Latest news with #CASA
Euronews
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Euronews
Trump administration can end deportation protections for Afghans
Thousands of Afghans in the US face the risk of deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone the Trump administration's decision to remove their legal protection. The government in April said it would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — which grants migrants whose home nations are considered unsafe protection from deportation and work permits for a limited period — for people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. The administration had planned to stop the TPS for Afghans last week, while the programme is due to end for Cameroonians on 4 August. The decision is expected to affect an estimated 11,700 Afghans and 5,200 Cameroonians, government data shows. CASA, a non-profit immigrant advocacy group, sued the administration over the TPS revocation for citizens from those two countries. It said the decisions were racially motivated and failed to follow a process laid out by Congress. The Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia said in a ruling late on Monday that CASA has a plausible case against the government and directed a lower court to "move expeditiously" to hear the lawsuit. However, the appeals court said there was "insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy of a postponement" of the Trump administration's decision not to extend TPS for people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. In other words, the protections have ended while the lawsuit plays out. The appeals court also said many of the TPS holders from the two countries may be eligible for other legal protections that remain available to them. 'Dire' conditions in Afghanistan However, without an extension, TPS holders from Afghanistan and Cameroon face a 'devastating choice", CASA had warned in court documents. "Abandon their homes, relinquish their employment, and uproot their lives to return to a country where they face the threat of severe physical harm or even death, or remain in the United States in a state of legal uncertainty while they wait for other immigration processes to play out," the non-profit had said. TPS is precarious because it is up to the Homeland Security secretary to renew the protections regularly — usually every 18 months. The Trump administration has pushed to remove TPS from people from seven countries, with hundreds of thousands of migrants from Venezuela and Haiti affected the most. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end TPS for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. Several NGOs disagree with that. "Ending TPS does not align with the reality of circumstances on the ground in Afghanistan," Global Refuge President and CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah said in a statement. "Conditions remain dire, especially for allies who supported the US mission, as well as women, girls, religious minorities, and ethnic groups targeted by the Taliban."
7NEWS
9 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Virgin Australia asks passengers to keep power banks in sight after suspected midair battery fire
Virgin Australia has urged passengers to keep power banks in sight during flights after a suspected midair lithium battery fire in an overhead locker. On Monday, a fire broke out on flight VA1528 from Sydney to Hobart as the plane began to land. Passengers reported smelling smoke, and when cabin crew opened the overhead compartment, they found a lithium battery on fire. The crew extinguished the fire before landing, and the bag containing the battery was removed once the plane was on the ground. No injuries were reported, and passengers disembarked safely after the aircraft landed at Hobart Airport. The airline believes the fire was caused by a power bank in a passenger's bag. A Virgin Australia spokesperson said an investigation began immediately. 'We have immediately initiated an investigation into the cause of a small fire originating from a passenger's carry-on luggage in an overhead locker during descent on flight VA1528 on Monday (21 July),' the spokesperson said. 'This investigation, conducted with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is ongoing. 'Any relevant findings from this investigation may inform permanent changes to our battery policy to ensure the safety of our guests and team members.' Following the incident, the airline is reviewing its policy on passengers having and using power banks on board flights. Passengers have been asked to keep power banks within sight and easily accessible throughout the flight, and are also encouraged not to use them to charge devices while on board. Under the airline's existing policy, all guests must carry power banks in the cabin. Peter Carter, an aviation lawyer and director of Carter Capner Law, said airlines need to take stronger steps to protect passenger safety. 