Migration News

Texas lawmakers to tour detention facility for migrant teens near border
Sandra Sanchez, Fox 40
As criticism about the prolonged detention of undocumented migrant children mounts, at least two Texas lawmakers are scheduled to tour a controversial and newly opened migrant detention facility for teens Friday in the South Texas town of Carrizo Springs. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, told Border Report on Thursday that he will tour the Carrizo Springs facility, which holds undocumented migrants ages 13-17 and is located 125 miles southwest of San Antonio in a rural and desolate stretch of South Texas. The facility is run by U.S. Health and Human Services, which cares for undocumented migrant youth who are in the United States.

Hundreds of minors are crossing the border each day without their parents. Who are they?
Nick Miroff, Andrew Ba Tran and Leslie Shapiro, The Washington Post
They cross the border from Mexico in groups large and small, most of them teenagers, but some much younger, carrying the names and phone numbers of family members living in the United States. Home is hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. Some make the journey with a smuggler or a friend, but others set out alone, traveling on buses, the tops of freight trains or even by foot. Central American and Mexican children, tweens and teenagers traveling without parents are crossing the border in soaring numbers, once more creating a logistical and humanitarian emergency for the U.S. government.

He Was Caught Jaywalking. He Was Almost Deported for It.
Annie Correal and Ed Shanahan, The New York Times
Javier Castillo Maradiaga was on his way to a family birthday party in the Bronx in December 2019 when the police arrested him for jaywalking. So began a 15-month odyssey during which he was locked up and flown between detention centers around the United States after New York City authorities failed to honor a law meant to keep undocumented immigrants from routinely falling into federal immigration authorities’ hands. It was not until Wednesday, after city officials had admitted their blunder and joined activists, federal lawmakers and Mr. Castillo’s lawyers to push for his release, that he was freed from a New Jersey detention center on a federal judge’s order.

A Profile of Immigrant Women in the Workforce
Sofia Carratala, Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, and Sarah Jane Glynn, Center for American Progress
For years, immigrant women have made vital contributions to the U.S. economy, and they and their families have become deeply rooted in American society. The average immigrant woman has lived in the United States since 1996, and the average undocumented immigrant woman has lived in the country since 2005. Particularly during this Women’s History Month, these essential communities must not go unrecognized. Their contributions and experiences should be centered as policymakers craft solutions for a bold and equitable economic recovery in the months ahead.

She came to the U.S. with only $300 and worked housekeeping jobs to pay for school. Now she's a flight director for NASA's Mars Perseverance.
Christopher Brito, CBS News
When NASA's Perseverance rover successfully landed on Mars last week, aerospace engineer Diana Trujillo, who is a flight director on the mission, said in an interview with CBS News that it took her some time to process that it had arrived on the red planet. "I was very much on the mindset of 'What's happening?'" she said. Then as pictures and videos from Perseverance started to beam back, it became real. "Are we safe? I think that watching the image was when I actually processed that we had actually landed," she added.

ICE releases immigrant who sought 'sanctuary' in Seattle church
Michael Crowe, KING5.com
After years of fighting to stay in the U.S., Jose Robles walked out of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma Wednesday, though his immigration battle continues. Robles, of Lakewood, has lived in the United States for decades with his wife and three children. Back in 2018, he received a deportation order to return to Mexico. He defied that, taking sanctuary inside Gethsemane Lutheran Church in downtown Seattle, living there for more than a year.

More States Tap Community Orgs for Immigrant Vaccination Push
Tim Henderson, The Pew Charitable Trusts
More states are letting community groups and churches help vaccinate the roughly 10.5 million immigrants who are living here illegally. Arizona, Delaware, Michigan and Oregon are among the states joining California and Maryland in enlisting partners trusted by communities to boost vaccination rates among immigrants, many of whom have high-risk jobs in food and maintenance. Those living here illegally often live with no paper trail. Many of them lack the formal identification or utility bills many states require to provide vaccines. Some states, such as North Carolina and West Virginia, have denied vaccines to people without proof of state residence.

Further Reading 

PRESS RELEASE: RCUSA hosts “Justice Delayed” panel urging President Biden to sign an updated refugee admissions goal
Refugee Council USA

Border Faith Leaders, Police Chief Respond to Increase in Unaccompanied Migrant Children, Asylum-Seekers
National Immigration Forum

Explainer: What’s Happening at the U.S.-Mexico Border
National Immigration Forum

Rights Groups Urge India to Halt Plans to Deport Rohingya Refugees to Myanmar
The Voices of America

Photos: Women of The World Fashion Show raises money for empowering refugee, immigrant and asylum-seeking women
The Salt Lake Tribune