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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ICE launches bold courthouse migrant arrest strategy to fast-track deportations Biden avoided
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are beginning a nationwide initiative to arrest illegal immigrants after asylum hearings as they leave courtrooms, multiple sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Fox News. The effort will target those who have been living in the United States for less than two years, sources said. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) strategy aims to get illegal immigration cases dropped. Federal officials plan to arrest migrants and place them in expedited removal proceedings, fast-tracking them to deportation out of the country, allowing for almost-immediate removal without a hearing before an immigration judge, according to ICE sources. If a migrant has an active, pending court case, expedited removal cannot happen, which is why DHS officials are planning to get them dropped. Immigration judges, however, have to agree to drop cases, and so far, they are cooperating with the effort, sources said. Ice Begins New, Nationwide Effort To Arrest Illegal Aliens At Immigration Hearings The initiative will likely cause controversy because migrants will be disincentivized from attending asylum hearings, and it will involve arrests of migrants with no criminal histories aside from entering the United States illegally. Read On The Fox News App Videos posted to social media and captured by local news across the country show the ICE arrests already happening in various courthouses. Ice Touts Record-breaking Immigration Enforcement During Trump's First 100 Days "Secretary Noem is reversing Biden's catch-and-release policy that allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens to be let loose on American streets," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News. "This Administration is once again implementing the rule of law." The spokesperson added that "most aliens who illegally entered the United States within the past two years are subject to expedited removals." "Biden ignored this legal fact and chose to release millions of illegal aliens, including violent criminals, into the country with a notice to appear before an immigration judge," the spokesperson said. "ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been. If they have a valid credible fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings, but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation." Gregg Jarrett, Fox News legal analyst and commentator, noted the Supreme Court's recent ruling "that President Trump had the authority to end Biden's Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for certain specified migrants who have been in the U.S. for less than two years." "That means they are eligible for expedited deportation," he said. "There is no law that prevents ICE from carrying out the initiative by making arrests at immigration/asylum hearings. From a safety standpoint, it makes sense. Indeed, it has been a longstanding practice." Ice Forced To Release Some Illegal Migrants Who Could Pose Danger To Americans: Immigration Attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch, immigration attorney and CEO and owner of Lincoln-Goldfinch Law, told Fox News Digital that while "ICE can go in and conduct apprehensions in courthouses," such arrests "can be restricted" if immigration judges refuse to dismiss cases. WATCH: Attorney explains effort to detain illegal immigrants in courthouses "Because the playbook is this: the immigrant goes into their court hearing. The DHS attorney, which is essentially the prosecutor, tells the judge, 'Judge, we actually want to dismiss this case. We don't want to pursue it.' And in many instances, the judge will just dismiss over objection of the immigrant or [if] the immigrant doesn't know any better, and they say, 'Sure, that sounds great.' And then they walk out of the courtroom, and they're apprehended," Lincoln-Goldfinch explained. If judges refuse to dismiss cases, they can "maintain their own jurisdiction over what happens with [an immigrant] because this person is in immigration court proceedings and the judge gets to decide what happens to them so long as they don't dismiss the case." Jarrett believes "the likelihood of interference is minimal" when asked whether judges might try to stop the arrests. "Most asylum and deportation hearings are in front of an immigration judge who is an employee of the Justice Department," he said. "Those hearings occur in federal courthouses or detention facilities, so the likelihood of interference is minimal. You would not have, for example, a state court judge trying to interfere, as we saw in [Milwaukee, Wisconsin]." Illegal Immigrant Arrests Skyrocket Under Trump Ice Compared To Biden Levels Last Year: 'Worst Of The Worst' Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was indicted last month on federal charges of obstruction of proceedings before a U.S. agency and unlawful concealment of an individual subject to arrest after she allegedly directed an illegal immigrant defendant to leave through a private exit at the Milwaukee County Courthouse while ICE officials were serving a warrant for his arrest. WATCH: WISCONSIN JUDGE SEEN TALKING TO ICE AGENTS Lincoln-Goldfinch, meanwhile, believes the new DHS effort is a scheme for the Trump administration to easily and quickly boost illegal immigrant apprehension numbers, and that "they are not targeting the population of immigrants that Trump and Kristi Noem purport to want to go after, and that is law-breaking, dangerous, criminal history type of immigrants." This initiative, she said, targets illegal immigrants trying to go through a legal citizenship process. "Why are we not sending ICE after the people that they're claiming are here to harm us? It doesn't make sense from a resource expenditure perspective," she said. "And I think that is the main objection. So do I think this will be challenged in court? But on top of that, I think that people should