Mass. moving migrants out of Logan Airport, gov’t says state is out of room
Starting July 9, migrant families will no longer be permitted to sleep at Boston’s Logan International Airport. Since the summer of 2023, migrants have been using the airport as a temporary refuge after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, R, bussed thousands of migrants who had crossed the southern border to sanctuary cities across the U.S.
In November 2023, the Massachusetts State Emergency Shelter System reached its capacity of 7,500. The system provides assistance to people living in poverty, pregnant women under the age of 21, and those who lost housing due to fire or no-fault eviction, among other qualifications.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, D, hopes this decision sends a message to the U.S. southern border that the state is out of space.
Healey’s administration announced that it is working to relocate migrant families from the airport to a new safety-net site. Families on the emergency assistance shelter waitlist will be offered transfers to a former prison site in Norfolk, where eligible families can stay for up to nine months, according to a press release.
Healey emphasized that migrants looking to come to Massachusetts must arrange their own shelter accommodations, excluding both Logan Airport and state-run shelters.
“We’ve given enough lead time to work with case managers and service providers in finding new locations for people,” Healey said. “We’ve also made it clear that we won’t be able to provide housing, nor will staying at Logan Airport be an option anymore.”
State officials report increased efforts to provide migrants with work authorization applications, job placements, English classes and reticketing options. In May, 300 families left the state-run emergency shelter system, and officials expect this number to continue rising in the coming months.
Mayorkas reports drop in US-Mexico border crossings after Biden order
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said U.S.-Mexico border crossings have fallen “materially” since President Joe Biden signed an executive order limiting migrant asylum claims. Mayorkas told a group of Bloomberg reporters that U.S. border officials are seeing results and recorded 2,600 migrant encounters between ports of entry Sunday, June 16 — a major drop since the president announced the asylum changes.
According to the secretary, it was one of the lowest daily totals since Biden took office.
Biden’s executive order shut down asylum requests at the southern border when illegal crossings exceed 2,500 a day. Restrictions will be lifted once migrant encounters dip to 1,500 per day for a week.
According to Biden, the order was required because Congress wouldn’t act on immigration as the crisis grew and migrants from around the world sought access to the U.S.
A recent report from the Mexican government said nearly 1.4 million people from 177 countries traveled through Mexico to reach the U.S. from January through May.
Earlier this year, congressional Republicans blocked a bipartisan immigration deal because of opposition to the included $60 billion price tag in foreign aid for Ukraine and $14 billion in funding for Israel.
Meanwhile, U.S. officials continue to warn of fentanyl-related deaths due to drugs pouring over the southern border. Officials also warn of a rise in human smuggling, murders, sex trafficking and kidnappings related to Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang that’s made its way into the United States.
Homeland Security officials said earlier in June there are now more than 100 ongoing investigations involving suspected gang members. Border Patrol agents arrested 10 people with ties to the Venezuelan gang at the southern border in May alone.
ACLU sues Biden administration over new asylum rule
The Biden administration is facing its first lawsuit over President Joe Biden’s recent order temporarily shutting down the U.S.’ southern border. The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a coalition of immigrant advocacy groups, is the first big challenge to the executive order put in place just over a week ago.
The restrictions bar migrants from seeking asylum when border encounters rise above 2,500 per day.
In its first week implemented, the number of migrants crossing has fallen by 25%, according to Department of Homeland Security officials. However, the number of migrants coming over is still more than the number allowed — about 3,000 per day.
The executive action was meant to make illegal border crossers ineligible for asylum, but officials say thousands of migrants a day are still being released into the U.S. because of “limited options.”
The lawsuit did not seek an emergency injunction to block the new rule, so it will stay in place while the challenge plays out in court.
Biden to sign executive order temporarily limiting border crossings
President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Tuesday, June 4. According to multiple news outlets, the order would temporarily shut down the U.S. southern border with Mexico when illegal crossings between ports exceed 2,500 a day.
With daily border crossings averaging well above that, the executive action could lead to an immediate shutdown of the border. The Department of Homeland Security estimates an average of around 4,000 border encounters every day.
