EU condemned Belarus' attempt in fuelling migrant crisis across the border. Countries like Poland, Germany accused the Lukashenko govt of launching hybrid attack against 27 nation block in EU by not preventing immigration to block.

EU condemned Belarus' attempt in fuelling migrant crisis across border

Former US President Donald Trump visited the US-Mexico border on Wednesday, where he unleashed a wave of attacks on President Joe Biden and denounce an immigration crisis.

Former US President Trump visits the US-Mexico border, pushes anti-immigrant rhetoric

Vice President Kamala Harris visited a border patrol facility near the US-Mexico border on Friday and urged a focus on children and practical solutions to migration, in a trip meant to blunt Republican criticism of White House immigration policies. 
 
The visit, her first since becoming vice president five months ago, came amid a rise in migrants caught crossing the border, which has sparked outrage from Republicans, who favour the stricter immigration policies implemented by former President Donald Trump. 
 
President Joe Biden, a Democrat, tasked Harris with spearheading his administration's handling of the broader issue of people fleeing Central American countries for the United States. She visited Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month. 
 
"This issue cannot be reduced to a political issue. We're talking about children, we're talking about families, we're talking about suffering. And our approach has to be thoughtful and effective," Harris said at the conclusion of her short trip. 
 
US&nbsp;authorities have made more than one million arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border so far in fiscal year 2021, according to preliminary figures. 
 
Republicans have criticised Biden for rolling back restrictive Trump-era immigration policies even as arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border have reached 20-year highs in recent months. They have also criticised Harris for not visiting the border sooner. 
 
Harris was accompanied in El Paso by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin and Democratic Representative from Texas Veronica Escobar, who called the El Paso area the new "Ellis Island," a reference to the famed area in New York Harbour that processed millions of immigrants as they entered the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Immigration, and particularly the arrival of asylum seekers at the US&nbsp;southern border, has been a hot-button issue for decades. Multiple attempts to reform US&nbsp;laws and create a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally have failed in Congress. 
 
Democrats and activists have pressed Biden to further scale back enforcement and ensure humane treatment of migrant children and families arriving at the border.

During the trip, Harris also met with advocates, who urged her administration to end a Trump-era policy that allows US&nbsp;authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico or their home countries, according to one of the participants, Fernando Garcia, the executive director at the El Paso-based Border Network for Human Rights. 
 
(With inputs from agencies)

Vice President Kamala Harris visited a border patrol facility near the US-Mexico border on Friday and urged a focus on children and practical solutions to migration, in a trip meant to blunt Republican criticism of White House immigration policies.

Vice President Kamala Harris visited a border patrol facility near the US-Mexico border on Friday and urged a focus on children and practical solutions to migration, in a trip meant to blunt Republican criticism of White House immigration policies. The visit, her first since becoming vice president five months ago, came amid a rise in migrants caught crossing the border, which has sparked outrage from Republicans, who favour the stricter immigration policies implemented by former President Donald Trump. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, tasked Harris with spearheading his administration's handling of the broader issue of people fleeing Central American countries for the United States. She visited Guatemala and Mexico earlier this month. "This issue cannot be reduced to a political issue. We're talking about children, we're talking about families, we're talking about suffering. And our approach has to be thoughtful and effective," Harris said at the conclusion of her short trip. US authorities have made more than one million arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border so far in fiscal year 2021, according to preliminary figures. Republicans have criticised Biden for rolling back restrictive Trump-era immigration policies even as arrests of migrants at the US-Mexico border have reached 20-year highs in recent months. They have also criticised Harris for not visiting the border sooner. Harris was accompanied in El Paso by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Dick Durbin and Democratic Representative from Texas Veronica Escobar, who called the El Paso area the new "Ellis Island," a reference to the famed area in New York Harbour that processed millions of immigrants as they entered the United States in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Immigration, and particularly the arrival of asylum seekers at the US southern border, has been a hot-button issue for decades. Multiple attempts to reform US laws and create a pathway to citizenship for the millions of immigrants living in the country illegally have failed in Congress. Democrats and activists have pressed Biden to further scale back enforcement and ensure humane treatment of migrant children and families arriving at the border. During the trip, Harris also met with advocates, who urged her administration to end a Trump-era policy that allows US authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico or their home countries, according to one of the participants, Fernando Garcia, the executive director at the El Paso-based Border Network for Human Rights. (With inputs from agencies)

Drop politics to fix immigration, Harris says at US-Mexico border

Vice President Kamala Harris will visit the US-Mexico border on Friday as the Biden administration faces intense scrutiny over its handling of an immigration surge.

US Vice President to visit US-Mexico border under immigration scrutiny

US Vice President&nbsp;Kamala&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;on Friday will visit the country's border with Mexico, the White House announced, as the Biden administration faces intense scrutiny over its handling of an immigration surge.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants, many fleeing poverty and violence in Central America, have attempted to cross into the United States in recent months, prompting scathing criticism from Republicans that President Joe Biden's more humane approach to immigration was provoking rather than preventing a crisis.

Harris&nbsp;senior advisor Symone Sanders said Wednesday that the vice president will visit the border city of El Paso, Texas, and will be accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Biden tasked&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;earlier this year with overseeing efforts to address what the administration describes as root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/john-mcafee-antivirus-software-creator-turned-fugitive-dies-by-hanging-in-spanish-jail-393513">Also Read |&nbsp;John McAfee, antivirus software creator turned fugitive, dies by hanging in Spanish jail</a>

The vice president travelled to Guatemala and Mexico in early June to address the issue but caught flak from critics for comments that appeared to downplay the border crisis.&nbsp;

She was also criticized for not stopping at the border for a firsthand look at the situation during her international mission.

Harris&nbsp;continues to address the root causes of illegal immigration "and work in coordination to get the situation under control," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

"This trip to the border on Friday will be a part of this effort."

The White House did not provide details on&nbsp;Harris's border plans, saying specifics would be forthcoming.