really take issue with the fact ICE is going after people who are following the rules and they're playing dirty tricks and games in order to get them to dismiss their cases and then they arrest them walking out of the courtroom." WATCH: INSIDE THE THREATS AND DANGERS ICE AGENTS FACE In an April 29 press release marking 100 days in office, DHS announced that border apprehensions were down 95% since President Donald Trump took office, and more migrants are returning to their home countries to avoid deportation. The administration also noted that it had arrested more than 158,000 illegal aliens in 2025 alone, including more than 600 members of Tren de Aragua, saying federal officials are "targeting the worst of the worst" with 75% of illegal immigrant arrests involving those with convictions or pending article source: Trump's ICE launches bold courthouse migrant arrest strategy to fast-track deportations Biden avoided
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Afghans in Kentucky fear for future after Trump strips deportation protections
By Amira Karaoud BOWLING GREEN, Kentucky (Reuters) -Afghan asylum-seeker Wazir Khan Zadran and his family arrived in Kentucky nearly four years ago as the U.S. military withdrew from his country. Now, he worries about the future of his children, especially his girls, if they are forced to return to Afghanistan. The Trump administration said it will end Temporary Protected Status for Afghans in July - raising the threat of being sent back to Afghanistan, where the Taliban rule according to Islamic law, if their asylum case is unsuccessful. "The future of children is bright here and they can study here, they can have a good future here. If we go back to my country, they are not good, especially for the girls," Zadran said. "They cannot go to school, they cannot go to university, they can do nothing. So, I hope they will do some things for the refugees of Afghanistan." Zadran was a tribal leader who fought 20 years ago against the Haqqani network, a powerful faction within the Taliban. He and his family were picked up in a helicopter by Americans in 2021 and taken to the Kabul airport for travel to the U.S. His oldest daughter Zuleikha is now preparing for college next year, but without permanent status in the U.S., the risk of deportation looms over her. The Zadrans' asylum application is pending, which means they can remain in the U.S. until a final decision is made on their case. TPS is available to people already in the U.S. who cannot return to their home countries due to armed conflicts, natural disasters or other extraordinary events. The Trump administration has moved to terminate the status for some 14,600 Afghans as well as hundreds of thousands from Venezuela and other nations. 'I discuss with my girls that you are lucky that you are here, that you are going to school, then you will finish school and go to college," Zadran said. "But if we were in Afghanistan, they will not have this right. Their future will be dark. But, in my country, the future of girls is so dark, it's so bad for them." The Taliban administration has barred girls over the age of 12 from school and women from university and has placed restrictions on women from traveling long distances without a male guardian. The Taliban says it respects women's rights in line with its interpretation of Islamic law. Zuleikha Zadran is happy she has graduated from high school and is heading to college with a scholarship, despite her fears. "Lately, I have been worried because people are saying that those without documents might be deported," she said. "I am scared that it will make my future dark, but even with that fear, I am proud of what I have achieved. And I am full of hope for what's ahead." Afghans in the U.S. can still request asylum, the Trump administration says. "Although TPS was terminated as required by law, any Afghan who fears persecution is able to request asylum," said Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, adding that those with TPS revoked can apply for financial assistance to get resettled elsewhere. 'REALLY WORRIED' More than 70,000 Afghans entered the U.S. under former President Joe Biden's 'Operation Allies Welcome' initiative following the Taliban takeover in 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Over 300 settled in Bowling Green, an agricultural and manufacturing city that has received refugees over the decades from Cambodians to Bosnians to Congolese. Unlike some other immigrant communities, Afghan families in Bowling Green aren't looking back - their investments and dreams are firmly rooted in the U.S. One such family, the Habibis, bought a house here. Wahida Habibi speaks fluent English, has a wide circle of friends locally, works at a bakery with her husband and two years ago gave birth to a baby boy. Zadran, meanwhile, works at a car dealership and is learning the business with the goal of opening his own soon. His main complaint is only that legal status cannot come fast enough - he initially thought that would happen in less than a year. "And the last three years … I was like what's going on?" said Zadran. Shawn VanDiver, the founder of #AfghanEvac, the main coalition of veterans and advocacy groups that coordinated resettlements of Afghans with the U.S. government, said Republicans need to stand up to Trump so that Afghans are not forced to return a country where their lives are in danger. "The Taliban hasn't changed. The threats haven't changed," he said. "The only thing that has changed is the guy who sits behind the Resolute Desk." People who worked with the Afghans on resettlement said the fear is palpable. 'The immigrant community, and especially the Afghans who have resettled a couple of years ago are really worried with all that's going on with immigration," said Albert Mbanfu, executive director of the International Center of Kentucky which helps resettle refugees. Another Afghan asylum-seeker, Mohamed Azizi, said he is stressed. "We worry because right now the situation in my country is so bad and we worry about going back and starting life from the beginning," said Azizi.
