Latest news with #Poughkeepsie
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
217 days and counting: Trump's rules slow the release of migrant children to their families
Dressed in a pink pullover, the 17-year-old girl rested her head in her hands, weighing her bleak options from the empty room of an shelter in Poughkeepsie, New York. During a video call into an immigration courtroom in Manhattan, she listened as a lawyer explained to a judge how new regulations imposed by President Donald Trump 's administration — for DNA testing, income verification and more — have hobbled efforts to reunite with her parents in the U.S. for more than 70 days. As the administration's aggressive efforts to curtail migration have taken shape, including unparalleled removals of men to prisons in other countries, migrant children are being separated for long periods from the relatives they had hoped to live with after crossing into the U.S. Under the Trump rules, migrant children have stayed in shelters an average of 217 days before being released last month to family members, according to new data from the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement. During the Biden administration, migrant children spent an average of 35 days in shelters before being released to relatives. 'Collectively, these policy changes have resulted in children across the country being separated from their loving families, while the government denies their release, unnecessarily prolonging their detention,' lawyers for the National Center for Youth Law argued in court documents submitted May 8. The Trump administration, however, has argued that the new rules will ensure the children are put in safe homes and prevent traffickers from illegally bringing children into the country. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the health secretary, told lawmakers in Congress this month: 'Nobody gets a kid without showing that they are a family member.' The family situation for the 17-year-old, and her 14-year-old brother who came with her from the Dominican Republic, is complicated. Their parents, who were living apart, were already in the U.S. Their children were trying to reunite with them to leave behind a problematic living situation with a stepmother in their home country. After 70 days in detention, the teen girl seemed to wonder if she would ever get back to her mother or father in the U.S. If she agreed to leave America, she asked the judge, how quickly would she be sent back to her home country? 'Pretty soon,' the judge said, before adding: 'It doesn't feel nice to be in that shelter all the time.' The siblings, whom the Associated Press agreed not to identify at the request of their mother and because they are minors, are not alone. Thousands of children have made the trek from Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico and other countries, often alone on the promise of settling with a family member already in the U.S. They've faced longer waits in federal custody as officials perform DNA testing, verify family members' incomes and inspect homes before releasing the children. The new rules also require adults who sponsor children to provide U.S.-issued identification. The federal government only released 45 children to sponsors last month, even as more than 2,200 children remained in their custody. Child stays in shelter as Trump requires DNA testing Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible adult sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly. But the approach also yielded errors, with some children being released to adults who forced them to work illegally, or to people who provided clearly false identification and addresses. Trump's Republican administration has said its requirements will prevent children from being placed in homes where they may be at risk for abuse or exploited for child labor. Officials are conducting a review of 65,000 'notices of concerns' that were submitted to the federal government involving thousands of children who were placed with adult sponsors since 2023. Already, the Justice Department indicted a man on allegations he enticed a 14-year-old girl to travel from Guatemala to the U.S., then falsely claimed she was his sister to gain custody as her sponsor. DNA testing and ID requirements for child protection are taking time Immigration advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration seeking to block the more rigorous requirements on behalf of parents and adult siblings who are waiting to bring migrant children into their homes. 'We have a lot of children stuck ... simply because they are awaiting DNA testing,' immigration lawyer Tatine Darker, of Church World Service, told the Manhattan judge as she sat next to the Dominican girl. Five other children appeared in court that day from shelters in New York and New England, all saying they experienced delays in being released to their relatives. The Trump administration's latest guidance on DNA testing says the process generally takes at least two weeks, when accounting for case review and shipping results. But some relatives have waited a month or longer just to get a test, said Molly Chew, a legal aide at Vecina. The organization is ending its work supporting guardians in reunification because of federal funding cuts and other legal and political challenges to juvenile immigration programs. DNA Diagnostics Centers, which is conducting the tests for the federal government, did not respond to a request for comment. Plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit filed by the National Center for Youth Law have also cataloged long wait times and slow DNA results. One mother in Florida said she had been waiting at least a month just to get a DNA appointment, according to testimony submitted to the court. Another mother waited three weeks for results. But by the time those came through in April, the Trump administration introduced a new rule that required her to provide pay stubs she doesn't have. She filed bank statements instead. Her children were released 10 weeks after her application was submitted, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Many parents living in the U.S. without work authorization do not have income documents or U.S. identification documents, like visas or driver's licenses. The siblings being held at the Poughkeepsie shelter are in that conundrum, said Darker, the New York immigration lawyer. They crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in March with their 25-year-old sister and her children, who were quickly deported. Their mother said she moved to New Jersey a few years ago to earn money to support them. She couldn't meet the new income reporting requirements. Their father, also from the Dominican Republic, lives in Boston and agreed to take them. But the DNA testing process has taken weeks. The AP could not reach him for comment. She said her children are downcast and now simply want to return to the Dominican Republic. 'My children are going to return because they can't take it anymore,' the mother said in Spanish. She noted that her children will have been in the shelter three months on Sunday.
