Latest news with #inmigración
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's ICE Detains U.S. Citizen, Claiming His REAL ID Was Fake
Amid President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested and detained a Florida-born U.S. citizen, claiming his REAL ID was fake, Noticias Telemundo reported Friday. Law enforcement came to Leonardo Garcia Venegas' construction job in Foley, Alabama, on Wednesday. Before his arrest, he told NBC News, he was taking out his phone. One ICE agent threw it on the ground, and another grabbed him. 'I'm a citizen!' he said, according to video. 'He's a citizen, bro!' an onlooker yelled. Garcia Venegas, whose parents are from Mexico, told Noticias Telemundo that Immigration and Customs Enforcement said his REAL ID was fake. They detained him in a vehicle, where he gave officials his Social Security number. He was released hours later. 'They took out my wallet, took out my ID,' he told the outlet in Spanish, via The Latin Times. 'And they told me it was fake. Said it wasn't valid and that it was fake. My ID. They handcuffed me and they handcuffed me really tight.' 'I feel really sad, honestly, and I feel a bit nervous for everything that's happening,' he said. Immigration officials have arrested and deported thousands of people, making good on Trump's xenophobic campaign promises. Citizens have been deported, including at least two children with cancer. Trump has defied a judge by deporting people to a notorious prison in El Salvador. And earlier this week, he deported two Asian immigrants to South Sudan, violating a court order. 'He was actually pretty sore when he got back,' Garcia Venegas' cousin Shelah Venegas told NBC News. 'He said his arms were hurting and his hands. His wrists, you could see where he had all the marks from the handcuffs. … The way they put him on the ground, his knees also were hurting.' 'Apparently a REAL ID is not valid anymore. He has a REAL ID,' she said. 'We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for. … He has his REAL ID and then they see him and I guess because his English isn't fluent and/or because he's brown it's fake, it's not real.' A REAL ID is an identification card that can be used to fly and enter federal buildings. It has higher federal security standards than a driver's license. A rule went into effect earlier this month that travelers need a REAL ID or a passport in airports. ICE also detained Garcia Venegas' brother, who was not in the country legally. He reportedly signed deportation papers, wanting to avoid another family member's experience of spending months in a detention center. Garcia Venegas 'physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands,' Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary, told NBC News. 'Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest.' Venegas said her family owns a contracting company, and some people are refusing to come to work in the current political climate. 'It's just insane we can't be different, the color that we are. We contribute to this country the same way every other citizen does with their taxes,' she said. 'But we have to be the ones that every time we go to work, we are going to be scared that we're going to get discriminated [against].' More from Rolling Stone Trump Brags to West Point Grads He Can Do Whatever He Wants Now Trump Tries to Make Sure States Don't Fight Climate Change Either Rubio Says Blocking Deportations to South Sudan Will Harm Humanitarian Aid Best of Rolling Stone The Useful Idiots New Guide to the Most Stoned Moments of the 2020 Presidential Campaign Anatomy of a Fake News Scandal The Radical Crusade of Mike Pence
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Undocumented Honduran mother hit with astonishing punishment after being in US illegally for 20 years
An undocumented Honduran mother living in South Florida says she was hit with a staggering $1.82 million fine from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for failing to leave the country for two decades. The 41-year-old mother-of-three, identified only as Maria, has lived in the US since 2005. Her original asylum case was denied, and she has been under a deportation order since 2020. Maria said she was blindsided when she received a letter from ICE last month stating she owed $1,821,350 in civil penalties. 'They're charging me because I've been in this country illegally since 2005,' she told Telemundo 51 in Spanish. 'I have no way to pay for it. I was never notified about a fine and never received documents warning this was coming.' 'Ever since that day I live with anxiety. I can't sleep… I don't feel,' she added to CBS News Miami. 'I don't want to go back. It would be extremely painful to be separated from my children. This is their country, this is all they know. Please have mercy. I want to stay with them.' Mariasaid she fled Honduras after her brother was killed by members of the violent MS-13 gang, and has since worked as a cleaner and caregiver while raising three American-born children. According to her attorney, Michelle Sanchez, Maria never knew she had a deportation order in 2005, and the fine appears to stem from an obscure clause in the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act allowing ICE to issue $500-per-day fines to undocumented immigrants with final removal orders. 'She never knew she had a deportation order,' Sanchez told NBC 6 South Florida. 'She is seeking aggressively to fight this in court.' 'ICE is terrorizing individuals without even having to go pick them up,' Sanchez added to CBS News. 