Foreign-born workers now make up half of the workforce that commutes to Long Island from New York City, according to a census analysis done by the Fiscal Policy Institute for Newsday. From 2000 to 2016, the number of reverse commuters — people who live in New York City and work in Long Island — grew from 9,000, to 116,000. The population growth pushed the population of foreign born reverse commuters over the population of American born. Commuters traveling from the city are mostly from Jamaica, China, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Dominican Republic. Newsday
Ellis Island
New Jersey Federal Grants Safe from Trump Administration
A federal judge in Chicago blocked the federal government from withholding police grants from local governments that do not cooperate with all ICE detainers. The ruling will allow New Jersey towns to receive Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants, which are granted from the federal government to support criminal justice initiatives. “Once again the courts are rejecting the Department of Justice’s foolish argument to force its right-wing immigration agenda down the throats of states and municipalities,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. of Paterson, New Jersey, said in a statement. www.northjersey.com
Brooklyn Massage Businesses Surface in New Hampshire
Massage parlors that host prostitution are making their way north from New York to New Hampshire, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Hampshire Mark Zuckerman. Massage businesses are popping up in small cities and towns across the state, according to the Union Leader newspaper. Two businesses called Asian Massage and Sunset Spa are registered to Bo Xuan Zhang, a fugitive from New York, where she was indicted in Brooklyn on charges related to sex trafficking and promoting prostitution. Several other businesses were linked to New York City addresses and phone numbers according to the newspapers. Union Leader
National
It has been 116 days since Memphis-based journalist Manuel Durán was detained by immigration authorities after first being arrested by the Memphis Police Department while covering a protest. Documented will keep a running tally of how long Durán remains in detention.
Schizophrenic Immigrant Detainee Committed Suicide After Being Held in Solitary
Efraín Romero de la Rosa committed suicide after being held for 21 days in solitary confinement in immigration detention in Stewart Detention Center near Lumpkin, Georgia. Romero was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and was the third detainee to die at that facility since May 2017. Romer entered ICE custody in March, after he was arrested for larceny. “The conditions at Stewart are atrocious,” an Atlanta-based attorney told The Intercept. A December 2017 inspection report docked Stewart for using solitary confinement inappropriately. The Intercept
Philadelphia Ends Arrest Data-Sharing with ICE
“Occupy ICE” protestors have petitioned Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney for months to end the city’s data-sharing program with ICE. After private talks with the groups, Kenney has decided to end the contract, which has ran for a decade. “If I could abolish ICE, I would,” Kenney said. “But we can abolish this contract, and we are.” In the system, police log all the interactions they have with city residents. ICE can access a person’s full name, birth country and detention status. NPR
Police Reports Detail Sexual Abuse in Shelters for Minors
Police reports document hundreds of allegations of sexual abuse, fights and missing children at the myriad facilities the federal government contracts with to house unaccompanied minors, including children separated from the families due to the zero tolerance policy. But immigrant advocates, psychologists and officials say the Trump administration’s policies have overburdened the facilities. “If you’re a predator, it’s a gold mine,” Lisa Fortuna, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Boston Medical Center told ProPublica. “You have full access and then you have kids that have already had this history of being victimized.” ProPublica
6-year-old Girl Separated by Zero Tolerance was Sexually Abused at an Arizona Detention Facility
A 6-year-old girl separated from her mother under the zero-tolerance policy was sexually abused by an older child at the facility she was held at, which is run by Southwest Key Programs. The girl was fleeing gang violence in Guatemala when she was taken into federal custody at the US–Mexico border in Texas. She was held at Casa Glendale, outside Phoenix, where the assault happened by a male detainee. “It was a nightmare. When my husband told me what happened, I felt helpless. She was so little, she was probably so scared, probably afraid to say anything to anyone. It was a total nightmare for me,” her mother told The Nation in an interview. The Nation
People Affected by Travel Ban are Suing the Trump Administration
A group of people representing five of the Muslim-majority countries affected by the travel ban have filed a lawsuit in California that’s asking the Trump administration to explain how it grants waivers under the ban. They’re attempting to force the trump administration to justify the waiver process — which the administration portrays as fair — and what they say is overwhelming evidence that people eligible for waivers are not receiving them, or they’re getting denied. The lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California and is called Emami v. Nielsen. Vox
Fathers Separated from Immigrant Children Once, were Separated Again
Several fathers say that shortly after they were reunited with their children, they were presented with a form that would legally authorize the government to deport their children alongside themselves. The form presented to the fathers provided alternatives other than deportation, but one father said that option was already marked for him and two others said they were told they had no choice. These allegations were part of a filing in a lawsuit from the ACLU about family separation. Vox
Trump to Boost Flagging Senate Candidate Behind Immigrant Crackdown, The Guardian
See America’s new Ellis Island: A South Texas bus Terminal, The New York Times
Teenager Creates Website Giving Immigrant Kids Help When Parents Face Deportation, Associated Press
Yemeni-American Commits Suicide After Trump Travel ban Bars his Family, HuffPost
Washington – Trump Threatens a Government Shutdown Over Immigration
Donald Trump said on Sunday that he would “shut down” the government if democrats didn’t vote for his border security plan. He went on to call for the end of “Lottery” and catch and release policies.
Trump is mulling over the idea after a meeting with Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell on Friday. When asked about the possibility of a shutdown, Mcconnell said it was unlikely to happen, but border funding will remain an unresolved issue.
The federal budget year will end Sept. 30, and lawmakers will spend much of August in their states campaigning for re-election. Republicans were unhappy with the prospect of a government shutdown, roughly a month between the Nov. 6elections, when a Democratic wave could occur. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin told CBS he didn’t think the shutdown would be helpful, “so let’s try and avoid it.”
“I think we’re going to make sure we keep the government open, but we’re going to get better policies on immigration,” said Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio, a Republican. House Republicans are asking for $5 billion to build Trump’s wall. Associated Press
Spouses of H-1B Visas Holders Fight for Right to Work
In 2015, Barack Obama’s administration allowed the family of H1-B visa holders to legally work in the US, under a program known as H4EAD. The “dependant visa” known as H4 is granted to children and spouses of H1-B holders and has been issued to tens of thousands of immigrants. The programs allowed for many households to have two working parents. The rule change has not happened yet, but advocates expect it to come soon. H4 visa holders are bracing for a seismic shift in their lives. The Guardian
