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Caribbean American Democratic Congresswoman Yvette D Clarke has reiterated her call for comprehensive immigration reform, as immigration advocates intensify calls for solving the migration crisis in the United States that involves Caribbean and other illegal migrants and refugees.

As a daughter of immigrants, it is not lost upon me the multitude of hardships and difficulties families experience when they come to this nation in hopes of finding the American Dream. Unfortunately, our immigration system, which has not been updated in 30 years, is broken, Clarke, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants, told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) on Friday.

At the same time, extremist MAGA Republicans are fighting tooth and nail to break it even further with H.R. 2, their Child Deportation Act, added the representative for the 9th Congressional District in Brooklyn, New York. This cruel legislation would force draconian restrictions and punishments on migrants and asylum seekers and set Americas immigration priorities back years. Any bill that would allow vulnerable migrant children to be inhumanely detained by Border Patrol for up to a month is an unacceptable solution.

As chair of the Immigration Task Force in the US House of Representatives, Clarke said she has seen the glaring inequities, blatant racism, vicious xenophobia, and civil rights violations immigrants face particularly in immigrant communities of African descent.

Immigrants of color experience immigration inequities more than any other community and immigrants of European origin, she said. But let me very clear, immigrantsregardless of statuscontribute billions every year in taxes and to the American economy. Thats why we need a concrete vision, equipped with compassion and equity, for comprehensive immigration reform.

In response to Mayor Adamss executive order to temporarily suspend New York Citys right-to-shelter protections, Natalia Aristizabal Betancur, deputy director of Make the Road New York, an immigration advocacy group, said it was simply outrageous for Mayor Adams to flout the law and try to suspend right-to-shelter protections that have been fundamental to New York City housing laws for decades.

Everyone, regardless of immigration status, deserves a safe roof over their heads, she said.

The City has a moral obligation to do the right thing and step up to provide supportnot put New Yorkers, including recently arrived people, at grave risk.

We urge the Adams administration to reverse course immediately and work to provide real, appropriate, and safe solutions, Betancur added. We and our allies have articulated multiple alternative stepslike expanding access to CityFHEPs vouchers to all people regardless of immigration status and eliminating the 90-day rule for eligibility that Mayor Adams should take to address the current situation and help all New Yorkers, including asylum seekers, move into permanent housing. Its time for him to listen and act on those policy recommendations.

On Thursday, the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), an umbrella policy and advocacy organization that represents over 200 immigrant and refugee rights groups throughout New York, rallied, on the steps of City Hall in lower Manhattan, with elected officials, Hudson Valley-serving nonprofit organizations and immigrant New Yorkers, urging the Biden and Adams administrations to step up efforts to address the crisis.

The Adams administration needs to evolve its response from an emergency footing to a permanent one, and start investing in an infrastructure which includes coordination with local municipalities and community-based organizations to move people from NYCs shelters to permanent housing using vouchers, as well as increase funding to meet legal and social services needs, said Murad Awawdeh, NYICs executive director. This will ensure that asylum seekers, and all New Yorkers, are better able to integrate and build their lives here.

Late last week, Adams announced a new program to provide up to four months of temporary sheltering in nearby New York counties, outside of New York City, to single-adult men seeking asylum who are already in the citys care.

Many of the asylum seekers are nationals of Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela.

In his announcement, Adams said the program will launch with two hotels located in Orange Lake and Orangeburg counties, with the potential to expand, and will provide asylum seekers with shelter for up to four months as well as the same city-funded services available at Humanitarian Emergency Relief and Response Centers.

The mayor said staff at participating hotels will also connect asylum seekers with community-based organizations and faith groups to support their transition to a new city.

With the number of asylum seekers arriving in New York City rapidly accelerating ahead of Title 42s lifting on Thursday, and what is expected to be an even larger influx after that day, Adams said the hotels in Orange Lake and Orangeburg will free up additional space in New York City for the hundreds of asylum seekers continuing to arrive in the five boroughs every day.

Since last spring, the mayor said over 60,800 asylum seekers have come through New York City and been offered a place to stay, adding that over 37,500 asylum seekers are currently in the citys care.CMC

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Immigration Rep. Clarke Calls For Comprehensive Reform NY ... - NYCaribNews

Anyone following the immigration debate over the last decade has seen the grim headlines: Family separation. Child exploitation. Unscrupulous smugglers. Deadly treks through the jungle.