'They are terrorizing them by sending these notices where they are fining individuals an exorbitant amount of money that a person sometimes doesn't even make that amount in their lifetime.' 'She is a hard-working taxpayer. She has no arrest anywhere in the world,' Sanchez added. The attorney filed a motion to reopen Maria's case, citing her long-term residence, her American-born children, and her clean legal history - but ICE denied the request. The agency has not yet confirmed the legitimacy of the fine notice in response to media inquiries. 'This is all very scary and very concerning for a lot of people,' Sanchez said. 'This administration has stated there will be mass deportations, and they're not playing around. They're putting their plans in place.' Maria's case has drawn attention as President Donald Trump ramps up deportation efforts during his second term, reviving and expanding hardline policies from his first presidency. During a four-day operation in late April, ICE, in coordination with Florida law enforcement, arrested 780 undocumented migrants, highlighting the administration's aggressive approach to deportations and removals. The administration's new initiative, Project Homecoming, offers undocumented immigrants $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport - a program officials say will save money and streamline removals. The first flight carrying 64 migrants left earlier this month. 'This is about restoring order,' Trump said at a rally this month in Phoenix. 'If you're here illegally, it's time to go home - and we'll even pay for it.' Those who refuse to leave may face wage garnishment, property seizures, and permanent reentry bans, according to the Financial Times. In addition, Trump has proposed hiring 20,000 new ICE officers, tripling the size of the agency in what he calls the largest deportation operation in American history. The Supreme Court just allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 350,000 Venezuelans, even as legal battles continue - a move immigrant advocates warn could send lawful residents back into dangerous conditions.
South China Morning Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Milei orders immigration crackdown to ‘make Argentina great again'
Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei issued a decree on Wednesday curbing immigration to the South American nation, a move coinciding with the immigration restrictions put in place by the Trump administration. Advertisement Milei's abrupt measures and declaration that newcomers were bringing 'chaos and abuse' to Argentina – a country built by millions of immigrants that has long prided itself on its openness – drew criticism from his political opponents and prompted comparisons to US President Donald Trump. Milei's government welcomed those comparisons to its close American ally, with presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni saying it was 'time to honour our history and make Argentina great again'. Wednesday's executive order tightens restrictions on citizenship, requiring immigrants to spend two uninterrupted years in Argentina or make a significant financial investment in the country to secure an Argentine passport. People take selfies in front of the archway of Chinatown in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Photo: Xinhua Immigrants seeking permanent residency must show proof of income or 'sufficient means' and have clean criminal records in their home countries. Advertisement The decree makes it much easier for the government to deport migrants who enter the country illegally, falsify their immigration documents or commit minor crimes in Argentina. Previously, authorities could only expel or deny entry to a foreigner with a conviction of more than three years.
The Independent
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Argentina orders immigration crackdown with new decree to 'make Argentina great again'
Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei issued a decree on Wednesday curbing immigration to the South American nation, a move coinciding with the immigration restrictions put in place by the Trump administration. Milei's abrupt measures and declaration that newcomers were bringing 'chaos and abuse' to Argentina — a country built by millions of immigrants that has long prided itself on its openness — drew criticism from his political opponents and prompted comparisons to U.S. President Donald Trump. Milei's government welcomed those comparisons to its close American ally, with presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni saying it was 'time to honor our history and make Argentina great again." Wednesday's executive order tightens restrictions on citizenship, requiring immigrants to spend two uninterrupted years in Argentina or make a significant financial investment in the country to secure an Argentine passport. Immigrants seeking permanent residency must show proof of income or 'sufficient means' and have clean criminal records in their home countries. The decree makes it much easier for the government to deport migrants who enter the country illegally, falsify their immigration documents or commit minor crimes in Argentina. Previously, authorities could only expel or deny entry to a foreigner with a conviction of more than three years. It also asks the judiciary to fast-track otherwise lengthy immigration court proceedings. 