'When it comes to serious on board incidents ultimately the airline is responsible for any resulting injuries, including smoke inhalation,' he said. 'Perhaps the airlines need to ask more questions and do more when it comes to on board safety. 'Given this could have erupted into a dangerous blaze very quickly, aviation authorities should be putting this incident under the microscope. 'While this is a pretty rare circumstance I have no doubt ATSB and CASA will turn their attention to this incident and we should trust their assessment on what should happen going forward.' Power banks are portable battery chargers designed to power devices on-the-go. They use rechargeable lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries that are highly flammable, can explode or vent toxic gas, said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Miami Herald
19 hours ago
- Miami Herald
ICE ‘abducted' 22-year-old student seeking medical help in Virginia, group says
A 22-year-old Virginia Tech engineering student was 'abducted' by federal immigration authorities after he went to a hospital during a mental health crisis, an immigrant advocacy group denouncing his detention said. Cristian Romo-Bermejo, who has lived in the U.S. for the last 20 years and is married to an American citizen, was arrested July 9 while seeking medical help in Blacksburg, Virginia, according to a July 21 news release from CASA, a national organization with more than 173,000 members. Following his arrest, he was taken into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, CASA said. An ICE spokesperson confirmed to McClatchy News on July 22 that Romo-Bermejo is in ICE detention. In a statement, they said he is from Mexico and is illegally in the U.S. He 'was arrested by the Blacksburg Police Department July 9 and charged with two counts of assault on a law enforcement officer,' the spokesperson said. Then ICE in D.C. 'lodged an immigration detainer against Romo-Bermejo with the Montgomery County Jail in Christiansburg, Virginia.' On July 13, he was transferred from the jail and into ICE custody, according to the spokesperson. Romo-Bermejo's wife Jadyn Yost told McClatchy News on July 22 that he was at a going-away party for his co-worker July 9, when he had been drinking and later had 'severe panic attacks' that evening. 'He became disoriented, overwhelmed, and frightened,' Yost said in an emailed statement. 'Cristian begged for an ambulance' and his friends 'called for help,' Yost explained. She said this resulted in an ambulance and police responding. Afterward, at LewisGale Hospital Montgomery in Blacksburg, Romo-Bermejo was accused of threatening staff and assaulting two officers evaluating him for suspected alcohol poisoning, according to Blacksburg police, CBS 19 News reported. Yost told the TV station that he 'was not trying to cause harm,' adding that the incident was 'completely out of character.' Romo-Bermejo was brought to the U.S. when he was 2, reads a GoFundMe created by Jadyn Yost's twin sister Haven Yost, who is helping raise money for Romo-Bermejo's legal defense. The night of his arrest, he was overwhelmed and in a 'fragile mental state' and 'only remembers waking up in a jail cell,' Jadyn Yost told McClatchy News. 'He is the love of my life,' she said, adding that 'he has spent his entire life trying to gain legal status in the only country he calls home.' Despite his ongoing efforts, CASA said he is at risk of deportation. CASA is calling for his release and for elected officials to speak on his situation. The organization's director in Virginia, Eduardo Zelaya, said in a statement that Romo-Bermejo is being subjected to 'illegal and inhumane criminalization.' 'He experienced a health emergency and should have received care and compassion, not handcuffs and detention,' Zelaya added. The ICE spokesperson told McClatchy News that when the agency took Romo-Bermejo into custody, he was issued a notice that ordered him to appear in federal immigration court to face a Justice Department judge. 'Romo-Bermejo will further be held in custody without bond as he is subject to mandatory detention under the Laken Riley Act,' the spokesperson said. He is being held at ICE's Farmville Detention Center in Farmville, Virginia, Jadyn Yost told McClatchy News. 'If this had happened to any other 22 year old college student, someone who was not brought to this country as a toddler, they would still be preparing for their final year of school,' she said. 'They would not be sitting in a detention center facing the absolute harshest consequences imaginable.' Romo-Bermejo is due in court Oct. 16 in connection with the criminal charges he is facing, Jadyn Yost shared. 'In the meantime, we are holding onto hope that he will be granted bond soon so we can continue moving forward with our pending marriage-based I-130 petition and give him the chance to continue his journey toward citizenship,' she added. 'He deserves to come home and continue building the life he has worked so hard for.'
