Latest news with #TedHesson
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
More than 100 Democrats urge Trump officials to restore deportation relief for Afghans in the US
By Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A group of 101 Democratic lawmakers is urging top Trump administration officials to restore deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the U.S., warning they would be sent back to "devastating humanitarian and economic conditions" in Afghanistan. In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the lawmakers called on the administration to restore access to the Temporary Protected Status program for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021. "The grave conditions that forced Afghan nationals to flee and seek refuge in the U.S. following the return of the Taliban to power remain," the lawmakers said. "Because of this harsh reality, forcing Afghan nationals in the U.S. to return to Afghanistan would be reckless and inhumane, and would threaten the safety and well-being of thousands of individuals and families, especially women and girls." The effort is being led by U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Representative Glenn Ivey and Senator Amy Klobuchar. TPS provides deportation relief and work permits to people already in the U.S. if their home countries experience a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said in April that it would terminate TPS for Afghans and formally announced the termination in a May notice. The notice said that Noem had determined conditions in Afghanistan had improved enough to allow Afghans to return and that letting them stay in the U.S. would be contrary to national interests. The decision to end TPS - set to take effect July 14 - has sparked concern among Afghans depending on the status. President Donald Trump's Republican administration has ended TPS for some 350,000 Venezuelans and moved to end it for thousands more from Cameroon. DHS said in its termination notice that 11,700 Afghans were currently enrolled in TPS but that 3,600 had been approved for green cards as of April. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen also voiced concerns over the Afghanistan TPS termination in a May letter to Noem and Rubio.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans seek to cement Trump's immigration legacy in sweeping bill
By Ted Hesson WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A sweeping tax and spending bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives would devote an estimated $150 billion to immigration enforcement, an unprecedented sum that seeks to deliver President Donald Trump's goal of mass deportations and lock down the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill would provide funding for 10,000 new immigration enforcement officers and $46.5 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border while placing new fees on applications for asylum and other humanitarian protections. The legislation amounts to super-funding immigration enforcement and could equip the administration with tools to ramp up arrests and deportations. Mark Green, chairman of the U.S. House homeland security committee, touted the legislation after its passage, saying it could "secure our nation's borders for generations to come.' The bill now heads to the U.S. Senate where Republicans, who control the chamber by a 53-47 margin, hope to pass it by July 4. The measure is estimated to increase the federal deficit by trillions, which has raised alarms among some fiscal hawks, while other Republicans have worries about cutting Medicaid, a low-income health program, which offsets some of the massive enforcement spending. The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border hit record lows after Trump took office in January, which could undercut the rationale for more border barriers. Senator Rand Paul, the top Republican on the Senate homeland committee and a fiscal conservative, told Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at a hearing last week that $46.5 billion for a border wall was too much. 'You're controlling 95% of the border without a wall right now,' Paul said. 'So that's an argument that maybe you don't need a wall. You need willpower.' In an interview this week, Trump's border czar Tom Homan said the administration had deported around 200,000 people over four months. The total still appears to lag deportations during a similar period under former President Joe Biden, whose Democratic administration had 257,000 deportations from February-May 2024, according to U.S. Department of Homeland Security statistics. Biden-era deportations included more recent border crossers due to high levels of illegal immigration. Homan said the administration needs more funding to deliver the historic levels of deportations that Trump promised on the campaign trail. 'I hope Congress comes together and funds what the American people demanded,' he said. NEW ASYLUM FEES The House bill imposes new fees that target immigrants in the U.S. illegally, including asylum seekers. A new fee on asylum applications would cost at least $1,000 with another $550 for a six-month work authorization. The American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration advocacy group, estimates asylum seekers could pay nearly $6,500 over five years. Parents and other family members who attempt to take custody of unaccompanied migrant children would be required to pay a $3,500 fee along with another $5,000 deposit to ensure the child attends immigration court hearings, totaling $8,500. Nayna Gupta, policy director with the American Immigration Council, said the high fees for asylum and other humanitarian statuses 'effectively put those legal pathways out of reach for thousands of people who would otherwise legally qualify.' During Trump's first term in 2020, his administration tried to impose a fee on asylum applications but was blocked by a federal judge. Ken Cuccinelli, who served as a top homeland official at the time, said the fees are needed to deter economic migrants. Without fees on asylum applications, other legal immigration applicants shoulder the cost of processing asylum seekers, he said. 'If asylum seekers aren't paying these fees, then other visa requestors are paying them," he said. The bill overall would increase the federal deficit by $3.8 trillion over a decade, according to an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, largely due to tax cuts. The White House contested the analysis and said the legislation would not increase the deficit. Spokesperson Abigail Jackson said the bill would support Trump's efforts to combat illegal immigration "and make this progress permanent." In an effort to provide some revenue, Republicans included a 5% tax on remittances to other countries for non-citizens. However, remittances could decline due to the tax and senders could seek ways to avoid it, according to a report by the Center for Global Development, a nonpartisan think tank. 'Even if the tax works as intended, it will only bring in a small fraction of the roughly $150 billion in funding included in the measure for border security and immigration enforcement,' the report said. The bill will be subject to review by the Senate Parliamentarian, who advises on the chamber's rules, to determine whether any parts exceed the bounds of this specific budget process. One provision that could be scrutinized would limit the ability of federal judges to penalize U.S. officials for contempt if they fail to abide by a judge's order. The Trump administration has clashed with federal judges in various standoffs over immigration enforcement. Democratic U.S. Representative Joe Neguse at a hearing last week called the provision 'a deep deviation from existing federal law.'