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
217 days and counting: Trump's rules slow the release of migrant children to their families
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dressed in a pink pullover, the 17-year-old girl rested her head in her hands, weighing her bleak options from the empty room of an shelter in Poughkeepsie, New York. During a video call into an immigration courtroom in Manhattan, she listened as a lawyer explained to a judge how new regulations imposed by President Donald Trump's administration — for DNA testing, income verification and more — have hobbled efforts to reunite with her parents in the U.S. for more than 70 days. As the administration's aggressive efforts to curtail migration have taken shape, including unparalleled removals of men to prisons in other countries, migrant children are being separated for long periods from the relatives they had hoped to live with after crossing into the U.S. Under the Trump rules, migrant children have stayed in shelters an average of 217 days before being released last month to family members, according to new data from the Health and Human Services Department's Office of Refugee Resettlement. During the Biden administration, migrant children spent an average of 35 days in shelters before being released to relatives. 'Collectively, these policy changes have resulted in children across the country being separated from their loving families, while the government denies their release, unnecessarily prolonging their detention,' lawyers for the National Center for Youth Law argued in court documents submitted May 8. The Trump administration, however, has argued that the new rules will ensure the children are put in safe homes and prevent traffickers from illegally bringing children into the country. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. the health secretary, told lawmakers in Congress this month: 'Nobody gets a kid without showing that they are a family member.' The family situation for the 17-year-old, and her 14-year-old brother who came with her from the Dominican Republic, is complicated. Their parents, who were living apart, were already in the U.S. Their children were trying to reunite with them to leave behind a problematic living situation with a stepmother in their home country. After 70 days in detention, the teen girl seemed to wonder if she would ever get back to her mother or father in the U.S. If she agreed to leave America, she asked the judge, how quickly would she be sent back to her home country? 'Pretty soon,' the judge said, before adding: 'It doesn't feel nice to be in that shelter all the time.' The siblings, whom the Associated Press agreed not to identify at the request of their mother and because they are minors, are not alone. Thousands of children have made the trek from Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico and other countries, often alone on the promise of settling with a family member already in the U.S. They've faced longer waits in federal custody as officials perform DNA testing, verify family members' incomes and inspect homes before releasing the children. The new rules also require adults who sponsor children to provide U.S.-issued identification. The federal government only released 45 children to sponsors last month, even as more than 2,200 children remained in their custody. Child stays in shelter as Trump requires DNA testing Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible adult sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly. But the approach also yielded errors, with some children being released to adults who forced them to work illegally, or to people who provided clearly false identification and addresses. Trump's Republican administration has said its requirements will prevent children from being placed in homes where they may be at risk for abuse or exploited for child labor. Officials are conducting a review of 65,000 'notices of concerns' that were submitted to the federal government involving thousands of children who were placed with adult sponsors since 2023. Already, the Justice Department indicted a man on allegations he enticed a 14-year-old girl to travel from Guatemala to the U.S., then falsely claimed she was his sister to gain custody as her sponsor. DNA testing and ID requirements for child protection are taking time Immigration advocacy groups have sued the Trump administration seeking to block the more rigorous requirements on behalf of parents and adult siblings who are waiting to bring migrant children into their homes. 'We have a lot of children stuck ... simply because they are awaiting DNA testing,' immigration lawyer Tatine Darker, of Church World Service, told the Manhattan judge as she sat next to the Dominican girl. Five other children appeared in court that day from shelters in New York and New England, all saying they experienced delays in being released to their relatives. The Trump administration's latest guidance on DNA testing says the process generally takes at least two weeks, when accounting for case review and shipping results. But some relatives have waited a month or longer just to get a test, said Molly Chew, a legal aide at Vecina. The organization is ending its work supporting guardians in reunification because of federal funding cuts and other legal and political challenges to juvenile immigration programs. DNA Diagnostics Centers, which is conducting the tests for the federal government, did not respond to a request for comment. Plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit filed by the National Center for Youth Law have also cataloged long wait times and slow DNA results. One mother in Florida said she had been waiting at least a month just to get a DNA appointment, according to testimony submitted to the court. Another mother waited three weeks for results. But by the