Friday, March 31, 2023

Cuban asylum seeker apparently commits suicide while in ICE custody

A Cuban migrant died of an apparent suicide at a Louisiana detention center after spending months in detention while his immigration case played out in court, authorities said yesterday. Roylan Hernandez-Diaz, 43, died Tuesday at the Richwood Correctional Center in Richwood, Louisiana, ICE said in a statement. Hernandez-Diaz was found unresponsive in his cell and […]

Trump Administration signs asylum deal with Honduras

The Trump administration reached a deal with the government of Honduras to enhance the Central American nation’s asylum capacity.  The agreement, signed yesterday, is similar to agreements previously reached with the governments of El Salvador and Guatemala, a senior Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told reporters on a phone call. The official said migrants who had […]

DHS Chief announces the end of ‘Catch And Release’

The Trump administration will no longer allow migrant families apprehended at the border to enter the U.S. under the immigration policy commonly known as “catch and release.” The policy change was announced yesterday by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan in remarks at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. “With some humanitarian […]

Supreme Court sides with the Trump Administration allowing asylum restrictions to take effect

The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration’s rule that dramatically limits the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum to go into effect nationwide while the appeals process plays out. Yesterday’s order is a major victory for the administration, which argued the rule was necessary to screen out “asylum seekers who declined […]

Top asylum official reassigned for being “source of frustration” to the Trump administration

The top asylum official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has reportedly been reassigned to a service center in Virginia — an apparent demotion lambasted by some immigration officials as “just another attack” by the Trump administration on the asylum system. John Lafferty, who led the USCIS asylum division for six years, was “pushed out” […]

Trump administration introduces regulation that could limit asylum claims

The Trump administration filed a regulation today that could dramatically limit the ability of Central American migrants to claim asylum if they enter the United States by land through Mexico, according to a document filed by the Departments of Justice and Homeland Security in the Federal Register. The regulation is the latest attempt by the Trump […]

Trump says ICE is planning to arrest and deport millions starting next week

President Trump said in a tweet late yesterday that starting next week, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement will remove “millions” of immigrants who have entered the United States illegally. “They will be removed as fast as they come in,” Trump wrote. The tweet was in apparent reference to an administration plan for ICE to round up […]

Attorney General Barr rules asylum-seekers must be detained during deportation proceedings

Attorney General William Barr said in a new ruling issued Tuesday that asylum-seekers who are able to demonstrate a “credible fear” and are then sent to full deportation proceedings are not eligible to be released on bond. The ruling, which will go into effect in 90 days, states that a previous decision allowing for asylum-seekers to be released […]

California responds as Trump threatens to send asylum seekers to ‘sanctuary cities’

California Democrats this week stepped up their attacks on President Trump over his threat to send immigrants to so-called sanctuary cities, even as experts suggested the president’s plan could backfire and lure more migrants to the north. Gov. Gavin Newsom labeled the president’s proposed policy nonsensical, saying Trump campaigned on deporting more immigrants, but his latest […]

Court allows the Trump administration to temporarily reinstate “Remain in Mexico” policy

A federal appeals court in California took action Friday that would temporarily allow the Trump administration to return asylum seekers to Mexico. The decision is in response to the administration’s emergency motion filing from Thursday asking the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco to stop a nationwide injunction that would […]