Latest news with #DepartmentforHomelandSecurity
NZ Herald
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
TV show where migrants compete for US citizenship considered by Homeland Security
The winner would obtain fast-tracked citizenship and would be sworn in on the steps of the US Capitol in Washington DC. Show celebrates immigration process 'Along the way, we will be reminded what it means to be American – through the eyes of the people who want it most,' reads Worsoff's pitch, which was seen by 'As an immigrant myself, I am merely trying to make a show that celebrates the immigration process, celebrate what it means to be American and have a national conversation about what it means to be American, through the eyes of the people who want it most,' the Canadian-born Worsoff, 49, said. He insisted the show was not a 'hunger game' for immigrants, with losers facing deportation. 'This is not, 'Hey, if you lose, we are shipping you out on a boat out of the country'.' This is not the first time Worsoff has floated the plans, having first pitched the show during the Obama administration, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's appetite for publicity will likely have encouraged him about the viability of the show under the current administration. In late March, Noem, nicknamed 'ICE Barbie', posed in front of caged prisoners in El Salvador's notorious mega-prison Cecot, with perfectly coiffured hair and in full make-up. Standing in front of the barred prison cells, with tattooed, shaven-headed deportees as a backdrop, she said: 'I also want everybody to know, if you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face.' The Department for Homeland Security confirmed the proposals were 'under consideration' but had not been seen by Noem. It is 'in the very beginning stages of that vetting process', a spokeswoman said, adding: 'Each proposal undergoes a thorough vetting process prior to denial or approval.' However, suggestions that Noem had backed the plans were 'completely false', the department's spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said. American Immigration Lawyers president Kelli Stump told the Telegraph: 'From what I've read about this 'idea', my legal thought is 'how?' Congress sets the laws for who can become a citizen and the process on how to become one. Not the President.' Stump said she was horrified by allowing people to compete for citizenship. 'I just feel like making them compete in a Hunger Games / Squid Game reality show really undermines the sacred process… all for what? Ratings? America isn't a TikTok reel.' Already, up to 55,000 US immigrants participate in the Green Card Lottery. Known officially as the Diversity Immigrant Visa, the programme was introduced under the 1990 Immigration Act, which was passed with bipartisan support.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fema officials sacked over alleged $59m payments for migrant hotels
Four Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) officials have been sacked after allegedly spending millions of dollars on hotels for illegal migrants. The individuals, including the agency's chief financial officer, are accused of 'gross insubordination' by breaching Donald Trump's executive order to spend $59 million on housing migrants in New York City. The Department for Homeland Security (DHS) labelled the group 'deep state activists' and said they had been sacked as of Tuesday morning. 'Effective immediately, Fema is terminating the employment of four individuals for circumventing leadership to unilaterally make egregious payments for luxury NYC hotels for migrants,' it said in a statement. 'Firings include Fema's Chief Financial Officer, two programme analysts and a grant specialist.' Elon Musk, the US government's efficiency tsar, said on social media: 'Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the president's executive order.' 'That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds.' Mr Trump ordered the creation of a council to review 'serious concerns of political bias' at Fema just days after taking office. In November, a Fema official was suspended after allegedly ordering disaster relief workers to avoid homes owned by Mr Trump's supporters as they worked to clear devastation wreaked on Florida by Hurricane Milton. 'Fema… has lost mission focus, diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens,' the executive order reads. It does not appear to make any explicit directions about the agency's spending or day-to-day operations. New York City Hall confirmed to Fox News that it had received funds 'through the past week' that had been allocated to house illegal migrants. It said that $19 million had been used to pay directly for hotels, while the remainder was directed to services such as food or security. None of the money was taken from a disaster relief grant, it added. Cameron Hamilton, who was appointed Fema's acting head by Mr Trump last month, said payments being sent to New York migrant hotels had been suspended as of Sunday. Ahead of November's presidential election, Mr Trump repeatedly claimed that 'billions of dollars' intended for disaster relief efforts in states hit by Hurricane Milton had been diverted to pay for illegal migrants. Although Fema has a role in migrant resettlement, it cannot move money to or from these schemes because this is decided by an Act of Congress. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Prince Harry criticises 'weak moral character in the world' in Invictus Games opening speech
Prince Harry criticised the 'weak moral character in the world' just hours after Donald Trump called his wife 'terrible'. The Duke of Sussex, 40, made the remark during his speech at the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games, a multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick military personnel, including both active service members and veterans. He delivered his speech to a crowd of 40,000 at the BC Stadium in Vancouver, Canada, where artists including Katy Perry and Chris Martin performed. 'At this moment, when there is no shortage of crises, no absence of uncertainty, no lack of weak moral character in the world, the values you embody, the way you carry yourselves – not only at the Invictus Games, but each and every day – your courage, your resilience, your humanity, illuminate a path forward for us all,' Prince Harry said. It comes after Donald Trump said he had no plans to deport Prince Harry from the US adding the royal has 'enough problems' with his wife. The US President took a swipe at Meghan Markle amid the Duke of Sussex's legal battle over his immigration status. On Friday, Trump said: 'I don't want to do that. 'I'll leave him alone. He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible.' In Spare, his 2023 memoir, Harry admitted taking cocaine several times as a teenager and experimented with cannabis and mushrooms. It prompted the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing US think tank, to suggest he had lied on his documentation or could have been given special treatment by Joe Biden's administration when he stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California after 'Megxit'. The group launched a legal battle against Department for Homeland Security, but in September 2024, the case was closed when a judge ruled that Harry's application would remain private. Prince Harry also paid tribute to the indigenous people of Canada during his speech, saying: 'I would like to begin by honouring the First Nations, who are hosting this year's Games. Lílwat, Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh.' Addressing the hundreds of competitors, he added: 'We need you. And we'll always need you.'The Games were born more than a decade ago, from a promise I made to myself. 'A promise to uphold my obligation – a sacred obligation after my own decade and privilege of military service – to do whatever I could to help my fellow brothers and sisters heal, and to champion everything we stand for. 'Over the past decade I've lost count of the times we've heard you tell us that the Invictus Games saved you. 'Respectfully, I disagree. Invictus didn't save you. You saved yourself.' The 2025 Invictus Games are currently underway in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada, from February 8 to 16, 2025. This marks the first time the event features winter adaptive sports, including alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and wheelchair curling, alongside traditional sports.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump says he won't deport Prince Harry because ‘he's got enough problems with wife Meghan'
