Latest news with #ImmigrationsandCustomEnforcement
The Hill
25-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Advocates say ICE restoring international students' visa registrations
Advocates say they are receiving messages from Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) that the federal officials are restoring foreign students' visa registrations after multiple recent lawsuits. Immigration lawyers have been fighting in the courts as the federal government revoked thousands of records from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a reporting system that gives information about international students to the Department of Homeland Security. 'We've received this communication from government attorneys regarding #SaveSEVIS. The fight continues to try to prevent this from happening again (through court order or a settlement), but this is a good sign,' Steven Brown, an immigration attorney, wrote on X. The message said ICE is creating a new 'framework for SEVIS record terminations,' and until that occurs all student records that have been taken off will be restored to the system. 'After getting sued about 50 times and losing virtually every time, ICE appears to be randomly reinstating some F-1 Student SEVIS registrations. No pattern yet, and no announcement from ICE, but check with your DSO [designated school official] and see. Lawsuits will continue until compliance is complete,' Charles Kuck, another immigration attorney, wrote on X. The news was first reported by Politico after a lawyer for the Department of Justice announced the decision in a court hearing. The restoration of students to the SEVIS system will be a relief to many who were unsure if they could still attend class or had to leave the country. But it does not seem to impact those who had their actual visas revoked and are in ICE custody, leaving individuals such as former Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil still in detention. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that hundreds of visas have been revoked as part of the Trump administration's wide immigration crackdown.
New York Times
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Canadian Who Was in an ‘American Pie' Video Says ICE Held Her for 12 Days
When Jasmine Mooney brought her visa application earlier this month to the San Ysidro, Calif., border crossing, the busiest in the United States, the former actress said, she was prepared to be turned away. At worst, as she put it, she would have to pay for a flight home to Vancouver. But Ms. Mooney, 35, a Canadian national who appeared in 'American Pie Presents: The Book of Love,' a direct-to-video spinoff of the teen movie series, said that turned out to be the least of her worries after immigration officers on the U.S.-Mexico border flagged her work permit paperwork. They told her that she was in the wrong place, she said, and that she should have gone to a U.S. consulate instead. Ms. Mooney, who had been offered a marketing job with a U.S.-based health and wellness startup, said that what happened next had blindsided her. She said that she had been led to another room, the start of a 12-day-long plight of being detained by Immigrations and Custom Enforcement. 'They say, 'Hands on the wall,'' Ms. Mooney told The New York Times on Monday. Her ordeal bore similarity to several other seemingly unexplained detentions at the border, which have grabbed headlines and put people like Ms. Mooney into a legal purgatory of an ever-changing immigration system under the Trump administration. For the next two days, she said, she was confined to a small cell at the border station, where she was given a mat and a mylar blanket for sleeping. She said she had tried to reason with an immigration enforcement officer, to no avail, and had been transferred to an ICE detention center near San Diego in a jumpsuit and shackles. 'I'm not trying to be here illegally,' Ms. Mooney said she told the officer. 'I just want to go home.' As she was loaded into a prisoner van, she said, the reality of her situation sank in. 'They put you in chains,' she said. 'That's when I realized they are onboarding me into a real prison.' ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday. Neither did the White House, which has made President Trump's executive orders governing immigration a centerpiece of his return to power. Ms. Mooney was applying for a TN visa, which allows professionals from Canada and Mexico to stay temporarily in the United States. She initially applied for one last year for her other marketing job, but she said that it had been rejected because the company's letterhead was missing from her documents. She said she had successfully reapplied about a month later at the San Ysidro border crossing, but when she tried to return to the United States at the end of November, a U.S. immigration official at the airport in Vancouver revoked her visa. He explained that her application had not been processed properly, she said, and raised concerns over one company that was employing her that sold hemp-based products. Ms. Mooney said it was not uncommon for people like her who work in Southern California to apply for visas at the San Ysidro border station, so earlier this month, she figured she would try again. Leonard D.M. Saunders, an immigration lawyer from Blaine, Wash., just south of the U.S. border with Canada, said Ms. Mooney's plan had given him pause when she discussed it with him. Ms. Mooney's roommate is one of his clients. He said that a number of his clients had their visas processed at the San Ysidro border station in the past without problems, but that he was concerned that Ms. Mooney might get stuck in Mexico. 'You hear all this stuff with these Columbia students being detained,' Mr. Saunders said. 'What was different? The new political climate. I hate to say it.' Ms. Mooney's case does not appear to be isolated. On March 7, a German national with a green card was arrested at Logan International Airport in Boston and was being detained, The Boston Globe reported. At the same border crossing where Ms. Mooney tried to enter the country, two German tourists were detained for weeks and eventually deported. Six days into her ordeal, Ms. Mooney said, she and a group of other detainees were awakened at 3 a.m. and were told they were being transferred to another ICE prison in Arizona, a five-hour drive. Detainees were shackled, fingerprinted and asked a series of questions about whether they had been sexually assaulted or had attempted suicide, according to Ms. Mooney, who said she and the other women had been required to take pregnancy tests. 'We had to pee in open Dixie cups in the cell, and the bathrooms are open,' she said. While she was being held by ICE, Ms. Mooney discussed her detention with the San Diego television station KGTV, which she said had drawn widespread attention to her situation. 'Why would they waste their time on a Canadian citizen who is at the border trying to do everything right?' Mr. Saunders said. 'It's not like she's going through the desert illegally.' David Eby, the premier of British Columbia, Ms. Mooney's home province, criticized her detention on Thursday when the media outlet CityNews asked him about it. He said that it had exacerbated the anxieties of Canadians. 'What about our relatives who are working in the States?' Mr. Eby said. 'What about when we cross the border? What kind of an experience are we going to have? The harm that this does to the U.S. economy through impacted tourism, impacted business relationships, impacted people who are seeking visas to work in the United States who have special skills that they can't get anywhere else: It is reckless, the approach of the president. And this woman should be brought back to Canada as quickly as possible.' After 12 days of being held, Ms. Mooney said, she was finally driven on Friday to San Diego International Airport and escorted onto an Air Canada flight to Vancouver. Her roommate, who paid $1,100 for her ticket, was waiting for her when she landed, along with her mother. Ms. Mooney is barred from returning to the United States for five years, but she said she plans to appeal. 'I love America,' she said. 'I love my friends there. I love the life I was building there and the opportunities.'