When I accompanied a group of Boston University students to the Rio Grande Valley this spring through the Border Studies Program, led by the Center on Forced Displacement, we saw the desperation and frustration firsthand. During our 10-day trip, students volunteered at a migrant shelter and with other organizations, serving meals, distributing clothing, looking after children and helping translate documents. They got to know the families, their strength and the struggles that had brought them there.

In Reynosa, Mexico, right across the border from McAllen, Texas, thousands of migrant families are living in tents, many without running water or electricity. These families have already survived harrowing journeys from their countries of origin, which often include Haiti, Honduras, Venezuela, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua. In addition to spending their life savings, some were subject to abductions or sexual assault.

Migrants have been stranded in these conditions at least in part because of a controversial program known as Title 42, which officially ended May 11,but was widely used starting in March 2020, when the Trump administration invoked the statue at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Title 42 gave the U.S. government broad emergency powers to block asylum seekers and others from entering the country under the guise of preventing the spread of disease. Under Title 42, border patrol agents had the authority to override immigration laws that protect asylum seekers and ensure due process, and expel migrants to their last port of entry, usually Mexico.

While they wait for a chance to cross into the U.S., a process that can take months, people are vulnerable to exactly the kind of violence many of them fled in the first place: criminal gangs, kidnapping, extortion. And services to help are few and far between.

A Customs and Border Patrol app known as CBPone, designed to streamline immigration hearing requests, has been plagued by setbacks. We talked to families who told us that finding a functioning smartphone, charger and wifi signal in order to fill out their information and upload photos to the app was no easy feat; some relied on volunteers to lend them their devices or assist with language barriers.

Others said they were not able to enter all of their childrens details in time before the app crashed or reset, and had to resort to splitting up. This meant that a mother (or father) and one child might be able to schedule an appointment, while the other parent had to remain behind with the rest of their children, praying to be reunited soon.

Families who had been languishing in these camps for months also competed against new arrivals for limited spots, resulting in an overwhelming atmosphere of chaos and despair. For my BU students one social work graduate and nine undergraduates from different disciplines it was an eye-opening experience. They had prepared for the trip by reading articles, biographies and first-hand accounts, and by studying the history of migration in the Rio Grande Valley. On the ground, they not only saw immigration policies in action, they observed the resilience of the families who had escaped political conflict, violent crime and economic upheaval that prompted them to make the journey with their children in search of better lives.

At the same time, I learned from my students, who demonstrated openness, humility and their own form of resilience. Some could relate to the migrants experiences because their own parents had made a similar trek as immigrants and refugees, and worked hard, so that their children had the opportunity to finish school and go to college. The trip reconnected these students with their own histories while letting them give back to other families in need.

[My students] not only saw immigration policies in action, they observed the resilience of the families who had escaped political conflict, violent crime and economic upheaval

Title 42 has given way to a new set of restrictions. But for migrants, systemic challenges and uncertainties remain, even once they settle into their host communities and start rebuilding their lives.

As a social work expert who has watched this humanitarian disaster unfold, my heart breaks for the parents and children who have spent these last three years in legal limbo, not to mention those migrants who have become pawns in anti-immigration stunts by some governors.

Title 42 was never about public health. It was about keeping out people who in many cases meet the criteria for asylum and a workaround to delay border crossings. Meanwhile Congress has refused to act on comprehensive immigration reform and cynical politicians incite racism and xenophobia.

We simply must do better. Migrant families need our support not the patchwork of resources available now, but a coordinated national response to this growing crisis.

During the trip, my students and I discussed the need for immigration reform and policies that are less punitive. They need mental health and trauma care, assistance with housing and education, and policies in place that guard against horrifying injustices like family separation. This responsibility cannot be left to border cities or states and not just because many lack the infrastructure or political will. Once migrants enter the U.S., they join family members or seek employment all across the country. We need robust services and outreach from coast to coast.

We also talked about how the Biden administrations new immigration policies will prevent many families from being granted asylum. Instead, they will be returned to unsafe conditions in their home countries, where they will be banned from reapplying for five years. This is unacceptable.

As we move forward from this shameful chapter of our history, we must dispel the myth that migrants and asylum seekers are criminals or here to steal jobs. Lets focus instead on the hardworking families who deserve a second chance at stability and safety then fund the resources and programs that will help them get it.

