were tear-gassed at the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday were “grabbers” who took others’ children to protect themselves.

In an exchange with reporters here before heading to Biloxi, Miss., to headline a rally for Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R), Trump also threatened to close the border “for a long time.”

Trump’s remarks came hours after he defended the use of tear gas by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents against a crowd of migrants at the San Ysidro border crossing on Sunday. Trump said that three U.S. agents were “very badly hurt” by rocks and stones thrown by migrants during the unrest.

View the complete November 26 article by Philip Rucker and Felicia Sonmez on The Washington Post website here.

THE LATEST: Trump Defends Family Separation Policy & Confirms He’s Considering Doing It Again

This weekend, Trump defended his family separation policy that led to at least 2,500 children being forcibly separated from their families. Trump also confirmed that he is considering a new policy to tear even more families apart. Here’s the latest:

Trump confirmed that he is considering a new family separation policy.

Washington Post: “President Trump confirmed Saturday that he is considering a new family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border because he believes the administration’s earlier move to separate migrant children from parents was an effective deterrent to illegal crossings.”

Continue reading “THE LATEST: Trump Defends Family Separation Policy & Confirms He’s Considering Doing It Again”

THE LATEST: Hundreds of Children Separated from Families for Longer Than Court-Mandated Limit

More than 130 children remain separated from their families because of Trump’s cruel policy, which the DHS Inspector General says was flawed from the start due, in part, to the Trump administration’s indifference to family separations. Now, we’ve also learned that the Trump administration kept hundreds of children detained for longer than the court-mandated time limit of 72-hours, including for as long as 25 days in the case of one child. Here’s the latest:

The Trump administration left at least 860 immigrant children in holding cells longer than the court-mandated time limit.

Washington Post: “The DHS Office of Inspector General’s review found at least 860 migrant children were left in Border Patrol holding cells longer than the 72-hour limit mandated by U.S. courts, with one minor confined for 12 days and another for 25.”

More than 130 children remain separated from their families, and the majority of their parents have already been deported.

MSNBC’s Jacob Soboroff: “BREAKING: New numbers just released by Trump administration on remaining separated migrant kids. ➡ 136 *still* in custody, not eligible for reunification or discharge. ➡ 3 of those kids are under 5 years old. ➡ Parents of 96 of those kids already deported.” Continue reading “THE LATEST: Hundreds of Children Separated from Families for Longer Than Court-Mandated Limit”