VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, August 21–27
Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. US Streamlining Visa Process for At-Risk Afghans “This is jail [now]. … We were so happy. I was doing my duty at the border. We used to have picnics and go to weddings. We were happy.” VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros interviewed a man hiding from the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his family and still hoping to reach to the U.S. – a process Washington is working to expedite. Pentagon Rejects DC Request for National Guard Migrant Help The Pentagon on Monday once again denied a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in dealing with thousands of migrants being bused to the city from Texas and Arizona. Reported by The Associated Press. Immigration Around the World Taliban Make Millions From Passports Issued to Fleeing Afghans Since taking power last year, the Taliban have issued more than 700,000 passports to Afghan nationals inside the country, earning about $50 million in revenue, according to officials. Shirshah Quraishi, deputy director of Afghanistan’s passport department, told reporters Tuesday in Kabul that the country is issuing up …
US Streamlining Visa Process for At-Risk Afghans
Abdul is the father of four children aged 3 to 10. His wife, Jamila, is learning English. “I’m teaching my wife. I need her mind to stay busy,” he said. Abdul and Jamila are not their real names. They head an Afghan family hiding from the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan. “My wife has depression and anxiety attacks. She’s always thinking about me, about my safety. … My daughters ask me every day, ‘Can we go play outside?’” Abdul told VOA via WhatsApp and Signal messages. Abdul was a border officer who served in the Afghan Army. One of his jobs was to guide a robot to study explosives and disarm them. While Abdul has managed to keep his family safe, others have not been so lucky. His former captain was taken from his home last October during a Taliban raid. The 30-year-old and his family are among the thousands of former Afghan military personnel who stayed behind after the conclusion of nearly 20 years of war. The U.S. completed its withdrawal in August 2021 and helped evacuate more than 130,000 Afghans in the chaotic final weeks. But one year after the massive evacuation, many of those who could not leave …
Pentagon Rejects DC Request for National Guard Migrant Help
The Pentagon on Monday once again denied a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in dealing with thousands of migrants being bused to the city from Texas and Arizona. According to a copy of a letter to the city reviewed by The Associated Press, the Defense Department said use of the D.C. National Guard would be inappropriate and would hurt the overall readiness of the troops, forcing some to cancel or disrupt military training. The letter said the department also is concerned about putting uniformed military members in direct contact with migrants to provide food, sanitation or other support, saying the troops have no real experience or training for that mission. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected a similar D.C. request earlier this month, and Mayor Muriel Bowser had said she would send an amended, “more specific” proposal. Bowser had initially asked for an open-ended deployment of 150 National Guard members per day as well as a “suitable federal location” for a mass housing and processing center, mentioning the D.C. Armory as a logical candidate. The revised request asked that help be provided for just 90 days. The Pentagon also denied the use of the armory, saying …
VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, August 14–20
Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Venezuelan Immigrant: ‘I Regret Having Come to the United States’: After walking for four months across nearly half a continent, a pregnant Venezuelan citizen says she regrets migrating to the United States. VOA reporter Divalizeth Cash met her twice in Delaware and Washington. In this first installment of a two-part series, this Venezuelan asylum-seeker and her partner tell their story, narrated by VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros. ‘Now Hiring’: US Employers Struggle to Find Enough Workers: Salespeople, food servers, postal workers — “Help Wanted” ads are proliferating across the United States, as companies struggle to deal with a worker shortage caused by the pandemic, a rash of early retirements, and restrictive immigration laws. Migrants, Recently Arrived in US, Grapple With Immigration Barriers: As migrants continue to arrive in Washington from Texas- and Arizona-chartered buses, a recently arrived Colombian asylum-seeker shared his story of the barriers he faced after he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. This is the second installment of a two-part series by VOA reporter Divalizeth Cash and VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros. Immigration Around the World …
Colombian Migrant Tells of Roadblocks in His Pursuit of American Dream
As migrants continue to arrive in Washington from Texas and Arizona, VOA spoke with a recently arrived Colombian asylum-seeker who shared his experience of barriers he faced after he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. This is the second installment of a two-part series by VOA’s Divalizeth Cash and immigration reporter Aline Barros, who also narrates the story. …
