Latest news with #undocumentedImmigrants
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Trump might become the most pro-illegal immigration president ever
You might not have noticed it, but last week the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States surged by 350,000. Don't worry, an army of gangbangers and other criminals didn't charge the border. Rather, President Donald Trump simply decided to turn 350,000 legal immigrants into illegal ones. Trump has been fearmongering about an 'invasion' of unauthorized immigrants for years. Since retaking the White House, he has attempted to manifest those fever dreams into reality through a 'de-documentation' campaign. This is not an immigration agenda that targets criminals; it's one that criminalizes immigrants who have followed the law, by stripping them of their existing visas and work permits.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Over 100 undocumented immigrants arrested by ICE at Tallahassee construction sites
More than 100 undocumented immigrants were arrested Thursday at Tallahassee construction sites, including at an apartment project near Florida State University, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). State and federal law enforcement officers handcuffed construction workers and loaded them into vans before taking them away from the site near the university. Most of the building under construction, called Perla at the Enclave, is set to be apartments for FSU students. Raid sparks charges and community debate A news release on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement website said several law enforcement agencies were involved in the sweep. It said one person was taken into custody for resisting arrest and was being charged with four counts of assault on law enforcement officers. "These types of enforcement actions aim to eliminate illegal employment, holding employers accountable and protecting employment opportunities for America's lawful workforce," Nicholas Ingegno, assistant special agent in charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee, said in a prepared statement. But Larisa Cladakis, who works near the apartments being built for students, opposed the raid. "Whether they (the arrested workers) are documented or not, they are human," she said. "And the fact is that they are literally working. They are building the houses that people are living in."
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Bowser budget proposal would scale back health care for immigrants, others
Mayor Muriel E. Bowser's budget proposal would make changes to health-care programs that insure undocumented immigrants and low-income adults, as city grapples with financial pressure and the impacts of President Donald Trump's spending and tax cut bill. Starting Aug. 1, the budget proposal calls for the city to begin phasing adults age 21 and older out of the Healthcare Alliance Program, which uses local dollars to cover 27,000 adults regardless of immigration status; and in March impose limits such as requiring people to reenroll in-person every six months. The 6,000 children in the program would be unaffected, city officials say. The city would also save money by paying for care as participants use services, instead of per person enrolled. The changes would save the city $457 million over four years, budget documents released Tuesday show, though some advocates worry the cuts would cost thousands of residents their health care and hospitals would rack up more uncompensated care costs. In addition, about 25,000 parents or caregivers and childless adults covered under the expansion of the Affordable Care Act who earn more than 133 percent of the federal poverty level would lose Medicaid coverage under the proposal. Instead, many of them would be eligible for a new basic plan on the exchange with similar coverage, city officials said. The mayor's proposal, which the D.C. Council must now consider, reflects the competing interests the Bowser (D) administration has weighed when crafting a budget that is financially responsible and anticipates federal changes without abandoning the city's most vulnerable residents. Unlike other cities, the District is subject to the whims of the Republican-controlled Congress, which must sign off on its laws and budget and can tinker with specific line items lawmakers don't like. The House last week narrowly passed a budget bill that includes additional limits on Medicaid eligibility and would cut federal Medicaid payments to a handful of states and D.C. that currently use local dollars to cover adults regardless of immigration status. 'We are not unmindful of the fact that if the Senate passes what the House did, and the president signs it, [that] to continue Alliance in any form or any size at any cost would have attracted a $100 million penalty, by our rough estimate,' Wayne Turnage, deputy director for health and human services, said in an interview Wednesday. But Turnage stressed the changes under Bowser's proposal 'are driven solely by the spending pressure that the Medicaid program and the Alliance program created going into fiscal year '26 and then somewhat exacerbated by the declining revenue picture.' The budget documents released Tuesday included a $120 million Indigent Care fund for uninsured people. But Turnage said that was in error. D.C.'s chief financial officer has predicted the city could endure a more than $1 billion revenue downturn over the next four years, largely due to the Trump (R) administration's moves to shrink the federal government. Bowser officials warn that the city could lose 40,000 jobs as a result of those efforts, a reality they say necessitates more fiscal discipline and a push to diversify the city's economy. Overall, Bowser's budget proposal would invest in pro-business policies in an attempt to attract and grow nonfederal industries at the same time as it makes significant cuts to government programs. Among the $250 million in cuts and policy changes that could save another $500 million are reductions in emergency rental assistance and pauses to planned cost-of-living adjustments in a cash assistance program for poorer families. Patients, providers and advocates led by the D.C. Primary Care Association rallied last week on the steps of the John A. Wilson District Building to highlight the risk to health care on multiple fronts. The Senate is taking up Trump's 'big beautiful bill' in June and D.C. Council will begin holding hearings Thursday and with a vote scheduled for the end of July. The proposed D.C. changes would mean 'vulnerable residents will not have health care and will end up using emergency rooms more frequently and illnesses will not be diagnosed in a timely manner,' said Kate Coventry, deputy director of legislative strategy at the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. 'D. C. has always taken pride in the fact that almost every resident has access to health care coverage,' she said. 'Health care is a human right and that shouldn't be dependent on immigration status.' Andrew Patterson, senior counsel with Legal Aid DC, said he was concerned that the organization's clients who rely on the Alliance program could lose their insurance — and wants D.C. officials to stay committed to insuring undocumented residents regardless of congressional pressure and financial challenges. 