San Diego is latest hot spot for illegal border crossings, but routes change quickly
JACUMBA HOT SPRINGS, California — On many nights, hundreds of migrants squeeze through poles in a border wall or climb over on metal ladders. They gather in a buffer zone between two walls with views of the night lights of Tijuana, Mexico, waiting hours for Border Patrol agents while volunteers deliver hot coffee, instant ramen and bandages for busted knees and swollen ankles. About an hour drive east, where the moon offers the only light, up to hundreds more navigate a boulder-strewn desert looking for always-shifting areas where migrants congregate. Groups of just a few to dozens walk dirt trails and paved roads searching for agents. The scenes are a daily reminder that San Diego became the busiest corridor for illegal crossings in April, according to U.S. figures, the fifth region to hold that distinction in two years in a sign of how quickly migration routes are changing. Routes were remarkably stable a short time ago. San Diego was the busiest Border Patrol sector for decades until more enforcement pushed migrants to the desert area near Tucson, Arizona, which became the top spot by 1998. The Rio Grande Valley in South Texas saw the most activity from 2013 to June 2022 …
Panama weighs adding checkpoints in Darien Gap, issue deportation orders
PANAMA CITY — Panama’s next government is considering erecting new checkpoints along a stretch of thick jungle on its southern border that has become a treacherous part of the journey for growing masses of U.S.-bound migrants, the incoming security chief said Thursday. The additional checkpoints, where deportation orders could be issued to migrants, appear to be part of President-elect Jose Raul Mulino’s campaign pledge to close the so-called Darien Gap, even though he has yet to announce a detailed plan. Frank Abrego, Mulino’s incoming security chief, floated a formal border closure along with the checkpoints to process migrants. He spoke to reporters immediately after a press conference in the capital, where the next president presented part of his Cabinet. The government of Mulino, himself a former security minister, takes office on July 1. Last year, a record 520,000 migrants crossed the jungle between Colombia and Panama, mostly fleeing Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti and China. The main migration routes hug Panama’s northern Caribbean coast, offering the most direct path to traverse the roadless jungle. The area, running about 100 kilometers, is known as the “gap” on Panama’s Darien isthmus since it is the only missing section of the Pan-American highway that stretches from …
New immigration court plan aims to speed removal of some new migrants
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is creating a new process aimed at cutting the time it takes to decide the fates of newly arrived migrants in immigration courts from years to roughly six months at a time when immigration is increasingly a concern among voters. Under the initiative announced Thursday, single adult migrants who have just entered the country and are going to five specific cities would have their cases overseen by a select group of judges with the aim of having them decided within 180 days. That would mark a vastly quicker turnaround time than most cases in the country’s overburdened immigration system, which can average four years from beginning to end. And by deciding the cases faster, authorities can more quickly remove people who don’t qualify to stay. But it’s unclear how many migrants would go through this new docket, raising questions about how effective it will be. The details were laid out by senior administration officials during a call with reporters Thursday. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with guidelines set by the administration. The new docket will be in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The officials said those cities were chosen because …
US imposes sanctions on Nicaragua over repression, migrant smuggling
Washington — The United States on Wednesday imposed visa restrictions on more than 250 members of the Nicaraguan government and levied sanctions on three Nicaraguan entities in retaliation for “repressive actions” and a failure to stem migrant smuggling through the Central American country. Senior administration officials told reporters that the officials subject to visa restrictions included police and paramilitary officials, prosecutors, judges and public higher education officials. At the same time, the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and the Treasury issued a joint alert to notify airlines and travel agents about the ways smuggling and human trafficking networks are exploiting legitimate transportation services to facilitate illegal migration to the United States through Nicaragua. “Actions by the Nicaraguan government are of grave concern. President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo have put in place permissive-by-design migration policies,” the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. The Nicaraguan government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Increasingly migrants have been flying into Nicaragua and then heading north overland to the U.S.-Mexico border as some smugglers have promoted the route through social networks. Many migrants in recent years have started their journeys in Brazil or other South American countries, but …
Poland’s PM vows to strengthen security at EU border with Belarus
WARSAW, Poland — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk traveled Saturday to the country’s border with Belarus, which is also the European Union’s external border with the autocratic state, and pledged to do more to strengthen security along its entire eastern frontier. Tusk accused Belarus, Russia’s ally, of intensifying what he called a “hybrid war” against the West by encouraging migrants to try to cross into the EU. He vowed that Poland would spare no expense on its border security. “I know that there are more and more illegal crossings every day,” Tusk told reporters at the border, where he met with Polish army soldiers, border guard officers and police. He also cited “the growing threat resulting from the Russian-Ukrainian war, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the uncertain geopolitical situation.” The visit to the border, Tusk’s first since he took office in December, comes after a Polish judge defected to Belarus this month. He claimed he was facing persecution in Poland, a democracy. Officials have denounced him as a traitor, and he is being investigated on suspicion of espionage. Tusk replaced a national conservative party at odds with the EU over rule-of-law issues. That party, Law and Justice, took a strong stance …
Panama’s Mulino says he will close one of world’s busiest migration routes
PANAMA CITY — Panama is on the verge of a dramatic change to its immigration policy that could reverberate from the dense Darien jungle to the U.S. border. President-elect Jose Raul Mulino says he will shut down a migration route used by more than 500,000 people last year. Until now, Panama has helped speedily bus the migrants across its territory so they can continue their journey north. Whether Mulino can reduce migration through a sparsely populated region with little government presence is unknown, experts say. “Panama and our Darien are not a transit route. It is our border,” Mulino said after his victory with 34% of the vote in Sunday’s election was formalized Thursday evening. As he had suggested during his campaign, the 64-year-old lawyer and former security minister said he would try to end “the Darien odyssey that does not have a reason to exist.” The migrant route through the narrow isthmus grew exponentially in popularity in recent years with the help of organized crime in Colombia, making it an affordable, if dangerous, land route for hundreds of thousands. It grew as countries such as Mexico, under pressure from the U.S. government, imposed visa restrictions on various nationalities, including Venezuelans …