Migrants, Recently Arrived in US, Grapple With Immigration Barriers
Rosa, a Venezuelan asylum-seeker, walked for four months across nearly half a continent. She was pregnant. Rosa is not her real name, but she told VOA that her journey to reach the United States, along with her partner and father of her child, was difficult. Four times during their migration, Rosa thought she was going to lose her baby. The couple traversed the uninhabitable Darien Gap jungle linking Colombia and Panama before crossing nine countries to face a complex immigration process in the United States. “Everyone thinks that once you arrive in this country, you will see buildings like the ones in New York City,” Rosa told a VOA reporter who met with her in Washington, D.C., and the eastern state of Delaware. But since the 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant arrived in Washington on one of the first 120 buses sent by Texas Republican Governor Gregg Abbott, she said her feelings changed. “Yes, I regret having come to the United States,” Rosa said in Spanish. Abbott launched the program in April to protest Democratic President Joe Biden’s approach on immigration, chartering buses to send recently arrived migrants from the southern border to the U.S. capital. Arizona Republican Governor Doug Ducey followed …
Venezuelan Immigrant: ‘I Regret Having Come to the United States’
After walking for four months across nearly half a continent, a pregnant Venezuelan citizen says she regrets migrating to the United States. VOA reporter Divalizeth Cash met her twice in Delaware and Washington. In this first installment of a two-part series, this Venezuelan asylum-seeker and her partner tell their story, narrated by VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros. …
Arizona Won’t Wait for US Government, Starts Filling Border Wall Gaps
Arizona began moving in shipping containers to close a 1,000-foot gap in the border wall near the southern Arizona farming community of Yuma on Friday, with officials saying they were acting to stop migrants after repeated, unfulfilled promises from the Biden administration to block off the area. The move by Arizona comes without explicit permission on federal land, with state contractors starting to move in 18.3-meter (60-foot) shipping containers and stacking two of the 2.7-meter-tall (9-foot-tall) containers on top of each other early Friday. They plan to complete the job within days, and the containers will be topped with 1.2 meters (4 feet) of razor wire, said Katie Ratlief, Republican Governor Doug Ducey’s deputy chief of staff. The state plans to fill three gaps in the border wall constructed during former President Donald Trump’s tenure in the coming weeks totaling 914.4 meters (3,000 feet). “The federal government has committed to doing this, but we cannot wait for their action,” Ratlief said. John Mennell, a spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said the agency had just learned of Arizona’s action and “is not prepared to comment at this time.” End of ‘Remain in Mexico’ The move is the latest pushback …
VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, August 7–13
Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. Bipartisan Bill Could Help Afghan Evacuees Obtain Green Cards Bipartisan legislation that would allow eligible Afghans to apply for lawful permanent residence in the United States was introduced in both chambers of Congress, days before the first anniversary of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Afghan Adjustment Act, introduced Tuesday, would establish a path to U.S. citizenship for Afghans whose immigration status will be uncertain when their temporary humanitarian parole expires. Biden Administration Says ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy is Over The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it ended a Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, hours after a judge lifted an order in effect since December that it be reinstated. Rising Number of Somali Immigrants Face Homelessness in Seattle Increasing numbers of Somali immigrants living in the Western U.S. city of Seattle are facing homelessness because of soaring rents that exacerbate other economic and refugee hardships, activists told VOA. The community activists say hundreds of Somalis have lost their places of residence over the past year, unable to …
Bipartisan Bill Could Help Afghan Evacuees Obtain Green Cards
Bipartisan legislation that would allow eligible Afghans to apply for lawful permanent residence in the United States was introduced in both chambers of Congress, days before the first anniversary of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Afghan Adjustment Act, introduced Tuesday, would establish a path to U.S. citizenship for Afghans whose immigration status will be uncertain when their temporary humanitarian parole expires. “Today we can see that Congress has listened and this bill is written proof of that obligation and action. The introduction of this bill is a victory for every veteran and front-line civilian who had been affected by the Afghan withdrawal,” said Chris Purdy, director of Veterans for American Ideals and Outreach at U.S.-based Human Rights First. He made his comments during a press conference where other military veterans, refugee advocates, and Afghan evacuees spoke to reporters on Wednesday. More than 76,000 Afghans were admitted to the U.S. on temporary immigration status following the military withdrawal from Afghanistan. If passed, the proposal would expand eligibility for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) to include more Afghans. Women, who served in special counterterrorism teams, and others who worked with U.S. forces as commandos and air force personnel, could be eligible …