The vice president's trip will come a few days before Donald Trump visits the border, on June 30, in a bid to contrast his tough stance on immigration with successor Biden's more humane approach.&nbsp;

"After months of ignoring the crisis at the Southern Border, it is great that we got&nbsp;Kamala&nbsp;Harris&nbsp;to finally go and see the tremendous destruction and death that they've created -- a direct result of Biden ending my very tough but fair Border policies," the former president said in a statement.

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday will visit the country's border with Mexico, the White House announced, as the Biden administration faces intense scrutiny over its handling of an immigration surge.

US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday will visit the country's border with Mexico, the White House announced, as the Biden administration faces intense scrutiny over its handling of an immigration surge. Hundreds of thousands of migrants, many fleeing poverty and violence in Central America, have attempted to cross into the United States in recent months, prompting scathing criticism from Republicans that President Joe Biden's more humane approach to immigration was provoking rather than preventing a crisis. Harris senior advisor Symone Sanders said Wednesday that the vice president will visit the border city of El Paso, Texas, and will be accompanied by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Biden tasked Harris earlier this year with overseeing efforts to address what the administration describes as root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Also Read | John McAfee, antivirus software creator turned fugitive, dies by hanging in Spanish jail The vice president travelled to Guatemala and Mexico in early June to address the issue but caught flak from critics for comments that appeared to downplay the border crisis. She was also criticized for not stopping at the border for a firsthand look at the situation during her international mission. Harris continues to address the root causes of illegal immigration "and work in coordination to get the situation under control," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said. "This trip to the border on Friday will be a part of this effort." The White House did not provide details on Harris's border plans, saying specifics would be forthcoming. The vice president's trip will come a few days before Donald Trump visits the border, on June 30, in a bid to contrast his tough stance on immigration with successor Biden's more humane approach. "After months of ignoring the crisis at the Southern Border, it is great that we got Kamala Harris to finally go and see the tremendous destruction and death that they've created -- a direct result of Biden ending my very tough but fair Border policies," the former president said in a statement.

Kamala Harris to visit US-Mexico border, after scrutiny over administration's record on immigration

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that immigrants allowed to stay in the United States temporarily for humanitarian reasons may not apply for green cards if they had entered the country unlawfully.

The case, Sanchez v. Mayorkas, No. 20-315, could affect tens of thousands of immigrants. It was brought by Jose Sanchez and Sonia Gonzalez, natives of El Salvador who entered the United States unlawfully in the late 1990s.

In 2001, after earthquakes devastated El Salvador, the United States made that country’s nationals eligible for the “temporary protected status” program. The program shields immigrants from parts of the world undergoing armed conflicts and natural disasters from deportation and allows them to work in the United States.

Sanchez and Gonzalez, a married couple, were granted protection under the program. In 2014, they applied for lawful permanent residency, commonly known as a green card. After their application was denied, they sued.

The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, in Philadelphia, ruled against them, saying they were ineligible under a part of the immigration laws that requires applicants to have been “inspected and admitted” into the United States.

Temporary protected status, Judge Thomas M. Hardiman wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel, “does not constitute an admission.”

“As its name suggests,” he wrote, “this protection is meant to be temporary.”

Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the Supreme Court on Monday, agreed, saying that two parts of the immigration laws operate on separate tracks. One part allows some people who have entered the country lawfully to apply for green cards.

That first part “imposes an admission requirement twice over,” she wrote. It says that applicants for green cards must have been “inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States.” And it adds that people who had worked in the United States without authorization, as Sanchez had before he was granted temporary protected status, are eligible only if their presence in the United States was “pursuant to a lawful admission.”

The other relevant part of the immigration laws, Kagan wrote, allows immigrants, whether they entered the country lawfully or not, to apply for temporary protected status, or TPS.

“The government may designate a country for the program when it is beset by especially bad or dangerous conditions, such as arise from natural disasters or armed conflicts,” she wrote. “The country’s citizens, if already present in the United States, may then obtain TPS. That status protects them from removal and authorizes them to work here for as long as the TPS designation lasts.”

The two tracks can sometimes merge, Kagan wrote, if the recipient of temporary protected status had entered the country lawfully. But she added that people who entered without authorisation do not become eligible for green cards thanks to temporary protected status.

“Lawful status and admission, as the court below recognized,” she wrote, “are distinct concepts in immigration law: Establishing one does not necessarily establish the other.”

“On the one hand, a foreign national can be admitted but not in lawful status — think of someone who legally entered the United States on a student visa, but stayed in the country long past graduation,” Kagan wrote. “On the other hand, a foreign national can be in lawful status but not admitted — think of someone who entered the country unlawfully, but then received asylum. The latter is the situation Sanchez is in, except that he received a different kind of lawful status.”

“Because a grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission,” she wrote, “it does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry.”

