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Early Arrival: Protests Against ICE in Courts Continue

The battle between advocates and the Office of Court Administration continues.

Council members and lawyers gathered on the steps of City Hall on Wednesday to protest the ongoing arrests by ICE in New York City courthouses.

ICE has targeted courthouses around the city to arrest immigrants. Lawyers and pro-immigration advocates have called on the OCA to ban ICE from the courthouses, which it has refused to do.

Two weeks ago, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order that banned ICE from operating on New York state property but that did not cover courthouses.

“We were shocked to hear from the OCA and our chief judge that that order did not apply to our courthouses,” said Stan German, executive director of New York County Defenders, according to The NY Daily News. “We are asking her to follow the governor’s lead.”

At the time, OCA told Documented, “The Governor’s Executive Order does not apply to New York State Courthouses. As we have maintained, it is illegal to shut down a public building to law enforcement. We cannot do that and we will not do that.”

There have been dozens of arrests in and around courthouses this year, according to the Immigrant Defense Project, many of which have sparked walkouts by immigration lawyers. NY Daily News

Ellis Island

Dreamers now have access to financial aid for tuition in New Jersey
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law on Wednesday that would allow DACA recipients –commonly known as Dreamers– to access financial aid. New Jersey joins a growing list of states to allow Dreamers who have lived in the state long-term, to access additional finances. New York State has failed to make similar progress despite the DREAM Act, which grants Dreamers state financial aid, being passed by the state assembly for the seventh time this year. It remains to be seen if the state Senate and Cuomo will allow it to become law. NJ.com, El Diario via Voices of NY

Comedian gets visit from ICE
Jake Flores, a comedian in Brooklyn, got a rude awakening on Sunday when Homeland Security officers came knocking. Flores told Katherine Krueger of Splinter that the visit was sparked by a Cinco De Mayo tweet done in jest, where he wrote “White people are allowed to culturally appropriate on the condition that you help to destroy ICE. You kill 1 ICE agent and you get to wear a sombrero. 2 kills and you can wear a pancho.” He alleged the officers questioned him about the tweet and photographed his home. Splinter

  • Documented reporter Felipe De La Hoz will appear on NY1 Noticias to talk New York politics. Catch him at 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m..

Queens’ Nepali immigrants slam decision to end TPS, Queens Tribune

Court must back justice, deny Trump’s travel ban, Queens Chronicle [Opinion]

National

Government wants more flexibility with detained children
The Trump administration is considering detaining families for longer and scrutinizing children for more reasons to deport them, according to a leaked memo. A 96-page memo, obtained by The Washington Post’s Maria Sacchetti, reportedly details how the Trump administration would like more flexibility in how it handles children who are being held in detention. The new rules would govern things like when detainees are served snacks as well as complicate their asylum applications. The Washington Post

North Carolina sheriff wins primary on anti-ICE platform
Two races for the position of county sheriff in Mecklenburg County and Durham County, North Carolina were both defined by immigration issues. Earlier this week, Gerry McFadden won a primary race for sheriff after agreeing to end the 287(g) agreement, which deputizes local law enforcement to help ICE, and had been enforced by incumbent Sheriff Irwin Carmichael. Similarly, in Durham County, Clarence Birkhead beat incumbent Mike Andrews after he agreed to stop honoring ICE detainer requests to hold people in local prison for up to 48 hours so they can be picked up federal officers. Vox, The Intercept

H-4 visa holders who may lose their jobs
Business owners who are living in the U.S. on an H-4 visa are concerned about the future of their companies. The H-4 visa is granted to the spouses of H-1B visa holders. In April, USCIS indicated that it would be rescinding work authorization for H-4 visa holders but it was unclear when. CNN Money spoke to a number of people who would lose their businesses or jobs if the agency followed through. CNN Money

Graduate work visa program has grown rapidly
A work visa that allows foreign students to work in the U.S. after graduating from an American college has grown dramatically over recent years, the Pew Research Center has found. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows foreign students to work in their field for a year or more after graduating. According to Pew, there were 257,064 authorized OPT visas granted in 2016, almost double the number from two years prior. The program has been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration as it looks to curb foreign labor. The Wall Street Journal, Pew Research Center

Judge: Border agents can’t search phone without credible suspicion
A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that border agents cannot conduct warrantless searches of travelers’ cell phones without suspicion of wrongdoing. A 4th Circuit Court judge said agents required “individualized suspicion” of wrongdoing to conduct a forensic search of a device. Border agents have the unique ability to search people’s belongings without a warrant despite the Fourth Amendment, which prohibits warrantless searches. Judges have ruled that this is in order to prevent transnational crime. The Associated Press

A family torn apart: Siblings fight to save their home after their parents are deported, CNN

‘You Watch Too Much Movies,’ ICE Agent Tells Woman Asking for Warrant, NBC San Diego

What Hondurans In The U.S. Can Expect When They’re Deported, NPR

Opinion

  • Immigrants in the U.S. illegally make us safer, by Steve Chapman, member of the Tribune editorial board. The Chicago Tribune
  • I’m a Texan. Ken Paxton wants to deport me, by Damaris Gonzalez, organizer with United We Dream Houston. Houston Chronicle
  • Sessions is criminalizing immigration violations. That upends centuries of history, by Liam Brennan, former federal prosecutor. The Washington Post

Washington–Republicans attempt to force DACA vote

A group of moderate Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives are undercutting Speaker Paul Ryan to try to force a vote on immigration.

They’ve launched a discharge petition that would force Ryan to take up four immigration bills. It’s a move usually used by a minority party to force a vote on an issue but in this case, it was introduced by five House Republicans. It will require 26 Republicans and all House Democrats to vote in favor. As of Friday morning, there were 18 Republicans signed on.

If successful, the bill will launch a rare “Queen of the Hill” vote where four immigration bills will be voted on and the one with the most votes will be sent to the Senate for a vote. The four bills include two that would provide a pathway to permanent status for Dreamers, one sponsored by the Freedom Caucus, that would provide temporary stay for Dreamers in exchange for deep cuts to legal immigration, and one that would be suggested by Ryan.

The Speaker has shown no interest in the Queen of the Hill process thus far. He argues that it will not produce a bill the president will sign. The New York Times, Vox

On Thursday, The New York Times reported that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen almost resigned after being berated by Trump during a cabinet meeting. The president reportedly went on a tirade about the cabinet’s inability to seal the “porous” border. This led Nielsen, who the Times also reported has been unhappy in her job, to draft a resignation letter before having a change of heart. The New York Times

‘Dreamers’ ask to defend DACA program against Texas legal assault, Reuters

Manhattan, New York – May 6, 2018: Views of 201 Varick Street building. Photo: Christopher Lee for Documented.

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