Rising Number of Somali Immigrants Face Homelessness in Seattle
Increasing numbers of Somali immigrants living in the western U.S. city of Seattle are facing homelessness due to soaring rental prices that exacerbate other economic and refugee hardships, activists told VOA. The community activists say hundreds of Somalis have lost their places of residence over the past year, unable to pay the monthly rent. Some are lucky enough to move in with relatives or friendly families; others are forced into public shelters or are living on the streets. Hamdi Abdulle is the director of Seattle’s African Community Housing and Development, an organization that works to provide homes, education, jobs and food access for refugees. She says many refugees from Somalia and other African countries face tough situations from the moment they arrive in the United States. “The reasons are clear. They come to this country empty-handed, the welfare they get from the government is not enough and the rental prices skyrocket. All these factors combined are the reasons they face evictions and eventually become homeless,” Abdulle said. Sahra Bashir Farah – better known to many as Mama Shara — is the director of Somali Community Services of Seattle. “The whole city became very expensive when it came to housing,” she …
Biden Administration Says ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy is Over
The Department of Homeland Security said Monday that it ended a Trump-era policy requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, hours after a judge lifted an order in effect since December that it be reinstated. The timing had been in doubt since the Supreme Court ruled on June 30 that the Biden administration could end the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Homeland Security officials had been largely silent, saying they had to wait for the court to certify the ruling and for a Trump-appointed judge, Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas, to then lift his injunction. The Supreme Court certified its ruling last week. The program will be unwound in a “quick, and orderly manner,” Homeland Security said in a statement. No more people are being enrolled and those who appear in court will not be returned to Mexico when they appear in the U.S. for their next hearings. The policy “has endemic flaws, imposes unjustifiable human costs, and pulls resources and personnel away from other priority efforts to secure our border,” the department said. Many questions remain, including whether those whose claims have been denied or dismissed will get a second chance or if those whose …
VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, July 31-August 6
Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com. US Visa Processing Delays Called Worst Since 9/11 Visitors to the United States, whether for business, education or leisure travel, are facing significant wait times for visas. Some international travelers are waiting six months to a year to schedule a visa interview, State Department data show. VOA’s immigration correspondent Aline Barros reports. Supreme Court Certifies Ruling Ending Trump Border Policy The Supreme Court on Monday certified its month-old ruling allowing the Biden administration to end a cornerstone Trump-era border policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, a pro forma act that has drawn attention amid near-total silence from the White House about when, how and even whether it will dismantle the policy, The Associated Press reported. Guatemala Arrests Migrant Smugglers Wanted by the US The raid was part of several carried out Tuesday in four Guatemalan provinces against a migrant smuggling ring, for which authorities said they’d documented $2 million in revenue since 2019. The Associated Press reports. Around the world Afghan Migrants in Turkey Worried About Increased Deportations Thousands of Afghans took …
Pentagon Denies DC Request for Help With Migrant Reception
The Pentagon has rejected the District of Columbia’s request for National Guard assistance in receiving thousands of migrants being bused to the city from two Southern states, a situation the mayor has called a “growing humanitarian crisis.” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to provide Guard personnel and the use of the D.C. Armory to assist with the reception of migrants into the city, according to U.S. military officials. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Friday that the district might send an amended, “more specific” request, adding that she thought this was the first time a D.C. request for National Guard assistance had been denied. One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet made public, said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s food and shelter program had provided funding for the problem and had indicated those funds were sufficient at this point. Bowser, the district’s Democratic mayor, formally asked the White House last month for an open-ended deployment of 150 National Guard members per day as well as a “suitable federal location” for a mass housing and processing center, mentioning the D.C. Armory as a logical candidate. During the spring, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Governor Doug …