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that immigrants allowed to stay in the United States temporarily for humanitarian reasons may not apply for green cards if they had entered the country unlawfully.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Monday that immigrants allowed to stay in the United States temporarily for humanitarian reasons may not apply for green cards if they had entered the country unlawfully. The case, Sanchez v. Mayorkas, No. 20-315, could affect tens of thousands of immigrants. It was brought by Jose Sanchez and Sonia Gonzalez, natives of El Salvador who entered the United States unlawfully in the late 1990s. In 2001, after earthquakes devastated El Salvador, the United States made that country’s nationals eligible for the “temporary protected status” program. The program shields immigrants from parts of the world undergoing armed conflicts and natural disasters from deportation and allows them to work in the United States. Sanchez and Gonzalez, a married couple, were granted protection under the program. In 2014, they applied for lawful permanent residency, commonly known as a green card. After their application was denied, they sued. The 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, in Philadelphia, ruled against them, saying they were ineligible under a part of the immigration laws that requires applicants to have been “inspected and admitted” into the United States. Temporary protected status, Judge Thomas M. Hardiman wrote for the unanimous three-judge panel, “does not constitute an admission.” “As its name suggests,” he wrote, “this protection is meant to be temporary.” Justice Elena Kagan, writing for the Supreme Court on Monday, agreed, saying that two parts of the immigration laws operate on separate tracks. One part allows some people who have entered the country lawfully to apply for green cards. That first part “imposes an admission requirement twice over,” she wrote. It says that applicants for green cards must have been “inspected and admitted or paroled into the United States.” And it adds that people who had worked in the United States without authorization, as Sanchez had before he was granted temporary protected status, are eligible only if their presence in the United States was “pursuant to a lawful admission.” The other relevant part of the immigration laws, Kagan wrote, allows immigrants, whether they entered the country lawfully or not, to apply for temporary protected status, or TPS. “The government may designate a country for the program when it is beset by especially bad or dangerous conditions, such as arise from natural disasters or armed conflicts,” she wrote. “The country’s citizens, if already present in the United States, may then obtain TPS. That status protects them from removal and authorizes them to work here for as long as the TPS designation lasts.” The two tracks can sometimes merge, Kagan wrote, if the recipient of temporary protected status had entered the country lawfully. But she added that people who entered without authorisation do not become eligible for green cards thanks to temporary protected status. “Lawful status and admission, as the court below recognized,” she wrote, “are distinct concepts in immigration law: Establishing one does not necessarily establish the other.” “On the one hand, a foreign national can be admitted but not in lawful status — think of someone who legally entered the United States on a student visa, but stayed in the country long past graduation,” Kagan wrote. “On the other hand, a foreign national can be in lawful status but not admitted — think of someone who entered the country unlawfully, but then received asylum. The latter is the situation Sanchez is in, except that he received a different kind of lawful status.” “Because a grant of TPS does not come with a ticket of admission,” she wrote, “it does not eliminate the disqualifying effect of an unlawful entry.”

Supreme Court rules against immigrants seeking green cards

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops. Foreigners will have better opportunities to join their families and more chances to secure work visas.

A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.”

Because of Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80% since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years.

In almost every case over the past four years, immigrating to the United States has become harder, more expensive and takes longer.

And while Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor’s immigration legacy, the blueprint offers new details about how far-reaching the effort will be — not only rolling back Trump’s policies, but addressing backlogs and delays that plagued prior presidents.

The blueprint, dated May 3 and titled “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lists scores of initiatives intended to reopen the country to more immigrants, making good on the president’s promise to ensure America embraces its “character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome.”

“There are significant changes that need to be made to really open up all avenues of legal immigration,” said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, the chief of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, of the efforts to reverse Trump’s agenda. “In the same way that they took a broad-stroke approach to closing off avenues, I think we want to take a broad approach toward opening up the legal avenues that have always been available but that they tried to put roadblocks up on.”

Since taking office four months ago, Biden has struggled with a historic surge in migration by Central American children and teenagers that has prompted some Republicans to accuse the president of flinging open the nation’s borders to people trying to enter the country illegally, a charge the White House rejects.

In fact, Biden does want to open the country to more immigrants. His ambition, as reflected in the blueprint, is to rebuild and expand the opportunities for foreigners to enter the United States — but to do so legally.

Divided into seven sections, the document offers detailed policy proposals that would help more foreigners move to the United States, including high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, the families of Americans living abroad, American Indians born in Canada, refugees, asylum-seekers and farmworkers. Immigrants who apply online could pay less in fees or even secure a waiver in an attempt to “reduce barriers” to immigration. And regulations would be overhauled to “encourage full participation by immigrants in our civic life.”

Even with a more restrictive and slower immigration system, about 1 million people obtained green cards in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. Most had been waiting for years. In the final year of the Obama administration, 1.2 million people received green cards.

But if Biden accomplishes everything in the document, he will have gone further than just reversing the downward trend. He will have significantly increased opportunities for foreigners around the globe to come to the United States, embracing robust immigration even as a divisive, decadeslong political debate continues to rage over such a policy.

Most of the changes could be put into practice without passage of Biden’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the United States illegally but has stalled in a bitterly divided Congress. While surveys show that most Americans support increased immigration, many Republican voters have eagerly backed Trump’s more restrictive policies.

White House officials declined to comment directly on the Homeland Security Department’s blueprint, saying that such documents go through many drafts and that decisions about specific steps to address legal immigration remain in flux. But they said the president remained committed to significantly rolling back the restrictions imposed by his predecessor.

That effort will take time and has not yet caught the public’s attention like the surge of crossings at the southwest border. But conservative activists who have for years demanded lower levels of legal immigration are vowing a fight to stop Biden and extract a political price for his actions.

“They just want to shovel people in here,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former Virginia attorney general who served as the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services under Trump. “They are not running an immigration system for the benefit of America, and certainly not for the benefit of ordinary Americans. ”

Most research has shown that legal immigration to the United States has benefits for the country’s economy, especially at a time when the country’s population growth is slowing. But Cuccinelli and others who favor severe restrictions on immigration say it is obvious to them that letting foreigners compete for jobs — especially when the country is still recovering from an economic downturn like the one created by the pandemic — will hurt the prospects for American citizens.

“The No. 1 job for the immigration services is to make sure that immigration does not hurt Americans,” said Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, a group dedicated to far lower levels of legal immigration.

Motivated by that belief, Cuccinelli set in motion a transformation of the government’s legal immigration system during the Trump administration — changing his agency from one that confers benefits on foreigners into a “vetting agency,” in part by issuing numerous restrictions on offering asylum for immigrants and trying to raise fees.

The increased vetting, as well as travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, helped contribute to the result the Trump administration had sought: The influx of immigrants slowed significantly, as winning legal approval to enter the United States became much harder.

With fewer immigrants coming through the pipeline, there has been less money to finance Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is supported almost entirely by fees paid by immigrants. Restoring the agency to full capacity is at the heart of Biden’s effort to expand legal immigration, according to the document and interviews with administration officials.

A central element of the blueprint is addressing backlogs in the immigration system.

The administration is planning to fast-track immigration applications by expanding virtual interviews and electronic filing, as well as limiting the requests for evidence from applicants. Biden has tapped Cass R. Sunstein, a former Obama administration official and legal scholar at Harvard Law School, to remake the immigration system so it is “more effective and less burdensome” than it has been in decades by “reducing paperwork and other administrative requirements.”

