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Who are the Border Patrol chaplains? And why does the agency need more of them now?
Read full article: Who are the Border Patrol chaplains? And why does the agency need more of them now?Border Patrol agents are tasked with enforcing hotly contested immigration policies as many Americans at both ends of the political spectrum look askance at the border — and the agents.
Border Patrol trains more chaplains as the job and polarizing immigration debate rattle agents
Read full article: Border Patrol trains more chaplains as the job and polarizing immigration debate rattle agentsThe Border Patrol has been quickly growing its ranks of chaplains to help with mounting distress.
Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crime
Read full article: Trump vows tariffs over immigration. What the numbers say about border crossings, drugs and crimePresident-elect Donald Trump is threatening tariffs on Mexico and Canada as he seeks to portray them as responsible for illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
Migrant deaths in New Mexico have increased tenfold
Read full article: Migrant deaths in New Mexico have increased tenfoldNew Mexico authorities are grappling with a growing number of migrants dying in the state's border region, with the remains of more than 100 found in the first eight months of the year in the state.
Migrants are rattled and unsure as deportations begin under new rule halting asylum
Read full article: Migrants are rattled and unsure as deportations begin under new rule halting asylumA sense of uncertainty prevails among migrants after President Joe Biden invoked powers to suspend asylum for people who cross the border illegally.
Biden administration will seek partial end to special court oversight of child migrants
Read full article: Biden administration will seek partial end to special court oversight of child migrantsThe Biden administration plans to partially end the 27-year-old court supervision of how the federal government cares for child migrants, shortly after producing its own list of safeguards against mistreatment.
Border Patrol must care for migrant children who wait in camps for processing, a judge says
Read full article: Border Patrol must care for migrant children who wait in camps for processing, a judge saysA judge has ruled that migrant children in makeshift camps along the U.S.-Mexico border waiting to be processed by Border Patrol are in the agency’s custody.
Arrests for illegal border crossings nudge up in February but still among lowest of Biden presidency
Read full article: Arrests for illegal border crossings nudge up in February but still among lowest of Biden presidencyThe number of arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico nudged upward February over the previous month.
Illegal border crossings from Mexico plunge after a record-high December, with fewer from Venezuela
Read full article: Illegal border crossings from Mexico plunge after a record-high December, with fewer from VenezuelaAuthorities say arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Joe Biden’s presidency.
Texas is blocking US border agents from patrols, Biden administration tells Supreme Court
Read full article: Texas is blocking US border agents from patrols, Biden administration tells Supreme CourtThe Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to order Texas to stop blocking Border Patrol agents from a portion of the U.S.-Mexico border where large numbers of migrants have crossed in recent months.
Biden administration asks Supreme Court to allow border agents to cut razor wire installed by Texas
Read full article: Biden administration asks Supreme Court to allow border agents to cut razor wire installed by TexasThe Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border, while a lawsuit over the wire continues.
US closes border crossing to vehicles and limits traffic at another in response to illegal entries
Read full article: US closes border crossing to vehicles and limits traffic at another in response to illegal entriesU.S. authorities say they are closing a Texas border crossing to vehicles and limiting traffic at an Arizona crossing to shift more resources to illegal entries.
After a lull, asylum-seekers adapt to US immigration changes and again overwhelm border agents
Read full article: After a lull, asylum-seekers adapt to US immigration changes and again overwhelm border agentsAfter a dip in illegal crossings that followed policy changes in May, the Biden administration is again on its heels as more asylum-seekers cross the U.S. border from Mexico.
Smugglers are steering migrants into the remote Arizona desert, posing new Border Patrol challenges
Read full article: Smugglers are steering migrants into the remote Arizona desert, posing new Border Patrol challengesSmugglers are suddenly steering migrants through some of the most desolate and dangerous areas of the Arizona borderlands, forcing them to walk for miles in scorching heat.
Biden administration sharply expands temporary status for Ukrainians already in US
Read full article: Biden administration sharply expands temporary status for Ukrainians already in USThe Biden administration has announced a major expansion of temporary legal status for Ukrainians already living in the United States, granting a reprieve for those who fled Russia’s invasion.
Border Patrol fails to assess medical needs for children with preexisting conditions, report says
Read full article: Border Patrol fails to assess medical needs for children with preexisting conditions, report saysA report says Border Patrol does not have a protocol in place for assessing the medical needs of children with preexisting conditions.
Texas prepares to deploy Rio Grande buoys in governor's latest effort to curb border crossings
Read full article: Texas prepares to deploy Rio Grande buoys in governor's latest effort to curb border crossingsTexas has started rolling out what is set to become a new floating barrier on the Rio Grande.