US to Issue ID to Migrants Awaiting Deportation Proceedings
U.S. immigration authorities are planning to issue photo ID cards to immigrants in deportation proceedings in a bid to slash paper use and help people stay up-to-date on required meetings and court hearings, officials said. The proposal from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is still being developed as a pilot program, and it was not immediately clear how many the agency would issue. The cards would not be an official form of federal identification, and would state they are to be used by the Department of Homeland Security. The idea is for immigrants to be able to access information about their cases online by using a card rather than paper documents that are cumbersome and can fade over time, officials said. They said ICE officers could also run checks on the cards in the field. “Moving to a secure card will save the agency millions, free up resources, and ensure information is quickly accessible to DHS officials while reducing the agency’s FOIA backlog,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement, referring to unfulfilled public requests for agency documents. Homeland Security gets more Freedom of Information Act requests than any other federal agency, according to government data, and many of those involve …
US Visa Processing Delays Called Worst Since 9/11
Visitors to the United States, whether for business, education or leisure travel, are facing significant wait times for visas. Some international travelers are waiting six months to a year to schedule a visa interview, State Department data show. The reason, said David Bier, associate director of immigration policy at the libertarian Cato Institute, is the two-year, pandemic-induced lockdown of U.S. consulates around the world that halted visa services. “They just stopped doing work during COVID. And that produced what we’re seeing now, which is year-plus waits, massive backlogs and all the problems associated with that,” he told VOA. Though wait times vary significantly from consulate to consulate, Bier said, “it is the worst it’s ever been since 9/11.” Indeed, nearly two years after the 2001 terrorist attacks, a State Department official told a House committee hearing on visa services that “the vast majority of our cases are completed within three weeks.” But nearly 2½ years after the pandemic began, according to a July report by Bier, there is an “astounding eight‑month wait to visit the United States for a period of at most just 90 days.” “In July 2022, student visa interviews are backlogged 49 days — five times …
Guatemala Arrests Migrant Smugglers Wanted by the US
At dawn, police and federal agents with cover from helicopters flying overhead raided a large ranch nestled among the mountains of northern Guatemala, not far from the border with Mexico. Unlike the ranch’s impoverished neighbors, inside authorities found horse stables, a swimming pool, late-model vehicles, guns and Felipe Diego Alonso, the alleged leader of a smuggling ring that moved migrants from Guatemala north to the United States. The raid was part of several carried out Tuesday in four Guatemalan provinces against a migrant smuggling ring, for which authorities say they’ve documented $2 million in revenue since 2019. Alonzo and three others arrested Tuesday were targets of U.S. prosecutors, wanted in connection with the death of a Guatemalan migrant in Texas last year. In total, authorities nabbed 19 alleged members of the smuggling ring. The arrests came a month after 53 migrants, including 21 Guatemalans, died in a failed smuggling attempt when they were abandoned inside a sweltering trailer in San Antonio, Texas. There was no indication those arrested Tuesday were involved in the San Antonio tragedy. The extradition of alleged migrant smugglers known as “coyotes” has been rare and these would be the first known cases in Guatemala of smugglers …
Supreme Court Certifies Ruling Ending Trump Border Policy
The Supreme Court on Monday certified its month-old ruling allowing the Biden administration to end a cornerstone Trump-era border policy to make asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court, a pro forma act that has drawn attention amid near-total silence from the White House about when, how and even whether it will dismantle the policy. The two-word docket entry read “judgment issued” to record that the justices voted 5-4 in a ruling issued June 30 that the administration could scrap the “Remain in Mexico” policy, overruling a lower court that forced the policy to be reinstated in December. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said shortly after the Supreme Court victory that justices would need to communicate the decision to a lower court, which, in turn, should lift the order to keep the policy in place in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas. Beyond that, administration officials have said little, including whether any of the thousands subject to the policy since December will be allowed to enter and remain in the United States while their cases are being considered in immigration court. The White House and Homeland Security Department had no immediate comment on the Supreme …
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