Biden wants to restore opportunities for foreign employees through the existing H-1B visa program, which is intended for workers with special skills. The administration also intends to create new pathways for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to “start-up businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers,” according to the document.

Officials are working on a regulation that could allow migrants to win asylum in the United States if they are victims of domestic violence or their relatives were persecuted. During the Trump era, Attorney General William Barr moved to end asylum protection for those who said they deserved it for those reasons.

Biden is also aiming to expand immigration opportunities for LGBTQ refugees from countries where they are persecuted or where same-sex marriages are not recognized.

In addition, he wants to revamp a program that provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally who help law enforcement by cooperating with police or testifying in court.

The waiting list for the U-Visa program has ballooned, leaving crime victims and survivors of domestic abuse vulnerable to abusers who may threaten to report them for deportation if they continue to talk to the police, said Leslye E. Orloff, director of the national immigrant women’s advocacy project at American University.

The Biden administration is considering extending protections to immigrants who cooperate even before they make it on the official waiting list for the visa, according to the document.

“They’re recognizing that there’s danger for these victims,” Orloff said.

Critics say the Biden administration is ignoring the negative consequences of their efforts. The H-1B program has been attacked as a loophole for tech companies to import cheap foreign workers to compete for jobs. Granting asylum to the victims of domestic abuse could open the door to accepting millions of additional people. And some Republicans say Biden should not loosen vetting of foreigners, though officials insist they will continue to screen for terrorists and other threats.

As the Biden administration pushes forward with the changes, officials appear willing to use emergency rules and presidential memos to avoid the lengthy regulatory process, in much the same way that Trump put his own agenda in place. But that could make Biden’s immigration legacy subject to a similar reversal by a Republican president in the future.

“The question looming over all of this work is how do you do this in a way that isn’t easily so capsized next time around,” said Doug Rand, a founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company in Seattle that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship.

Change could not come soon enough for Jenn Hawk, 37, who is living with her Argentine husband in Poland, where he works, even though her autistic son is in the Washington area with his father.

Because of delays in processing her husband’s immigration application, she is faced with a choice: stay in Poland with the man she married, or go back to the United States alone to be with her 10-year-old son.

Hawk filed to sponsor her husband’s immigration to the United States in October of 2020, spending $575 on the application. But they are facing a delay of more than 1 1/2 years before they can even submit their financial and medical information, let alone get an interview with an immigration officer.

“I just want to go home,” Hawk said. “It seems like they’re doing everything in their power to restrict that from being a possibility.”

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops.

