Migration News

Refugee families urge Biden to keep promise to up admissions
Julie Watson, AP
The families of refugees and their supporters, including 124 elected officials, sent President Joe Biden a letter Tuesday urging him to make good on his promise to boost refugee admissions to the United States during the current budget year, replacing the record low number set by his predecessor. Biden presented a plan to Congress two months ago to raise the ceiling on admissions to 62,500 and to eliminate restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump that have disqualified a significant number of refugees, including those fleeing war.

The Border Patrol's New Migrant Child Care Cadre
John Burnett, NPR
The Border Patrol is overwhelmed by the numbers of unaccompanied migrant children in its custody — on Sunday, there were 4,699 sleeping in austere conditions for days on end. But there's help on the way. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is, for the first time, fielding teams of social service workers to relieve some of the agents from handing out mattresses and Pampers. Last Friday, the sprawling Border Patrol Training Academy in Artesia, N.M., graduated 39 young men and women. But they won't pull on the distinctive green uniform and go patrol the netherworld between the United States and Mexico. They'll wear blue polo shirts and green pants and be assigned to work inside stations to care for the more than 5,000 individuals whom agents are apprehending every day — the biggest surge in 15 years. This is the first class of Border Patrol processing coordinators.

3 new facilities for unaccompanied migrant children open in Texas; sites in California considered
Fernie Ortiz, Fox 40
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the opening of three more “Emergency Intake Sites” for unaccompanied migrant children, as the agency considers even more sites. The Delphi Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in Donna, Texas, is expected to receive approximately 375 unaccompanied migrant children on Tuesday. The Delphi EIS will provide shelter for boys and girls ages 13 to 17, and has a potential capacity of 1,500 beds. On Monday, HHS announced the opening of the Dimmit Emergency Intake Site (EIS) in Carrizo Springs, Texas, which is also home to the Carrizo Springs Influx Care Facility. The Dimmit EIS will house boys and girls ages 13-17 and has a capacity of 440 beds. HHS said the Dimmit EIS received the first group of unaccompanied migrant children on Monday.

'I had an unknown weight on my shoulders': Undocumented farmworkers one step closer to more legal protections
Stephanie Garibay, 6 on Your Side
Although they make up a significant portion of agriculture workers and a vital part of the food system, undocumented workers are not given any protection from being deported. Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is looking to change that with the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, a bipartisan bill that would provide undocumented workers with the opportunity to earn legal status through continued agriculture employment. “Even if people that are anti-immigrant or extremist say we should just deport them all they don’t realize what would happen to our food chain if that were to happen," Simpson said.

African Immigrant Health Groups Battle Trans-Atlantic Tide Of Vaccine Disinformation
Eva Tesfaye, NPR
In the United States, skepticism about the vaccine can be found in all segments of the population, including African Americans. However, efforts to address hesitancy among Black people often overlook African immigrants, who get much of their information from their countries of origin. Minja has been paying close attention to threads of COVID-19 disinformation coming from Africa. "We've seen the whole gamut of misinformation that basically started with the fact that Africans and people of African ancestry are not susceptible to COVID," he said in an interview following the Zoom session.

Asylum Seekers Struggle to Keep Kids Safe and Learning in Tijuana Tent City
Alex J. Rouhandeh, Newsweek
The El Chaparral migrant encampment is less than half a mile from the barrier dividing Tijuana and Mexico. It hosts more than 2,000 migrants who are trying to enter the United States legally through the asylum process. Of the 2,000 migrants, about 500 are children, who live in small camping tents without access to heat, permanent shelter, or consistent clean running water. Up until the end of February, these children did not have access to an education. That changed, however, when a Honduran migrant named Evelyn Sanchez decided to help open a school.

Shifting politics, pandemic create opening for immigration reformers
Matt Murphy, WWLP.com
The arrival of the Biden administration and the shifting of the COVID-19 response to economic recovery have combined to give immigration reform advocates in Massachusetts hope that a long-term solution is within reach. U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, a Melrose Democrat and senior leader in the House, convened a group on Facebook on Monday to discuss the current status of immigration in the United States and the efforts underway to build momentum for Congress to tackle reform. The House has already passed legislation this year to give the so-called “Dreamers” and immigrant farm workers a path to apply for permanent residence, and Clark said that in addition to convincing the Senate to take up these bills Congress must take additional steps to create pathways to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants, including high-skilled groups, and to protect against exploitation in the workforce.

South Texas border town pushing back on outsiders’ ‘lies’ and ‘offensive stereotypes’
Sandra Sanchez, The Border Wall
Residents in the South Texas town of Laredo are saying “ya basta” (enough) to recent portrayals by lawmakers and others coming to tour the area who say it is a battleground and unsafe due to the and influx in migrants to the region. Members of the No Border Wall Laredo Coalition said they have been pushing back, holding virtual events and downtown rallies in an effort to restore Laredo’s good name. “For years, the border has been used as a political pawn to justify harsh and inhumane policies towards immigrants, many seeking refuge and asylum,” the group said in a statement issued Thursday. “There’s no surprise that border wall proponents are proactively stoking fear with the unfounded claim that not having a wall or strong law enforcement measures on our border has created a new so-called ‘crisis.'”

Further Reading

‘We Are Doomed’: Devastation From Storms Fuels Migration in Honduras
The New York Times

America Never Wanted the Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses
The Atlantic

How a Black, Gay Refugee Created a Community For Queer Asylum Seekers
Out

It's Time to Recognize Climate Refugees
International Policy Digest

A Seven-Year Journey from Asylum to U.S. Citizenship: Reflections on LGBTQ Immigrant Justice
JD Supra

Why American farms need immigration reform
The Hill