'We want to see them maintain that dedication even in challenging budget times,' Patterson said. 'We don't think all of the hardship should fall on the most vulnerable people in our city.' Although the city's Alliance program does not use federal funds, the Trump administration has been explicit about increasing oversight on jurisdictions that use federal Medicaid funding for undocumented immigrants, including reviews to close loopholes and strengthen enforcement. 'Medicaid is not, and cannot be, a backdoor pathway to subsidize open borders,' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz said in a statement Tuesday. 'States have a duty to uphold the law and protect taxpayer funds. We are putting them on notice — CMS will not allow federal dollars to be diverted to cover those who are not lawfully eligible.' California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recently asked state lawmakers to scale back the health benefits that the state offers to undocumented immigrants in part because maintaining it would cost the state $30 billion if federal changes go through, data from KFF, a nonprofit group that conducts health policy research, show. New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Oregon are among the states with similar programs. Congress has previously taken action to limit rights for noncitizens in recent years — with some Democratic support. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last month advanced a bill repeal a 2022 law that allows noncitizens to vote in local elections. The same bill passed the GOP-controlled House with 52 Democrats. The committee in March also advanced the District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act, requiring the city to comply with federal immigration laws, including detainers of individuals. In the last Congress, a lawmaker offered an amendment to block D.C. from using local funds to house undocumented immigrants. D.C. currently limits how much its local authorities can collaborate with federal immigration enforcement, but Bowser's budget proposal would repeal that policy and start allowing local law enforcement to provide federal immigration agencies with information and access to D.C.'s jails. Abel Nuñez, executive director of the immigrant-serving Central American Resource Center, said he was not surprised to see Bowser propose adjustments to the Alliance program, which he said was a large expense for a city now facing increased financial pressures. 'We knew changes were coming,' he said. Plus, Nuñez added, 'At the end, when this budget is done, it still needs to go before the U.S. Congress, controlled by a Republican Party that has already targeted the District.' 'We're in a very weak position at the moment,' he said. Nuñez said he hoped to work with Bowser and the council to find a way for the city to continue providing adults with health coverage regardless of immigration status. Because, Nuñez said, no matter what happens with the budget, 'the mayor is still going to have to deal with sick people in her jurisdiction … they're still going to need access to health care.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minn. Sen. Gary Dahms says close split played role in forcing special session
May 24---- Differences over funding for health care coverage for undocumented immigrants was the major sticking point that upended a budget agreement and has led the to need a special session to finalize a budget, according to State Sen. Gary Dahms, R- . Dahms told attendees at a town hall meeting in Granite Falls on Wednesday that the divided Legislature — with 100 Republicans and 101 Democrats — made it far more difficult to reach compromise than many had expected. "It's hard to maneuver and get much done," he said. The tight split meant the relatively small People of Color and Indigenous caucus within the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party had the leverage to stop an agreement that would have ended health care coverage for undocumented immigrants ages 18 and over beginning Jan. 1, 2026. Coverage would have continued for their children as part of a compromise agreement, according to Dahms. The caucus consists of five House and five Senate DFL'ers, and they protested what Dahms termed a "reasonable" budget agreement the two parties' leaders had approved one week ago. The Legislature is expected to hold a three-day special session in the coming week to resolve its budget differences. While stating it was not the cause, Dahms also criticized the decision by DFL'ers in the House not to gather in St. Paul for the first 23 days of the session as contributing to the current situation. A dispute over a residency challenge led House DFL members to boycott the start of the session until it was resolved. Republicans continued to meet, but they lacked a quorum to approve legislation, according to a State Supreme Court ruling. The absence of DFL members at the session's start served to slow the process as Senate committees waited for House committees to complete their bills, Dahms explained. "Most of us realized down the road how big of an impact that was going to happen," he said. The Wednesday town hall meeting was to have included State Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, but Swedzinski had to remain in St. Paul as part of the negotiations taking place prior to the special session, according to Dahms. The two jointly host after-session town halls in their districts, but this year's work remains unfinished. There remains uncertainty as to the fate of a number of measures. Dahms said the greater share of expected spending cuts in the new budget will be in the form of "shifts" in responsibilities to counties and cities. Some of the biggest shifts will occur in support for skilled nursing care for the elderly, Dahms said. Overall, he warned that the shift in burdens to counties and cities will result in an average 10% to 12% property tax increase, although the actual impact will vary among the counties. Add inflation, and local governments could be raising property taxes by 14% to 18%, according to one projection he has seen. "That is just unaffordable," Dahms said. On top of the shift in burden, Dahms said the latest budget proposal — as of the town hall meeting — calls for decreasing state aid to nursing homes by $250 million. "No way they can take that," he said. Dahms said the expected cut to nursing homes is roughly the same as the projected costs for continuing health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Dahms said he expects that a $700 million capital investment or bonding bill will be approved in special session. It is much lower than the $1.2 billion that Senate DFL'ers are seeking, he said. The $700 million is based on an analysis from the Office of Budget Management. A larger, $1.2 billion bonding bill will likely be taken up for debate in the next session, he said.
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
What you — yes, you — should know about interacting with ICE
The Trump administration is aware that Americans broadly support the deportation of undocumented immigrants who have committed violent crimes. Rather than using it as the basis for deporting violent immigrants, though, the administration often works backward: Knowing that Americans want to see violent criminals sent out of the country, it sends people out of the country while arguing that they were violent criminals.