If President Joe Biden gets his way, it will soon be far easier to immigrate to the United States. There will be shorter, simpler forms and applicants will have to jump through fewer security hoops. Foreigners will have better opportunities to join their families and more chances to secure work visas. A 46-page draft blueprint obtained by The New York Times maps out the Biden administration’s plans to significantly expand the legal immigration system, including methodically reversing the efforts to dismantle it by former President Donald Trump, who reduced the flow of foreign workers, families and refugees, erecting procedural barriers tougher to cross than his “big, beautiful wall.” Because of Trump’s immigration policies, the average time it takes to approve employer-sponsored green cards has doubled. The backlog for citizenship applications is up 80% since 2014, to more than 900,000 cases. Approval for the U-visa program, which grants legal status for immigrants willing to help the police, has gone from five months to roughly five years. In almost every case over the past four years, immigrating to the United States has become harder, more expensive and takes longer. And while Biden made clear during his presidential campaign that he intended to undo much of his predecessor’s immigration legacy, the blueprint offers new details about how far-reaching the effort will be — not only rolling back Trump’s policies, but addressing backlogs and delays that plagued prior presidents. The blueprint, dated May 3 and titled “D.H.S. Plan to Restore Trust in Our Legal Immigration System,” lists scores of initiatives intended to reopen the country to more immigrants, making good on the president’s promise to ensure America embraces its “character as a nation of opportunity and of welcome.” “There are significant changes that need to be made to really open up all avenues of legal immigration,” said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, the chief of staff at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, of the efforts to reverse Trump’s agenda. “In the same way that they took a broad-stroke approach to closing off avenues, I think we want to take a broad approach toward opening up the legal avenues that have always been available but that they tried to put roadblocks up on.” Since taking office four months ago, Biden has struggled with a historic surge in migration by Central American children and teenagers that has prompted some Republicans to accuse the president of flinging open the nation’s borders to people trying to enter the country illegally, a charge the White House rejects. In fact, Biden does want to open the country to more immigrants. His ambition, as reflected in the blueprint, is to rebuild and expand the opportunities for foreigners to enter the United States — but to do so legally. Divided into seven sections, the document offers detailed policy proposals that would help more foreigners move to the United States, including high-skilled workers, trafficking victims, the families of Americans living abroad, American Indians born in Canada, refugees, asylum-seekers and farmworkers. Immigrants who apply online could pay less in fees or even secure a waiver in an attempt to “reduce barriers” to immigration. And regulations would be overhauled to “encourage full participation by immigrants in our civic life.” Even with a more restrictive and slower immigration system, about 1 million people obtained green cards in 2019, the last full year before the pandemic. Most had been waiting for years. In the final year of the Obama administration, 1.2 million people received green cards. But if Biden accomplishes everything in the document, he will have gone further than just reversing the downward trend. He will have significantly increased opportunities for foreigners around the globe to come to the United States, embracing robust immigration even as a divisive, decadeslong political debate continues to rage over such a policy. Most of the changes could be put into practice without passage of Biden’s proposed overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, which would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of people living in the United States illegally but has stalled in a bitterly divided Congress. While surveys show that most Americans support increased immigration, many Republican voters have eagerly backed Trump’s more restrictive policies. White House officials declined to comment directly on the Homeland Security Department’s blueprint, saying that such documents go through many drafts and that decisions about specific steps to address legal immigration remain in flux. But they said the president remained committed to significantly rolling back the restrictions imposed by his predecessor. That effort will take time and has not yet caught the public’s attention like the surge of crossings at the southwest border. But conservative activists who have for years demanded lower levels of legal immigration are vowing a fight to stop Biden and extract a political price for his actions. “They just want to shovel people in here,” said Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, a former Virginia attorney general who served as the acting head of Citizenship and Immigration Services under Trump. “They are not running an immigration system for the benefit of America, and certainly not for the benefit of ordinary Americans. ” Most research has shown that legal immigration to the United States has benefits for the country’s economy, especially at a time when the country’s population growth is slowing. But Cuccinelli and others who favor severe restrictions on immigration say it is obvious to them that letting foreigners compete for jobs — especially when the country is still recovering from an economic downturn like the one created by the pandemic — will hurt the prospects for American citizens. “The No. 1 job for the immigration services is to make sure that immigration does not hurt Americans,” said Roy Beck, the founder of NumbersUSA, a group dedicated to far lower levels of legal immigration. Motivated by that belief, Cuccinelli set in motion a transformation of the government’s legal immigration system during the Trump administration — changing his agency from one that confers benefits on foreigners into a “vetting agency,” in part by issuing numerous restrictions on offering asylum for immigrants and trying to raise fees. The increased vetting, as well as travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic, helped contribute to the result the Trump administration had sought: The influx of immigrants slowed significantly, as winning legal approval to enter the United States became much harder. With fewer immigrants coming through the pipeline, there has been less money to finance Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is supported almost entirely by fees paid by immigrants. Restoring the agency to full capacity is at the heart of Biden’s effort to expand legal immigration, according to the document and interviews with administration officials. A central element of the blueprint is addressing backlogs in the immigration system. The administration is planning to fast-track immigration applications by expanding virtual interviews and electronic filing, as well as limiting the requests for evidence from applicants. Biden has tapped Cass R. Sunstein, a former Obama administration official and legal scholar at Harvard Law School, to remake the immigration system so it is “more effective and less burdensome” than it has been in decades by “reducing paperwork and other administrative requirements.” Biden wants to restore opportunities for foreign employees through the existing H-1B visa program, which is intended for workers with special skills. The administration also intends to create new pathways for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to “start-up businesses and create jobs for U.S. workers,” according to the document. Officials are working on a regulation that could allow migrants to win asylum in the United States if they are victims of domestic violence or their relatives were persecuted. During the Trump era, Attorney General William Barr moved to end asylum protection for those who said they deserved it for those reasons. Biden is also aiming to expand immigration opportunities for LGBTQ refugees from countries where they are persecuted or where same-sex marriages are not recognized. In addition, he wants to revamp a program that provides a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally who help law enforcement by cooperating with police or testifying in court. The waiting list for the U-Visa program has ballooned, leaving crime victims and survivors of domestic abuse vulnerable to abusers who may threaten to report them for deportation if they continue to talk to the police, said Leslye E. Orloff, director of the national immigrant women’s advocacy project at American University. The Biden administration is considering extending protections to immigrants who cooperate even before they make it on the official waiting list for the visa, according to the document. “They’re recognizing that there’s danger for these victims,” Orloff said. Critics say the Biden administration is ignoring the negative consequences of their efforts. The H-1B program has been attacked as a loophole for tech companies to import cheap foreign workers to compete for jobs. Granting asylum to the victims of domestic abuse could open the door to accepting millions of additional people. And some Republicans say Biden should not loosen vetting of foreigners, though officials insist they will continue to screen for terrorists and other threats. As the Biden administration pushes forward with the changes, officials appear willing to use emergency rules and presidential memos to avoid the lengthy regulatory process, in much the same way that Trump put his own agenda in place. But that could make Biden’s immigration legacy subject to a similar reversal by a Republican president in the future. “The question looming over all of this work is how do you do this in a way that isn’t easily so capsized next time around,” said Doug Rand, a founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company in Seattle that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship. Change could not come soon enough for Jenn Hawk, 37, who is living with her Argentine husband in Poland, where he works, even though her autistic son is in the Washington area with his father. Because of delays in processing her husband’s immigration application, she is faced with a choice: stay in Poland with the man she married, or go back to the United States alone to be with her 10-year-old son. Hawk filed to sponsor her husband’s immigration to the United States in October of 2020, spending $575 on the application. But they are facing a delay of more than 1 1/2 years before they can even submit their financial and medical information, let alone get an interview with an immigration officer. “I just want to go home,” Hawk said. “It seems like they’re doing everything in their power to restrict that from being a possibility.”

Biden aims to rebuild and expand legal immigration

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel unveiled the government's new immigration policy, announcing sweeping reforms to streamline the way in which people enter into the United Kingdom.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel announces 'wholesale' immigration reforms

The UK has adopted digital visa system from the US to keep a check on the actual number of people entering and leaving the country for the first time.

Digital visa&nbsp;has been unveiled for the people who will be entering the UK without a visa or immigration status. The visitors will now have to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). This will help determine the eligibility of the visitors, UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel explained.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/unprecedented-india-uk-mobility-pact-overcomes-past-barriers-priti-patel-384327">Unprecedented India-UK mobility pact overcomes past barriers: Priti Patel</a>

"Our new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and out of the country, giving us control over who comes to the UK," Patel said.

This digital visa has been initiated after the Boris Johnson-led government was criticised for miscalculating the number of European citizens staying in the UK. The Home Office had estimated that nearly three million people from the EU lived in the UK and will be applying to the EU settlement scheme.

However, by April end, more than 5.4 million people had already applied for visa under the scheme and nearly 4.9 million had already been given the nod.

The government estimates nearly 144.7 million passengers arrived in the UK till June 2019, of which nearly 40 million had migrated from the European economic area and Switzerland.

The UK has adopted digital visa system from the US to keep a check on the actual number of people entering and leaving the country for the first time. Digital visa has been unveiled for the people who will be entering the UK without a visa or immigration status.

