Aid to Afghans on US Bases Pours In
Many who fled Afghanistan during the U.S. troop withdrawal are now located at U.S. military installations across the country as they wait for resettlement to host communities. As VOA’s Kane Farabaugh reports, donations and support for Afghans continue to pour in while aid organizations prepare to help them find housing and jobs. …
US Immigration Agents to More Narrowly Target Migrants for Deportation
The U.S. government will narrow whom immigration agents target for arrest and deportation, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Thursday, in a marked departure from the hardline approach taken by former U.S. President Donald Trump. New guidance issued Thursday gives agents more discretion to make case-by-case decisions, Mayorkas said, focusing primarily on those who pose national security or public safety threats as well as recent border crossers. Immigrants who have been in the United States for a long time, who are elderly or minors, or whose family members might be adversely affected by deportation could be spared enforcement, according to a memo issued Thursday. Some other mitigating factors given consideration could be service in the military by the immigrant or an immediate family member or having been a victim of a crime, the memo sent to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said. The new guidelines take effect in 60 days. U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, pledged a more humanitarian approach to immigration than that of his Republican predecessor, Trump. Under Trump, ICE agents were told no immigrant would be exempt from immigration enforcement, including low-level offenders and noncriminals as …
US Student Loan Servicer Asks to Bow Out
A second company that services student loan debt has asked the United States federal government to be relieved of its contracts. Navient, based in Wilmington, Delaware, announced Tuesday it had signed an agreement to transfer the loan servicing to Maximus. The deal is subject to the approval of the U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid. “Navient and Maximus are committed to working together and believe this plan gives the government a reliable approach to support borrower success and advance its vision for next-generation servicing,” stated Navient in a press release. The companies stated that they expected the deal to be finalized in the fiscal quarter starting Friday. The deal comes just before student loan repayment resumes in January 2022. The federal government put student loans on hold last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Navient services 6 million borrowers. In July, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, known as FedLoan to its 8.5 million borrowers, notified the Federal Student Aid office that it would not accept an extension of its 12-year-old federal student loan servicing contract “beyond what is needed to ensure a smooth transition for borrowers,” it said in a press release. Allegations of corruption U.S. Senator …
Florida Sues Biden Administration Over Immigration Policy
Florida filed suit against President Joe Biden’s administration Tuesday, claiming his immigration policy is illegal. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis signed an order barring state agencies from assisting with the relocation of undocumented immigrants arriving in the state. DeSantis’ order authorized the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol “to detain any aircraft, bus, or other vehicle within the State of Florida reasonably believed to be transporting illegal aliens to Florida from the Southwest Border” — if allowed by federal and state law. The caveat likely prevents them from seizing federal aircraft. He also ordered the agencies to gather information on the identities of any immigrants arriving illegally in Florida from the U.S.-Mexico border and told state agencies not to spend money assisting those immigrants unless required by law. Democratic state Representative Anna Eskamani criticized DeSantis, saying he’s using the immigration issue to score political points with his conservative base instead of focusing on other issues facing the state. “He is completely bonkers and just wants to distract everyday people from real-life issues,” she said. “We have an affordable housing crisis. We have climate change to worry about. We have folks that can’t find a good paying job. …
Biden Administration Unveils New Plan for Young Immigrants
The Biden administration on Monday renewed efforts to shield hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as young children from deportation, the latest maneuver in a long-running drama over the policy’s legality. The proposed regulation attempts to satisfy concerns of a federal judge in Houston who ruled in July that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was illegal. It takes on heightened importance as prospects for legislation have dimmed. U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen, an appointee of President George W. Bush, said the Obama administration overstepped its authority and did not properly seek feedback when it introduced DACA in 2012. He allowed for renewals to continue but prohibited new enrollments. The Biden administration is appealing. In the meantime, the new rule would solicit public comment to address the issue raised by Hanen. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas called again on Monday for Congress to act swiftly to provide “the legal status they need and deserve.” He said legislation should be enacted through spending negotiations, a tactic that suffered a potentially critical blow this month when the Senate parliamentarian prohibited it. “The Biden-Harris Administration continues to take action to protect Dreamers and recognize their contributions to …
After Abductions, Nigerian Students Seek Overseas Education
