Immigration and the Southern Border in the U.S.

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Court order allows Texas’ floating barrier on US-Mexico border to remain in place for now

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court on Thursday allowed Texas’ floating barrier on a section of the Rio Grande to stay in place for now, a day after a judge called the buoys a threat to the safety of migrants and relations between the U.S. and Mexico.

https://apnews.com/article/rio-grande-barrier-buoys-texas-border-migrants-bc6362349fc5952a8d9089fe9cfe09af?

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Menendez, other U.S. Senate Democrats vent frustrations after new ruling against DACA

WASHINGTON — A federal judge Wednesday declared illegal the Biden administration’s revised version of a program that protects hundreds of thousands of people brought into the country as children from deportation, and U.S. Senate Democrats, advocates and the White House on Thursday decried the decision.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/09/14/menendez-other-u-s-senate-democrats-vent-frustrations-after-new-ruling-against-daca/?

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Under pressure over border, Biden administration to protect hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans The Biden administration said Wednesday that it was granting temporary legal status to hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who are already in the country as it grapples with growing numbers of people fleeing the South American country and elsewhere to arrive at the U.S. border. Read more.

Why this matters: The Homeland Security Department plans to grant Temporary Protected Status to an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who arrived in the country as of July 31, 2023, making it easier for them to get authorization to work in the U.S.   The protections for Venezuelans are significant because they account for a large number of the migrants who have been arriving in the U.S. in recent years. Over the last decade, Venezuela plunged into a political, economic and humanitarian crisis, pushing at least 7.3 million people to migrate.   The move — along with promises to accelerate work permits for many migrants — may appease Democratic leaders who have pressured the White House to do more to aid asylum seekers, while also providing an example for Republicans who say the president has been too lax on immigration.

Related coverage ➤ Biden’s Democratic allies intensify pressure for asylum-seekers to get work permits Wave of migrants that halted trains in Mexico started with migrant smuggling industry in Darien Gap A Republican lawsuit threatens a Biden immigration policy thousands have used to come to the US

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Biden administration offers temporary protection to Venezuelan migrants

WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced late Wednesday that the agency will expand protected status to nearly half a million Venezuelan nationals, allowing them to live and work in the United States.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/09/21/biden-administration-offers-temporary-protection-to-venezuelan-migrants/?

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Migrant surge sparks housing calamity

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

A surge in new migrants is colliding with the U.S.' housing crisis: Even putting a minor dent in the shelter problem is costing state and local governments millions, Axios' Caitlin Owens, Stef Kight, Monica Eng, Alayna Alvarez, Steph Solis and Cuneyt Dil report. Why it matters: Cities simply don't have enough affordable homes, enough shelters or enough money to help everyone who needs it. 🗽 New York City is legally required to provide shelter to anyone who requests it. The city was caring for nearly 60,000 migrants and asylum seekers at the beginning of September, according to the comptroller's office. Migrants account for more than half of the city's shelter population. The city just announced a lease of a World War II-era airfield as an emergency shelter site. 💰 Chicago officials tell Axios they expect migrant support efforts to cost more than a quarter of a billion dollars this year. Local advocates say that's more than they've ever seen deployed toward the local homeless population — though a city official told a community meeting this summer that homelessness resources aren't being diverted to aid migrants. Officials in suburban Boston cities say they were caught off guard by the state's decision to place migrants in their communities. Keep reading.

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After sending busloads of migrants to NYC, Texas governor visits city to fault Biden for crisis

NEW YORK (AP) — For more than a year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has been busing migrants from the southern U.S. border to places like New York, Washington and Chicago, prompting angry complaints from Democratic officials in those cities.

https://apnews.com/article/migrants-new-york-adams-abbott-colombia-58d423ab3e84e5692d50f773803254ee?

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Border crossings by migrant families hits record high

August brought another overwhelming wave of migration at the U.S.-Mexico border — including a record number of family members crossing illegally, according to government data released Friday.

https://www.axios.com/2023/09/22/us-border-migrant-families-biden?

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Unlawful crossings along southern U.S. border reach yearly high

U.S. immigration agents processed more than 200,000 migrants who crossed the southern border unlawfully in September, the highest level recorded in 2023, as the Biden administration struggles to contain the mass migration gripping the region, according to preliminary government data obtained by CBS News.

https://local.newsbreak.com/texas-state/3176803271469-unlawful-crossings-along-southern-us-border-reach-yearly-high?

