Migration News 

S.U.V. Packed With 25 Passengers Crashes Near California Border, Killing 13 

Miriam Jordan and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, The New York Times 

At least 13 people were killed early Tuesday in what appeared to be one of the deadliest border-related crashes in recent decades, as a big rig slammed into an S.U.V. crammed with more than two dozen people. The crash occurred just after sunrise on the outskirts of Holtville, Calif., in the Imperial Valley, a rich agricultural region and a busy corridor for migrant smuggling. The impact threw passengers from the vehicle, a maroon Ford Expedition, the police said. Twelve were killed on the spot, and a 13th died in a nearby hospital, where several other passengers were also treated for injuries. 

Migrant worker advocate reacts to fatal crash in Imperial County 

David Gotfredson, CBS8 

News 8 spoke with the director of the American Friends Service Committee, a San Diego based nonprofit that advocates for humane conditions for immigrants and migrant workers in the United States. Director Pedro Rios reacted to the fatal crash in Holtville that killed 13 people: “It's a tragic incident overall and I can’t imagine what the family members will be going through once they realize that their family member, their loved one, lost their life in this terrible incident. 

After Border Patrol release, asylum-seekers test positive for Covid in Brownsville, Texas 

Damià Bonmatí, Noticias Telemundo Investiga and Martha Alicia López, NBC News 

Miriam Izaguirre, a 35-year-old asylum-seeker from Honduras, crossed the Rio Grande at dawn Monday with her young son and turned herself in to the authorities. A few hours later she was released, and the first thing she did was take a rapid test for Covid-19 at the Brownsville bus station. They told her her test came out positive. "Right now we were tested for Covid and they separated about eight of us because we were positive," she told Noticias Telemundo Investiga. "We are waiting right now." She was waiting to catch a bus to Houston. 

House plans for immigration bills add uncertainty on Biden proposal 

Rebecca Beitsch and Brett Samuels, The Hill 

Congress plans to consider several stand-alone immigration bills this month, casting new doubt on whether President Biden's comprehensive proposal will make it to the floor. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Tuesday announced that the chamber would take up legislation during the week of March 15, following a push for an “immigration week” by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Sources say the House is expected to take up legislation that provides a path to citizenship for Dreamers, brought to the U.S. as young children, and others with temporary status. Another bill that’s slated for consideration would expand visa and citizenship opportunities for migrant farmworkers, according to sources. 

Scoop: Biden briefing calls for 20,000 child migrant beds 

Stef W. Kight, AXIOS 

A briefing scheduled for President Biden this afternoon outlines the need for 20,000 beds to shelter an expected crush of child migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, Axios has learned. Why it matters: The rapid influx of unaccompanied children is becoming the administration's first new crisis. A presentation created by the Domestic Policy Council spells out the dimensions with nearly 40 slides full of charts and details. 

Emergency rules implemented to prevent spread of COVID among migrant agriculture workers 

Devon Kessler, UpNorthLive.com 

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued emergency rules when it comes the housing migrants workers for agriculture work. The Pandemic Public Health Measures in Migrant Agricultural Worker Housing Emergency Rules require licensed housing providers to create and implement plans to prevent exposure to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, care for individuals with COVID-19 and take measures to help prevent the spread of the virus among workers. 

Attorney General Mark Herring files brief in effort to protect immigrant rights 

Jazmine Otey, WSLS 10 

Attorney General Mark Herring and several other attorneys are fighting for the rights of nearly 400,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders in the U.S. Herring and 21 other attorneys have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court to give TPS holders the right to become permanent residents after meeting some mandatory requirements. 

Further Reading 

One Way Trump May Have Changed Immigration Forever 

POLITICO Magazine 

Immigrant New Yorkers deserve an equal chance at economic recovery (Commentary) 

Syracuse.com 

Outlook brighter for refugee resettlement under Biden 

WWLP.com 

Biden immigration reform bill: What's changing in 2021 for green cards, citizenship 

CNET