Death of 8-year-old girl in Border Patrol custody highlights challenges providing medical care
Read full article: Death of 8-year-old girl in Border Patrol custody highlights challenges providing medical careThe death in Border Patrol custody of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl is the second child migrant fatality in two weeks under government supervision, raising questions about how prepared authorities are to address medical emergencies of people arriving after an often-exhausting journey.
Fewer Venezuelan arrivals lead to drop in illegal entries to US after pandemic asylum limits
Read full article: Fewer Venezuelan arrivals lead to drop in illegal entries to US after pandemic asylum limitsU.S. officials say a 98% drop in Venezuelan arrivals has helped lead to a steep decline in migrants crossing the U.S. border illegally from Mexico since pandemic-related asylum limits expired last week.
How will asylum work after Title 42 ends? No one knows yet
Read full article: How will asylum work after Title 42 ends? No one knows yetThe Biden administration has been conspicuously silent about how migrants who plan to claim asylum should enter the United States when Trump-era limits end, fueling rumors, confusion and doubts about its readiness.
Arizona refuses US demand to remove containers along border
Read full article: Arizona refuses US demand to remove containers along borderArizona is refusing the federal government’s demand to take down double-stacked shipping containers it placed to fill gaps in the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it won’t do so until the U.S. moves to construct a permanent barrier.
UN: 75% of 6 million Venezuelan migrants go unfed, unhoused
Read full article: UN: 75% of 6 million Venezuelan migrants go unfed, unhousedThe United Nations says almost three-quarters of the 6 million Venezuelan migrants currently in Latin America lack adequate food, shelter, employment or medical care.
Border patrol: 9 migrants die crossing swift Texas river
Read full article: Border patrol: 9 migrants die crossing swift Texas riverOfficials on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border are searching for more victims after at least nine migrants died while attempting a hazardous crossing of the rain-swollen Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, Texas.
85 arrested in international drug ring operating out of Polk County, sheriff says
Read full article: 85 arrested in international drug ring operating out of Polk County, sheriff saysA multi-agency investigation uncovered an international smuggling operation out of Winter Haven that brought drugs into Central Florida, according to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigation of journalists by Customs unit is under review
Read full article: Investigation of journalists by Customs unit is under reviewAn internal review has been launched into the actions of a special Customs and Border Protection unit that used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including an Associated Press reporter.
2 border agents are fired for offensive Facebook posts
Read full article: 2 border agents are fired for offensive Facebook postsCongressional investigators say two Border Patrol agents were fired from among 60 found to have committed misconduct for participating in a private Facebook group that mocked migrants and lawmakers.
Number of children traveling alone at border eases in April
Read full article: Number of children traveling alone at border eases in AprilThe number of unaccompanied children encountered on the U.S. border with Mexico in April eased from an all-time high a month earlier, while more adults are coming without families.
US to keep migrant families in hotels as amid rush for space
Read full article: US to keep migrant families in hotels as amid rush for spaceMigrant families will be held at hotels in the Phoenix area in response to a growing number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, another step in the Biden’s administration rush to set up temporary space.
Migrants freed without court notice — sometimes no paperwork
Read full article: Migrants freed without court notice — sometimes no paperworkU.S. authorities are releasing migrant families at the border without notices to appear in immigration court, and sometimes without any paperwork at all. The agency didn't answer questions about how many migrants have been released without court notices or without documents at all. Immigration attorneys had mixed reactions to people being released without court notices or paperwork, particularly the requirement to check in with ICE. Initially, U.S. authorities didn't even require the ICE check-in when it began releasing families without court notices over the past two weeks. D'Cruz said ICE could potentially issue a notice to appear in court, expel people from the country or do nothing.
VP to focus on border diplomacy; no immediate plans to visit
Read full article: VP to focus on border diplomacy; no immediate plans to visitHarris has no plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border region “in the near future,” spokeswoman Symone Sanders said Friday. Sanders said Harris will go to the border at some point but emphasized the diplomatic nature of the vice president's role. “The vice president is not doing the border,” Sanders told reporters on a flight to Connecticut, where Harris was promoting the administration's COVID-19 relief package. He tweeted out photos of dozens of minors, wrapped in foil-like space blankets, lying on the floor of crowded Border Patrol facilities. It is not unusual to see increases in migrants coming across the border at this time of year and the Border Patrol has faced similar situations in the past, the official said.