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Mexico’s president says 10,000 migrants a day head to US border; he blames US sanctions on Cuba Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Monday that about 10,000 migrants per day are heading to the U.S. border, and he blamed U.S. economic sanctions on countries like Cuba and Venezuela for the influx. Read more.

Why this matters: López Obrador seemed to join Colombian President Gustavo Petro in blaming the situation on U.S. sanctions on countries like Venezuela and Cuba, whose citizens make up a large part of the migrant flow trying to reach the U.S. border. However, experts say economic mismanagement and political repression are largely to blame for the tide of migrants leaving those countries.   López Obrador has also slammed U.S. aid for Ukraine and said the United States should spend some of the money sent to Ukraine on economic development in Latin America.   The United States has sanctioned both Cuba and Venezuela over what it considers suppression of democracy. Petro’s government has faced criticism for failing to curb the industrial-scale smuggling of migrants in Colombia, while Mexico had done little to stop migrants from hopping freight trains toward the U.S. until the country’s largest railway took action after safety concerns last month.

Related coverage ➤ More refugees to come from Latin America, Caribbean under Biden’s new 125,000 refugee cap Mexico’s president slams US aid for Ukraine and sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba Panama criticizes Colombia for not helping stem record flow of migrants through Darien Gap

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Jailed and Desperate, Immigrants Are Enlisted in Border Crackdown

Several months ago, as a federal judge worked through a docket of smuggling cases in the bustling border city of Laredo, Texas, three people were escorted into the courtroom.

https://local.newsbreak.com/laredo-tx/3178986009616-jailed-and-desperate-immigrants-are-enlisted-in-border-crackdown?

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Biden administration waives 26 federal laws to allow border wall construction in South Texas The Biden administration announced it waived 26 federal laws in Texas to allow for border wall construction on Wednesday, marking the administration’s first use of a sweeping executive power employed often during the Trump presidency. Read more.

Why this matters: The Department of Homeland Security posted the announcement with few details outlining the construction in Starr County, Texas, which is part of a busy Border Patrol sector seeing “high illegal entry.” According to government data, about 245,000 illegal entries have been recorded this fiscal year in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.   The DHS decision contrasts with the administration’s previous posturing from a Jan. 2021, proclamation which stated that “building a massive wall that spans the entire southern border is not a serious policy solution.” The announcement prompted political debate by the Democratic administration facing a migrant surge while proponents of the border wall said the waivers should be used as a launching pad for a shift in policy.

Related coverage ➤  US officials will meet with counterparts in Mexico to talk drugs, arms trafficking and migration A Texas neighborhood became a target of the right over immigration. Locals are pushing back New York City moves to suspend ‘right to shelter’ as migrant influx continues

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Biden's Trumpish border moves

After an outcry from blue state governors and big city mayors, President Biden's border policy in 2023 is looking more like the Trump era, Axios' Stef Kight writes.

• Biden's going forward with a border wall in South Texas, striking deals with Mexico, expediting family deportation, restricting asylum and paying Panama to remove people as historic migration continues.

Why it matters: Political pressure has been building for Biden to fix the border problem fast.

What's happening: Top Cabinet members descended on Mexico today to discuss solutions to illegal migration and fentanyl smuggling as tension between the two countries has escalated.

• Venezuela also agreed to cooperate with U.S. deportation efforts for the first time in years, senior administration officials announced today.

🔎 Zoom in: Administration officials are quick to point to the differences between Biden's border policies and his predecessor's, including expansive legal parole programs. But the similarities are hard to miss.

• After swearing he wouldn't build more border walls, Biden is now waiving dozens of federal laws to allow exactly that in South Texas.
• Asylum-seekers who don't seek refuge in a country they traveled through first are being rejected for asylum, reminiscent of Trump's so-called transit ban.
• Homeland Security is expanding a program to deport families faster.
• The State Department is readying to use foreign aid to assist another country's deportation efforts for the first time in history — similar to a plan first pursued by Trump.

Between the lines: The South Texas border wall project will use funds from 2019, when Trump was president. Biden argues that the construction is required to go forward by law.

• Keep reading.

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Biden says he had to use Trump-era funds for the border wall. Asked if barriers work, he says ‘No’ President Joe Biden has defended his administration’s decision to waive 26 federal laws in South Texas to allow construction of roughly 20 miles of additional border wall, saying he had no choice but to use the Trump-era funding for the barrier to stop illegal migration from Mexico. Read more.

