Immigration: Recent Episodes
Voice of America
Recent stories about U.S. immigration policies, enforcement, and the people who come to the U.S. as workers, students and refugees.
More than 120,000 Afghans are being resettled in the United States. A similar number of Vietnamese were resettled here after the U.S. war in Vietnam. Although many experts are criticizing the chaotic start of the resettlement effort, they see it as an opportunity to make the U.S. more diverse. VOA’s Laurel Bowman has our story. Camera: Mike Burke
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors are now being held at the U.S. border awaiting processing. VOA reporter Celia Mendoza met with some of them.
Crossing into the United States illegally is big business in Central and South America. For many people fleeing violence and poverty in their home countries, getting across the U.S. border forces them to put their money and their lives in dangerous hands. VOA’s Celia Mendoza reports.
With tens of thousands of immigrants who want to enter the U.S. waiting for their asylum cases to be heard, thousands more still wait to have that chance. Here are two stories from different parts of the U.S. southern border. VOA’s Celia Mendoza reports from El Paso, Texas.
Huge numbers of unaccompanied minors and family units continue trying to cross the U.S. southern border with Mexico where they are detained by the U.S. Border Patrol. VOA reporter Celia Mendoza spoke with some of those detained to learn why they decided to risk their lives on such a dangerous journey.
The small town of Donna, near the Texas-Mexico border, is receiving media attention in the recent immigration debate because it’s also where many migrant children and families are being processed. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee shows how the attention has affected the town’s residents. Camera: Christian von Preysing Produced by: Elizabeth Lee
Since the deactivation of the Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocol Program, also known as the 'Remain in Mexico' policy, thousands of asylum seekers have been able to enter the U.S. to present their cases. Meantime, thousands of others have arrived at the border also hoping to gain entry, as Celia Mendoza reports from El Paso, Texas.
U.S. House lawmakers on Thursday passed two key elements of President Joe Biden's ambitious immigration agenda. But as VOA's congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports, the nation’s larger immigration debate remains unresolved.Produced by: Katherine Gypson
It is not just people from Latin America who are making the dangerous journey to the US border. Haitians and asylum-seekers from Africa are also trying to enter the US, oftentimes undergoing an even more treacherous trip. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. Camera: Roy Kim Producer: Elizabeth Lee
President Joe Biden’s first month in office has seen a flurry of executive orders reshaping U.S. immigration policy, including a rebooting and expansion of America’s refugee program.But experts and resettlement groups tell VOA it will take time and resources to reverse the Trump administration’s cutbacks in refugee resettlement that pared admissions to their lowest levels in decades. Starting in October, the United States is set to welcome up to 125,000 refugees a year, up from a 15,000 limit at the end of the Trump administration. The announcement could change the lives of people like Abdirizak Noor Ibrahim. Originally from Somalia, Ibrahim fled war-torn Mogadishu in 2004 and became a refugee in Nairobi, Kenya. He and his family were approved to travel to the U.S. for resettlement in early 2017, just as Donald Trump launched his presidency and signed proclamations restricting travel from several majority Muslim countries, including Somalia. “When I heard that people like me and other Muslims were banned from entering the U.S., I felt so bad, and I was heartbroken. But nothing I could do about it,” Ibrahim told VOA. “It was a decision that was beyond me. So, since then, I stayed here. But now, I am so hopeful since there is a change of administrations, I will be accepted and taken to the country.” While some proponents of Trump’s restrictive immigration policies have expressed wariness over Biden’s announcement expanding refugee resettlements, refugee advocates say his goals cannot be reached by simply raising the admissions cap. Christopher Boian, senior communications officer at the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said another monumental hurdle to helping refugees is the coronavirus. “There will be a number of challenges, including on the funding level, on the staffing level, on just getting these processes up and going again. But arguably the biggest, or one of the biggest, challenges at the moment to getting that program back to the robust levels that the U.S. administration has said it would like to see is the COVID pandemic,” he said.Time to rebuildFaith-based groups that assist the U.S. government in its refugee resettlement program said rebuilding the program will not happen overnight. Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), said LIRS has begun rebuilding at the local level.“So, that is rehiring staff that were lost over the last four years because of firings and furloughs. Part of it is working with local, state and federal governments to renew ...