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE makes major move on detaining illegal immigrants in heart of blue state
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is making moves to detain illegal immigrants as the Trump administration looks to expand its arrest and deportation operations throughout the United States. ICE announced the "imminent reopening" of the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, N.J. The agency said it has reached an agreement with the facility's owner to re-establish a processing and detention center, which can accommodate up to 1,000 beds. "This detention center is the first to open under the new administration," acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello said in a statement. States Fire Back Against 'Sanctuary' Resistance As They Rally Around Trump's Deportation Efforts "The location near an international airport streamlines logistics and helps facilitate the timely processing of individuals in our custody as we pursue President Trump's mandate to arrest, detain and remove illegal aliens from our communities," he said. The agency said the facility will expand the capacity in the Northeast and increase the agency's ability to manage a "growing" enforcement and removal operation in the region. Read On The Fox News App Florida Sheriff Says Ice Partnership Only The Beginning In Illegal Migrant Crackdown It comes after interior ICE arrests have skyrocketed compared to Biden-era numbers as the agency seeks to launch a "historic" deportation campaign promised by the Trump campaign. Fox reported this month that Department of Homeland Security data showed 11,791 interior ICE arrests from Jan 20 to Feb 8, compared to 4,969 during the same period in 2024. That is a 137% increase. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has since said that over 20,000 illegal immigrants were arrested in a single month under the new administration. The administration has sought to unleash ICE agents by removing restrictions placed on them by the Biden administration, and ending Temporary Protected Status for some nationalities. It has also taken off limits on the use of expedited removal and allowed for ICE to review the parole status of migrants brought in via humanitarian parole, opening them up for deportation. The administration has been making agreements with other nations to take back their illegal immigrants or ramp up their own border security efforts. Fox News Digital reported earlier this month that ICE has just under 42,000 beds available to it and that it has been exceeding capacity under the current administration. The Trump administration has been pushing hard to obtain more beds and detention space, but sources told Fox News Digital that it typically takes around 30 days for contractors to deliver, due to the time necessary to identify buildings, hire people and conduct background checks and related article source: ICE makes major move on detaining illegal immigrants in heart of blue state
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE Arrests at Schools: How Students and Teachers Are Preparing for Immigration Raids
Bloomberg/Getty Images In January, the Trump administration rolled back a decades-old Department of Homeland Security memo that protected sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, courthouses, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These protections once ensured that students — especially those from mixed-status or undocumented families — could attend school without fear of deportation. Now, with those safeguards rolled back, schools nationwide are bracing for potential raids from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), fueling widespread anxiety. For many students, particularly those from immigrant families, this anxiety is manifesting in their everyday lives. Rebecca, a high school teacher in El Paso who has been teaching for eight years and asked to withhold her last name to avoid professional retaliation, sees it as 'a real slap in the face and an assault on everything that I know a school should be, which is a safe place for students to learn.' 'You can't learn if you are in an unsafe situation,' she added. Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take Betty, a teacher at a Chicago public high school, who also asked to withhold her last name, works in the same district where US Secret Service agents were mistaken for ICE agents outside a Chicago elementary school last week, inciting panic. She also spoke to increased anxiety in the community. 'I have students who are born here, but their parents are undocumented, so they're very concerned about their parents,' she told Teen Vogue. 