Migrants would not be able to apply for asylum if they cross the border during the shutdown period. The border would only reopen when daily crossings drop down to 1,500 a day.
The executive action is expected to rely on a presidential authority in the U.S. Code known as Section 212 (f), which lets the president “suspend the entry” of specific groups of migrants whenever the number of attempted border crossings grows too high.
Federal law prohibits granting asylum to individuals who pose such risks, including those convicted of serious crimes, involved in persecution or deemed threats to U.S. security.
Currently, asylum eligibility determinations are made later in the process. The proposed rule would permit asylum officers to consider classified information during initial credible fear screenings, conducted shortly after a migrant is encountered. This change would allow for quicker identification and removal of threats.
“The proposed rule would allow asylum officers to issue denial of claims within days after an individual is encountered when there is evidence that the individual is barred from asylum because of a terrorism, national security or criminal bar,” the DHS statement reads.
Under the new policy, classified information that suggests an individual may threaten national security or public safety can be actively used in their immigration case. Asylum officers determining a migrant’s asylum eligibility and prosecutors seeking deportation will now have an easier process to access and share classified information. This change should help prevent the release of potential security threats and allow for rapid decisions on many asylum claims.
“The proposed rule we have published today is yet another step in our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the American public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said. “We will continue to take action, but fundamentally, it is only Congress that can fix what everyone agrees is a broken immigration system.”
This policy shift follows the case of Mohammad Kharwin, an Afghan migrant on the terrorist watchlist, who was released by a Texas immigration judge after Immigration and Customs Enforcement prosecutors withheld classified information due to its sensitivity.
Kharwin, suspected of connections to terrorism, was initially detained in 2023 without sufficient biometric data to confirm his watchlist status. After living freely in the U.S. for over a year, he was re-arrested following public reporting of his case.
Meanwhile, the Biden administration is addressing challenges with a heavily burdened immigration system. Earlier this month, senior officials introduced new rules to expedite asylum claims for single adults.
The DHS and the Department of Justice are establishing an expedited docket at ports of entry for migrants arriving alone and surrendering to border authorities. The docket aims to quickly assess whether individuals have the legal right to remain in the U.S., potentially leading to quicker removals for those who do not qualify.
Biden says US will not supply weapons to Israel for Rafah operation
President Joe Biden says the U.S. will not supply certain weapons to Israel should the country launch its major offensive on Rafah. And Democrats and Republicans come together to save the speaker of the House from being voted out. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, May 9, 2024.
Bidensays US will not supply weapons to Israel for Rafah operation
President Joe Biden has warned the United States will not supply Israel with certain weapons and artillery shells if the Israeli army proceeds with its major military operation in Rafah. Biden made these comments during an interview with CNN on Wednesday, May 8, following the U.S.’ decision to withhold a shipment of thousands of bombs to Israel due to growing differences over Israel’s tactics in Gaza.
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“Civilians have been killed in Gaza as a consequence of those bombs and other ways in which they go after population centers,” Biden said. “I’ve made it clear that if they go into Rafah, they haven’t gone on Rafah yet, if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, a deal with the city, deal with that problem.”
Despite the warning, Biden affirmed that the U.S. remains committed to Israel’s security, particularly in terms of supporting the Iron Dome defense system and Israel’s ability to defend itself against future attacks.
Though the Israeli military moved into Rafah starting on Tuesday, May 7, both the White House and Israel have described it as a limited operation. Biden told CNN that Israel’s current actions in Rafah have not crossed his red line, but he has cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the U.S. will not support the operation if it extends into populated areas.
Biden administration expected to propose change in asylum system
Reports indicate the proposed rule would enable immigration officials to quickly deport migrants who illegally crossed the border and are ineligible for asylum. Those targeted would be individuals deemed a national security risk or a danger to public safety.
The new rule could see migrants barred from asylum and deported within days, or even hours, of their arrival — a process that currently can take years. The rule would still require finalization at a later date.