CBS News
14-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Video shows the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, pro-Palestinian Columbia University activist
New video shows the arrest of Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil by Immigrations and Custom Enforcement agents. The video says was taken by his wife Noor Abdalla, who is eight months pregnant, the ACLU said. The arrest happened Saturday night at their home in Columbia University campus housing. The video, which is more than eight minutes long, was released by the ACLU with the faces of the people arresting Khalil blurred. Khalil's arrest on video The video shows apparent ICE agents confront Khalil in the lobby of his building, asking him to turn around and telling him to stop resisting. Khalil can be seen standing with his hands behind his back as he is handcuffed. "He's not resisting," Abdalla can be heard saying on the video. "I am coming with you, don't worry," Khalil says. "Baby, it's fine." Khalil is then escorted out of the building as his wife can be heard on the phone, apparently talking with Khalil's attorney Amy Greer. "They just handcuffed him and took him, I don't know what to do," Abdalla can be heard saying. "What should I do? I don't know." Outside the building, Abdalla asks the agents to identify themselves, and an agent can be heard telling her that he's being taken into immigration custody at 26 Federal Plaza. Abdalla can then be heard asking for one of the agents to talk to the attorney on the phone. "The lawyer would like to speak with somebody," she said. Attorneys say Khalil was brought to a detention center in New Jersey and then flown to another site in Louisiana. On Wednesday, a judge ruled Khalil will remain detained in Louisiana for now. Mahmoud Khalil's arrest sparks protests Khalil's arrest sparked protests around New York City. On Thursday, a group of approximately 150 protesters entered Trump Tower and staged a sit-in, the NYPD said. They chanted "Free Mahmoud." Ninety eight were arrested. Khalil graduated from Columbia University in December with a master's degree. The 30-year-old was born in Syria to Palestinian parents. He is a citizen of Algeria, according to a Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News. Check back soon for more on this developing story.
CBS News
23-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Tom Homan, President Trump's border czar, says he's "bringing hell" to sanctuary city Boston
Tom Homan, the "border czar" for President Donald Trump's administration, is setting his sights on the City of Boston's sanctuary city policies. Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Homan issued a warning specifically to Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox. "The police commissioner of Boston, you said you'd double down on not helping the law enforcement offices of ICE. I'm coming to Boston, I'm bringing hell with me," Homan said, prompting applause from the crowd. "You're not a police commissioner. Take that badge off your chest, put it in your desk drawer. Because you became a politician. You forgot what it's like to be a cop." Tom Homan targets Boston and Massachusetts Homan accused the state's police forces of neglecting their duty in targeting criminals who are in the country illegally. He said, without citing specifics, that he found multiple cases where criminals who he alleges were in the country illegally were in jail, but subsequently released. "And guess what. The men and women of Immigrations and Custom Enforcement found those predators and they're locked back up. And we're going to deport them from the United States," Homan said. Boston is a sanctuary city. Mayor Michelle Wu will join the mayors of New York, Chicago and Denver to testify before a congressional oversight committee hearing investigating sanctuary city policies early next month. Following Homan's remarks, WBZ-TV reached out to the offices of the Boston Police Department, Mayor Wu and Gov. Maura Healey, but have not heard back as of Sunday morning. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on sanctuary city status House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky, launched the probe in January. "Boston is a sanctuary jurisdiction under the Boston Trust Act, which the Boston City Council recently voted unanimously to reaffirm. Further, Boston is also subject to Massachusetts's judicial precedent finding ICE detainers an unlawful exercise of state power. Mayor Michelle Wu 'reiterated Boston's status as a sanctuary city' shortly after the 2024 presidential election," Comer wrote in the letter to Wu at the time. Initially, the mayors were asked to testify on February 11. Wu said earlier this month she would respond to the letter, but told reporters she preferred it to be at a later date after recently giving birth to her third child. "I want to be accommodating and participate however best represents the city," Wu said. "We're very proud that Boston is the safest major city in the country. We have a lot to share about what has been working here, and we look forward to being able to get into the details of that." Gov. Maura Healey on immigration Massachusetts has eight sanctuary cities - Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville. In a December interview with WBZ-TV political analyst Jon Keller, Healey defended the state's immigration policies. "We are not a sanctuary state. If you come here, there is not housing here, and I think that's been effective in changing the trajectory of [migration to Massachusetts]," Healey said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hispanic rally set in Goshen amid anti-immigrant campaign waged by state lawmakers