Biden proposal would target some migrants for quicker denial of asylum
washington — President Joe Biden on Thursday proposed a new regulation to expedite the asylum claims process for specific migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, but the plan drew objections from both immigrant advocates and administration critics. The order would target individuals with criminal backgrounds and those likely to be found ineligible for asylum for other reasons. The proposed change would allow an asylum officer to decide whether someone qualifies for asylum during the initial screening at the border, rather than waiting months or years for a judge to decide. This would affect a small group of migrants who likely wouldn’t qualify for asylum anyway. In a call with reporters on Thursday, a senior administration official from the Department of Homeland Security could not estimate how many people the proposed rule would affect but did say the rule would allow asylum officers to quickly decide that a given migrant poses a threat to national security or public safety and therefore does not qualify for asylum. “I think it’s important that everybody understand that this really only applies to individuals who have a serious criminal history or who are, you know, linked to terrorist activity, and that’s inherently a small fraction of …
Biden set to tighten asylum access at US-Mexico border, sources say
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is set to tighten access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border via a new regulation that could be issued as soon as Thursday, three sources familiar with the matter said. The change is aimed at reducing illegal crossings. The regulation would require migrants to be assessed at an initial asylum screening to see whether they should be barred from asylum and quickly deported, said the sources, who requested anonymity to discuss internal government planning. They added that the measure appeared limited in scope. The migrants would be assessed for asylum bars related to criminality and security threats, two of the sources said. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat seeking another term in the November 5 election, has struggled with record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since taking office in 2021. Former President Donald Trump, Biden’s Republican challenger, has criticized Biden for rolling back more-restrictive, Trump-era policies. …
Blinken travels to Guatemala for regional migration conference
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Guatemala on Tuesday for regional talks on migration. Officials discussed “enforcement, migration management and refugee integration,” the State Department said, two years after a group of 20 countries agreed on a framework of cooperation on migration issues. “Since then, together, we have partnered to transform our hemisphere’s approach to this truly historic challenge. We’ve taken meaningful steps to expand lawful migration pathways as an alternative to irregular migration, to improve enforcement efforts, to support host communities, to strengthen protections for vulnerable populations,” Blinken said at the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City. The Los Angeles Declaration on Migration and Protection reiterated the need to create the conditions for “safe, orderly, humane and regular migration” and committed to protecting the safety and dignity of migrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and stateless persons. It also highlighted the need to address the root causes that push people to leave their home countries. “Countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru have provided legal status to millions of Venezuelans … and are helping them contribute to host communities through U.S.-supported integration centers,” Blinken said. “Mexico and Canada established new labor pathways for migrants, helping workers build skills and economies …
From immigration to citizenship: When is an immigrant allowed to vote in a US election?
Can immigrants vote in U.S. elections? The answer is — not until they become naturalized citizens. Naturalization is a lengthy process that begins with obtaining a green card, also known as a permanent resident card. VOA’s Aline Barros explains the process. …
Biden administration: 100,000 new migrants expected to enroll in ‘Obamacare’ next year
WASHINGTON — Roughly 100,000 immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children are expected to enroll in the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance next year under a directive the Biden administration released Friday. The move took longer than promised to finalize and fell short of Democratic President Joe Biden’s initial proposal to allow those migrants to sign up for Medicaid, the health insurance program that provides nearly free coverage for the nation’s poorest people. But it will allow thousands of people, known as “Dreamers,” to access tax breaks when they sign up for coverage after the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace enrollment opens Nov. 1, just days ahead of the presidential election. “I’m proud of the contributions of Dreamers to our country and committed to providing Dreamers the support they need to succeed,” Biden said in a statement Friday. While it may help Biden boost his appeal at a crucial time among Latinos, a crucial voting bloc that he needs to turn out to win the election, the move is certain to prompt more criticism among conservatives about the president’s border and migrant policies. The action opens the marketplace to any participant in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, …
Dozens arrested after London protest blocking removal of asylum seekers
LONDON — British police arrested 45 people on Thursday after a violent protest in London against the transfer of asylum seekers form a hotel to a barge off southern England. Dozens of protesters outside the hotel in Peckham, southeast London, attempted to stop a bus carrying the asylum seekers from leaving, reportedly deflating its tires and obstructing the vehicle by surrounding it, London’s Metropolitan Police said. Tackling illegal migration is one of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s top priorities, and to bring down the high costs of accommodating migrants in hotels while their asylum claims are processed, the government has been trying to use barges and former military sites. Critics, however, have called the Bibby Stockholm barge — which is docked at Portland Port in Dorset and can house up to 500 men — inhumane and compared it to a prison ship. Several police officers were assaulted during the protest in Peckham, but none were seriously hurt, police said. “We will always respect the right to peaceful protest, but when officers are assaulted and obstructed from their duty, then we can and will take decisive action,” Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said. Arrests were made for offenses that included obstruction …
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