Latest news with #USImmigrationandCustomsEnforcement
The Star
10 hours ago
- The Star
It was hell: Filipino mom released from ICE detention
Lewelyn Dixon was released on May 29. - kuow/Instagram via PDI/ANN NEW YORK: Lewelyn Dixon, a 64-year-old Filipino green card holder who was detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while returning home to Seattle, Washington, from a trip to the Philippines earlier this year, has been released. Dixon was released after an immigration hearing May 29 at the Northwest ICE Processing Centre in Tacoma. 'I'm feeling relief, elated, happy,' the Filipino mother said immediately after the hearing, breaking into tears. 'It was hell,' she added, describing the three months she spent in detention, according to the Seattle Times. Migrant rights advocates said Dixon's ordeal highlights the ongoing challenges faced by many Filipino immigrants under the Trump administration's immigration policies. Dixon has been a lawful permanent resident for five decades. She first arrived in the US from the Philippines at age 14. During the hearing, Dixon disclosed that in 2001, she was convicted of embezzling approximately US$6,500 from Washington Mutual Bank. At the time, she worked as a vault teller, responsible for distributing cash to other tellers and withdrawing money from the vault multiple times. Then in 2011, she was convicted of theft. Dixon explained that she had forgotten about a few items she left in her purse while shopping at Walmart. She intended to return and pay for approximately US$27 worth of items but was detained before doing so. Immigration officials said those past convictions were the primary reasons for her arrest and detention. Dixon emphasised that she had resolved her legal issues. She served no jail time but was ordered to repay the stolen money and spent 30 days at a residential reentry facility. For her 2011 theft conviction, she agreed to do community service, and the charge was dismissed. 'I think it was temptation that led me to it,' Dixon told the court. 'There was just so much money I had never seen before.' Despite her legal troubles, Dixon traveled regularly between the Philippines and the US without issue until her recent detention. When asked why she never pursued citizenship, Dixon explained she made a promise to her father to maintain property in the Philippines for the family. Her family was unaware of her past convictions and was reluctant to discuss her detention. Dixon revealed her history only during the hearing, prompted by her lawyer Benjamin Osorio. Judge Tammy Fitting granted Dixon relief under provisions available to lawful permanent residents who have held their status for at least five years and have no serious criminal record, known as aggravated felonies. In her ruling, Judge Fitting emphasised Dixon's decades of lawful residency, work history, tax payments, family ties in the US and multiple letters of support. Additionally, a government attorney waived the right to appeal. Her past convictions qualify as crimes of moral turpitude under immigration law, and two such crimes can jeopardise a green card holder's status if they remain in the US. However, different rules apply when returning from abroad. In those cases, even one crime of moral turpitude can render a person inadmissible. While in detention, Dixon received frequent visits from family and supporters, including members of the Tanggol Migrante Network Washington, an organisation advocating for Filipino migrants and families. - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US arrests Mexican immigrant for threatening to shoot Donald Trump
Ramon Morales Reyes The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has arrested an undocumented Mexican male immigrant for allegedly threatening to shoot US President Donald Trump. Ramon Morales Reyes was arrested by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a federal agency under the DHS. According to DHS, the man, Reyes, entered America illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. Reyes has criminal records including arrests for felony hit and run, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier, it added. In a letter being attributed to him, Reyes wrote, "We are tired of this president (Trump) messing with us Mexicans - we have done more for this country than you white people. You have been deporting my family and it is time Donald J Trump get what he has coming to him." "I will self-deport myself to Mexico but not before I shoot you precious president in his head. I will see him at one of his big ralleys (sic)," he added. In July 2024, Trump was the target of an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. More recently, a now-deleted Instagram post by ex-Federal Bureau of Investigation head James Comey led to allegations by team Trump that he was calling for the Republican leader's assassination.