Immigrants are referred to as “aliens” in U.S. laws, but the term, seen by many as derogatory, could be replaced soon. VOA’s Veronica Balderas Iglesias spoke to those in favor and against the proposed change.
President-elect Joe Biden is expected to swiftly reverse some of President Donald Trump’s most contentious immigration policies when he takes office. VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros looks at Biden’s plan to act on policies affecting refugees, asylum seekers, and DACA recipients. Producers: Mary Cieslak and Henry Hernandez
New York City is seeing a rise in Covid-19 cases as the number of deaths in the city nears 24,000. City leaders are shutting down some parts of New York to contain the virus while businesses continue to struggle to stay afloat. Meanwhile one group is helping recent U.S. immigrants as they adapt to a new country and deal with the pandemic. Camera: Keith Kocinski/Nick Jastrzebsk Producer: Igor Tsikhanenka
Artist Dominick Cocozza is only 18 years old. But his painting of two migrant children holding a sign that reads "Bring Our Mom Back" is already being displayed at the U.S. Capitol. Another work of his is hanging in the Smithsonian Hirshhorn Museum. Adopted from Guatemala, Dominick focuses his work around the U.S. immigration crisis. Maxim Moskalkov talked with the young artist. Camera: David Gogokhia, Sergii Dogotar
Under The Diversity Visa program tens of thousands of potential immigrants literally rely on the luck of the draw to get the opportunity to legally live and work in the US, without sponsorship from an employer or family member. That program has been temporarily discontinued by the Trump Administration because of the COVID pandemic. But for some who applied for and received diversity visas late last year, their search for the American Dream has been difficult. VOA's Vina Mubtadi has more. Camera: Vina Mubtadi
Brownsville-Matamoros camp is a temporary residence for Central Americans, Haitians, Cubans and Venezuelans who are waiting for their asylum appointments that could grant them entry into the U.S. Dairon Elizondo Rojas, a Cuban doctor, became a camp doctor while seeking his asylum for the last 11 months. While waiting, Rojas is looking after patients at the camp with the hope that his court date, scheduled for June 23, will be his last.Videographer: Lexie Harrison-Cripps
The nationwide demonstrations in the U.S. protesting the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis have also been accompanied in some instances by looting and vandalism. In one immigrant community near Los Angeles, residents are angry and fearful after seeing their livelihoods destroyed in just one night. This latest experience brings back painful memories of the past. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has more from Cambodia Town in Long Beach, California.
The Trump administration's recent executive order suspending most immigration to the U.S. does not directly impact foreign students. But it has created anxiety and doubts about their ability to stay and work in the United States after graduation. Aline Barros explains.
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday suspending for 60 days the issuance of permanent residency status, also known as green cards. He described it as an effort to protect American workers’ jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. While Trump said the order is “powerful,” as White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara reports, the action contains a wide series of exceptions and may only affect a small number of people.
At a time when America's health care system is being strained to the breaking point because of the coronavirus pandemic and states are summoning medical professionals into emergency service, many immigrant physicians say U.S. visa restrictions limit how much they can help. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.
Beginning Monday, the Trump administration will subject immigrants to heightened scrutiny based on their perceived likelihood to rely on America's public assistance programs. VOA’s Ardita Dunellari reports the "public charge rule" got the green light from the U.S. Supreme Court last month pending ongoing litigation and will affect low-income foreign citizens seeking U.S. immigration visas or permanent residency in the United States.
After getting a preliminary green light from the U.S. Supreme Court in January, the Trump administration is set to subject immigrants to heightened scrutiny based on their perceived likelihood to rely on America's public assistance programs, what some critics call a wealth test. Beginning Monday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin implementing the public charge rule, under which low-income immigrants can be denied legal residency, visas or admission into the United States. The rule is being challenged in federal courts, but the Supreme Court allowed it to go into effect, pending the outcome of litigation. Which factors will be considered under the public charge rule? Mark Greenberg, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, said USCIS will be looking at a wide range of factors, including an immigrant's age, education, work history, family structure, English language skills and income. “All trying to make a judgment if this person is likely to use public benefits at some future point in their life,” he said. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services logo.Does the rule apply to all immigrants? The rule does not apply to U.S. residents seeking to become U.S. citizens. It also does not apply to certain U.S. visa holders, including those who are in the United States to assist in the investigation or prosecution of crimes. In addition, U.S. officials have said the public charge interpretation would not apply to people who already have green cards, to certain members of the military, refugees, asylum-seekers, pregnant women or children. Which benefits would cause an immigrant to be regarded as a public charge? Broadly speaking, any federal, state or local cash assistance program, including Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and general assistance programs for income maintenance. In addition, use of programs designed to help the poor afford food, housing and medical expenses could also trigger a public charge finding. What formula will USCIS use to determine a public charge? A person may be deemed a public charge if he or she has used one or more public benefits for more than 12 months within any 36-month period. Under the rule, receiving two benefits in one month counts as two months of consuming public resources. What types of visas will fall under the rule? According to USCIS, the rule will apply to all applicants for any type of visa and people within the United States who hold nonimmigrant visas “and seek to extend their stay in the same nonimmigrant classification or to change their status ...