Child border crossings surging, straining US facilities
Read full article: Child border crossings surging, straining US facilitiesFILE - In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. The number of children crossing by themselves, mostly from Central America, appears to be surging in particular in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. AdThe total of 561 unaccompanied minors from Monday offers a snapshot of how quickly conditions have changed along the border. “They’re all coming across the border, they’re coming fast, and they’re wearing Biden T-shirts,” said the Oklahoma Republican. The Biden administration last week ended a Trump policy that made relatives reluctant to contact HHS to retrieve children for fear of being deported themselves.
Children packed into Border Patrol tent for days on end
Read full article: Children packed into Border Patrol tent for days on endThe lawyers interviewed more than a dozen children Thursday in Donna, Texas, where the Border Patrol is holding more than 1,000 people. The Border Patrol currently has a record high of more than 3,000 children in detention, according to government data obtained by AP. More children are waiting longer in Border Patrol custody because long-term facilities operated by U.S. Health and Human Services have next to no capacity. AdMost Border Patrol stations were designed for short-term detention of adults, with cold, concrete cells with the lights always on. One died of the flu at the Border Patrol station in Weslaco, Texas, where minors are currently being held.
9 in SUV have major injuries in border crash that killed 13
Read full article: 9 in SUV have major injuries in border crash that killed 13(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)EL CENTRO, Calif. – Nine migrants in an SUV packed with 25 people that drove through an opening in a border wall suffered major injuries after their vehicle slammed into a tractor-trailer and killed 13 others inside, the California Highway Patrol said Thursday. The driver was among the 13 killed in the SUV, from Tuesday’s collision in California’s Imperial Valley, a farming region that produces many of the winter vegetables sold in U.S. supermarkets. The oldest was a 46-year-old woman from Guatemala City, also with major injuries. The Border Patrol said surveillance video showed the Expedition and a Chevrolet Suburban drive through an opening in the border wall about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the crash. The Expedition soon struck the tractor-trailer, whose driver, a 68-year-old man from El Centro, suffered major injuries.
SUV in California crash came through hole in border fence with Mexico: AP
Read full article: SUV in California crash came through hole in border fence with Mexico: APThis photo provided by the US Customs and Border Protection shows a hole cut into Southern California's border fence with Mexico on Wednesday, March 3, 2021. Thirteen people killed in one of the deadliest border crashes on record were among more than 40 migrants who entered the U.S. through the hole cut into Southern California's border fence with Mexico, the Border Patrol said Wednesday. The Suburban carried 19 people, and it caught fire for unknown reasons on a nearby interstate after entering the U.S. All escaped the vehicle and were taken into custody by Border Patrol agents. The Border Patrol said its agents were not pursuing the vehicle before the wreck. AdA pandemic-related measure that allows the Border Patrol to expel people without an opportunity to seek asylum potentially leads some to try to evade authorities instead of surrendering, sometimes with fatal consequences.
Trump officials tout progress on border wall before election
Read full article: Trump officials tout progress on border wall before electionBorder Patrol agent Justin Castrejon speaks in front of newly replaced border wall sections Thursday, Sept. 24, 2020, near Tecate, Calif. Top Trump administration officials will visit South Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, attempting to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)HOUSTON – Top Trump administration officials visited Texas five days before Election Day to announce they have nearly completed 400 miles of U.S.-Mexico border wall, trying to show progress on perhaps the president's best-known campaign promise four years ago. DHS officials have held several events announcing immigration operations this month in states considered competitive in the election. As of last week, 381 miles (613 kilometers) of wall have been completed during the Trump administration. Of the more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) funded by Congress in the last two years, just 5 miles (8 kilometers) have been built.
Migrants quickly expelled by Trump try repeatedly to cross
Read full article: Migrants quickly expelled by Trump try repeatedly to crossA rescue helicopter couldn't land in the steep terrain, but authorities dropped water before border agents arrived and whisked them back to Tijuana, Mexico. Lopez quickly recovered and began planning another attempt to reach San Diego, where he hopes to earn a more steady living. The annual figure hasn't topped 14% since the Border Patrol began keeping track seven years ago. “It’s a little bit more of the revolving door than it used to be,” said Scott, the Border Patrol chief. Border Patrol agents may refer people for screening under the U.N. Convention Against Torture, but the bar is extremely high.
Border authorities use pandemic powers to expel immigrants
Read full article: Border authorities use pandemic powers to expel immigrantsFILE - In this March 18, 2020, file photo, a Border Patrol agent walks along a border wall separating Tijuana, Mexico, from San Diego, in San Diego. What happened next illustrates how difficult it has become to seek asylum in the United States during the coronavirus pandemic. Alexy, 32, and his son Samuel were whisked to the border in the wee hours of June 28 and returned to Mexico. Alexy believes hiking in the San Diego mountains precipitated Karina's labor. Together with the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties, the group plans to ask the Homeland Security Department to investigate what happened.