Latest news with #bordersecurity
Arab News
3 hours ago
- General
- Arab News
Kingdom arrests 12,129 illegals in one week
RIYADH: Saudi authorities arrested 12,129 people in one week for breaching residency, work and border security regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday. A total of 7,127 people were arrested for violations of residency laws, while 3,441 were held over illegal border crossing attempts, and a further 1,561 for labor-related issues. The report showed that among the 1,197 people arrested for trying to enter the Kingdom illegally, 63 percent were Ethiopian, 34 percent Yemeni, and 3 percent were of other nationalities. A further 90 people were caught trying to cross into neighboring countries, and 18 were held for involvement in transporting and harboring violators, the SPA reported. The Ministry of Interior said that anyone found to be facilitating illegal entry to the Kingdom, including providing transportation and shelter, could face imprisonment for a maximum of 15 years, a fine of up to SR1 million ($260,000), as well as confiscation of vehicles and property. Suspected violations can be reported on the toll-free number 911 in the Makkah and Riyadh regions, and 999 or 996 in other regions of the Kingdom.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- General
- Fox News
Trump says Biden didn't favor his admin's lax border security policy, suggests autopen played a role
President Donald Trump said that he thinks Joe Biden didn't really agree with many of his administration's lax border security policies, instead suggesting those surrounding the former president took advantage of his declining faculties and utilized an autopen feature in the White House to pass radical directives pertaining to the border. The comments came during a press conference from the Oval Office on Friday, during which Trump signaled that investigators are zeroing in on exactly who authorized officials in the White House to sign important documents for Biden using the autopen. "I think the autopen is going to become one of the great scandals of all time because you have somebody operating it, or a number of people operating," Trump told reporters. "I knew Joe Biden, Joe Biden wasn't in favor of opening up borders, letting 21 million people into this from prisons and mental institutions and gang members. He wasn't into that at all. And, you know who signed these? Who signed these orders, proclamations and all of the different things that he signed that said our country so far back?" House Republicans, led by Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, launched an investigation earlier this month aimed at determining whether Biden, who was in declining health during the final months of his presidency, was mentally fit to authorize the use of the auto-pen. Comer said this week he was "open" to dragging Biden before the House to answer questions about the matter if need be. "I understand he signed almost everything with an auto-pen. It's a very dangerous thing. It really means you're not president," Trump added in his comments to reporters Friday. Trump pointed to Biden's legacy as a "sort of a moderate person," to explain his reasoning why he thinks Biden was not in favor of all of his administration's open border policies, adding that "he wasn't a person that would allow a murderers to come into our country." "I don't believe it was Joe Biden, I really don't," Trump reiterated. "He wasn't a person that was in favor of transgender for anybody that wanted it, to take kids out of families, etc., etc." A new book, an audio transcript of Biden's special counsel testimony, and a shocking cancer diagnosis have all renewed focus on how Biden's cognitive decline may have been worse than the public was aware. Last week, Comer sent out letters to five of the former president's closest confidants, including his former doctor in the White House, seeking further answers about Biden's cognitive health while in office. All five have made contact with the Oversight Committee, but Comer has threatened subpoena power if they refuse to testify. "Look, I would love to ask Joe Biden a lot of questions, but right now, we're starting with the staffers who were operating the auto-pen," Comer said, according to the New York Post. "We're going to bring the physician, Dr. O'Connor, in, because he definitely was not telling the truth about Joe Biden's health."
