Blinken Caps South American Tour With Migration a Top Issue
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken ended his weeklong tour of South America talking about drugs and climate change at an Organization of American States meeting in Lima, Peru. But immigration dominated regional talks. For VOA News, Jaime Moreno reports. …
Blinken Announces Aid for Migrants, Refugees
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced new humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees in the Americas, on a visit to Peru. Blinken is on a regional tour that has taken him to Colombia, Chile and now Lima, where he was attending the annual meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, which closes Friday. Shortly before attending OAS ministerial talks on the perplexing question of migration in the western hemisphere, Blinken told reporters of “new humanitarian and bilateral and regional assistance” to the tune of $240 million. This would go toward addressing the needs of refugees and migrants “throughout our hemisphere,” he added, including health services, shelter, education, and legal assistance. “We have more people on the move around the world, displaced from their homes, than at any time in recorded history — more than 100 million,” said Blinken. “And our own hemisphere is experiencing that in deep, profound and new ways.” Migration has been a headache for the administration of President Joe Biden, with Republican opponents frequently claiming that he has left the southern U.S. border unprotected against unauthorized crossings. Peru, which has an estimated 1.2 million Venezuelans within its borders, is playing …
2 Russians Seek Asylum in US After Reaching Remote Alaska Island
Two Russians who said they fled the country to avoid military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing in a small boat on a remote Alaska island in the Bering Sea, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s office said Thursday. Karina Borger, a spokesperson for the Alaska Republican senator, said in an email that the office has been in communication with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and that “the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service.” Thousands of Russian men have fled since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilization to bolster Russian forces in Ukraine. While Putin said the move was aimed at calling up about 300,000 men with past military service, many Russians fear it will be broader. Spokespersons with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection referred a reporter’s questions to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security public affairs office, which provided little information Thursday. The office, in a statement, said the people “were transported to Anchorage for inspection, which includes a screening and vetting process, and then subsequently processed in accordance with applicable U.S. immigration laws …
US Appeals Court Sends DACA Case Back to Lower Court
A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a program that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation was unlawful but said current enrollees could renew their status and sent the case back to a lower court to consider a new Biden administration regulation. A panel of three judges from the conservative-leaning 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a lower court’s ruling against the program, called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but remanded the case in light of a new regulation issued in August. The decision is a mixed one for U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, who said he wants a permanent pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients, often known as “Dreamers.” The court allowed for the current 594,000 DACA enrollees to maintain their status but continues to block new applications. In remanding the case, the appeals court said it did not have enough information to rule on the new regulation, which is set to take effect on Oct. 31, but that the case should be resolved as quickly as possible. The 46-page opinion signaled the judges were skeptical of DACA’s legality. “The legal questions that DACA presents are serious, both to the parties …
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