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I traveled with my students to the Rio Grande Valley. I hope what ... - WBUR News

Its National Police Week in the Nations Capital, and during this week, the country pays honor and remembrance to law enforcement officers and survivors. During National Police Week, a number of bills are being introduced or considered in Washington. The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) is supporting efforts to provide immigration authority to officers across thecountry.

Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and Congressman Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) introduced legislation today that would enhance state and local law enforcement efforts to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain or transfer to federal custody any alien in the United States for the purpose of assisting in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws. The bill, titled Empowering Law Enforcement Act of 2023, would help provide critical tools and authorities for state and local law enforcement as they carry out their normal law enforcementduties.

Specifically, the Empowering Law Enforcement Actwould clarify that state and local law enforcement personnel have inherent authority to carry out the enforcement of our immigration laws. It would also clearly define the length of time under which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may detain a criminal alien to ensure criminal aliens are released into ourcommunities.

The Empowering Law Enforcement Act also makes it clear that state and local law enforcement are empowered to call on the federal government to request that it take custody of illegal aliens. State and local agencies could detain illegal aliens until DHS takes custody and seek reimbursement for costsincurred.

The bill would also enhance information sharing by requiring DHS to submit information on immigration violators in the National Crime Information Center Database, also known as NCIC. This database, maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), is accessible by criminal justice agencies that make an inquiry about crimes and criminals. According to the FBI, the information in NCIC assists agencies in a variety of ways, including apprehending fugitives, locating missing persons, locating and returning stolen property, as well as in the protection of the law enforcement officers encountering the individuals described in the system. The Tuberville/Carter bill, if passed, would require information on illegal aliens to be included in the NCIC so that immigration violators, such as those who are subject to final orders of removal and visa overstays, would be readily available to state and localofficers.

FAIR supports the Empowering Law Enforcement Act of 2023, and believes now is the time to provide more tools to state and local law enforcement officers who are bearing the burden of our border crisis and mass illegal immigrationsurges.

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Providing Critical Tools to State and Local Law Enforcement to Carry ... - Federation for American Immigration Reform

FAIR Take | May2023

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the ACLU of Northern California, the Hastings Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, and the National Immigrant Justice Center have filed a lawsuit in the Northern District of California challenging the new Biden Administration asylum rule. The lawsuit was filed within an hour after Title 42 officiallyexpired.

The rule, which was initially released in February, was released in final form last Wednesday in anticipation of the surge of asylum-seekers. The rule creates a rebuttable presumption that, for a period of two years after the end of Title 42, an alien is ineligible for asylum if the alien illegally enters at the southern border after traveling through a country that offers asylum or asylum-like protection pursuant to the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees or the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status ofRefugees.

However, this presumption of ineligibility for asylum does not apply in many circumstances. For example, it does not apply if the alien is an unaccompanied alien child (UAC). It also does not apply if the alien, or a member of the aliens family was authorized to travel to the U.S. to seek parole. In addition, it does not apply if the alien applied for asylum in a country through which the alien traveled and wasdenied.

Most importantly, however, the presumption of ineligibility does not apply if the alien arrives to claim asylum at a port of entry, pursuant to a pre-scheduled time and place using the CBP One app. It also does not apply if the alien arrives at a port of entry without an appointment, if the alien demonstrates by a preponderance of the evidence that it was not possible to access or use the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) scheduling system due to language barrier, illiteracy, significant technical failure, or other ongoing and seriousobstacles.

This means that the only real restriction the rule places on asylum is that an alien must make an appointment through the CBP One App and present himself or herself at a port of entry. Contrary to numerous media reports, because of these exceptions the rule does not actually require that an alien seek asylum in another country first before claiming asylum in the United States. And, even if the presumption applies, the new rule provides aliens numerous ways to rebut it and still establish eligibility forasylum.

Section 208 of the Immigration Act, which governs asylum, expressly authorizes the government to issue rules establishing additional limitations and conditions that make an alien ineligible for asylum. It also expressly requires the government to adopt procedures for aliens who want to claim asylum and authorizes the government to issue regulations imposing additional conditions or limitations on the consideration of an application not inconsistent with the Immigration and Nationality Act(INA).