ABC News
a day ago
- General
- ABC News
Suspected boat arrivals discovered in Arnhem Land
Samantha Donovan: Up to eight people have been detained by Border Protection Authorities after reaching a remote part of the Northern Territory coast by boat. They were found walking near the town of Maningrida, east of Darwin. The ABC understands they're Chinese nationals. Their arrival has set off another stoush between the government and opposition over border security. Andrew Green is the ABC's Defence Correspondent. Andrew, what can you tell us about these people who've arrived in Australia? Andrew Greene: These details have started emerging in perhaps the past 24 hours or so, but what we have established is that earlier this week on Tuesday, authorities in a remote part of the Northern Territory in Arnhem Land, around 500 kilometres east of Darwin, were alerted to the presence of a group of men believed to be from China who had made their way onto the Australian mainland in a very remote part of the northern coast of Australia. But they were detected and then apprehended by authorities. And then a day later, another two men, also believed to have come to Australia from China originally, were spotted by some local rangers and they too, we understand, are now in the custody of the Australian Border Force, but their precise location is not known. Samantha Donovan: Have the authorities had much to say about their arrival, Andrew? Andrew Greene: Following their usual course of action, they've said very little. In fact, in a statement, the Australian Border Force tells the ABC that it does not either confirm or deny operations or comment on them. But what we have established is that authorities are yet to locate a boat that may have taken these people to Australia. Now that points to a few things. It suggests that perhaps they were dropped off close to the mainland by perhaps even an Indonesian fishing vessel or by another party that's brought them to Australia. Apart from that though, very little known. We know that it's up to eight individuals who are, we believe most of them are from China, but that is of course not confirmed by the authorities. Samantha Donovan: And what's been the reaction from politicians? Andrew Greene: Well, the newly appointed Shadow Home Affairs Minister, Andrew Hastie, has said that this is another example of the underinvestment by the Albanese government in border protection. The fact that a boat carrying unauthorised arrivals had made it to the Australian mainland. And in response to that, the Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, took aim at his new opposition counterpart. And he said that two days into the job, Andrew Hastie had already helped the cause of people smugglers by making those comments. So while not officially commenting on whether the arrivals had happened at all, Tony Burke did take a swing at his opponent. Samantha Donovan: Andrew Greene is the ABC's Defence Correspondent.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Republicans seek to cement Trump's immigration legacy in sweeping bill
WASHINGTON, May 29 (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. 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.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Aussies are issued a one-word travel warning that should terrify anyone heading to the US
Aussie tourists have been warned the decision to deport them from the US is now 'subjective' as Donald Trump takes a hardline stance on immigration. Californian immigration lawyer Andrea Szew issued the warning on Wednesday following a spate of Aussie complaining they had been randomly sent back. Last week, former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, told Daily Mail Australia she was detained, stripped, and held overnight in Hawaii for 'having too much luggage'. Ms Szew said tourists will continue to be subjected to heightened security at US borders. She said border agents can choose who they will detain based on their 'subjective' suspicions. 'Sounds terrible that someone's subjective opinion can be that powerful to send me back on a flight all the way back to Australia, but unfortunately it is a subjective decision,' she told Nine News. She said travellers could be strip searched and did not have a right to privacy on their devices like laptops and phones including social media accounts. 'They can look at whose post you liked, they can look at the friends posts you've been tagged in, they can look at everything,' she said. She said some border officials have been boldened by the President's hardline nationalist stance on immigration. Australians can minimise their chances of a negative experience at the border by never booking a one way ticket, have your travel itinerary printed and on your person and take extra care filling out the visa application. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trading have updated their travel advice regarding the US, saying entry requirements are 'strict'. Former NSW police officer Nikki Saroukos, 25, was detained by US border officials upon entering the country via Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday. The 25-year-old thought it would be a routine visit to see her husband who has been stationed as a US Army lieutenant on the Pacific island and US state since August, 2023. At no point was she given a reason for her detention, beyond the fact that border officials did not believe her story that she was visiting her husband after claiming she had packed more clothing than was necessary for a three-week stay. 'We went through customs and border security, as per usual, and we got stopped to check our passports,' she told Daily Mail Australia. 'I'm an ex-police officer and he was taking a little bit, checking stuff on the computer. My mum started asking, like, ''Oh, is there a problem?'' and asked if he needed any more information. 'He went from being super calm, very nice, even giving my mum a compliment, to just instantly turning.' The officials attitude change was just the beginning of a two-day long episode during which she was cuffed, frog-marched through the airport, cavity searched and locked-up overnight. 'I was in a foreign country. I had no idea what my rights were. I was terrified,' she said. 'I thought I was never going to get out of that facility.' 'Because of all the horror stories I've heard from other travelers traveling through the United States, I kept asking the officers if I was safe in that facility, because I felt like they put my life at risk because I was being housed with criminals.' DFAT adjusted its travel advice three times in just one month in April in response to reports of increasingly harsh border controls. The USA's overall travel rating remains 'green – exercise normal safety precautions', however, the department ramped up border warnings. 'Entry requirements are strict. US authorities have broad powers to decide if you're eligible to enter and may determine that you are inadmissible for any reason under US law,' DFAT's website read. 'Check US entry, registration, transit and exit requirements. Whether you're travelling on a visa or under the Visa Waiver Program, ensure you understand all relevant terms and conditions before attempting to enter the United States. 'Expect enhanced screening procedures, including for domestic flights within the United States ... US authorities actively pursue, detain and deport people who are in the country illegally. Be prepared to show documents proving your legal presence.'
