Nonprofit developers who collectively own about 1,000 residential buildings around the city have agreed to be the first to put up “ICE OUT” flyers in their buildings.
The flyers, which will be in English and Spanish, will remind tenants and management they have no legal obligation to let ICE agents in the door without a warrant. They may soon be printed in Bangla, Chinese, Urdu and Arabic, and could appear in commercial storefronts if it’s determined legally sound.
Activists said this is partly a reaction to ICE’s tendency to represent themselves as police when making residential arrests. amNewYork
Good morning, and welcome to Early Arrival. I’m Felipe De La Hoz, here to take you through the latest in local and national immigration news and analysis. If you have feedback, suggestions, tips or leads, reach out at felipe.delahoz@documentedny.com or on Twitter.
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Ellis Island
Alleged Immigration Fraudster Arrested
A Brooklyn man was arrested and charged for misrepresenting himself as a licensed paralegal to take money from people seeking asylum. Vadim Alekseev is alleged to have targeted immigrants from Eastern Europe and charged between $1,000 and $3,000 to file sham asylum applications with USCIS. He’d then stop responding to calls and texts from his clients. The agency flagged the applications for being “strikingly similar” and fraudulent. New York Post
ICE New Jersey Spokesman has Espoused Anti-Muslim Views
New Jersey ICE spokesman Emilio Dabul was already known to have worked for and spoken highly of prominent U.S. anti-Muslims. But a look by The Star-Ledger’s editorial board and the Southern Poverty Law Center reveals Dabul has edited for ACT for America, which is run by a Lebanese-American who believes practicing Muslims cannot be loyal citizens of the United States. He has also written for hate-monger David Horowitz’ publication, and has praised Steven Emerson, a pundit who has spread anti-Muslim conspiracy theories. The Star-Ledger
NYC Cabbie And Father Of Two Faces Imminent Deportation After Dispute With Driver
NYC to help asylum seekers of domestic violence despite new fed law
National
It has been 127 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.
Immigrants Are Already Foregoing Government Services Out of Fear
Activists and officials are worried proposed changes to how the government determines a “public charge” may stop immigrants from using government services, as they’re afraid designation will hurt their chances at continued residency or citizenship. The changes would classify more immigrants as governmental burdens for using services they’re legally entitled to. Healthcare providers already say immigrants have pulled back from signing up their children for immunization and nutrition programs, perhaps merely due to the political climate. The Washington Post
Immigration Judges Push Back on Sessions
The National Association of Immigration Judges has filed a grievance against the removal of a Philadelphia immigration judge over a deportation case. An immigrant facing a case under the judge failed to show up to a scheduled court hearing, apparently because his notice was sent to the wrong address. Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered the immigrant be deported if he failed to show again. When he didn’t show, the judge attempted to schedule a hearing with the attorney to discuss the issues, but was removed from the case and replaced with a judge who ordered the immigrant deported. BuzzFeed News
Numbers From the Border Dispute Effectiveness of Zero Tolerance
The numbers of families apprehended at the southwest border from June to July remained practically unchanged, despite the administration’s dissuasive zero tolerance policy. Other types of apprehensions went down, making family crossings a greater share of the total amount of apprehensions at the border. At least one DHS official said that was evidence that the inability to detain family units was encouraging family crossings. These stats also undermine the idea that hearing of zero tolerance would stop families from crossing the border. The Washington Post
ICE Attempts to Deny Crash of Van Carrying Separated Mothers
For weeks, ICE tried to deny a contractor driving a van full of mothers heading for reunification with their children had crashed it into a pickup truck in San Marcos, causing injuries to the passengers and rendering the van inoperable. It wasn’t until Texas Observer reporters confronted ICE officials with documentation — including a police report on the incident — that they acknowledged a crash, but referred to it as a “fender bender.” The mothers onboard say the crash was so fierce they felt the vehicle might flip. Despite injuries, they refused to go to the hospital, preferring to be quickly reunited with their children. Texas Observer
For now, Army Suspends Discharges of Immigrant Recruits, Associated Press
Are Immigrants Health Care ‘Moochers’? On The Contrary, Boston Researchers Say, WBUR
ICE Arrests More Than 130 Workers In Multistate Workplace Raids, BuzzFeed News
Providence, Central Falls Sue Sessions Over Immigration Policies, The Providence Journal
Washington — Dueling Judges, Muslim Lawmaker
A federal judge hearing a case brought by the ACLU challenging some of Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ asylum system changes was outraged to learn one of the plaintiffs was being deported in advance of the case’s resolution.
The lawsuit questions the legality of policy directives de-emphasizing gang and domestic violence as “credible fear” to earn asylum and expediting the removal of asylum-seekers. When U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan was told Carmen, a plaintiff in the case, was being removed, he ordered the plane to be turned around and threatened to hold Sessions in contempt. The Washington Post
Federal judge Andrew Hanen is expected to rule soon in a lawsuit brought by Texas and other red states seeking the end of the DACA program, and will almost certainly rule to have it disbanded. If that occurs, his order will contradict another federal judge’s demand for the program to continue, setting up a potential Supreme Court fight. Vox
Former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib has won the Democratic primary for Michigan’s 13th congressional district. No Republican or third party candidates are currently running against her, setting up the daughter of Palestinian immigrants to become the first Muslim woman in Congress. NBC News