According to the non-profit group, World's Children, an estimated 21 million people are victims of human trafficking. Many of them are undocumented Hispanic women who are hard to track because they are often afraid to seek help from authorities. VOA’s Cristina Caicedo Smit reports.
Since the program was initiated nearly a decade ago, recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, have not been eligible for federal financial aid because they are not American citizens. But just last year, a small university in Virginia successfully pushed to be included on a list of a small number of American schools offering a private scholarship to help DACA students pay for their tuition. VOA's Esha Sarai went to Marymount University to find out more
Hundreds of new restaurants mushroom in Washington every year, but the "Immigrant Food" restaurant that recently opened just a block away from the White House is unique. On top of making a delicious statement, it also makes a political one, serving food inspired by the many immigrant communities that live in the U.S. Mykhailo Komadovsky visited the unusual venue
The new U.S. ambassador to El Salvador says the United States is looking forward to reintegrating migrants there from other Central American nations who are seeking asylum in the United States. Ambassador Ronald Johnson, speaking in his first interview since his appointment in July, told VOA there was not a timeline on when El Salvador would start taking in migrants. “I don't have a timeline on it, but I do think that the intent is that it will be implemented in a way that is not burdensome to any of the countries,” Johnson said.
The capital of Asia America is one description used for an area spanning 36 kilometers just east of downtown Los Angeles, called the San Gabriel Valley. Close to half a million Asians live in this region. It's an Asian enclave where nine cities in the area are majority-Asian. VOA's Elizabeth Lee has more on why so many Asians live there and the countries they represent.
The U.S. Senate has voted again to block President Donald Trump's national emergency declaration and his plan to divert $3.6 billion from military projects to extend wall construction along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite the setback, Trump could win a larger narrative on border security — an important issue for his supporters going into next year's election. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has more.
In the United States, the growing political divide along ethnic lines, along with President Donald Trump’s racially charged rhetoric, are renewing debate over what it means to be an American. The growing divide and rising ethnic tensions come amid a time of rapid demographic change in the country. White European-Americans are projected to lose their majority status by 2045, to be eclipsed by the growing populations of Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and Asian Americans. “Demographic shifts are certainly fueling animosity but it's more about, in essence, white people feeling they're losing control of their country,” said Andre Perry, a scholar and commentator on issues of race, structural inequality and education at both the Brookings Institution and American University in Washington.Former President Barack Obama seemed to foreshadow a new demographic alignment in the U.S. when he won two decisive election victories in 2008 and 2012, with surging support from minority voters, in addition to winning over large numbers working class whites, traditionally affiliated with the Democratic Party. Immigration rhetoricMany of those same Democrats switched in 2016 to help elect Donald Trump as president, however, galvanized in key battleground states to support the head of the Republican ticket in part because he made illegal immigration a key campaign issue. Trump, his critics say, also stoked ethnic tensions by engaging in racially charged rhetoric, referring to undocumented Mexican immigrants as criminals and calling for a “total and complete” immigration ban on all Muslims following a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, that was carried out by a Pakistani-born immigrant.While in office, the president has continued to single out minority groups for criticism. Trump denounced African American football players for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and inequality in the country. He refused to strongly condemn a neo-Nazi and white nationalist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, that turned violent. And he questioned the loyalty to the country of two Muslim American congresswomen who a support a boycott movement against U.S. ally Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territories.Trump’s defenders dismiss charges of racism against the president. They say Trump's political strategy is to tie the Democratic Party to what he sees as its most unpopular issues and divisive leaders, adding that Trump's reflex is to fiercely attack all critics.“President Trump, I think is an equal opportunity insulter. Anybody who raises his ire or criticizes him is liable to be insulted regardless of race, ...