Emmanuel Benson was planning to get his diploma in horticulture and landscaping from Nigeria’s Federal College of Forestry Mechanization next year. Now, he’s not willing to risk the return to school, after he was kidnapped by bandits with dozens of others earlier this year. “Our lives are at risk — Nigerian students, especially in Kaduna state where we are,” the 24-year-old said. As much as he wanted to complete his studies “the kidnapping and everything that is going on haven’t stopped yet … staying here anymore doesn’t benefit anybody.” Benson is among a growing group of Nigerian students seeking alternative solutions to their education that won’t further endanger them, as bandits in Nigeria’s northern states grow more ambitious, staging increased abductions of students for ransom. At least 25 Nigerian students who spent nearly two months in the custody of gunmen in the country’s troubled northwest region are now putting resources together in the hopes of leaving the West African nation to study in another country, like the United States, according to teachers and parents at the Federal College of Forestry Mechanization in the state of Kaduna. Some of the students, as well as parents and teachers at the …
Man Drives From Ohio Hoping to Help Haitian Friend at Border
As Haitian migrants stepped off a white U.S. Border Patrol van in the Texas border city of Del Rio after learning they’d be allowed to stay in the country for now, a man in a neon yellow vest stood nearby and quietly surveyed them. Some carried sleeping babies, and one toddler walked behind her mother wrapped in a silver heat blanket. As they passed by to be processed by a local nonprofit that provides migrants with basic essentials and helps them reach family in the U.S., many smiled — happy to be starting a new leg of their journey after a chaotic spell in a crowded camp near a border bridge that links Del Rio with Ciudad Acuña, Mexico. Dave, who didn’t want to share his last name because he feared a backlash for trying to help people who entered the U.S. illegally, didn’t see his friend Ruth in this group. But he wore the bright safety vest so she would be able to spot him in the crowd when she arrived with her husband and 3-year-old daughter. “I feel like my friend is worth my time to come down and help,” he told The Associated Press on Friday. On …
Texas Border Crossing Where Migrants Made Camp to Reopen
The Texas border crossing where thousands of Haitian migrants converged in recent weeks was set to partly reopen Saturday afternoon, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. Federal and local officials said no migrants remained at the makeshift encampment as of Friday, after some of the nearly 15,000 people were expelled from the country and many others were allowed to remain in the U.S., at least temporarily, as they try to seek asylum. In a statement, officials said trade and travel operations were to resume at the Del Rio Port of Entry for passenger traffic at 4 p.m. Saturday. It will be reopened for cargo traffic on Monday morning. CBP temporarily closed the border crossing between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, on September 17 after the migrants suddenly crossed into Del Rio and made camp around the U.S. side of the border bridge. CBP agents on Saturday searched the brush along the Rio Grande to ensure that no one was hiding near the site. Bruno Lozano, the mayor of Del Rio, said officials also wanted to be sure no other large groups of migrants were making their way to the Del Rio area to try to set up a similar …
Haitian Migrants in Del Rio, Texas, Hope for Chance to Stay in US
U.S. authorities continue to deport Haitian migrants who have arrived by the thousands at the U.S.-Mexico border and are camping out under the International Bridge in Del Rio, Texas.Migrants from other countries also face deportation. For VOA, Alejandro Saldivar filed this report from Del Rio, narrated by Cristina Caicedo Smits. Camera: Cesar Contreras …
Biden Calls Treatment of Haitian Migrants ‘an Embarrassment’
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday he takes full responsibility for the treatment of Haitian migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Biden called the ongoing situation, which days ago saw mounted U.S. Border Patrol agents aggressively confront migrants, an “embarrassment” to the country. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Biden said it was horrible to see people being “treated like they did.” “Of course, I take responsibility. I’m president,” he said, adding there will be an investigation and consequences for Border Patrol officers whose actions prompted widespread condemnation. “It’s an embarrassment. But beyond embarrassment, it is dangerous. It’s wrong. It sends the wrong message around the world. … It’s simply not who we are,” he said. The president’s comments came near the end of a week that plunged the Biden administration into crisis mode over the treatment of thousands of Haitian migrants encamped at the border town of Del Rio, Texas, desperate to enter the United States. Of some 15,000 Haitians who initially gathered there — two-thirds of them families — only several thousand now remain, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While some have been paroled into the United States for eventual consideration of asylum …
US Rejects Accusation of ‘Flawed Policy’ Over Haitian Migrants
The Biden administration is pushing back against accusations of “deeply flawed” policies, leveled by its special envoy to Haiti, who resigned Wednesday over what he called an “inhumane, counterproductive” response to the recent Haitian migrant surge along the U.S. southern border. White House Bureau chief Patsy Widakuswara has the latest. Producer: Kim Weeks …
Rights Groups Say US Has Long History of Mistreating Haitian Migrants
Images of U.S. Border Patrol agents pursuing Haitian migrants on horseback to prevent thousands of asylum seekers from entering the U.S. have sparked widespread condemnation. But human rights advocates say the mistreatment of Haitian migrants is nothing new and that the recent incident at the U.S.-Mexico border is just the latest example of discrimination Haitians face as they seek safety in the United States. “The Biden administration should actively confront and address the history of systemic racism in U.S. immigration enforcement, and urgently overhaul racially discriminatory policies,” said Alison Parker, managing director of Human Rights Watch’s U.S. Program, in an email to VOA. Testifying before Congress this week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised a swift investigation of the tactics Border Patrol agents deployed against Haitian migrants. “DHS does not tolerate the abuse of migrants in our custody and we take these allegations very seriously,” the department said in a statement. “We are committed to processing migrants in a safe, orderly, and humane way. We can and must do this in a way that ensures the safety and dignity of migrants.” For more than a year, migrants of all nationalities have been turned back …
