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David was one of many asylum seekers who were asked for DNA samples before entering the U.S. A Customs and Border Protection officer asked him to rub a swab on the inside of his cheeks and he ended up waiting for three hours, not knowing where that information was going. According to U.S. immigration authorities, this practice has been required since the end of last year. Advocates contend they’ve only heard of this happening recently and say it could affect the most vulnerable asylum seekers. BuzzFeed News
In other national immigration news…
Haitians Moving to Mexico After U.S. Deportations
Adrián, who has moved to three different cities since 2016, refuses to go back to his home country, Haiti, where his wife was raped and mother was killed. He’s currently living blocks away from El Paso with his wife and 20 other Haitians. Last month, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the U.S., but it won’t apply to Adrián. He’s among Haitians who left the country after the 2010 earthquake, and tried settling in Mexico when he saw the U.S. deporting many Haitians in 2016. The Associated Press
Two Generations of DACA Recipients Upset With Delay
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was originally supposed to provide temporary pardons for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, But it’s been almost 10 years since the program’s launch, and DACA recipients are still waiting for a permanent solution while fearing a court decision in Texas could terminate the program. Despite President Joe Biden saying he’ll continue DACA, immigrants who apply say their status depends on permanent legislation. “It’s like a paid subscription. I keep subscribing to live in the United States… but I would like to be accepted to live in the United States as a citizen,” said Karla Daniela Salazar Chavira, who applied for DACA in January. CNN
130-Week Diary of a Family’s Experience at the Border
Juan Carlos Perla, his wife Aracely, and their three boys fled their hometown in El Salvador with only $500 back in October 2018. Due to the fear of people from his hometown possibly reading about him, Juan Carlos only shared that he was a victim of extortion at his bakery business and that his and his family’s lives were being threatened. The Perla family waited on several waitlists in areas that were unfamiliar in hopes of getting asylum. Finally, after nine months of living in a Tijuana church, the Perla family was able to enter the U.S. in early March of this year. Mother Jones
Illinois Assembly Passes Bill to Close Immigration Jails
The Illinois General Assembly passed the Illinois Way Forward Act, enforcing the closure of all immigration jails in the state and reducing how local law enforcement can work with federal immigration agents. With the new bill, cities and counties in the state will no longer be able to sign contracts with ICE to “house or detain” immigrants in ICE custody at local jails. Illinois already has restrictions on private immigration detention centers. If Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signs this bill into a law, all ICE detention centers will have to close by Jan. 1, 2022. Pantagraph