The UK has adopted digital visa system from the US to keep a check on the actual number of people entering and leaving the country for the first time. Digital visa has been unveiled for the people who will be entering the UK without a visa or immigration status. The visitors will now have to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). This will help determine the eligibility of the visitors, UK’s Home Secretary Priti Patel explained. Also read | Unprecedented India-UK mobility pact overcomes past barriers: Priti Patel "Our new fully digital border will provide the ability to count people in and out of the country, giving us control over who comes to the UK," Patel said. This digital visa has been initiated after the Boris Johnson-led government was criticised for miscalculating the number of European citizens staying in the UK. The Home Office had estimated that nearly three million people from the EU lived in the UK and will be applying to the EU settlement scheme. However, by April end, more than 5.4 million people had already applied for visa under the scheme and nearly 4.9 million had already been given the nod. The government estimates nearly 144.7 million passengers arrived in the UK till June 2019, of which nearly 40 million had migrated from the European economic area and Switzerland.

UK set to introduce 'digital visa' for travellers arriving in country

A new immigration bill which is being considered in Hong Kong on Wednesday could give authorities unlimited powers to prevent citizens and other residents from entering and leaving the semi-autonomous city.

According to the government, the bill wants to screen illegal immigrants and does not intend to affect movement rights. But analysts do not think so.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/9-veteran-hong-kong-activists-convicted-for-unauthorized-assembly-in-2019-374702/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Lawyers believe that the bill could allow authorities to prevent anybody from entering or leaving Hong Kong without a court order. In addition, it fails to stop indefinite detention for refugees.

In 2020, Chinese authorities imposed a national security law onto the city. Currently, the law would face no resistance as most of the pro-democracy lawmakers resigned last year to protest the disqualification of their colleagues.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/hong-kong-independence-activist-jailed-over-explosives-lab-379582" hreflang="en">Hong Kong independence activist jailed over explosives lab</a>

Many of the pro-democracy politicians and activists remain jailed in the city under the new security law or for other reasons. Many of them have been exiled. In response to this, many Western countries have eased immigration rules for inhabitants of the city and are offering political asylum to multiple activists.

Lawyers told Reuters that the immigration bill could give authorities the power to impose "exit bans", similar to what exists in mainland China. On multiple instances, China has denied that the bans are a form of indefinite detention.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/hong-kong-security-law-forces-activist-couple-in-their-60s-to-get-married-379321" hreflang="en">Hong Kong: Security law forces activist couple in their 60s to get married</a>

Hong Kong authorities say that they are simply following the practice followed by the United States and many European countries whereby carriers are required to provide detailed information of their crew members s part of an international convention.

The European Union states that authorities may not use such information to deny entry to people on any grounds other than to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist offences or serious crimes.

(With inputs from agencies)

A new immigration bill which is being considered in Hong Kong on Wednesday could give authorities unlimited powers to prevent citizens and other residents from entering and leaving the semi-autonomous city.

A new immigration bill which is being considered in Hong Kong on Wednesday could give authorities unlimited powers to prevent citizens and other residents from entering and leaving the semi-autonomous city. According to the government, the bill wants to screen illegal immigrants and does not intend to affect movement rights. But analysts do not think so. Lawyers believe that the bill could allow authorities to prevent anybody from entering or leaving Hong Kong without a court order. In addition, it fails to stop indefinite detention for refugees. In 2020, Chinese authorities imposed a national security law onto the city. Currently, the law would face no resistance as most of the pro-democracy lawmakers resigned last year to protest the disqualification of their colleagues. Also read: Hong Kong independence activist jailed over explosives lab Many of the pro-democracy politicians and activists remain jailed in the city under the new security law or for other reasons. Many of them have been exiled. In response to this, many Western countries have eased immigration rules for inhabitants of the city and are offering political asylum to multiple activists. Lawyers told Reuters that the immigration bill could give authorities the power to impose "exit bans", similar to what exists in mainland China. On multiple instances, China has denied that the bans are a form of indefinite detention. Also read: Hong Kong: Security law forces activist couple in their 60s to get married Hong Kong authorities say that they are simply following the practice followed by the United States and many European countries whereby carriers are required to provide detailed information of their crew members s part of an international convention. The European Union states that authorities may not use such information to deny entry to people on any grounds other than to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist offences or serious crimes. (With inputs from agencies)

Hong Kong's new immigration bill could give authorities arbitrary control over people's movement

Canada’s special immigration programme for residents of Hong Kong has received over 500 applications in just three weeks.

The initiative was heralded by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In November, the Canadian government had said that it would make it easier for people from Hong Kong to work and study in Canada after China imposed fresh security rules in the semi-autonomous territory.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/9-veteran-hong-kong-activists-convicted-for-unauthorized-assembly-in-2019-374702/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The numbers for the programme were revealed by Canada’s immigration ministry.

"In the first three weeks that the program was open (Feb. 8 to Feb. 28), IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) received 503 applications for work permits and 10 applications for work permit extensions," press secretary Alexander Cohen was cited as saying in an emailed statement by Reuters.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/jailing-of-hong-kong-activists-impacts-eu-china-ties-eu-official-378061" hreflang="en">Jailing of Hong Kong activists impacts EU-China ties: EU official</a>

"Canada shares the grave concerns of the international community over China's National Security Legislation and strongly supports the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly", the statement added.

In February, Canada said that Hong Kong graduates from Canadian universities are eligible to apply for a new category of a three-year work permit.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/hong-kong-court-sentences-media-tycoon-jimmy-lai-to-12-months-prison-377963" hreflang="en">Hong Kong court sentences media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 12 months prison</a>

In June 2020, China imposed a new national security law in Hong Kong to limit anything that qualifies as “subversion, terrorism, and secession”. While China imposed the new law, many residents of the city reportedly moved billions of dollars to Canada.

Last year, capital flowing out of Hong Kong banks into Canada rose to high levels with over $34.87 billion in electronic funds transfers, which lodged by FINTRAC - Canada’s anti-money-laundering agency.

In 2020, Canadian visa applications from Hong Kong, not including visitors’ visas increased by 10 per cent to 8,121 in 2020.