India Today
3 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
ICE arrests Mexican national accused of threatening to assassinate Trump
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of 54-year-old Ramon Morales-Reyes, a Mexican national who allegedly threatened to assassinate President Donald Trump in a handwritten letter sent to the to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Morales-Reyes, who has illegally entered the United States multiple times between 1998 and 2005, was taken into custody on May 22 in field agents acted swiftly after receiving the threatening letter, which stated Morales-Reyes intended to shoot President Trump at one of his rallies before self-deporting to Mexico. 'We are tired of this President messing with us Mexicans - we have done more for this country than you white people - you have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to him. I will self-deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in his head - I will see him at one of his big ralleys.' the letter reportedly This letter was sent to an ICE intelligence author, identified by DHS as Ramon Morales Reyes, a 54 y/o illegal immigrant from Mexico, declared his plans to assassinate Donald arrested the man the following day, May 22. Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) May 28, 2025advertisementHomeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the threat in a statement. 'Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,' she said. 'This threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the President's assassination.'Noem further urged political figures and media representatives to moderate their rhetoric, warning that inflammatory discourse may contribute to real-world violence. 'I will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the protection of President Trump,' she confirmed that Morales-Reyes has a prior criminal record, including felony hit-and-run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier. He is currently being held at Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin, while deportation proceedings are underway.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ramon Morales Reyes: ICE arrests Mexican ‘alien' after Trump assassination note surfaces
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Mexican immigrant Ramon Morales Reyes after he threatened to assassinate President Donald Trump, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement on Wednesday. The ICE further published the 54-year-old's note threatening Trump. 'Thanks to our ICE officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars. This threat comes not even a year after President Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, and less than two weeks after former FBI Director Comey called for the President's assassination," Noem said. 'All politicians and members of the media should take notice of these repeated attempts on President Trump's life and tone down their rhetoric. I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump.' The DHS press release further confirmed that the arrest took place on May 22. ICE field agents received a handwritten letter in the mail from Ramon Morales Reyes, 'in which he promised to self-deport after he used his gun to shoot President Trump in the head at one of his rallies'. 'We are tired of this President messing with us Mexicans - we have done more for this country than you white people - you have been deporting my family and I think it is time Donald J. Trump get what he has coming to him. I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president in his head - I will see him at one of his big ralleys.' The ICE further added that Morales entered the US illegally at least nine times between 1998 and 2005. His criminal record includes arrests for felony hit and run, criminal damage to property, and disorderly conduct with a domestic abuse modifier, according to the release. The 54-year-old will remain in ICE custody at Dodge County Jail in Juneau, Wisconsin.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
OPT students face heightened scrutiny by ICE, any lapse in employment data can result in deportation
(AI generated image) International students across the US are facing another unprecedented wave of enforcement, many students who are undergoing post-graduation Optional Practical Training (OPT) are receiving letters from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) threatening termination of their SEVIS records and potential deportation. The core of the issue lies in the reporting of employment status within the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). OPT regulations grant students a maximum of 90 days of unemployment during their twelve-month program. Another 60 days is available to those undertaking the STEM-OPT program for an additional two years. 'The recent ICE letters indicate that an international student's SEVIS record will be terminated if there is no employer information listed on the SEVIS portal. This signifies that the student did not report the OPT job on time or went over the allowed unemployment period, either of which can result in a termination of OPT status and initiation of removal proceedings,' said Snehal Batra, managing attorney at NPZ Law Group. 'This is a pretty big change for F-1 students. In the past, SEVIS did not usually terminate SEVIS records automatically for exceeding 90 days of unemployment. But now, with tighter rules, students could accidentally fall out of status for failure to report,' she added. Immigration attorneys point out that OPT reporting rules require SEVIS to be updated within ten days of any change - be it a new job, new work site location, or loss of employment. A copy of such a letter seen by TOI states, 'Because there is no employer information in your SEVIS record, you are accumulating unemployment days and may have exceeded the permissible period of unemployment. If you have been employed during your OPT time, you must correct your SEVIS record. Please contact your Designated School Official (DSO) or utilize the SEVIS Portal to update your information. Failure to take corrective action may result in the initiation of immigration proceedings to remove you from the United States. " Via this letter, international students are given a strict 15-day deadline from the date of the notice to update their SEVIS records. Failure to do so will result in the termination of their SEVIS record, with its attached consequences such as deportation. The Indian student community in the US is significant in terms of numbers. According to the Open Doors Report (academic year 2022-23), there were 2.70 lakh Indian students in the US, with 69,000 Indian students participating in OPT programs. Thus, several Indian students have at the receiving end of such letters. According to 'NAFSA: Association of International Educators', the wordings of the letter are identical to those issued in 2020 under the Trump-Pence administration. However, according to education and immigration experts, this time there appears to be an uptick in the number of letters that are being issued. 'Traditionally, it's been the school's DSO that tracks SEVIS compliance, but since ICE administers the SEVP, they have been going in and terminating people who have accumulated more than 90 days of unemployment during their OPT,' said Jath Shao, founder of an immigration law firm. 'It is crucial to have employment, paid or unpaid, that is related to the major you graduated from. You must also promptly report your employment or unemployment to your school's DSO. We have seen some cases where DSOs failed to timely update graduates' employment status in SEVIS, but USCIS has reinstated the students' status upon correction of the record,' pointed out Shao. The gravity of the situation has prompted NAFSA: Association of International Educators, to issue a special advisory. It recommends that DSOs should diligently monitor the 'Accrued unemployment days' alerts. This alert identifies students with unemployment days, indicating whether they are employed as of the list's generation date. DSOs have also been urged to proactively follow up with students accumulating high levels of unemployment days and to remind them to update their employment information through the SEVIS Portal or their DSO. Guidance to students: 'If you are nearing the end of the permitted number of unemployment days you have some choices including: leaving US before the end of the permitted number of unemployment days; enrolling in another qualifying education program and continuing in F-1 status, filing an application to change status to another visa category – say B-2 (tourist visa),' said Poovi Chothani, managing partner at LawQuest a Mumbai headquartered immigration firm. Batra added, 'In addition, international students should keep a written record of all OPT employment for their own record, including name of employer, dates of employment, name of supervisor, number of hours worked per week, job title and description. This information will also be helpful to prove maintenance of status when applying for a change of status from F-1 to say an H-1B.'