'Their parents are asking, 'What are you going to do if we come home from school and we're gone, we're deported?' These kids are worried every day about their parents being taken away. It's heartbreaking to hear these conversations, but it's real for them.' Rebecca added, 'We know that parents that come from or students that come from mixed-status families are going [to be] impacted in their decisions on whether to keep attending school, how they get to school.' Rebecca and Betty aren't alone. Educators nationwide report rising absenteeism as parents keep children home out of fear. Gabriel is a Venezuelan immigrant who attended high school in Miami during the first Trump administration and only received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) during his senior year. He, too, asked to withhold his last name to protect his anonymity. Gabriel explained that the presence of ICE in schools would have fundamentally altered his ability to access education and feel safe. 'When I first arrived…I learned that schools were a protective place, and that truly allowed me to grow… I think it's really unfortunate that students could have this opportunity stolen because I know a lot of families are going to be distrustful.' He explained that, for his parents, who are still waiting to hear back on their asylum case, the rollback of school protections would have made it impossible for them to feel safe taking him to and from school. The fear of enforcement, he said, would have forced them to make impossible choices — between his education and their family's safety. Now, educators like Rebecca and Betty are grappling with how to keep their students safe. Rebecca explained, 'We're all having to decide what we're going to do in a moment where we're sort of the last person standing between a kid who should be learning in their classroom and an immigration official who's there to take that right away from them.' She shared that these situations felt similar to asking herself what she would do in the event of a mass shooting: 'And I think that that's why, as terrible as it is, teachers are kind of prepared for this moment, in a way, because we've always had to think of that worst-case scenario.' Betty shared, 'If ICE showed up at our school, there is absolutely no way I wouldn't do my job to protect my students. You're not coming into my room [without] a signed warrant from a federal judge.' 'I can envision myself accompanying my student, like, down to some sort of legal office or something if they need me to. That's what I'm willing to do as a teacher,' Rebecca added. It's also become essential for them to educate themselves and their students about their rights. 'I told my students, I said, 'Hey, I printed this out. I put this up here. These are your rights... If you would like to come up and take a photo of this, or if you would like me to print a copy of it for you, I will,'' Betty said. By giving her students easy access to information, Betty hopes to empower them to act in case they encounter ICE agents. 'I wanted them to know, and I wanted them to feel prepared,' she added. Rebecca also emphasizes the importance of informing her students about their rights if an ICE agent comes to their home. 'We just tried to educate ourselves about what an officer is and is not allowed to do. So we kind of learned a little bit about having a judicial warrant and the ability to question an officer on whether or not they have a judicial warrant,' she explained. Jennifer Babaie, an attorney at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, a legal nonprofit for immigrants in El Paso, underscores the critical role of education in empowering both families and educators during this time of uncertainty. 'Our job in this scenario is to train community members, principals, school advisors, anyone willing to listen…that they do have rights,' Babaie said. She explained that educators are often unsure about when they should or shouldn't cooperate with ICE. 'It's not their job to be legal experts about when and when not to cooperate, but that's not the kind of training a teacher or school counselor would get. That's where we're seeing a real need for us to go out and try to advocate and educate folks.' Babaie has been actively providing 'Know Your Rights' training to teachers. 'One teacher reached out to me asking if we could help them provide some 'Know Your Rights' training for their students, 'That's the next step: to make sure that teachers are not only aware of their rights, but that they're passing that information down to the students who need it most.' Unfortunately, educators heavily depend on the support of their school districts, and that support varies widely. Betty shared an internal mass email sent out by Chief Executive Officer Pedro Martinez to Chicago Public School (CPS) teachers and faculty following a Secret Service appearance at a Chicago school, reaffirming the district's policy: 'I also want to remind staff of our commitments. In accordance with the Illinois Trust Act and Chicago's Welcoming City Ordinance, CPS: DOES NOT ask for our families' immigration status. WILL NOT coordinate with ICE. DOES NOT share student records with ICE, except in the rare case where there is a court order or consent from the parent/guardian. WILL NOT allow ICE agents access to CPS facilities unless they produce a criminal judicial warrant signed by a federal judge. WILL NOT admit ICE agents into our schools based upon an administrative warrant, an ICE detainer, or other document issued by an agency enforcing civil immigration law.' Other communications from CPS also encouraged staff to access resources such as 'Know Your Rights' guidance documents, workshops, and immigration services for families, emphasizing that schools remain safe spaces for all students. 