Arab News
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Thousands of Afghans face possible deportation after court refuses to extend their legal protection
VIRGINIA: Thousands of Afghans in the US are no longer protected from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone the Trump administration's decision to end their legal status. A three-judge panel of the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia said in a ruling late Monday there was 'insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy of a postponement' of the administration's decision not to extend Temporary Protected Status for people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. TPS for Afghans ended July 14, but was briefly extended by the appeals court through July 21 while it considered an emergency request for a longer postponement. The Department of Homeland Security in May said it was ending Temporary Protected Status for 11,700 people from Afghanistan in 60 days. That status — in place since 2022 — had allowed them to work and meant the government couldn't deport them. CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, sued the administration over the TPS revocation for Afghans as well as for people from Cameroon, which expire August 4. It said the decisions were racially motivated and failed to follow a process laid out by Congress. A federal judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward but didn't grant CASA's request to keep the protections in place while the lawsuit plays out. A phone message for CASA on Tuesday was not immediately returned. Without an extension, TPS holders from Afghanistan and Cameroon face a 'devastating choice — abandoning their homes, relinquishing their employment, and uprooting their lives to return to a country where they face the threat of severe physical harm or even death, or remaining in the United States in a state of legal uncertainty while they wait for other immigration processes to play out,' CASA warned in court documents. In its decision on Monday, the appeals court said CASA had made a 'plausible' legal claim against the administration, and urged the lower court to move the case forward expeditiously. It also said many of the TPS holders from the two countries may be eligible for other legal protections that remain available to them. Temporary Protected Status can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people who face safety concerns in their home countries because of armed conflict, environmental disaster or other conditions. They can't be deported and can work legally in the US, but they don't have a pathway to citizenship. The status, however, is inherently precarious because it is up to the Homeland Security secretary to renew the protections regularly — usually every 18 months. The Trump administration has pushed to remove Temporary Protected Status from people from seven countries, with Venezuela and Haiti making up the biggest chunk of the hundreds of thousands of people affected. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better. Groups that help Afghan TPS holders say the country is still extremely dangerous. 'Ending TPS does not align with the reality of circumstances on the ground in Afghanistan,' Global Refuge President and CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah said in a statement. 'Conditions remain dire, especially for allies who supported the US mission, as well as women, girls, religious minorities, and ethnic groups targeted by the Taliban.' He called on Congress to provide Afghan TPS holders with a 'permanent path to safety and stability.'
a day ago
- Politics
Thousands of Afghans face possible deportation after court refuses to extend their legal protection
Thousands of Afghans in the U.S. are no longer protected from deportation after a federal appeals court refused to postpone the Trump administration's decision to end their legal status. A three-judge panel of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Virginia said in a ruling late Monday there was 'insufficient evidence to warrant the extraordinary remedy of a postponement" of the administration's decision not to extend Temporary Protected Status for people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. TPS for Afghans ended July 14, but was briefly extended by the appeals court through July 21 while it considered an emergency request for a longer postponement. The Department of Homeland Security in May said it was ending Temporary Protected Status for 11,700 people from Afghanistan in 60 days. That status — in place since 2022 — had allowed them to work and meant the government couldn't deport them. CASA, a nonprofit immigrant advocacy group, sued the administration over the TPS revocation for Afghans as well as for people from Cameroon, which expire August 4. It said the decisions were racially motivated. A federal judge allowed the lawsuit to go forward but didn't grant CASA's request to keep the protections in place while the lawsuit plays out. A phone message for CASA on Tuesday was not immediately returned. Without an extension, TPS holders from Afghanistan and Cameroon face a 'devastating choice -abandoning their homes, relinquishing their employment, and uprooting their lives to return to a country where they face the threat of severe physical harm or even death, or remaining in the United States in a state of legal uncertainty while they wait for other immigration processes to play out," CASA warned in court documents. In its decision on Monday, the appeals court said CASA had made a 'plausible' legal claim against the administration, and urged the lower court to move the case forward expeditiously. It also said many of the TPS holders from the two countries may be eligible for other legal protections that remain available to them. Temporary Protected Status can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people who face safety concerns in their home countries because of armed conflict, environmental disaster or other conditions. They can't be deported and can work legally in the U.S., but they don't have a pathway to citizenship. The status, however, is inherently precarious because it is up to the Homeland Security secretary to renew the protections regularly — usually every 18 months. The Trump administration has pushed to remove Temporary Protected Status from people from seven countries, with Venezuela and Haiti making up the biggest chunk of the hundreds of thousands of people affected. Homeland Security officials said in their decision to end the Temporary Protected Status for Afghans that the situation in their home country was getting better.