Lawyer: Airman killed by Florida deputy who burst into wrong apartment
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump said Senior Airman Roger Fortson was on a FaceTime call with a woman when deputies, responding to a disturbance at the Okaloosa County apartment complex, forced entry into his unit.
According to Crump, and based on the woman’s account, a deputy shot Fortson six times upon seeing him armed with a gun. Crump said Forston legally owned the weapon. Fortson later died at a hospital.
In a statement, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said the deputy acted in self-defense after encountering an armed man. Authorities have not yet commented on Crump’s claims, but the sheriff posted on Facebook asking the community for patience as they work to understand the facts of the case.
Crump is calling for transparency in the investigation and asking authorities to release the body cam video to the airman’s family.
The deputy involved has been placed on administrative leave.
House Speaker Mike Johnson survives attempt to oust him
Eleven Republicans voted against tabling Greene’s resolution. Greene expressed no surprise at the outcome but did not indicate whether she would attempt to remove Johnson again.
Johnson — joking with reporters after the vote — referred to the event as “just another Wednesday on Capitol Hill.” He thanked his colleagues for their support and described Greene’s efforts as misguided.
In remarks to the press, Johnson stated, “Hopefully this is the end of the personality politics and the frivolous character assassination that has defined the 118th Congress. It’s regrettable. It’s not who we are as Americans, and we’re better than this. We need to get beyond it.”
Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery to offer bundled streaming service
Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery are collaborating once again, this time to offer a new bundle that includes their Disney Plus, Hulu and Max streaming services.
The bundle will be available for purchase on the platforms’ websites and will be offered in versions with and without ads. Set to launch this summer, the pricing details have yet to be announced.
Olympic torch arrives in France ahead of Paris Summer Games
With just over two months until the Paris Summer Games, the Olympic torch has arrived in France, greeted with significant celebration. After being lit in Greece 11 days earlier, the flame reached the French port city of Marseille on Wednesday, May 8.
There, two Olympians assisted in bringing it ashore before popular French rapper Jul lit the Olympic cauldron. Local officials estimate that a crowd of about 225,000 people attended the event, which was secured by approximately 7,000 law enforcement officers.
Why major cities are slashing services to pay for the migrant crisis
Bus after bus, major cities far from the border are starting to buckle under budgetary pressures of the nation’s migrant crisis. S&P Global Ratings is monitoring the credit health of New York, Denver and Chicago as they face sheltering tens of thousands of asylum-seekers.
“The issue will destroy New York City,” Mayor Eric Adams said last year.
New York
For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2023, New York City spent $1.5 billion in asylum-seeker costs. In the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2024, the city expects costs to nearly triple.
The city budgeted $4.2 billion to care for incoming migrants, most bused from the border. In fiscal year 2025, that category will increase to $4.9 billion.
To offset costs, Adams announced 5% budget cuts for every city agency, from education to public safety.
“It’s really the cities that are on the hook to cover the majority of the expenses,” said Felix Winnekens, lead analyst of public finance for S&P Global Ratings.
“New York City is in a bit of a unique situation because of its right to shelter,” Winnekens told Straight Arrow News. “So basically, anyone in the city – could be a homeless person, could be a migrant or an asylum-seeker – that needs shelter, the city has to provide shelter. That’s part of a consent decree that the city entered into back in the 1980s.”
Adams has moved to suspend aspects of right-to-shelter while the city currently houses more than 60,000 asylum-seekers.
The state, which supports Adams’ request to suspend, has had to dip into reserves to help shoulder costs, Winnekens said.
Chicago
In Illinois, a battle is brewing between governments. The state, Cook County and Chicago officials estimated it will cost $321 million to support migrant operations through the end of the year.
While the state and Cook County have pledged $250 million, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has reportedly backed away from the city committing to $71 million to cover the shortfall.
“I don’t believe anyone in Chicago is questioning my commitment to this mission,” Johnson said.
According to the city, there are currently more than 12,000 migrants in Chicago shelters as of Feb. 20.
Denver
Denver is facing a $180 million gap in the city budget that must be filled to shelter existing and incoming asylum-seekers.
