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The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
The Trump administration's latest immigration target: Kids aged 11 and under
A far cry from the 'bad, hard criminals' Donald Trump said his undocumented immigrants crackdown would focus on, record-breaking numbers of deportation orders have been issued to young immigrant children under the Trump administration, The Independent can reveal. More kids aged 11 or under — 8,317 — received a removal order from an immigration court in April than any other month in over 35 years of data collection, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Since Trump's inauguration in January, judges have ordered removals for over 53,000 immigrant minors. Those children are predominantly elementary school age or younger. Some 15,000 children were aged under four years old, and 20,000 of them were children aged four to eleven. Teenagers are also experiencing climbing deportations, with 17,000 seeing a court-ordered removal, although that's lower than their all-time peak in 2020 under the first Trump administration. Some of these children being deported are unaccompanied minors, who do not have a legal guardian in the US; though the exact number is unclear, since immigration authorities stopped recording this data years ago. Children, including toddlers, are required to show up at immigration hearings to be questioned by a judge – and many, unsurprisingly, do not understand what is happening nor the gravity of their situation. In one case, a source tells the Independent, a young child from Haiti had his immigration court hearing remotely in front of a screen. The child, who had a learning disability, was fidgeting and running around the room. Finally, he pointed at the judge on the screen and asked – 'Who's that?' In other cases, children are being arrested by ICE with their families, but held in detention and deported separately. 'A six year old child was picked up [by ICE] with his father, separated from his dad, and parked in custody for four months before being deported,' a lawyer familiar with children's immigration cases told the Independent. The child was unable to receive legal assistance, as he was deported while federal legal funding had been cut. The deportation outcome rate for immigrant children under age 11 is higher than in any other age group, latest figures show, and has jumped significantly since Trump came into office. What's more, under-18s account for one in four (26 percent) of all deportations ordered in immigration court since January – despite the fact that minors make up just 11 percent of the undocumented population. The vast majority (76 percent) of children under 11 do not have legal representation, and cases are being sped through the system, according to sources close to the courts. 'This is pumping up the deportation numbers on the back of kids – their rights to safety and due process are not respected,' the immigration lawyer told the Independent. 'This is about striking fear in the hearts of everybody. It's demonstrable cruelty in the name of so-called deterrence.' Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded to the Independent: 'Accusations that ICE is 'targeting' children are FALSE and an attempt to demonize law enforcement. ICE does not 'target' children nor does it deport children. Rather than separate families, ICE asks mothers if they want to be removed with their children or if the child should be placed with someone safe the parent designates.' Highest-ever deportations for young children Immigration crackdowns across the country have been almost indiscriminate, with new data revealing that ICE is arresting more non-criminals than ever. The number of people who have been deported under the Trump administration is murky; ICE has not disclosed official figures since January, and available immigration court data is not comprehensive, with age not recorded in 13 percent of cases. But analysis of court data reveals that children have been increasingly, and disproportionately, marked for deportation in recent months. Under the Trump administration, immigration courts have quickly ramped up deportation rates. Around two thirds (68 percent) of all immigration court proceedings ended in deportation in May, compared to 39 percent in January. But for children under 11, the removal rate is even higher, at 75 percent in May; and 78 percent for kids under 4 years old, both substantially higher than the 45 percent seen on average for young kids in January. This suggests that children are being disproportionately targeted for deportations under this administration, overrepresented by 2.3 times more than their proportion of the illegal immigrant population, our analysis shows. 'What we're seeing right now is basically a grist mill in immigration court, just scooting kids through the process as quickly as possible,' the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Independent. At the same time, children facing immigration court are more vulnerable and less protected than ever. In spite of this, the Trump administration has been fighting to cancel funding which provides legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children. The government first issued a stop-work order in February, and cancelled federal contracts in March. In April the federal district court ordered the Trump administration to restore funding, saying it is congressionally mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Legal assistance programs told the Independent that they had since been re-contracted; but remain on 'pins and needles' as the government appeals the court ruling, and Trump's Big Beautiful Bill makes it harder and more expensive to sue against his policies. Rocket dockets and separating families In the meantime, children are being put on expedited paths through immigration court, known as 'rocket dockets', according to the immigration lawyer. Many of these cases are going through in just two weeks from start to finish – which leaves little-to-no room for a child to prepare the necessary documents and arguments. 'Of course, a child is going to file a case that's not completely fleshed out in all the legal arguments, because they don't understand the legal argument,' the lawyer told the Independent. 'This is also really damaging for trafficking victims. Kids who have experienced severe trauma need the time to have their nervous system relax, to understand that they're safe, to share some of the most sensitive details about their cases.' These tactics evoke the family separation policy, employed in 2018 under the first Trump administration, which forcibly kept parents and children apart when detained at the border – with as many as 1,360 families never reunited, according to Human Rights Watch. 'It is seen as against the due process rights of a child to be systematically separated from their parent or legal guardian,' the lawyer explained. 'What's clear is that they are sidestepping the legal settlement to protect children from these cruel techniques."


