Immigrants Archives - The Ohio Star

Border Patrol Reports 192,000 Border Encounters in September, Says 26 Percent Immigrants Making Multiple Tries

October 26, 2021October 25, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

On June 17, 2020, Tucson Sector Border Patrol Agents conduct operations at the Highway 86 checkpoint near Tucson, Ariz. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo by Jerry Glaser)

The United States recorded 192,001 encounters with immigrants last month along the country’s southwest border with Mexico, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The agency on Friday reported 1.7 million apprehensions along the entire U.S. southern border in fiscal 2021, which ended Sept. 30.

The agency reported 26% percent of the encounters in September involved individuals who had at least one prior encounter in the previous 12 months. Last month’s overall number marked a 9% decrease compared to August.

DOJ Ends Case Quota for Immigration Judges Set by Trump Admin

October 22, 2021October 21, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

The Department of Justice ended a Trump-era case quota for immigration judges, CNN Politics reported on Wednesday.

Judges said the Trump administration’s quota policy prioritized moving through cases quickly rather than due process for all immigrants and wasn’t fair, according to documents obtained by CNN. Immigration judges are tasked with moving through a 1.5 million case backlog, and case quotas didn’t necessarily make a difference in how quickly cases were processed, CNN reported.

Newt Gingrich Commentary: Biden’s Border Disaster

September 26, 2021September 25, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

As President Joe Biden vacationed at Rehoboth Beach, the disaster at the U.S. southern border continued to metastasize.

Anyone who has seen pictures of thousands of people crossing the Rio Grande en masse knows the administration has achieved complete failure.

Anyone who has seen the overhead drone footage of more than 12,000 people gathered under one bridge in South Texas knows that massive, historic incompetence is being allowed to flourish.

‘They Lied to Us’: Hundreds of American Citizens and Others with Green Cards Were Left in Afghanistan

September 4, 2021September 3, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Hundreds of American citizens and people with green cards were left in Afghanistan after U.S. forces withdrew from the country, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents who were left in Afghanistan were reportedly told after the last American flight took off from the Kabul international airport to expect information about routes out of the country, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland said, according to the AP.

“We will communicate directly to them personalized instructions on what they should do, when they should do it, and how the United States government feels we are best positioned to help them do that,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said, the AP reported.

Biden Admin to Launch Government-Wide Effort to Make Up to 9 Million Immigrants Citizens

July 3, 2021July 2, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

The Biden administration is expected to launch a government-wide effort to make up to 9 million immigrants living in the U.S. citizens, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Friday.

President Joe Biden asked federal agencies to work on “welcoming strategies that promote integration, inclusion, and citizenship,” through an executive order, according to CNN. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the agency’s plan to “breaking down barriers to U.S. citizenship” and promote naturalization for immigrants who are eligible.

“The idea is to find a whole-of-government way to reach out to people who are able to naturalize,” a USCIS official reportedly told CNN. The official said there are around 9 million immigrants living in the U.S. as lawful permanent residents who could be eligible for citizenship.

Some Immigrant Spouses Won’t Need to Submit Fingerprints to Renew Their Visas

May 6, 2021May 5, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

Some spouses of immigrants working in the U.S. won’t be required to submit new fingerprints to renew their visas, the Department of Homeland Security said in a court filing Monday, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The Trump administration required new fingerprints to safeguard against misrepresentation in 2019, though the requirement caused tens of thousands of immigrants to lose their visas due to processing delays, the WSJ reported. The requirement will be suspended for two years starting May 17, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) decided.

Gov. Abbott: Smugglers Transporting 2,000 People Every Day Through Texas

May 5, 2021May 4, 2021 The Center Square

Gov. Greg Abbott gave Americans a view of the Texas border area being breached every day by cartels and human smugglers in an interview on Sunday with Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo. Flying above the Rio Grande River, he said 2,000 people are entering Texas every day in rafts, boats, and through gaps in the unfinished border wall.
Abbott said known criminals are entering Texas and the U.S. illegally as a result of the Biden administration’s open border policies. In the month of March alone, the Texas Department of Public Safety made 598 criminal arrests and 16,000 referrals to U.S. Border Patrol. Many being arrested are known criminals, sex-offenders and gang members, he said.
Abbott said the Biden administration’s border policies “have created an open season for human traffickers, for drug smugglers, for drug cartels and gangs.

Biden to Increase Number of Immigrants Approved for Refugee, Visa Status

April 22, 2021April 21, 2021 The Center Square

President Joe Biden’s border policy will include an increase in the number of people approved for refugee and visa status, his administration announced Tuesday.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly asked the Biden administration to answer questions about who is transporting individuals and families to the Texas-Mexico border and what the administration is doing to prevent crimes and human and drug trafficking. He says he has still received no response. He also called on Biden to label Mexican cartels as terrorists because, Abbott said, they are committing crimes and wreaking havoc in Texas, and has also received no response.