'I feel like we're getting the right kind of support from CPS. They understand that the fear is real, and they're helping us prepare,' Betty said. Rebecca, however, has been frustrated by the lack of guidance from her district. 'The first thing I waited for was maybe some guidance from our district, especially because we live in El Paso, and we are a border city, and this is likely to impact us. But there hasn't really been anything official that's come down from the district to teachers,' Rebecca explained. Districts rely on state funding for financial support, and officials in states like Texas have expressed support for Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. (Texas governor Greg Abbott has even questioned the right of undocumented immigrant children to attend school.) Even as district support differs, Babaie emphasizes that high school students can help their families prepare for potential immigration enforcement actions. She stressed the importance of families creating their own safety plans in case of an emergency. 'My advice to students in high school is to think about what safety planning looks like for your family,' she said. 'This includes identifying trusted contacts, making sure younger siblings know who to reach out to, and understanding their rights.' Babaie encouraged students to use their family and neighborhood networks to create a system of support. 'There are lots of ways we can use our family networks, our neighborhoods, to be supportive of one another,' she added. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want more Teen Vogue immigration coverage? The School Shooting That History Forgot I Was Kidnapped After Coming to the U.S. Seeking Asylum Ronald Reagan Sucked, Actually The White Supremacist 'Great Replacement Theory' Has Deep Roots
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Many migrants in Springfield anxious about potential changes to legal status
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Over 10 years ago the City of Springfield passed a resolution to welcome migrants from Haiti. It was as much a practical move as a humanitarian one as the city needed an influx of people to work after years of struggles to fill jobs. 'Springfield was on a decline for quite some time and population number of things,' said city manager Bryan Heck. 'We are on the rise, we've been on the rise.' The city's resurgence happened with the help of thousands of migrants from Haiti, one of 15 countries that qualify for federal 'Temporary Protected Status'. TPS allows migrants to come to the U.S. to fill jobs while also seeking refuge. 'The Haitians that came in were hired because they were needed,' said Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine. 'They need to fill jobs and they're very reliable. They show up for work.' When Haitians arrive in Springfield from troubled conditions, they are connected to the Haitian Resource Center. The center provides vital resources such as translation services, food assistance, housing and driving class information, and, in some cases, safety from harassment. Viles Dorsainvil, operator of the Haitian Resource Center, said 'hateful' people bothering the Haitians in the name of an anti-illegal immigration push have it wrong. 'They are here legally,' said Dorsainil. Springfield Police did not reply to a request for comment about the alleged incidents of harassment. Previous coverage of Springfield's time in the national spotlight Dorsainil said he received threatening messages to his email inbox, accusing him of being responsible for the influx and telling him and the migrants to go back to Haiti. Many members of the community are working together to stay informed and safe. They're also searching for answers to questions about legal status and possible deportation. The Migration Policy Institute said there are scenarios where the laws could change, where people who legally came to the U.S. could be deported. With more than 11,000 arrests made by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since the beginning of 2025, some in the community are concerned. 'For deportation or something like this, it's a very uncertain time for them,' said Dorsainil. Dorsainil said it's important to remind everyone, the Haitian migrants in Springfield are here legally. 'They have a status and they are not criminals,' he said. Springfield residents show support of Haitian community during council meeting As they move forward and away from the spotlight, the migrants are hoping to simply live there peacefully.'The Haitians here and the immigrants I know here, I know they are peaceful people coming just to help the community moving forward,' Dorsainil said. Coming Wednesday: 2 NEWS will look at how Springfield is spending the money it has received to help with the Haitian migrant surge. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