Donald Trump says he has no plans to deport Prince Harry from the US adding the royal has 'enough problems' with his wife. The US President swipe at Meghan Markle came amid the Duke of Sussex's legal battle over his immigration status. On Friday, Trump said: 'I don't want to do that. 'I'll leave him alone. He's got enough problems with his wife. She's terrible.' In Spare, his 2023 memoir, Harry - now 40 - admitted taking cocaine several times as a teenager and experimented with cannabis and mushrooms. It prompted the Heritage Foundation, a right-wing US think tank, to suggest he had lied on his documentation or could have been given special treatment by Joe Biden's administration when he stepped back from royal duties and relocated to California after 'Megxit'. The group launched a legal battle against Department for Homeland Security when a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain his application was rejected. Heritage claimed it was of 'immense public interest'. In September 2024, the case was closed when a judge ruled that Harry's application would remain private as he had a 'legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status'. But on Wednesday, the case will be reopened in a federal court in Washington DC. Republican Trump previously said he 'wouldn't protect' the duke and has been no fan of the Duchess of Sussex, 43, who supported his Democrat rival Kamala Harris in 2020. Meghan has previously been a vocal critic of former reality star Trump, calling him 'divisive' and a 'misogynist'. She backed his rival, Hillary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election, and suggested then that she would leave America if he won. US visa applicants are asked by the DHS whether they have ever been a drug abuser, addict or violated laws relating to controlled substances. If they answer yes, they can still receive a waiver but it has never been confirmed which type of visa Harry applied for.
The Independent
05-02-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Why Prince Harry's visa case is back in court, and will he be deported from Trump's America?
Five months after the matter was seemingly closed, a lawsuit fighting to make Prince Harry's private US visa records public will reopen in court on Wednesday. The Duke of Sussex admitted he had previously taken drugs during his teenage years in his 2023 book, Spare, prompting a right-wing US think tank to suggest he had lied on his documentation or could have been given special treatment by Joe Biden's administration. The Heritage Foundation launched a legal battle against Department for Homeland Security (DHS) after a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain his application was rejected, with the think tank claiming it was of 'immense public interest'. In September 2024, the case was closed when a judge ruled that Harry's application would remain private, as he had a 'legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status'. But on Wednesday, the case will be reopened in a federal court in Washington D.C - months after the now-president Donald Trump said he 'wouldn't protect' the duke. Here is an explanation about what the case is about, and why it has not been reopened? What is the legal battle about? The lawsuit was put forward after Harry admitted to having recreationally used marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms in his bestselling memoir Spare. In a passage of the 2023 book - three years after he moved to the US with his wife Meghan Markle - he opened up about his experiences of trying cocaine as a "deeply unhappy 17-year-old boy". He wrote: "It wasn't much fun, and it didn't make me particularly happy, as it seemed to make everyone around me, but it did make me feel different, and that was the main goal. Feel. Different." Application forms for US visas specifically ask about current and past drug use and admitting this can lead to applications being rejected. The Heritage Foundation argued that the law "generally renders such a person inadmissible for entry" to the US - though immigration officers make final decisions based on a number of factors. In light of Harry's admission to drug use, the think tank called for the DHS to make his papers public to see whether he had lied on his forms. They also questioned whether Harry was given special treatment by the Biden administration. Who is directly involved? Harry himself is not directly involved in any of the legal proceedings. The case is being fought between the Heritage Foundation and the US government's Department for Homeland Security - who manage visa and immigration applications. After the publication of Spare, the think thank submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain Harry's documentation - but this was rejected. They then brought a lawsuit to the DHS after claiming the information was of 'immense public interest'. Was the case closed? In September last year, the case came to a conclusion after a judge ruled Harry's application would remain private. US judge Carl Nichols ruled that "the public does not have a strong interest in disclosure of the duke's immigration records". "Like any foreign national, the duke has a legitimate privacy interest in his immigration status," he added. Why has it been reopened? Five months after the his ruling, Judge Nichols has agreed to reopen the case. Lawyers for all parties have been ordered to appear in court for a 'motion for relief from judgment' hearing in Washington DC on Wednesday. Significantly, it is the first time it has been seen in US courts since the Donald Trump's return to office last month. The US president, who can intervene and ask for the documents to be released, previously warned that Harry could face consequences if he lied about taking drugs on his US visa application. The Republican weighed in on Harry's visa application at a political conference in February, in which he claimed the Biden administration had been 'too gracious' to Harry since his 2020 move to California with Meghan. Mr Trump told the Express: 'I wouldn't protect him. He betrayed the Queen. That's unforgivable. He would be on his own if it was down to me.' He also said in a GB News interview with Nigel Farage in March last year that Harry should not receive preferential treatment. Asked if the duke should have 'special privileges' if he is found to have lied in his application, Mr Trump said: 'No. We'll have to see if they know something about the drugs, and if he lied they'll have to take appropriate action.'
