fbpx Coronavirus and the Census May Change This Largely Immigrant Town’s Economy - Documented
 

Coronavirus and the Census May Change This Largely Immigrant Town’s Economy

Micronesians are a growing part of Milan, Minnesota, but their unfamiliarity with the Census and a lack of outreach likely won't help the town financially.

This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.

Ten years ago, Micronesians made up a fifth of Milan, Minnesota. Now, it’s estimated that over a half of the town’s 360 residents are native Pacific Islanders or their children. “They’ve saved our community,” Milan Mayor Ron Anderson said of the Micronesians. “They’ve also made us vibrant. We were losing our vibrancy because we were getting old.” The Micronesians could also bring the town financial help through the Census, but so far had just a 50 percent response rate. The Micronesian residents are unfamiliar with the census, and outreach efforts have been cancelled amid the pandemic. The Daily Yonder

In other national immigration news…

ICE Doesn’t Analyze Immigration Jail Complaints, Watchdog Says

ICE does not comprehensively analyze inspection or complaint information in immigration jails to isolate trends, nor does it provide proof that all complaints are addressed, the Government Accountability Office has found. ICE is supposed to use inspections and complaints to oversee detention facilities and address deficiencies, and it did conduct those inspections for most of its 179 facilities in fiscal year 2019. But after collecting those results, ICE did not comprehensively analyze them, the GAO said. It neglected to do the same for detainee complaints as well. Homeland Security Today

Feds Held 660 Unaccompanied Minors in Hotels, Independent Monitor Finds

A court-appointed independent monitor found the Trump administration has used a secretive network of hotels to detain at least 660 migrant minors during the coronavirus pandemic. Since mid-March, federal immigration authorities have expelled tens of thousands of unauthorized migrants, largely without allowing them to seek asylum. But some unaccompanied minors are held in hotel rooms and supervised by personnel from MVM Inc., a private contractor. The independent monitor revealed that at least 577 unaccompanied minors were detained in more than 25 hotels between March and July. Another 83 children have been held in hotels with their families during the same timeframe. CBS News

U.S. Continues to Detain Children at Hotels

The Trump administration has increased the use of hotels to detain immigrant children despite widespread outcry over the practice. A total of 577 unaccompanied minors have been detained at hotels shortly after crossing the border, according to a report from a court-appointed monitor. The children are held in hotels before being rapidly deported under the Center for Disease Control and Prevention order that is meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. A Haitian immigrant said his family, including his 1-year-old daughter, were told to eat cups of ice to pass temperature checks before their deportation flights, as ICE does not allow deportees with high temperatures to board. Associated Press

Man Arrested for Impersonating DHS Agent

Donovan Nguyen, 34-year-old man from Orange, California, has masqueraded as an ICE agent for 12 years, according to an affidavit. He has paraded around in body armor, carrying firearms and pulling over motorists with lights installed on his truck. Nguyen was arrested Monday and charged with impersonating a federal agent. He had failed to get a job with several federal agencies, but worked as a security guard at a Department of Homeland Security base, where he printed access cards for employees and visitors. He was fired for printing fake credentials that identified him as a “lieutenant” with the DHS, and allegedly bought firearms with those credentials. Los Angeles Times

SEE MORE STORIES
Early Arrival Newsletter
Receive a roundup of all immigration news, and the latest policy news, in New York, nationwide, and from Washington, in your inbox 3x per week.
info@documentedny.com
Documented Advertising
Solutions
pitches@documentedny.com