The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
London stocks slip after reports that Trump will fire Federal Reserve boss
The FTSE 100 faded into the close to end lower on Wednesday after a White House official told Bloomberg News that Donald Trump is likely to fire Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. The blue-chip index had earlier traded in the green, shrugging aside stronger-than-expected inflation data. The FTSE 100 closed down 11.77 points, 0.1%, at 8,926.55. It had earlier traded as high as 8,972.29. The FTSE 250 ended down 88.60 points, 0.4%, at 21,601.86, but the AIM All-Share rose 1.07 points, 0.1%, at 772.10. According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK annual consumer price inflation rate accelerated to 3.6% in June, from 3.4% in May. According to FXStreet cited consensus, it had been expected to remain at 3.4% in June. Costs for transport, particularly motor fuels, made the largest upward revision to the annual inflation rate, the ONS said. Core consumer prices, excluding energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, rose 3.7% annually in June, topping the FXStreet cited consensus which had pencilled in another 3.5% hike, which would have matched the May increase. The annual service price inflation rate was unchanged at 4.7% in June, the ONS said. Barclays said the 'tricky print' should keep the Bank of England 'cautious and gradual'. 'The overshoot in inflation itself is problematic but, we think, within the tolerance range of the [Monetary Policy Committee] for data outturns relative to its forecast, especially given the role played by air fares and the fact that core goods is undershooting relative to the May forecast.' Barclays felt the lack of progress on underlying services was of more concern and likely to give the central MPC members enough reason to remain cautious, even as 'we expect the labour market loosens in the coming months'. 'Governor (Andrew) Bailey has said that he is waiting to see the pass-through of a loosening labour market in inflation data before he can be more committal than gradual, and that is not present in today's print.' Barclays said Thursday's labour market data will be key. 'Altogether, we expect the committee to cut in August and remain on a gradual path for the removal of restriction to neutral, at a quarterly pace to 3.5% by February 2026.' Bank of America said the stronger-than-expected data was unlikely to derail an August rate cut. 'But there will be increased focus now on tomorrow's labour market data to validate continued easing in pay and softer employment dynamics,' BofA said. 'We expect a continued slowing in private regular pay growth to 4.8% year-on-year, unemployment to rise to 4.7%, above the BoE's forecast of 4.6% and June payrolls at minus 70,000 with May's payrolls revised upwards from minus 109,000 to minus 65,000. 'In our view labour market data would be key in determining the rate outlook,' BofA added. Stocks in New York gave back early gains, while bond yields rose and the dollar fell after the report that the US president could fire Fed chief Mr Powell. Bloomberg sources said Mr Trump discussed the possible move in a meeting with congressional Republicans on Tuesday night. The president has repeatedly expressed frustration over the central bank's decision to hold interest rates steady. Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, said: 'Markets in both the UK and US pulled back amid speculation that Trump was about to fire Powell. 'He hasn't been shy in expressing displeasure in Powell's decision-making, demanding the Fed bring down rates to help drive economic activity. He wants someone new behind the wheel at the central bank, and someone who will influence looser monetary policy.' The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.3%, as was the S&P 500 index, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 0.4%. According to the Bureau of Labour Statistics producer prices rose 2.3% on-year in June, easing from a 2.7% climb in May. June's growth was tamer than expected. According to FXStreet cited consensus, a producer rise of 2.5% on-year was expected. Month-on-month, producer prices were flat in June, defying expectations of a 0.2% climb. They had edged up 0.1% in May from April. Goldman Sachs fell 1.6% despite reporting its best ever quarter for trading revenues, as they benefitted