US Envoy to Haiti Quits Over ‘Inhumane’ Deportation of Migrants
The special U.S. envoy to Haiti has abruptly resigned, attacking the administration of President Joe Biden for what he characterized as its “inhumane” and “counterproductive” decision to deport thousands of Haitian migrants back to the Caribbean country. Ambassador Daniel Foote, who has held the position for just two months, sent his resignation Wednesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, contending the U.S. approach to Haiti “remains deeply flawed.” He said his advice had been “ignored and dismissed” in Washington “when not edited to project a different narrative from my own.” Since Sunday, the U.S. has been flying hundreds of Haitian migrants back to their homeland after they flocked to the U.S.-Mexican border in Del Rio, Texas, in hopes of entering and then staying in the United States. Many of the migrants, however, have not lived in Haiti for a decade, having moved to Chile, Brazil or other South American countries after escaping the rubble of Haiti’s massive 2010 earthquake. The U.S. has allowed thousands of the Haitian migrants into the U.S. to seek asylum but is sending others back on up to seven flights a day to Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, or to the country’s second-biggest city, Cap-Haitien. …
Top US Officials Condemn Treatment of Haitian Migrants
U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday criticized treatment of Haitian migrants trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, as the U.S. increased deportation flights out of Texas. Top Biden administration officials condemned images showing Border Patrol agents on horseback chasing asylum-seekers. VOA’s Katherine Gypson has more. …
Some Question Biden Admin’s Handling of Haitian Migrants at US Border
The Biden administration is utilizing a controversial policy as the basis for the mass expulsion of the more than 12,000 Haitians arriving at the U.S. seeking asylum at the Del Rio, Texas, border crossing. Deana Mitchell reports. Camera: Deana Mitchell Produced by: Deana Mitchell, Barry Unger …
Study Confirms Political Influence on Preventing COVID Spread
People who feel strongly connected to their country are more likely to practice social distancing and mask wearing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to research that looked at nearly 70 nations worldwide. “In pretty much every country we examined around the world, people who were strongly identified [with their country] were more willing to make personal sacrifices to promote public health,” lead researcher Jay Van Bavel told VOA. However, there’s a catch: The research also found that in the United States, someone’s political party or philosophy can affect their compliance with public health initiatives. “For example, one study that used geo-tracking data from 15 million smartphones in the U.S. found that counties that voted [in 2016] for a Republican (Donald Trump) over a Democrat (Hillary Clinton) exhibited 14% less spatial distancing during the early stages of the pandemic,” the study reported. Spatial distancing refers to the distance — recommended by health authorities to be at least two meters — people should keep from each other to avoid COVID transmission. Mask wearing and hand washing are also recommended. “These partisan gaps in distancing predicted subsequent increases in infections and mortality in counties that voted for Donald Trump,” the study reported. Trump’s …
Top US Officials Condemn Border Agents’ Treatment of Haitian Migrants
Top U.S. officials, including Vice President Kamala Harris, on Tuesday condemned the way horse-mounted border agents have corralled Haitian migrants along the Mexican border to keep them from entering the United States. “What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback, treating human beings, the way they were (was) horrible,” Harris told reporters Tuesday. “And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there. But human beings should never be treated that way.” Harris said she would talk later with Homeland Security chief Alejandro Mayorkas, who has ordered a probe into the actions by U.S. Border Patrol agents. Mayorkas told a congressional hearing Tuesday, “I was horrified to see the images. … We do not tolerate any mistreatment or abuse of a migrant.” The images, video footage and photographs, showed agents attempting to grab some of the thousands of migrants gathered at the border along the Rio Grande and using their horses to push the migrants back toward Mexico. “I am going to let the investigation run its course, but the pictures that I observed troubled me profoundly,” Mayorkas told CNN. An agent is heard on one video shouting …
For US-Bound Haitian Migrants, Acuña Became a Deportation Trap
“I need help. Please come get me. Police are chasing me”, texted Richard Augustin, a 26-year-old Haitian who was being followed by Mexican migration authorities. Many Haitians had left the camp in Del Rio, Texas escaping imminent deportations only to find the same on the Mexican side. Betania Dominique, 43, and her husband thought they could finally rest when they crossed over into the U.S. on September 15 and settled under the International Bridge at Del Rio, Texas. They were each given a piece of paper by U.S. officials at the border with a number which they thought meant they were a step closer to their family in Miami. Four days later, Dominique’s husband’s number was called. Shoelaces off and handcuffed, he was put on a bus to San Antonio, Texas, and then deported to Haiti on one of the first flights of a series announced by the U.S. government. When she heard about it in the news and knowing that her number – 2,439 – was next, she waded into the Rio Grande and swam back to Ciudad Acuña on the Mexican side. By late Tuesday, she had yet to hear from her husband. “We have been traveling for …
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