GOSHEN — As Indiana lawmakers prove eager to back federal efforts to deport immigrants, advocates for the Hispanic community hope preparedness and solidarity are enough to combat fear. At least two bills introduced in the legislature this year would encourage or even require county sheriffs who oversee jails to participate in the federal program that trains local law enforcement officers to interrogate and detain people suspected of living in the country illegally. The 287(g) program would be expanded to include local task forces that can make arrests on the street under a proposal by the Trump administration's border czar. The bills were introduced following Gov. Mike Braun's executive order directing state law enforcement agencies to 'fully cooperate' with the anti-immigrant campaign. Goshen resident Maria Banderas said the fear of encountering Immigrations and Custom Enforcement has a chilling effect on daily life. 'The fear of an ICE raid is a daily constant occurrence for some households, children and loved ones who are worried of forcefully being taken or separated from their families,' she said. 'The fear makes you socially isolated towards everything including harmless daily duties such as going to work, the grocery store, school or simply just going outside.' Banderas has organized a protest this month in support of basic human rights for Hispanic and Latino populations. The rally is set for 3 p.m. Feb. 22 outside the Elkhart County Courthouse. 'The aim of my event is to create a sense of security here in Elkhart County. I'd like our residents of the Latino community to know they have support, they are heard and someone is here to help be their voice,' she said. 'Since Elkhart County's population contains a large number of Latinos I do have confidence that our community will support us.' She hopes people who see the protest will find ways to support the Hispanic community. 'I also want observers to visualize how we care for one another and won't go down without a fight,' she said. 'As for participants, after my rally I hope they go home and feel a sense of accomplishment. I hope they feel heard.' Family separation is a traumatic event, said Rosy Meza, an immigration attorney in Elkhart. She said the effect of such a fear campaign against immigrants is that they hide in the shadows to avoid potential contact with the law. 'One of the things that deportation fears could devolve into is pushing the immigrant community, the hardworking immigrant community, into the shadows,' she said. 'One of the things that happens, for example, is they will not seek medical care for fear of encountering detention there. Or undocumented parents might not take their children – whether those children are undocumented or born in the U.S. and are citizens – just to get the assistance that is needed because they're afraid of being detained.' An undocumented individual who is arrested for an unrelated crime, such as driving without a license, may be too afraid to go to court hearings rather than getting the situation cleared up, Meza said. 'It's probably a minority, because most immigrants are keen to follow the law as much as they can,' she said. 'So there is a chilling effect overall.' 'Be prepared' Undocumented immigrants have many of the same constitutional protections as anyone who gets caught up in the legal system. Meza wants immigrants to know their rights when they do come in contact with law enforcement. Immigrants have the right to remain silent and they have the right to not be searched without consent or probable cause. They have the right to ask to see a warrant before law enforcement can enter their home in order to conduct a search or arrest them. Only a court-issued warrant signed by a judge is valid for home entry, cautions La Posada Immigrant Aid in Elkhart. An administrative warrant issued by a federal agency rather than a court does not require you to open the door, according to information from the organization. Immigrants also have the right to call a lawyer or their nation's consulate and they have the right to refuse to sign any documents without first consulting a lawyer. Informed consent is key, Meza said. 'They have the right not to sign something unless they understand what they're signing,' she said. 'In my practice as an attorney, I have seen that a lot of issues follow when clients sign whatever immigration puts in front of them out of fear, without knowing what the consequences might be – which might very well be an immediate deportation.' She advises undocumented immigrants and their families to have a plan in place ahead of time. That includes memorizing important numbers or keeping a list of rights written down in case your phone is confiscated. 'The most important thing is to be prepared rather than try to fix things afterward,' she said. 'It's good to have a little old-fashioned card with your emergency family member number or your lawyer number.' To find someone who has been detained, Meza said U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has an online locator at Meza encourages people to remain hopeful and support each other as immigrants face the latest wave of threats. '... Just to retain hopeful hearts,' she said. 'These are difficult times for the immigrant community, and just to be strong and be supportive of each other.' More information on immigrant's rights can be found at immigrants-rights. The ACLU and organizations such as the Immigrant Legal Resource Center ( have example cards in multiple languages listing constitutional rights. A list of more local resources has been put together by the Elkhart Public Library, available in both English and Spanish, at
