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The Nepali population in New York is growing, but the number of Nepali native speakers is declining.
Worried that children won’t get the proper exposure to their native language, two Nepali women started their own courses. Padma Linkha Magar and Saraswati Rai meet with about 40 students every Sunday to teach the language and also educate attendees about Nepalese culture. They only ask for donations to support the $200 monthly rental fee for a dojo where they hold lessons.
Two of other Nepali organizations — Sherpa Kyidug and the Tamang Society of America — also offer language classes out of their offices. Voices of New York
Hello, I’m Irene Spezzamonte with today’s edition of Early Arrival. You can email me at irene.spezzamonte@documentedny.com.
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Local
Farm Visas Displace Undocumented Laborers
New York state has over 35,000 farms, which generated $4.8 billion in revenue in 2017, according to a report from the State Comptroller’s office. These farms used to be largely supported by a workforce of undocumented immigrants, but farmers have recently turned to temporary seasonal workers on H2-A visas. The Trump administration has capped H1-B, H2-B and “artisan” visas, but H2-A visas used exclusively for farm work haven’t seen the same limits. This has prompted farm owners turn to hiring visa’d laborers who aren’t subject to the same legal scrutiny as undocumented workers, leading to a 146 percent increase in the number of H-2A seasonal visas granted to immigrant laborers since 2010. Read more at Documented
British Boxer Tyson Fury’s American Visa Struggle
Tyson Fury, a professional boxer from the United Kingdom, applied for a visa to come to the United States and compete soon after he became world champion. It took him two and half years to finally get it, but the stress didn’t end there. Fury landed in New York City about two months ago at John F. Kennedy airport. But in security, the boxer was taken to another room for secondary screening and strip searched, with Fury saying officials told him he looked like a “sketchy character.” After multiple questions and a total of four hour wait, Fury was finally admitted and let go. The Daily Mail
African Diaspora International Film Festival touts its Caribbean connections, New York Daily News
National
After Living in a Church Avoid to Deportation, Undocumented Man Arrested at Fingerprinting Appointment
Samuel Oliver-Bruno, 47, found shelter in a church in North Carolina and stayed there for 11 months to avoid being deported. He recently left the church for a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services office to discuss his case and provide his fingerprints, where plainclothes agents arrested the 47-year-old man from Mexico. Church members and faith leaders stopped the car Oliver-Bruno was in by hugging each other around it, and 27 of them were arrested. Oliver-Bruno is currently in detention and is waiting for his case to be heard. CNN
Immigrant Mother Could Lose Custody of American Citizen Daughter
When Vilma Carrillo crossed the border from Guatemala during the summer with her 11-year-old daughter Yeisvi, the two were separated under President Donald Trump’s zero tolerance policy. The mother and daughter haven’t been reunited yet and Carrillo, 38, could lose custody of her daughter, who is an American citizen. Carrillo already applied for asylum, claiming years of domestic violence back at home. The claim was denied, but the government could still decide it would be risky for the 8-year-old to return with to her mother given her reports of violence. The New York Times
How South Texas Resident Deal With their New Military Neighbors
Residents in South Texas have always been used to a heavy security presence in their cities. But as thousands of troops gathered to combat the so-called migrant caravan in recent weeks, things felt different. In a new twist, residents saw the United States Border Patrol placing razor wires and concrete barriers along bridges at the border. The increased presence of Border Patrol and Trump’s suggestion that criminals were about to cross the border increased panic and fear for those living on the border. Such sentiment also led militia members to arm themselves in an apparent attempt to defend the border. The Intercept
Families Separated at Southern Border Remain Detained
Some families separated at the southern border this summer remain detained months later with no end in sight. Many families have been reunited with their children, but half dozen remain in detention facilities. About 30 families were released last week, but those remaining didn’t pass a credible fear interview to claim asylum. The families still detained said both parents and children have been traumatized by what it seems to be an endless experience. Some say officers wouldn’t let them change their sheets in outdoor dormitories after it rained, causing them to being constantly sick. The Associated Press
Former Reagan Secretary of State: ‘How We Can Help the Migrant Caravan,’ The Washington Post
Son of Egyptian Immigrants Aims to Celebrate Refugee Entrepreneurs, Law Professor Blogs Network
Washington — Migrant Caravan Met with Tear Gas at Border
The caravan of migrants that left Guatemala more than a month ago has largely arrived at the border, causing a political crisis as people are stopped from crossing the border and applying for asylum at port of entries thanks to a new policy secretly discussedbetween the United States and Mexico.
Trump reportedly secured a deal with Mexican officials that would force asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they fight for asylum in the United States, Politico reported on Saturday. The new agreement will likely be announced on Dec. 1 when the elected Mexican president López Obrador is sworn in. Politico
In the meantime, migrants are still trying to make it into the United States by climbing the fences as a form of protest at the border that separates the two countries. Some of them are successfully making it to U.S. soil. United States Border Patrol agents promptly responded by firing tear gas at those migrants, some of whom were carrying children with them and soon had difficulty breathing.
Heavy police presence has spread beyond the Tijuana port of entry where migrants originally gathered, reaching the San Ysidro port of entry in San Diego, where the pedestrian crossings were also suspended.
In a Sunday tweet, Trump blamed the situation on the Democrats, who he says created the problem. It “Would be very SMART if Mexico would stop the Caravans long before they get to our Southern Border, or if originating countries would not let them form,” the president said. The Associated Press, Vox