'For some time now, we've had regulations that invite chaos and abuse by many opportunists who are far from coming to this country in an honest way,' Adorni told reporters. The presidential spokesperson is also the top candidate for Milei's La Libertad Avanza party in the key Buenos Aires legislative elections on Sunday. Their hard-right bloc is trying to win over conservative voters from Argentina's center-right in the high-stakes midterm-election year. That timing fueled criticism, especially as the country has seen no recent surge of migration. Argentina's most recent national census, from 2022, showed that the nation of 46 million had just 1.93 million foreign residents — the lowest share of immigrants since record-keeping began in 1869. 'Once again, politicizing migration for electoral purposes and distorting reality,' Pablo Ceriani Cernadas, vice president of a U.N. committee that protects the rights of migrants, wrote on social media. In a big shift, the new decree also charges foreigners to access Argentina's public health care and education while mandating that all travelers to the country hold health insurance. Adorni claimed that public hospitals had spent some $100 million on treating foreigners last year, without offering evidence. 'This measure aims to guarantee the sustainability of the public health system, so that it ceases to be a profit center financed by our citizens,' he said. Despite bouts of xenophobia in moments of political turmoil, immigration is rarely a matter of debate in Argentina, a nation largely developed by waves of European immigrants in the 19th century. In more recent years the country has welcomed foreigners across the region, the Arab world, Asia and, lately, Russia, offering newcomers a path to citizenship and ensuring their free access the nation's extensive and decent public education and health systems. Public universities and hospitals are now buckling under Milei's sharp spending cuts as he seeks to reverse years of massive budget deficits. Adorni said the decree allows universities to introduce fees for foreign students. Right-wing politicians long have railed against what Adorni described Wednesday as 'health tours,' in which patients hop over the border and get treatment before returning home. Already, several northern provinces and the city of Buenos Aires have started charging non-resident foreigners to access health care.
Arab News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Argentina orders immigration crackdown with new decree to ‘make Argentina great again'
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina: Argentina's right-wing President Javier Milei issued a decree on Wednesday curbing immigration to the South American nation, a move coinciding with the immigration restrictions put in place by the Trump administration. In a country that has long prided itself on its openness to immigrants, Milei's abrupt measures and declaration that newcomers were bringing 'chaos and abuse' to Argentina drew criticism from his political opponents and prompted comparisons to US President Donald Trump. Milei's government welcomed those parallels to its close American ally, with presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni saying it was 'time to honor our history and make Argentina great again.' Wednesday's executive order tightens restrictions on citizenship, requiring immigrants to spend two uninterrupted years in Argentina or make a significant financial investment in the country to secure an Argentine passport. Immigrants seeking permanent residency must show proof of income or 'sufficient means' and have clean criminal records in their home countries. The decree makes it much easier for the government to deport migrants who enter the country illegally, falsify their immigration documents or commit minor crimes in Argentina. Previously, authorities could only expel or deny entry to a foreigner with a conviction of more than three years. It also asks the judiciary to fast-track otherwise lengthy immigration court proceedings. 'For some time now, we've had regulations that invite chaos and abuse by many opportunists who are far from coming to this country in an honest way,' Adorni told reporters. The presidential spokesperson is also the main candidate for Milei's La Libertad Avanza party running in the key Buenos Aires legislative elections Sunday. In a big shift, the new decree also charges foreigners to access Argentina's public health care and education while mandating that all travelers to the country hold health insurance. Adorni claimed that public hospitals had spent some $100 million on treating foreigners last year, without offering evidence. 'This measure aims to guarantee the sustainability of the public health system, so that it ceases to be a profit center financed by our citizens,' he said. Foreign residents from all over the world have been guaranteed free access to Argentina's extensive education and health systems since a 2003 law under then-President Néstor Kirchner, a left-leaning populist. Public universities and hospitals are now struggling to cope with sharp government spending cuts under Milei's austerity program. Right-wing politicians for years have railed against what Adorni described on Wednesday as 'health tours,' in which people hop over the border, get treatment and go back home. Already, several northern provinces and the city of Buenos Aires have started charging non-resident foreigners fees to access health care. Adorni said the decree allows universities to introduce fees for foreign studies if they so choose. Critics worried that the new rules would challenge Argentina's tradition of openness written over waves of migration through the decades. Although bursts of xenophobia have prompted crackdowns at various moments of turmoil, Argentina has welcomed surges of foreigners from all over Latin America, the Arab world, Asia and, more recently, Russia, offering a path to citizenship and ensuring their right to basic services.