RNZ News
24-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
ICE arrests migrants at courthouses, opens door to fast-track deportations
An anti-Trump, anti-deportation protest in Washington last month. Photo: AFP / RICHARD PIERRIN By Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke , Reuters Federal immigration officials arrested dozens of immigrants after their immigration court hearings in US cities this week, in operations that advocates say appeared to target people who had been in the country for less than two years. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained migrants at courthouses in New York City, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle, according to family members, attorneys and news reports. In at least some of the arrests, immigration judges had just dropped active cases against migrants and family members, advocates said. The move could potentially allow US authorities to put them in a fast-track deportation process, known as 'expedited removal'. Republican President Donald Trump aims to deport record numbers of immigrants in the US illegally, but has complained that US courts and existing laws have slowed the effort. ICE guidance issued earlier this year directed officers to consider all immigrants previously released for expedited removal, if they had not affirmatively applied for asylum. The operation showcases a new strategy to speed up deportations and bypass lengthier immigration processes. A senior US Department of Homeland Security official said the effort aimed to deport immigrants allowed to enter the US under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat. "ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been," the official said. In Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday and Wednesday, ICE arrested several people outside the immigration court. Among them, Geovanni Francisco and his mother from Guerrero, Mexico, who entered the country legally in 2023, after making an appointment using the Biden-era CBP One app, according to aunt Hilda Ramirez. Their case was dismissed Wednesday morning, records show. "They didn't even give them a chance to gather their things," said Ramirez, who accompanied her sister and nephew to their hearing. - Reuters
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ICE arrests migrants at courthouses, opens door to fast-track deportations
By Ted Hesson and Kristina Cooke WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Federal immigration officials arrested dozens of immigrants following their immigration court hearings in multiple U.S. cities this week, in operations that advocates said appeared to target people who had been in the country for less than two years. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained migrants at courthouses in New York City, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle, according to family members, attorneys and news reports. In at least some of the arrests, immigration judges had just dropped active cases against migrants, family members and advocates said. The move could potentially allow U.S. authorities to put them in a fast-track deportation process known as expedited removal. President Donald Trump, a Republican, aims to deport record numbers of immigrants in the U.S. illegally but has complained that U.S. courts and existing laws have slowed the effort. ICE guidance issued earlier this year directed officers to consider all immigrants previously released for expedited removal if they had not affirmatively applied for asylum. The operation showcases a new strategy to speed up deportations and bypass lengthier immigration processes. A senior U.S. Department of Homeland Security official said the effort aimed to deport immigrants allowed to enter the U.S. under former President Joe Biden, a Democrat. "ICE is now following the law and placing these illegal aliens in expedited removal, as they always should have been," the official said in a statement. In Phoenix, Arizona, on Tuesday and Wednesday, ICE arrested several people outside the immigration court. Among them, Geovanni Francisco and his mother from Guerrero, Mexico, who entered the country legally in 2023, after making an appointment using the Biden-era CBP One app, according to his aunt Hilda Ramirez. Their case was dismissed Wednesday morning, records show. 'They didn't even give them a chance to gather their things,' said Ramirez, who accompanied her sister and nephew to their hearing.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
FEMA senior officials exit en masse as Trump targets agency
By Ted Hesson and Nathan Layne WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the departure of 16 senior executives on Wednesday, a significant shakeup of its leadership ranks less than two weeks before the start of what is expected to be a busy hurricane season. Those leaving include MaryAnn Tierney, a 26-year emergency management veteran who until May 9 had been the agency's acting No. 2, as well as key people in finance and disaster response, according to internal emails seen by Reuters. The agency, which coordinates the federal response to natural disasters, has been roiled by the loss of hundreds of staff and low morale since finding itself targeted by President Donald Trump. Trump wants FEMA to be shrunk or even abolished, arguing that many of its functions can be carried out by the states. The changes have, however, disrupted the agency's planning for the hurricane season, stoking concern that it will be ill-equipped to deal with any disaster. The departures unveiled on Wednesday follow the abrupt firing of FEMA's then-acting administrator Cameron Hamilton earlier this month. The agency's new leader, David Richardson, has vowed to "run right over" staff who resist reforms. In emails to staff, acting FEMA chief of staff Julia Moline thanked the departing executives and announced several replacements, including the appointment of Cynthia Spishak as acting deputy administrator, the role Tierney held. FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The mass departure of senior talent represents a significant loss of institutional knowledge that will further degrade FEMA's capacity to respond to disasters, said Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff under the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Coen called Tierney, a regional administrator who has managed over 100 disaster and emergency declarations for an area that includes Pennsylvania and Delaware, a "leader of leaders" and said she "will be the most significant loss." Tierney said her decision to resign was not easy. "FEMA is not a job, it's a calling," Tierney said in a statement to Reuters. "It was a privilege to serve alongside a team of people who dedicate themselves to helping their fellow Americans on their worst day." Other departing executives include acting chief financial officer Monroe Neal; Eric Leckey, who was responsible for human resources and other management support functions; and Leiloni Stainsby, a high-ranking executive in the agency's office overseeing response and recovery operations. Forecasters have predicted a busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1. Representative Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee with oversight of FEMA, said in a statement that the exit of so many senior executives exacerbated his concerns about the agency. "Decimating FEMA's leadership will do nothing to help the agency prepare for the upcoming hurricane season," he said. Richardson has promised the agency will be prepared. Earlier on Wednesday, he sent a memo to staff rescinding the agency's strategic plan for 2022-2026 because it "contained objectives that bear no connection to FEMA accomplishing its mission." Richardson said in the memo that a new strategy for 2026-2030 would be developed this summer.