time those came through in April, the Trump administration introduced a new rule that required her to provide pay stubs she doesn't have. She filed bank statements instead. Her children were released 10 weeks after her application was submitted, according to court documents filed Tuesday. Many parents living in the U.S. without work authorization do not have income documents or U.S. identification documents, like visas or driver's licenses. The siblings being held at the Poughkeepsie shelter are in that conundrum, said Darker, the New York immigration lawyer. They crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in March with their 25-year-old sister and her children, who were quickly deported. Their mother said she moved to New Jersey a few years ago to earn money to support them. She couldn't meet the new income reporting requirements. Their father, also from the Dominican Republic, lives in Boston and agreed to take them. But the DNA testing process has taken weeks. The AP could not reach him for comment. She said her children are downcast and now simply want to return to the Dominican Republic. 'My children are going to return because they can't take it anymore,' the mother said in Spanish. She noted that her children will have been in the shelter three months on Sunday.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
DOGE lease cancellation list updated again: See how NY is affected
While the amount saved through federal lease cancellations by the Trump administration has decreased nationwide, New York's contribution has increased, even though the number of canceled leases is lower. Twenty-two federal leases in New York, still up from the 19 reported in early March but down from the 23 reported in late March, have now been canceled by the Trump administration, according to a government data portal detailing the president's efforts to downsize the federal government. Previously, the Trump administration reported the cancellation of Poughkeepsie's Social Security Administration lease, New York City's Department of Homeland Security U.S. Secret Service lease and New Windsor's Internal Revenue Service National Office lease as well, but the leases have since been removed from the list, along with several others nationwide. As of April 22, Manlius' Indian Health Service lease and New York City's General Services Administration lease have been removed from the list, too. Here's the latest. Named for an Internet joke, Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, or 'DOGE,' effort has cancelled government contracts and laid off thousands of workers as part of a wider effort to overhaul the federal bureaucracy. The president and his allies have touted it as a long-overdue measure to cut down on inefficiencies and fraud in government. Initially, the Trump administration said it had cancelled more than 700 leases nationwide, however, as of March 27, the government data portal listed 679 lease terminations and as of April 22, that number is even lower at 643 total lease terminations. The savings amount has decreased again, too. In early March, the Trump administration said they had saved around $468 million through the cancellation of these leases, with over $7 million of that money coming from leases canceled in New York state. As of March 27, though, that overall number was lowered to around $400 million and as of April 22, the number is down to around $311 million. However, the overall savings through canceled leases in New York ticked back up a bit as on March 27, the Trump administration said they had saved under $6.5 million but as of April 22, the number is back over $6.5 million. See the updated list: Trump administration revises list of canceled federal leases in NY Here is a revised list of all leases in New York that the Trump administration reports it has cancelled as of April 22, including the federal office affected, and the location, square footage, and annual cost of each lease: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, New York City: 10,728 sq. ft., $620,642. It's been terminated. Office of Inspector General, New York City: 10,651 sq. ft., $644,428. It's been terminated. United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Valley Stream: 9,493 sq. ft., $345,179. It's been terminated. Employment Standards Administration, Wage and Hour Division, Forest Hills: 5,070 sq. ft., $308,437. It's been terminated. Natural Resources Conservation Service, Syracuse: 33,548 sq. ft., $543,571. It's been terminated. United States Trustees, Buffalo: 5,109 sq. ft., $115,600. It's been terminated. Mine Safety and Health Administration, Albany: 4,454 sq. ft., $97,789. It's been terminated. International Trade Administration, White Plains: 2,071 sq. ft., $67,169. It's been terminated. Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Buffalo: 2,178 sq. ft., $44,352. The agency closed the office. Mine Safety and Health Administration, Geneva: 4,046 sq. ft., $52,194. It's been terminated. Employment Standards Administration, Office of Workers' Compensation Programs Buffalo: 2,168 sq. ft., $65,379 — this number increased from $63,475 in early March. It's been terminated. Geological Survey, Potsdam: 1,748 sq. ft., $12,943. It's been terminated. Geological Survey, Oswego: 4,875 sq. ft., $108,197. It's been terminated. Federal Protective Service - Department of Homeland Security - Management, Rensselaer: 115 sq. ft., $2,500. The vacant space was bought out and the annual lease cost was previously listed as $2,000. Social Security Administration, White Plains: 16,632 sq. ft. Previously, the government data portal listed the lease as terminating on May 31, 2025. Currently, the website lists the office as being consolidated and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $511,908. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Secret Service, New York City: 250 sq. ft. The agency closed the office and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $63,000. This lease was no longer on the list at the end of March but was back on the list as of April 22. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, New York City: 0 sq. ft. The agency closed the office and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $1,786,302. U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, New York City: 0 sq. ft. The agency closed the office and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $1,834,070. National Labor Relations Board, Buffalo: 37,644 sq. ft. The office has been consolidated and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $1,020,916. Defense Contract Management Agency, Buffalo: 18,163 sq. ft. The office has been consolidated and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $548,896. Social Security Administration, Horseheads: 11,400 sq. ft. The agency says there's no longer a need for the space and the annual lease cost has been removed from the website but was previously listed as $311,690. Small Business Administration, Hauppauge: 2,000 sq. ft., no listed annual lease cost. It's been terminated. Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network's New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on X and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@ This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: DOGE lease cancellation list updated again: See how NY is affected
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NY AG addresses Social Security impacts in Hudson Valley. What to know
New York Attorney General Letitia James is calling for SSA Acting Commissioner Lee Dudek to maintain the Hudson Valley offices facing closures or reduced services. On Jan. 30, the Poughkeepsie Social Security office, located at 332 Main St., temporarily closed to undergo renovations. A small contact station has been set up at the space for limited services, but residents have largely been directed to instead use the Middletown office for their needs, and no reopening timeline has been given for the Poughkeepsie office. In White Plains, the Social Security Office of Hearings Operations — a central hub for seven counties including Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester — is set to close on May 31. "Social security is a sacred promise that this country makes to its citizens," James said in a statement. "Seniors and people with disabilities throughout the Hudson Valley rely on the White Plains and Poughkeepsie offices to ensure they receive the support they deserve." "Protecting access to social security and the rights of vulnerable New Yorkers must transcend politics and be a principle that all those in public service support," James continued. More: Mill House Brewing Company's latest venture is opening soon in Highland. What to know The White Plains OHO schedules and hosts hearings for people who have filed a Request for Hearing and live within the service areas of the Middletown, Monticello, New Rochelle, Peekskill, Poughkeepsie, West Nyack, White Plains and Yonkers SSA offices. The lease at the White Plans office building is expiring, and SSA does not intend to extend the lease, according to an email statement from Everett Lo, regional communications director for the SSA. Instead, those seeking services at that office will be assigned to one of the following OHO offices in New York and Connecticut: 12 Corporate Woods Blvd., Albany. 220 East 161 St., Second Floor, Suite 2, Bronx. Jacob K. Javits Federal Building, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 2909, New York. 201 Varick St., Third Floor, Room 315, New York. Joseph P. Addabbo Federal Building, 155-10 Jamaica Ave., Second Floor, Jamaica. 157 Church St., Seventh Floor, New Haven. Most of the hearings held are virtual, Lo said, and SSA will continue to offer virtual, phone and in-person hearings, just not at the White Plains OHO. According to the attorney general's office, the White Plains OHO has a massive backlog of cases, given the number of elderly and disabled New Yorkers who rely on its services. In a letter to the SSA acting commissioner, James said, "Recent reports show that currently, without the devastating impact of this reported closure, the White Plains office has a roughly 2,000-case backlog and that redetermination hearings come with an eight-month wait. It is simply unconscionable to strip away the services altogether rather than trying to fix an already challenging situation." In Poughkeepsie, James said, those who require services not provided at the temporary office while its SSA space is under renovation will have to travel at least an hour to another office. Local government leaders had previously called on SSA for more information regarding the closure, including what in-person services may still be available and how long the closure is expected to last, but said the SSA response only directed residents to call or fax the office with their questions. Numerous lawmakers joined James in voicing their concerns over the offices' closures on Thursday, including New York State Senator Michelle Hinchey. "Shuttering our Poughkeepsie Social Security office and the pending closure in White Plains puts an unconscionable burden on our neighbors, from seniors to wounded veterans, and individuals with disabilities, who rely on these vital benefits and the convenience of local services," Hinchey said in a statement. "It's the federal government's job to administer Social Security — that job includes making sure no one is left behind or subject to delays and roadblocks." "We need clarity from the SSA on their plans and a commitment to ensuring these facilities remain available locally," Hinchey continued. This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: NY AG addresses Hudson Valley Social Security closures: What to know
