Federal law requires all children in America to receive public education, regardless of immigration status. Migrant shelters have become schools for the detained children in deportation proceedings. The children stay in the shelters on average two months. The classes place kids of all ages together, leaving the older children reviewing old material.
The outside world knows very little about the deportation process because the United States immigration system hides behind closed doors. Some immigration courts are kept inside secure ICE detention centers. Immigration judges can remove spectators and close the doors to proceedings at their discretion. The Times reporters were removed from immigration court in Texas without any explanation. Detainees have little…
Although the Trump Administration wants asylum seekers to come legally through ports of entry, these families are still facing issues with separation from their children. Despite statements from the Department of Homeland Security saying the separation of families is a “myth,” reports from immigration courts discovered by the Texas Tribune show the myth is very real. Immigration law experts believe…
Texas, along with six other Republican controlled states sued the Trump Administration to end DACA. Trump gave Congress the decision whether to keep the program. Congress did not reach a consensus. Federal judges have held that the program will be maintained but no new applicants are currently being accepted. These states are suing Trump to force him to end the…
The Trump Administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policies have led to the separation of over two thousand children from their parents. Many Republicans have criticized the Trump Administration for being “cruel” and “immoral”. Some of the most notable critics of the Trump Administration’s stance are Melania Trump, Laura Bush, Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney and John McCain. The outrage against these policies…
Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, the current High Commissioner of the United Nations Human Rights Council, strongly opposed the Trump Administration’s policy of separating migrant children from their parents in a speech he gave on June 18th. He stated that it is “unconscionable” for the Trump Administration to seek to deter illegal immigration by inflicting abuse onto children. Immigrant rights activists hope…
Attorney General Sessions recently ruled that victims of domestic and gang related violence cannot seek asylum in the United States. He justified this decision by stating that asylum was never intended to be a government program to fix the problems of other countries. Immigrant and civil rights activists disagree with the notion of sending people on American soil back to…
A new proposal from the Trump Administration may lead to immigrants shying away from using government programs such as Medicare and food stamps. The proposed rule would put legal residents at risk of being passed over when applying for a green card because of their previous use of government benefits. Health advocates are concerned for the health of the immigrant…
The Office of Refugee Resettlement cannot account for 1,500 missing immigrant children. Adults who are caught illegally crossing into the United States are prosecuted for unlawful entry into the country. Prosecution occurs regardless of whether that adult is accompanied by a child when crossing the border. If the adult is prosecuted, the child is considered unaccompanied and is taken by…
A new Canadian law, to take effect on Oct. 17th, will legalize recreational marijuana across Canada. Canadians who smoke legal marijuana in Canada will face issues when trying to enter the United States. In future visa interviews between Canadian nationals and USCIS and CBP, expect more questions about whether a Canadian applicant has used marijuana. If the answer is yes,…