House Preps to Pass Two Immigration Bills, Dreamer Pathway to Citizenship, Agricultural Worker Visa Reform as Border Crisis Intensifies

March 16, 2021March 15, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

The House will vote on two immigration bills this week as the numbers of migrant families and children detained at the southern border surges.

The first bill, dubbed the Dream and Promise Act (DPA) would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, immigrants who have lived in the U.S. illegally since being brought as young children.

The second, the Farm Modernization Workforce Act (FMWA), would create a certified agricultural worker status and streamline the H-2A visa application process. President Joe Biden has also announced a sweeping immigration reform plan in addition to the two bills, though Republicans have labeled it a non-starter.

Democrats to Introduce Bill That Would Give Citizenship to 11 Million Illegal Aliens

February 17, 2021February 16, 2021 Ohio Star Staff

In one of the most radical legislative proposals ever introduced, the Democratic Party plans to introduce a bill later this week that would guarantee a path to citizenship for 11 million illegal aliens in the country, as reported by Daily Caller.

The bill will be called the “U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021.” It is set to include expansions to the nation’s refugee resettlement program, increased benefits for illegals who are being considered for amnesty under the failed DREAM Act, and expanding government assistance for illegal aliens.

Immigrants Seeking Naturalization Won’t Be Penalized for Coronavirus Test

March 18, 2020March 17, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Foreign nationals who apply for U.S. permanent status won’t be penalized if they get tested for coronavirus, the government announced.

Analysis: Lack of Assimilation is Economically Harming Latino Immigrants and Society

December 15, 2019December 14, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Early in 2019, a firestorm of criticism descended upon veteran journalist Tom Brokaw because he said on NBC’s Meet the Press that Hispanics “should work harder at assimilation” and shouldn’t isolate themselves “in their communities.” NBC condemned his comments as “inaccurate and inappropriate,” media outlets ran articles and editorials calling them racist and factually wrong, and Brokaw apologized.

Contrary to the blowback against Brokaw, scholarly sources show that modern Latino immigrants are not assimilating like previous generations of immigrants. Furthermore, this is having negative economic impacts on them and the nation at large. These facts have nothing to do with race and everything to do with factors that can foster or impede economic prosperity.

Federal Judge Blocks Trump Rule Forcing Immigrants to Pay for Their Own Healthcare

December 1, 2019November 30, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

A federal judge issued a ruling that temporarily blocks the Trump Administration’s new rule declaring that legal immigrants must be able to purchase their own health insurance, as per Politico.

New Rule Could Deny Green Cards, Visas to Immigrants Who Use Welfare Programs

August 14, 2019August 14, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Federal officials will consider an immigrant’s use of welfare benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid as a negative factor in deciding on the eligibility of the immigrant’s permanent legal residency or on a temporary visa.

Commentary: Does the Constitution Mandate Universal Birthright Citizenship?

May 25, 2019May 25, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Amy Swearer Who is a United States citizen by birth? This question has increasingly received national attention, in large part because of President Donald Trump’s promise to “end birthright citizenship.” As I explain, however, in my recent Heritage Foundation legal memo titled “The Citizenship Clause’s Original Meaning and…

Trump’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Is Changing How Immigrants Try to Enter the US

March 2, 2019March 1, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Jason Hopkins The Trump administration’s asylum policy is prompting more migrants to try their luck at crossing illegally rather than seeking out legal ports of entry, Customs and Border Protection data suggest. The proportion of foreign nationals attempting to cross the border illegally rather than reporting to legal…

US Hardens Border at Tijuana to Prepare for Migrant Caravan

November 15, 2018November 15, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

The U.S. government said it was starting work on Tuesday to “harden” the border crossing from Tijuana, Mexico, to prepare for the arrival of a migrant caravan leapfrogging its way across western Mexico. Customs and Border Protection announced it was closing four lanes at the busy San Ysidro and…

Senator Elizabeth Warren Says Migrants in U.S.-Bound Caravan Need to Enter Legally and ‘Follow Those Laws’

November 1, 2018November 1, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

by Henry Rogers Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s campaign said she believes the thousands of migrants in the caravan headed toward the U.S. need to enter the country legally. Warren, who is up for re-election, has previously called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and replacing it, and is now…

Legal Immigrant Explains How to Enter America the Right Way and Says Illegals are a ‘Threat to National Security’

October 23, 2018October 22, 2018 Ohio Star Staff

by Nick Givas A U.S. immigrant from Nicaragua explained how she legally came to the United States, on “Fox & Friends” Monday, and said those who are coming in illegally are a “threat to national security.” Amapola Hansberger referred to the caravan of migrants headed for the U.S. southern…

Called Out: NPR Reporter Rips Apart AP’s Story On Immigrants In The Military

July 7, 2018July 6, 2018 Admin

by Neetu Chandak National Public Radio reporter Tim Mak took apart the Associated Press’s coverage of discharged immigrant military recruits in multiple tweets Friday. The AP’s article, “AP NewsBreak: US Army quietly discharging immigrant recruits,” framed the military as adopting policy changes that hurt immigrants, according to Mak. However, Mak criticized the AP…