An analysis by the city has found that up to 75,000 New Yorkers could be forced to give up public assistance they are entitled to in order remain eligible for permanent residence in the future.
The analysis studied the number of immigrants in the city who would be affected by the Trump administration’s expansion of the “public charge” rule, which blocks immigrants from receiving a green card if they are deemed likely to become a “public charge.” The rule was previously focused on immigrants receiving cash or long term government assistance, but an expansion to the rule will now include food stamps, Medicare and public housing, among other things.
Several city agencies conducted the study and found there are 75,000 immigrant New Yorkers who are eligible for services that could jeopardize their chances of attaining a green card. The analysis also estimated a loss of $235 million in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. WNYC, Brooklyn Daily Eagle
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Local
20 Children Separated From Their Parents Remain in New York
As Trump administration weighs whether or not to restart its family separation policy (read more in the Washington section below), the remnants of the last policy remain in New York City. Lawyers tell WNYC there are still 20 children who were separated from their parents in the city. Down from a peak of around 300 children, those remaining are waiting for their U.S.-based sponsors to be vetted by the government, a process which has been delayed due to lengthy background checks. Nationally, there are around 200 children that were separated from their parents at the border remaining in government custody. WNYC
More Than 1,300 Undocumented Students Apply For Tuition Aid
When New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law new legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants access to state financial aid, many questioned whether they would come forward and expose themselves as undocumented. That was not the case. State officials announced that within the first four months of the program,1,365 applicants applied for financial aid and 665 were approved. Another 350 others were rejected because the students were deemed ineligible for the money, officials added. A further 350 were still pending. The program is open to undocumented students who meet a certain criteria, including graduating from a New Jersey high school and an assurance they will file for legal immigration status when they are eligible. NJ.com
Read Documented’s Coverage of Thursday’s Contentious Vote over Hudson County’s ICE Contract
Read more on the issue at The Appeal where Melissa Gira Grant and Emma Whitford have been following the story for the past year
Nepalis on Temporary Status in the US dread—and Await—Deportation, The Kathmandu Post
Electric Bikes Are About to Go Mainstream, The New York Times
National
“Temporary” Shelter is Becoming Permanent
The tent city setup in the desert in Texas to house unaccompanied minors was supposed to be a stopgap solution. But now there are around 1,500 children aged between 13 and 17, mostly boys, living in the tent city that is becoming more permanent by the day. With the number of children detained under the Trump administration skyrocketing, the camp was set up in Tornillo, Texas to house the overflow from shelters contracted by the federal government. On a tour of the facility, reporters found it includes a football field, school courses, and more than 100 tent structures. The New York Times, BuzzFeed News
Mexican Officials Also Stop Asylum Seekers Crossing the Border
Mexican officials have begun blocking people from entering the U.S. in order to claim asylum, immigration lawyers and asylum seekers claim. These efforts mirror actions by U.S. Border Patrol officers at the international bridge connecting the two countries. Earlier this year, officers were preventing asylum seekers from entering the U.S. on the grounds that the port was too busy, leaving them to camp out and wait for days. A petition has been filed with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on behalf of around a dozen asylum seekers who were prevented from leaving Mexico to make an asylum claim in the U.S. The Texas Tribune
ICE is Sending Children Back to Central American Without Notifying Parents
ICE has been sending children as young as 4 years old back to Central America without notifying their parents, leaving the children in limbo at the airport when they arrive. Children who were separated from their parents at the border are now being reunited with them, often in their home countries because the parent was deported. Last week, the Guatemalan father of a 4-year-old child was notified of her return 20 minutes before she landed, despite the fact that he lives eight hours from the airport. Lawyers representing the children said several had been sent back without giving the parents enough notice to meet the child at the airport. HuffPost
Immigrants Struggle to Prove Abuse by Border Patrol
Victims of abuse at the hands of Border Patrol agents face a number of hurdles in making misconduct claims, The Associated Press reports. The Department of Homeland Security Inspector General is responsible for investigating claims of misconduct, but advocates say the officer rarely recommends punishment of the officers. Advocates found the Inspector General’s Office received 84 complaints of coerced sexual misconduct between January 2010 and July 2016 against U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, but opened just seven investigations that led to no known charges. Associated Press
Migrant Caravan Makes Way to Guatemala Enroute to U.S.
A migrant caravan headed to the U.S.–Mexico border grew in Honduras as it made its way to Guatemala. The caravan is now 1,600 strong according to local volunteers. Many joined the caravan hoping that strength in numbers could help them cross the border to Guatemala, as many hope to seek asylum in the U.S. A similar caravan drew the ire of President Trump in April as he threatened to cut aid to countries that allowed the caravan to pass through. Many in the group are on foot. Associated Press
Separated Immigrant Families Get Brief Hug at New Mexico border, UPI
Washington – Trump Admin Weighs Bringing Back Family Separations
The Trump administration is weighing separating families at the border again in order to deter migrants from crossing the southwestern border.
Despite the global political backlash faced from the previous “zero-tolerance” policy, White House officials, led by Stephen Miller, are considering introducing a “binary choice” for families who cross the border together. According to a report by The Washington Post, the government is proposing after 20 days in detention, the parent will be told they can either stay in a family detention center for months or years as their case is adjudicated, or be separated from their child. Officials believe this will be a more effective way of deterring border crossers.
The news comes as arrests of families at the border are up. Politico reports that there were 16,500 family members arrested at the border in September, the highest on record since 2012.
Trump confirmed on Saturday reports that the government was weighing re-introducing family separations as a deterrent. “If they feel there will be separation, they won’t come,” he said at the White House before boarding Air Force One on a trip to Kentucky.
Vox’s Dara Lind pointed out that, despite the government’s claims, the zero-tolerance policy was not a deterrent, as crossings remained flat throughout the end of the policy in June. The Washington Post, Politico, The Wall Street Journal, Vox
Immigration is headlining Republican congressmembers’ platforms in tight races, as they rely on fear mongering about immigration policy to sway voters. Research from centrist and progressive liberal think-tanks found that attacks based on immigration hurt Democratic candidates in key districts. Immigration is a hot-button issue in this year’s midterm election where Democrats are hoping to reclaim the House. More than $140 million has been spent on ads dealing with immigration this campaign cycle, vastly higher than the $23 million spent in 2016. The New York Times, CNN
Trump Administration Appeals Ruling that TPS Holders Can Stay, Associated Press