In its lawsuit, however, the ACLU argues that the law does not allow the Administration to limit eligibility for asylum based on where they cross the border or whether they applied for asylum elsewhere. It further argues that migrants cannot meaningfully seek asylum in transit countries because those countries lack a functioning asylum system, others have overburdened systems, and most of these countries are not safe for aliens fleeingpersecution.

Upon filing the lawsuit, Katrina Eiland, managing attorney with the ACLU Immigrants Rights Project, told the media: The Biden administrations new ban places vulnerable asylum seekers in grave danger and violates U.S. asylum laws. Weve been down this road before with TrumpThe asylum bans were cruel and illegal then, and nothing has changednow.

The Biden Administration, ironically, is now defending itself against attacks from the left. After learning of the ACLUs lawsuit, Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas said, We have built lawful safe and orderly pathways for people to use. If asylum-seekers dont adhere to those pathways, he added, they dont face a ban but have a higher burden of proof tomeet.

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ACLU Sues to Enjoin New Asylum Rule - Federation for American Immigration Reform

SAN DIEGO I just cant ... Thats what my 18-year-old daughter tells me with an exasperated smile on those frequent occasions when I say something that strikes her as crazy.

What I find crazy is that even with so much being written and said about immigration now that the Biden administration has complied with the order of a federal judge to stop using Title 42 as a public-health pretext for keeping out migrants and refugees the discussion is still full of misinformation.

Such as the popular but inaccurate narrative that Democrats are the good guys in the white hats, always defending immigrants and refugees from racist and petty Republicans who want to deport them.

Take it from someone who has studied and written about immigration for more than 30 years from the American Southwest: There are villains in both parties.

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Republicans and Democrats want the same thing: to get elected. So it becomes a perverse contest: Which party can be tougher and meaner on the border?

Since President Joe Biden has now hijacked a handful of Trump policies meant to make applying for refugee status nearly impossible including forcing migrants to apply from their home countries or from the first safe country they get to, both of which are illegal according to human rights lawyers we can declare the competition a tie.

Just how complicated the immigration debate really is was driven home for me recently when my favorite news programCBS Sunday Morning went searching for someone to defend migrants and found, of all people, Cecilia Muoz. The first Latina to serve as director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, Muoz was the chief apologist for the Obama administrations immigration crackdown, and every immigration reform advocate in the country knows it.

Whenever President Barack Obama did a bad thinglike splitting up Central American families at the border or putting kids in cages or deporting so many people (about 3 million in eight years) that Janet Murgua, Muozs former boss at what was then called the National Council of La Raza, labeled Obama the deporter in chief Muoz defended the White House in English and Spanish media.

Ive watched many of Muozs interviews in both languages. In Spanish, the daughter of Bolivian immigrants was compassionate toward people who want a better life. But in English when her audience was mostly White she was a hard case, talking about the rule of law and how people had to come to the United States the right way and how human suffering was inevitable.

That is essentially what Muoz told Latina journalist Maria Hinojosa in a powerful episode of PBSs Frontline called Lost in Detention, which aired in October 2011. Hinojosa told heartbreaking stories of immigrant families callously broken apart by the Obama administration. In response, Muoz said, Even if the law is executed with perfection, there will be parents separated from their children.

Is it cold in here, or is it just her?

In 2014, Marylands Democratic governor, Martin OMalley, criticized Obamas rapid-return policies at the border: We are not a country that should turn children away and send them back to certain death. OMalley called upon the administration to treat the refugee children better, describing the holding facilities as kennels.

According to CNN, the governor got an angry call from Muoz. The two got into a heated discussion about his remarks. At one point, Muoz suggested that the administration might house some of the border kids at a former Army Reserve center in Westminster, Md. Quoting a Democratic source, CNN reported that OMalley pleaded with Muoz: Please dont send these kids to Western Maryland.

Muoz would probably prefer that her critics forget all that ever happened.

Politicians and their lackeys always hope we wont remember their failings. This time, no such luck. Latinos never forget anythingespecially being stabbed in the heart by one of their own.

Now, all these years later, CBSs Lee Cowan interviewed Muoz for a segment about the end of the Title 42 border policies.

Its not about politics, she told him. Its not about ideology. Its about helping people in need at a time of crisis. Its really what we do when were at our best in this country.

At our best? On immigration, Muoz hasnt been at her best for a long time. And were supposed to swallow this nonsense?

Washington Post columnist Ruben Navarrettes email address is crimscribe@icloud.com.

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