Canada’s special immigration programme for residents of Hong Kong has received over 500 applications in just three weeks. The initiative was heralded by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Canada’s special immigration programme for residents of Hong Kong has received over 500 applications in just three weeks. The initiative was heralded by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In November, the Canadian government had said that it would make it easier for people from Hong Kong to work and study in Canada after China imposed fresh security rules in the semi-autonomous territory. The numbers for the programme were revealed by Canada’s immigration ministry. "In the first three weeks that the program was open (Feb. 8 to Feb. 28), IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) received 503 applications for work permits and 10 applications for work permit extensions," press secretary Alexander Cohen was cited as saying in an emailed statement by Reuters. Also read: Jailing of Hong Kong activists impacts EU-China ties: EU official "Canada shares the grave concerns of the international community over China's National Security Legislation and strongly supports the right to peaceful protest, freedom of expression and freedom of assembly", the statement added. In February, Canada said that Hong Kong graduates from Canadian universities are eligible to apply for a new category of a three-year work permit. Also read: Hong Kong court sentences media tycoon Jimmy Lai to 12 months prison In June 2020, China imposed a new national security law in Hong Kong to limit anything that qualifies as “subversion, terrorism, and secession”. While China imposed the new law, many residents of the city reportedly moved billions of dollars to Canada. Last year, capital flowing out of Hong Kong banks into Canada rose to high levels with over $34.87 billion in electronic funds transfers, which lodged by FINTRAC - Canada’s anti-money-laundering agency. In 2020, Canadian visa applications from Hong Kong, not including visitors’ visas increased by 10 per cent to 8,121 in 2020.

Canada's immigration programme for Hong Kongers received 500 applications in 3 weeks

United States President Joe Biden is set to let a proclamation barring temporary foreign workers from coming into the country expire on Wednesday. The proclamation was put in place by his predecessor, Donald Trump and prevented temporary foreign workers from entering the States.

Reuters reported that Biden is set to let it expire. Biden has staunchly reversed many policies of Donald Trump especially in terms of immigration. After taking office on January 20, Biden has also revoked a proclamation which prevented applicants of permanent residency from entering the country.

Trump’s first directive against foreign workers was issued in June 2020 and later extended upto March 31, claiming it was necessary to protect American workers as unemployment rates soared during the pandemic.

In mid-March, jobless claims in the US dropped to a one-year low. Even then, a report by the US Labor Department claims that 19 million people are still receiving unemployment cheques.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/former-top-us-virus-official-slams-trumps-pandemic-response-citing-needless-deaths-374033" hreflang="en">Former top US virus official slams Trump’s pandemic response, citing needless deaths</a>

Those affected by the expiration of the proclamation are foreign workers in the country on H-1B visas whereby American employers hire people in specialised occupations, and for companies big on outsourcing services.

Recently, Trump spoke at a wedding ceremony at Mar-a-Lago. He used the moment to attack Biden over multiple issues, ranging from the border with Mexico, to China, and even Iran.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/miss-me-yet-donald-trump-shocks-everyone-by-making-wedding-speech-about-himself-374257" hreflang="en">'Miss me yet?': Donald Trump shocks everyone by making wedding speech about himself</a>

"We were ready to make a deal [with Iran], they were ready to do anything, they would have done anything. And this guy [Biden] goes and drops the sanctions and then he says we'd like to negotiate now," Trump is heard saying in the video.

"What's happening to the kids? They are living in squalor, they are living like nobody has ever seen," Trump said, while referring to the kids at border. "The border is not good. It's the worst that it has ever been," he said.

United States President Joe Biden is set to let a proclamation barring temporary foreign workers from coming into the country expire on Wednesday. The proclamation was put in place by his predecessor, Donald Trump and prevented temporary foreign workers from entering the States.

United States President Joe Biden is set to let a proclamation barring temporary foreign workers from coming into the country expire on Wednesday. The proclamation was put in place by his predecessor, Donald Trump and prevented temporary foreign workers from entering the States. Reuters reported that Biden is set to let it expire. Biden has staunchly reversed many policies of Donald Trump especially in terms of immigration. After taking office on January 20, Biden has also revoked a proclamation which prevented applicants of permanent residency from entering the country. Trump’s first directive against foreign workers was issued in June 2020 and later extended upto March 31, claiming it was necessary to protect American workers as unemployment rates soared during the pandemic. In mid-March, jobless claims in the US dropped to a one-year low. Even then, a report by the US Labor Department claims that 19 million people are still receiving unemployment cheques. Also read: Former top US virus official slams Trump’s pandemic response, citing needless deaths Those affected by the expiration of the proclamation are foreign workers in the country on H-1B visas whereby American employers hire people in specialised occupations, and for companies big on outsourcing services. Recently, Trump spoke at a wedding ceremony at Mar-a-Lago. He used the moment to attack Biden over multiple issues, ranging from the border with Mexico, to China, and even Iran. Also read: 'Miss me yet?': Donald Trump shocks everyone by making wedding speech about himself "We were ready to make a deal [with Iran], they were ready to do anything, they would have done anything. And this guy [Biden] goes and drops the sanctions and then he says we'd like to negotiate now," Trump is heard saying in the video. "What's happening to the kids? They are living in squalor, they are living like nobody has ever seen," Trump said, while referring to the kids at border. "The border is not good. It's the worst that it has ever been," he said.

Joe Biden set to end Trump-era ban on temporary foreign workers

Republican senator Ted Cruz is once again making the headlines, and yet again it is not for a good cause. This time, it is his trip to the US-Mexico border.

In a wildlife style documentary, Cruz went to the US-Mexico border with hopes of capturing the experiences of people who are planning to cross borders.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/under-biden-democrats-are-poised-to-raise-taxes-on-business-and-the-rich-373883" hreflang="en">Under Biden, Democrats are poised to raise taxes on business and the rich</a>

Accompanied by professional photographers, he was spotted in a dark green fishing shirt and a baseball cap with a Texas flag, and hopes of capturing "live footage from the banks of the Rio Grande," he tweeted.