Why this matters: The new construction was announced in June with funds appropriated in 2019 before the Democratic president took office.   Biden said he tried to get lawmakers to redirect the money, but Congress refused and the law requires the funds to be used on construction to be completed in 2023.   The Biden administration is struggling to manage increasing numbers of migrants at the border and throughout the U.S. as Democratic leaders in New York, Chicago and Washington seek federal help to handle growing numbers of migrants.

Related coverage ➤ NYC mayor to residents of Puebla, Mexico: ‘Mi casa es su casa,’ but ‘there’s no more room’ Biden administration is resuming deportation flights for Venezuelan migrants as arrivals grow

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US Border Patrol has released thousands of migrants on San Diego’s streets, taxing charities

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Over five years, the largest U.S. city on the Mexican border developed a well-oiled system to shelter asylum-seekers.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-border-migrant-shelters-afd3a60803902eb4e1d6890785275a2c?

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Texas ramps up migrant busing

Data: Texas Governor's Office. Map: Deena Zaidi/Axios Visuals Texas has bused more than 50,000 migrants from the border to major U.S. cities across the country — and the effort is ramping up, Axios' Stef Kight reports. Why it matters: The state's busing blitz has accelerated the movement of migrants and asylum seekers north, worsened destination cities' housing crises and prompted Democratic leaders to increase pressure on President Biden to help. Last week, Biden made major immigration policy announcements, including border wall construction, and resumed deportations to Venezuela. Texas, the state with the most consistent busing program, has sent more than 1,130 buses north since April 2022, according to statistics Gov. Greg Abbott's (R) office provided to Axios. 🔬 Zoom in: Thousands of migrants in Chicago — many of whom have been bused from Texas — await a spot in the city's overcrowded shelters. Last week, as many as 14 buses arrived in a single day, according to city officials. New York Mayor Eric Adams recently traveled to Latin America to discourage migrants from coming. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson plans to visit the border to talk about the city's forecast for a "brutal winter," Axios Chicago reports. 🧮 By the numbers: New York City has received more migrants from the Texas state-sponsored busing program than any other city, with 18,500+ arriving on 390 buses since August 2022. Chicago comes in second, with 13,500+ migrants on 290 buses. D.C. has received 12,500+ migrants. Denver and Philadelphia have received 3,200+ migrants each from Texas in less than a year. Texas added L.A. as a destination in June. More than 940 migrants and asylum seekers have been sent there on over 20 buses. 🖼️ The big picture: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has flown dozens of migrants and asylum seekers to Martha's Vineyard and Sacramento over the past year and a half.

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⚡ Dems' immigration divide

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios Photo: Herika Martinez /Getty Images

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is divided over the best way to respond to illegal immigration — a microcosm of the broader debate in the Democratic Party on what to do about the southern border, Axios' Hans Nichols and Stef Kight report. Why it matters: Top Democrats know the scenes of migrants streaming at the border — coupled with cities being overwhelmed across the country — are presenting a massive political problem for President Biden and congressional Democrats. But finding legislation to thread the needle between moderate demands for increased enforcement and progressive requirements for more pathways to citizenship is already proving difficult. Driving the news: Last Tuesday, the CHC held a roughly 45-minute meeting focused entirely on immigration, with Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas) trying to garner support for the bipartisan Dignity Act, according to aides and lawmakers. Escobar's pitch was not received well by several members in attendance last week. A second meeting was planned for today, as the group grapples with how to wield its power to get something done on a topic that has long evaded real reform in Congress. Zoom out: The White House has already taken drastic measures to crack down on the number of migrants and asylum seekers illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. These include resuming border wall construction, deportations to Venezuela and moving to use foreign aid to help Panama's deportations. Both actions have been condemned by some CHC members and immigrant rights groups. Republicans, meanwhile, have stoked Democratic tensions and forced cities far from the border to grapple with the influx of migrants. Keep reading

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Confessions of a birthright citizen

I am an invader. 

https://wisconsinexaminer.com/2023/10/10/confessions-of-a-birthright-citizen/?

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Biden’s go-ahead for added border wall draws criticism from Democrats in Congress

WASHINGTON — U.S. congressional Democrats are frustrated with the White House’s decision to allow for the construction of additional border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/13/bidens-go-ahead-for-added-border-wall-draws-criticism-from-democrats-in-congress/?

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US resumes deportation flights to Venezuela with more than 100 migrants on board

MAIQUETIA, Venezuela (AP) — Deportation flights of Venezuelans from the U.S. resumed Wednesday with a first plane of more than a hundred migrants landing back in their economically troubled country under the Biden administration’s latest attempts to deal with swelling numbers of asylum-seekers.

https://apnews.com/article/venezuela-migrants-deportation-texas-biden-immigration-1115aa224f1fa79fb88bd991a8ed705a?