“Without any federal support, without any work authorization, without changes to policy, we are going to have to make changes to what we can do in terms of our city budget,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said earlier this month. “This is a plan for shared sacrifice.”
The Department of Motor Vehicles and Parks and Recreation are the first areas in the city to see cuts, but they won’t be the last, Johnston warned.
In 2023, the city received more migrants per capita than any other city in the nation.
A national problem without a national response
Unlike the federal government, most cities and states are required to pass balanced budgets. When migrant costs surge, money has to be cut from other services to make ends meet.
“We do not see any near-term pressure on the ratings, but I think it’ll be a continued struggle for those cities to find the right balance between cutting expenditures and making ends meet to address the increase in asylum-seeker costs,” Winnekens said.
While Abbott criticized the federal government’s border policies, the Democratic mayors of these affected cities also took issue with the federal response.
“We’re getting no support on this national crisis,” Adams said last year.
With Congress at a perceived impasse, Winnekens said cities could be on their own to shoulder costs at least through the election. While New York, Chicago and Denver have faced the brunt of migration after border towns, S&P is also eyeing Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco as asylum-seekers seek out more big cities.
Oklahoma GOP censures Sen. James Lankford amid border bill talks
Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford, the Republican leading negotiations with Democrats on a southern border immigration bill has been censured by the Oklahoma Republican Party. The committee approved a resolution that condemns and censors Lankford, Saturday, Jan. 27.
The resolution and condemnation document claims that Sen. Lankford negotiated a deal to reportedly allow 5,000 undocumented immigrants a day into the U.S. for work. The numbers being cited are from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who made the claim during a press conference on Wednesday.
“This bill normalizes 5,000 people a day coming in. Five thousand a day is over 1.8 million a year,” Cruz said. “That’s called an invasion. By the way, under Joe Biden, we’ve had 9.6 million.”
Lankford called Cruz’s claim “absurd” during an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
“Right now, there’s Internet rumors is all that people are running on,” Lankford said. “It would be absolutely absurd for me to agree to 5,000 people a day. This bill focuses on getting us to zero illegal crossings a day.”
“Authorizing several thousand people to invade our borders before any action can be taken is contrary to the oath that Senator Lankford took to the Constitution and therefore outside of the area that he is authorized to negotiate,” the censorship document states.
The resolution also calls on Lankford to end his “actions” or the Oklahoma Republican Party will “cease all support for him.”
“He is jeopardizing the security and liberty of the people of Oklahoma and these United States,” the resolution said.
However, not every state Republican is on board with the committee’s move.
“Today an extreme faction of the @officialOKGOP held a meeting without providing an official call to all members of the State Committee, including me, to attack Senator @jameslankford. Any vote taken by the OKGOP today was not legitimate and definitely does not represent the voice of all Oklahoma Republicans,” Former Oklahoma GOP Chairman Anthony Ferate wrote on X.
Some Republicans have noted former President Donald Trump’s opposition to the current legislation in progress, and contend its passage could mean a victory for his political adversary, President Joe Biden.
“If Joe Biden suddenly got religion and supported a border deal that actually reduced the flow of illegal immigration, that would be good for him politically,” Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told CNN Thursday, Jan 18.
The censure comes as CBS News reports a bipartisan group of lawmakers in U.S. Congress is nearing a deal with the Biden administration. The bill would include dramatic changes to border control, including the ability to pause asylum processes during migrant surges, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Politico reported GOP leaders are worried that Trump allies may obstruct the border deal negotiations, creating challenges for Senate and House leaders in reaching compromises with the Biden administration.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are working on negotiations with the White House.
The most recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows more than 300,000 encounters with migrants in December 2023. However, the report also shows Border Patrol agents saw a 50% decrease in those encounters during the first two weeks of January based on preliminary figures.
African asylum-seekers sue DHS, allege abuse while in ICE detention
A human rights group said it found the U.S. government is failing African migrants. The developments stem from a 2022 report that found the U.S. violated the human rights of dozens of asylum-seekers during the Trump presidency. Among the allegations were torture and restraint.
