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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on Friday that it will now begin charging migrants $50 to apply for asylum. The move, which has long been scheduled, will go into effect in October. It makes the U.S. among four nations – along with Iran, Fiji and Australia – to charge those fleeing their home countries. An asylum officer who works at USCIS told BuzzFeed News that they found the idea of charing people who are fleeing “disgusting.” Another said collecting the fee would cost more than $50. The fee represents the latest step by the Trump administration to attempt to clamp down on asylum. BuzzFeed News
In other national immigration news…
Border Patrol Raid Humanitarian Camp
Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona raided a humanitarian aid camp on Friday. The camp was run by the groups No More Deaths. The agents zip-tied volunteers while helicopters circled. 30 undocumented immigrants who were receiving aid at the camp were arrested. No More Deaths volunteers believe the raid was in response to documents they released on Wednesday about a similar raid that took place at the same camp three years ago. The documents showed the Border Patrol’s national union pushing for more of a crackdown on the group. On Thursday, agents entered the camp and arrested a woman. The Intercept
Tribunal Will Hear Case of Border Patrol Killing
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights agreed to hear the case of a man who was killed by Border Patrol agents at the San Diego-Tijuana border. The commission is part of the Organization of American States. It decided it has the authority to hear the case of Anastasio Hernandez Rojas who was beaten and shot with a taser by Border Patrol in 2010 while being deported to Mexico. He arrived in the hospital brain dead and died days later. One witness filmed what happened to Hernandez Rojas at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. The family reached a $1 million settlement with the federal government in 2017. The San Diego Union-Tribune
Florida Makes It Harder for Immigrants to Drive
Florida officials quietly changed the rules for obtaining a driver’s license, possibly making undocumented immigrants unable to get them again. In May, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles changed document requirements to stipulate that immigrants need to present an I-94 form, proving they entered the U.S. legally. Previously, people with pending deportation hearings could get driver’s licenses if they proved they had an upcoming court date at the immigration court. Traditionally, Floridians could get a license with little problems regardless of immigration status. It’s unclear how many people will be impacted by the new rule. The Miami Herald
San Jose Joins Growing List of Lawsuits Against Trump’s Census Memo
The city of San Jose joined several other jurisdictions in filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration’s memorandum that seeks to block undocumented immigrants from being counted in the 2020 census. King County, WA, Arlington County, VA, Black Alliance for Just Immigration also joined the complaint. 2 million undocumented immigrants in California could be excluded if the memorandum goes into effect. The memo seeks to not include undocumented immigrants in the redistribution of congressional seats. San Jose’s lawsuit joins three others filed by more than two dozen states. The complaint claims that the memo will also discourage undocumented immigrants from filling out the census. San Jose Spotlight