from the April volatility. Morgan Stanley fell 3.6% while Bank of America dipped 1.7%. The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.48%, up from 4.43%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 5.06%, up from 5.02%. The pound was quoted at 1.3473 dollars at the time of the London equities close on Wednesday, up from 1.3380 dollars on Tuesday. The euro rose against the dollar to 1.1708 from 1.1604. Against the yen, the dollar was trading lower at 147.97 compared with 148.97. In European equities on Wednesday, the Cac 40 in Paris closed down 0.6%, while the Dax 40 in Frankfurt fell 0.2%. In London, Intermediate Capital Group shares rose 3.4%, the best large-cap performer. It said the investment landscape remains 'very attractive' as it reported an increase in assets under management in its financial first quarter. The London-based private equity investment firm said assets under management were 122.58 billion dollars on June 30, the end of its financial first quarter, up 9.1% from 112.36 billion dollars on March 31, or by 3% at constant currency. Year-on-year, AUM increased 22% from 101.00 billion dollars, or by 15% at constant currency. Insurer Hiscox rose 2.6% as Morgan Stanley raised the stock to 'overweight'. Recruiter Hays fell 1.5% after Morgan Stanley cut it to 'underweight'. Diageo rose 0.6% after it said chief executive Debra Crew had stepped down with immediate effect by mutual agreement, with the chief financial officer stepping up on an interim basis. The London-based owner of Guinness and Johnnie Walker said it has started a formal search process to replace Ms Crew, which will include internal and external candidates. CFO Nik Jhangiani will take on the role of chief executive in the interim. Analysts at Citi said: 'Although Debra's tenure as CEO may have been viewed as turbulent, we note that many of the factors impacting the business were spirit industry-wide. As such we think today's initially positive share price reaction to the news is primarily driven by short-covering.' The broker added that 'until clarity on a new CEO is forthcoming, investor re-engagement in the stock is likely to remain limited'. Brent oil fell to 67.87 dollars a barrel at the time of the London equities close on Wednesday, from 68.94 dollars late on Tuesday. Gold was quoted higher at 3,371.80 dollars an ounce against 3,331.36. The biggest risers on the FTSE 100 were Intermediate Capital Group, up 67.0 pence at 2,044.0p, Hiscox, up 32.0p at 1,274.0p, 3i Group, up 60.0p at 4,210.0p, Beazley, up 13.0p at 912.0p and British American Tobacco, up 55.0p at 3,873.0p. The biggest fallers were Ashtead, down 124.0p at 4,679.0p, Croda International, down 68.0p at 2,854.0p, WPP, down 8.7p at 411.7p, Pershing Square Holdings, down 80.0p at 4,100.0p and Melrose, down 9.4p at 520.8p.


The Independent
13 minutes ago
- The Independent
Coats to buy US insole maker for brands including Adidas and Asics for £573m
London-listed footwear manufacturer Coats has agreed to buy a US company that makes premium shoe insoles for 770 million US dollars (£573 million). The company said acquiring OrthoLite means it is bringing together two 'global leaders' in the industry. OrthoLite makes open-cell foam insoles, designed to be a more comfortable and sustainable lining for shoes, for a swathe of shoemakers including Adidas, Nike, Converse and Asics. It has more than a third share of the market and supplies about 500 million pairs of insoles a year to around 550 brands. Coats, which is listed on London's FTSE 250 index, is a global specialist in thread manufacturing and making components for clothes and footwear. It said it had agreed to buy OrthoLite for an enterprise value of 770 million US dollars. The acquisition will be funded through a combination of new debt facilities with its existing lenders and by raising funds from issuing new shares to investors. Coats said it would benefit from expanding into the fast-growing premium insole market where there is a big overlap with its existing footwear customers. 'The combination of Coats and OrthoLite is fantastic news for both companies and for the footwear industry,' chief executive David Paja said. 'It brings together two global leaders in adjacent segments of the footwear components sector with a shared vision for innovation and sustainability and with unparalleled brands and customer relationships.'