Our forefathers were taken from Africa in chains, and I was brought to Africa in chains.
Cameroonian migrant suing the U.S. government
The New York-based group Human Rights Watch alleged that the U.S. sent Cameroonians with credible asylum claims back to the country they fled and, additionally, mistreated an already traumatized group of people.
Now, some of those subjected to the alleged violations are filing lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and immigration authorities. Plaintiffs in two lawsuits said they were fleeing violence against English speakers in their native African country but then faced racist abuse in U.S. detention facilities.
“Plaintiffs were tear gassed in confined spaces, subjected to solitary confinement, negligently and improperly confined in restraints, and subjected to medical neglect that caused them severe physical and mental harm,” the lawsuit said.
According to the complaint, some Cameroonians began a hunger strike to protest the alleged mistreatment. As a result, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allegedly deported three of the migrants back to Cameroon. Back in Cameroon, they were forced into hiding out of what they said was a fear of being arrested and tortured by Cameroonian authorities.
“Our forefathers were taken from Africa in chains, and I was brought to Africa in chains,” one of the plaintiffs said in an interview after being deported.
The suit alleges that the men were forced into restraints called the “WRAP,” a device designed to humanely restrain someone who may be a danger to themselves or others. However, the WRAP has been called into question by civil rights groups, which in 2021 claimed that it had not been used correctly in detention centers.
“ICE enforcement and removal operations (ERO) is using the WRAP in a manner that constitutes torture or cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment in violation of the convention against torture,” a letter championed by several rights groups said.
An ICE spokesperson told The Washington Post that it does not comment on ongoing litigation.
In 2022, President Biden granted Cameroonians temporary protected status, a measure that, if granted under Trump, would have allowed the plaintiffs to temporarily stay in the U.S. as they sought asylum.
An attorney who helped bring the litigation says this is part of a bigger picture.
“The treatment of Black migrants needs to be part of the broader conversation about race in this country,” said Fatma E. Marouf, a law professor at Texas A&M University Law School.
Backlog of immigration cases surges past 3 million — 4,500 cases per judge
Migrants seeking asylum in the United States may have to wait years before their cases can be heard. The backlog of U.S. immigration court cases has surpassed 3 million. That number is up by more than 1 million cases in 12 months, according to Syracuse University’s Transaction Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).
For comparison, in September 2016, the backlog was situated at 516,031 cases. By November of 2023, the backlog stood at 3,075,248 cases.
As a result of the influx, judges are bogged down. Each immigration judge now averages 4,500 immigration cases. TRAC projects an additional 425,000 cases will be added to judges’ plates in December alone.
The White House is attempting to address the issue without closing the U.S. southern border.
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an average of 8,000 migrants enters the United States illegally each day, and it is projected to continue to rise.
In fiscal year 2022, CBP reported a record 2.2 million migrant apprehensions. Then in fiscal year 2023, the agency broke that record when it recorded 2.4 million migrant apprehensions.
When migrants reach points of entry, they must say they are seeking asylum from whichever country they’re from. Asylum-seekers are those who fear they will be persecuted in their home country on account of their “race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, addressed how cartels are taking advantage of the nation’s asylum rules, at a hearing in October.
“Senator Kelly, the senator from Arizona, was there and noted that Mexicali is a city in Northern Mexico with an airport,” Cornyn said. “And so, it was explained to us what likely was happening, is that human smugglers were facilitating the travel of migrants to Mexicali, where they could simply Uber over to the Border Patrol and claim asylum. And the Biden administration would make sure they’re successfully deposited into the United States of America, perhaps to an asylum hearing that may never occur.”
TRAC reports that in some states, asylum-seekers wait years for their cases to be heard.
For example, Virginia’s highest average wait time for judges to hear asylum cases is just over 3 years.
Meanwhile, Congress recessed for the holidays before lawmakers could reach an agreement with the White House on a new Ukraine aid package, which would have included more funding for border security and tightened asylum restrictions at points of entry into the country.
For the new session, The Senate is expected back to Capitol Hill Jan. 8, and the House is expected to return Jan. 9.