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Most in the US see Mexico as a partner despite border problems, an AP-NORC/Pearson poll shows

MIAMI (AP) — Most people in the U.S. see Mexico as an essential partner to stop drug trafficking and illegal border crossings, even as they express mixed views of Mexico’s government, according to a new poll.

https://apnews.com/article/poll-united-states-mexico-border-drug-3981c86178acd29e4a22357f1f382b5c?

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Biden's border ask

Biden is planning to ask Congress for more than $8 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and billions more for agencies with a role in immigration, Axios' Stef Kight reports.

Why it matters: The sweeping emergency funding request will reportedly total around $100 billion, with $60 billion for Ukraine and $10 billion for Israel. The sizable border component underscores how urgent the migration crisis has become for the Biden administration.

Zoom in: The supplemental package — which also includes funding for Taiwan — is expected to be sent to Congress by the end of the week. The final estimates are subject to change.

• The border funding will be go toward direct immigration enforcement, international efforts to slow migration, support for major U.S. cities struggling to accommodate migrants and attempts to crack down on fentanyl smuggling.

What to watch: Money directed at beefing up border security, detention and deportations could sweeten the deal for Republicans who have criticized the Biden administration's handling of the border.

• The new border-related request comes ahead of the release of September border numbers, which at times saw migrant encounters near a staggering 11,000 per day, according to draft assessments.
• Early figures indicate that the 2023 fiscal year, which ended on Sept. 30, set a new record for illegal border crossings.

Keep reading

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Independent immigration court system advocated in U.S. Senate hearing

WASHINGTON — An immigration judge and lawyer told a U.S. Senate Judiciary panel on Wednesday that an independent immigration court would help ease a backlog of more than 2 million pending cases.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/19/independent-immigration-court-system-advocated-in-u-s-senate-hearing/?

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In Tampa, activists call on the Biden administration to authorize work permits for the undocumented

‘When this law passed, it changed everything,” says the president of the Tampa Bay Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

https://floridaphoenix.com/2023/10/20/in-tampa-activists-call-on-the-biden-administration-to-authorize-work-permits-for-the-undocumented/?

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Wisconsin’s Dairy Industry Relies on Undocumented Immigrants, but the State Won’t Let Them Legally Drive

Undocumented immigrants in the state can own and register their vehicles, but they aren’t allowed to drive them, forcing many farm workers to risk fines and arrest. “It’s a Catch-22 for a lot of folks,” advocates say.

https://www.propublica.org/article/wisconsin-dairy-undocumented-immigrants-drivers-licenses?

Immigration: Death on a Dairy Farm

When an 8-year-old Nicaraguan boy was run over on a Wisconsin dairy farm, authorities blamed his father and closed the case. Meanwhile, the community of immigrant workers knows a completely different story.

https://www.propublica.org/article/wisconsin-dairy-farm-jefferson-rodriguez?

How We Reached Workers While Reporting on Dairy Farm Conditions

Spanish-speaking dairy farm workers in Wisconsin, many of them undocumented immigrants, are not regular readers of our website. Most have never heard of ProPublica, let alone formed a trusting relationship with us. Some have low levels of literacy and poor internet connections because the farms they work on are remote. Connecting with them, both to conduct our reporting and to share our findings, is a challenge.

https://www.propublica.org/article/how-we-reached-dairy-farm-workers-while-writing-about-them?

Dairy Workers on Wisconsin’s Small Farms Are Dying. Many of Those Deaths Are Never Investigated.

On a below-freezing morning in March 2013, Israel Lepe Quezada was crushed to death while working on a dairy farm in northeast Wisconsin. The farm’s owner had found Lepe pinned between the engine compartment and hydraulic arms of a forklift-like machine.

https://www.propublica.org/article/wisconsin-dairy-farms-osha-safety-death-investigation-immigrant-workers?

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As economy falters, more Chinese migrants take a perilous journey to the US border to seek asylum

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The young Chinese man looked lost and exhausted when Border Patrol agents left him at a transit station. Deng Guangsen, 28, had spent the last two months traveling to San Diego from the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, through seven countries on plane, bus and foot, including traversing Panama’s dangerous Darién Gap jungle.

https://apnews.com/article/chinese-emigration-us-mexico-border-darien-381c215ff30f0f2349c2ea118aa280c6?