VOA reporters Victoria Macchi and Ramon Taylor spoke with a broad sampling of migrants and asylum-seekers in early August. Many departed their home countries months before U.S. policy changes went into effect, under assumptions that no long apply. All are awaiting immigration court hearings. Here are some of their stories.
VOA reporters Victoria Macchi and Ramon Taylor spoke with a broad sampling of migrants and asylum-seekers in early August. Many departed their home countries months before U.S. policy changes went into effect, under assumptions that no long apply. All are awaiting immigration court hearings. Here are some of their stories.
VOA reporters Victoria Macchi and Ramon Taylor spoke with a broad sampling of migrants and asylum-seekers in early August. Many departed their home countries months before U.S. policy changes went into effect, under assumptions that no long apply. All are awaiting immigration court hearings. Here are some of their stories.
VOA's Ramon Taylor contributed to this report.SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — It took Julia and her two daughters five years to get from Kassai, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to a cot on the floor of a migrant shelter in Laredo, Texas, on a Sunday night in August 2019.First, it was four years in Angola. She saved money, she says, by working as a hairdresser.They flew to Ecuador. Took a bus and boat to Colombia. They spent 14 days crossing through Panama’s Darien Gap, lost part of the time in the dense jungle. Three weeks in Panama, then three more in Costa Rica while Julia recuperated from an illness. Then Nicaragua. Honduras. Guatemala.Finally, after a month of waiting in Acuña, on the U.S.-Mexico border, they stuck their feet in the sandy dirt along the southern bank of the Rio Grande. They were alone, and didn’t know how to swim.“We prayed first, then we got into the water,” Julia recalled. “My daughter was crying.” “‘Mom, I can’t…’” Julia remembers her pleading in chest-high water.Halfway across, she says, U.S. soldiers — possibly border agents — shouted to them: “‘Come, give us your hands.’““I did,” Julia recalls, “and they took us out.”Migrants from African countries rest outside a barn used as a shelter in Peñitas, Darien Province, Panama, May 10, 2019. African and Asian migrants tend to pay smugglers to shepherd them through the Darien Gap on their journey north to the U.S.More families from afarHistorically, the majority of people caught crossing into the southwest U.S. without authorization were single Mexican adults. In fiscal 2009, Mexicans accounted for 91.63% of border apprehensions, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.But demographics of migrants and asylum-seekers crossing into the U.S. from Mexico are shifting in two significant ways: In the last decade, nationals of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras began migrating in greater numbers. In the same period, the number of Mexicans dropped.Then, in the last year, families became the top source of Southwest border migration. The Border Patrol apprehended 432,838 adults and children traveling in family units from October 2018 through July 2019, a 456% increase over the same period the previous fiscal year.To the surprise of longtime border agents, while the overwhelming majority of these families continue to be from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Central America, a small but growing proportion are from countries outside the Americas, nearly twice as much as ...
An oppressive political climate marked by a lack of rights and freedoms is now a key factor driving emigration from Russia, with more than 1.5 million Russians leaving the country since Vladimir Putin became president, according to the Atlantic Council.
Under the U.S. policy of Migrant Protection Protocols, migrants who enter the United States on its southern border seeking asylum can be sent back to Mexico to await a decision on their case. It's a controversial policy as Ramon Taylor and Victoria Machii report.
Immigration raids began in nine U.S. cities Sunday, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, as authorities started to round up as many as 2,000 migrants who have been issued deportation orders. Mike O'Sullivan reports the stepped-up enforcement has angered Democrats, including many local officials, but is applauded by supporters of President Donald Trump.
The power of song can heal the hearts and bring people together. A girls' chorus named Pihcintu sings to do just that. Most members are from war-torn countries and refugee camps around the world. Together they sing as one and spread a message of hope. VOA's June Soh caught up with the group in Washington and has this story narrated by Carol Pearson
Two weeks ago, U.S. President Donald Trump told the Democrats to fix the loopholes in the U.S. asylum laws or federal authorities would deport millions of undocumented immigrants through mass raids. Since then, immigrant communities around the country have organized to protest the threat, but some Americans feel those deportations should have happened a long time ago. VOA's Schuyler Ogden has more.