Migration News

Baltimore-Based Lutheran Immigration And Refugee Services Helps Move Unaccompanied Minors From Facilities To Foster Homes
Annie Rose Ramos, CBS Baltimore
For months now, we’ve seen images of federal facilities packed with thousands of unaccompanied minors at a time when there are a record number of children reaching the southern border, most coming from Central America. The sheer volume of children is overwhelming the federal government’s resources with thousands of children packed into facilities never meant to handle this amount. But one Baltimore based organization, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, is working to move kids out of those facilities and into the homes of families eager to help. When Maryland couple, Catherina and Leonard, saw the images coming from the southern border like of kids sleeping on concrete floors, they were called to act.

Number of children held in Border Patrol facilities drops 84% since peak last month
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
The number of unaccompanied migrant children held in jail-like conditions by US Customs and Border Protection dropped nearly 84% in the span of a month, according to a White House official, underscoring the significant progress made by the administration after reaching record high custody figures. As of Wednesday, there were 954 children in CBP facilities, down from a peak of 5,767 on March 28, the official told CNN, speaking on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak on the record. The volume of arrivals weeks into President Joe Biden taking office, combined with an unprepared administration, left thousands of children languishing in Border Patrol facilities often for longer than the 72-hour limit set by federal law. In some cases, children were alternating schedules to make space for one another in confined facilities and taking turns showering, often going days without one, while others hadn't seen the sunlight in days.

Poll: Americans overwhelmingly approve of 'root causes' immigration strategy
Rafael Bernal, The Hill
A vast majority of Americans approve of the idea of engaging countries abroad to address the causes of migration before it happens, according to a new nationwide poll released Thursday. Pollster Civiqs found that 85 percent of survey respondents agreed that the United States needs to engage with other countries to address migration patterns. On a partisan basis, 86 percent of Democrats and 87 percent of Republicans, as well as 81 percent of independents, agree with that approach, according to Civiqs, which conducted the poll for Immigration Hub, a progressive immigration advocacy group.

Joe Biden’s immigration agenda overshadowed by migrant challenges in first 100 days
Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY
Two weeks into Joe Biden’s presidency, his Department of Health and Human Services announced it was opening a temporary influx facility to house unaccompanied migrant children – in the same location of a similar facility that was met with criticism under former President Donald Trump. The facility in Carrizo Springs, Texas, was the first temporary influx care facility of roughly a dozen emergency intake sites the Biden administration scrambled to set up to house thousands of unaccompanied children coming to the United States through the U.S.-Mexico border before they are released to a sponsor or family member.

Supreme Court sides with undocumented immigrant fighting deportation
Devin Dwyer, ABC News
The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with an undocumented Guatemalan immigrant seeking to challenge his removal from the U.S. by immigration authorities. In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch, the court said the Justice Department was violating federal law by not providing immigrants it seeks to deport with a single, comprehensive "notice to appear" with details on the charges and scheduled court appearance. "If men must turn square corners when they deal with the government, it cannot be too much to expect the government to turn square corners when it deals with them," Gorsuch wrote in an opinion joined by a remarkable alignment of justices -- Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett.

Rural Mexican border town getting much-needed migrant facility for weary asylum-seekers
Sandra Sanchez, WANE
After months of giving out sandwiches and water bottles, volunteers have opened a migrant resource facility to continue helping asylum-seekers who end up in the tiny desert outpost of Sasabe, Mexico, across the border from the Arizona town with the same name. Through a collaboration of volunteers from both sides of the border, Casa De La Esperanza (House of Hope) is set to open on Saturday, said Gail Kocourek of the Tucson-based nonprofit Tucson Samaritans. But they already have had their first guests, because after they painted the Spanish logo on the outside of the building recently, eight men who had trekked through the desert knocked on the door for assistance, Kocourek told Border Report on Thursday.

‘600 Crosses’ Honor Immigrant Essential Workers Who Died During Pandemic
Eddie Rivera, Pasadena Now
The Pasadena-based National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) paused Wednesday to honor immigrant workers who have died during the pandemic. The group held a Workers Memorial Day Virtual Service and Concert at Villa Parke during which organizers called for immediate amnesty for the surviving family members of the deceased immigrant workers. As part of the tribute, 600 hand-made pine crosses were installed along the park to represent the thousands of workers who have passed away during the health crisis. The concert took place without an in-person audience, but families of excluded workers that died during the pandemic were scheduled to speak, along with community and immigrant worker leaders. 

Further Reading

Biden should call for Article I immigration courts
The Hill

Undocumented women farmworkers toil under unique challenges
WCAX

A Syrian refugee, a Scottish island - migrant movie ‘Limbo’ takes you places you might not expect
The Spokesman-Review

Immigrant Advocates Urge Biden Administration to End Trump Restrictions on Asylum for Domestic Violence Victims
KQED