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Live footage from the banks of the Rio Grande.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BidenBorderCrisis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BidenBorderCrisis</a> <a href="https://t.co/aO4EyANrRQ">pic.twitter.com/aO4EyANrRQ</a>
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1375330432359804929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Cruz can be heard describing his dramatic experience of apparently spotting human traffickers and cartel members.

"On the other side of the river we have been listening to and seeing cartel members – human traffickers – right on the other side of the river waving flashlights, yelling and taunting Americans, taunting the border patrol," he said.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexican-child-9-dies-trying-to-enter-us-border-patrol-373517" hreflang="en">Mexican child, 9, dies trying to enter US: Border patrol</a>

This was Cruz's attempt at disgracing Biden's policy for immigrants, which Republicans say has been a "crisis". However, residents in the Rio Grande Valley have not affirmed the existence f any such crisis yet.

Cruz also claimed that he and his accompanying friends from the Republican party were met with heckling cartel members, and also saw a dead body floating in the Rio Grande.&nbsp;

His "live footage" was met with hilarious replies from the Twitterati, who compared his footage to Jurassic Park movie scenes, and also called him out for his privilege.

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Ted Cruz and Susan Collins claim they were "heckled" by drug cartels at the Mexican border. Both agreed it brought back painful memories of their proms
— Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulRudnickNY/status/1375565230642712576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

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is this the part where the velociraptor comes out and eats him <a href="https://t.co/aNpvh1VuxE">https://t.co/aNpvh1VuxE</a>
— Nate Monroe (@NateMonroeTU) <a href="https://twitter.com/NateMonroeTU/status/1375596896094408705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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All that was missing was Ted Cruz yelling out "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
— (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) <a href="https://twitter.com/DeanObeidallah/status/1375468507362648075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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This button has done more work in 1 day than Ted Cruz has in 8 years as a senator. <a href="https://t.co/R6M4WimBKG">pic.twitter.com/R6M4WimBKG</a>
— Keaton Patti (@KeatonPatti) <a href="https://twitter.com/KeatonPatti/status/1375984651337097218?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Ted Cruz is being heckled at the border and definitely not in a hotel in Cancun: <a href="https://t.co/bsEBHBChSl">pic.twitter.com/bsEBHBChSl</a>
— RJ Dralle (@rjdralle) <a href="https://twitter.com/rjdralle/status/1375514508387438594?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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my audition to be in the cartel that heckled ted cruz <a href="https://t.co/wkfQhCFayO">pic.twitter.com/wkfQhCFayO</a>
— blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) <a href="https://twitter.com/blaireerskine/status/1375548899172188161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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my audition to be in the cartel that heckled ted cruz <a href="https://t.co/wkfQhCFayO">pic.twitter.com/wkfQhCFayO</a>
— blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) <a href="https://twitter.com/blaireerskine/status/1375548899172188161?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2021</a></blockquote>
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😂 <a href="https://t.co/8HliH2yas1">pic.twitter.com/8HliH2yas1</a>
— RKannie3 (@rosalita356) <a href="https://twitter.com/rosalita356/status/1375814145162022915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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.<a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tedcruz</a> you still hiding in the weeds you dumb shit? <a href="https://t.co/9NBPl1mo7C">pic.twitter.com/9NBPl1mo7C</a>
— Mz. Chievous ™️ (@CCLcaribecrew) <a href="https://twitter.com/CCLcaribecrew/status/1375796597502705664?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Republican senator Ted Cruz is once again making the headlines, and yet again it is not for a good cause. This time, it is his trip to the US-Mexico border. In a wildlife style documentary, Cruz went to the US-Mexico border with hopes of capturing the experiences of people who are planning to cross borders.

Republican senator Ted Cruz is once again making the headlines, and yet again it is not for a good cause. This time, it is his trip to the US-Mexico border. In a wildlife style documentary, Cruz went to the US-Mexico border with hopes of capturing the experiences of people who are planning to cross borders. Also read | Under Biden, Democrats are poised to raise taxes on business and the rich Accompanied by professional photographers, he was spotted in a dark green fishing shirt and a baseball cap with a Texas flag, and hopes of capturing "live footage from the banks of the Rio Grande," he tweeted. Live footage from the banks of the Rio Grande.#BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/aO4EyANrRQ — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 26, 2021 × Cruz can be heard describing his dramatic experience of apparently spotting human traffickers and cartel members. "On the other side of the river we have been listening to and seeing cartel members – human traffickers – right on the other side of the river waving flashlights, yelling and taunting Americans, taunting the border patrol," he said. Also read | Mexican child, 9, dies trying to enter US: Border patrol This was Cruz's attempt at disgracing Biden's policy for immigrants, which Republicans say has been a "crisis". However, residents in the Rio Grande Valley have not affirmed the existence f any such crisis yet. Cruz also claimed that he and his accompanying friends from the Republican party were met with heckling cartel members, and also saw a dead body floating in the Rio Grande. His "live footage" was met with hilarious replies from the Twitterati, who compared his footage to Jurassic Park movie scenes, and also called him out for his privilege. Ted Cruz and Susan Collins claim they were "heckled" by drug cartels at the Mexican border. Both agreed it brought back painful memories of their proms — Paul Rudnick (@PaulRudnickNY) March 26, 2021 × is this the part where the velociraptor comes out and eats him https://t.co/aNpvh1VuxE — Nate Monroe (@NateMonroeTU) March 26, 2021 × All that was missing was Ted Cruz yelling out "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" — (((DeanObeidallah))) (@DeanObeidallah) March 26, 2021 × This button has done more work in 1 day than Ted Cruz has in 8 years as a senator. pic.twitter.com/R6M4WimBKG — Keaton Patti (@KeatonPatti) March 28, 2021 × Ted Cruz is being heckled at the border and definitely not in a hotel in Cancun: pic.twitter.com/bsEBHBChSl — RJ Dralle (@rjdralle) March 26, 2021 × my audition to be in the cartel that heckled ted cruz pic.twitter.com/wkfQhCFayO — blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) March 26, 2021 × my audition to be in the cartel that heckled ted cruz pic.twitter.com/wkfQhCFayO — blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) March 26, 2021 × 😂 pic.twitter.com/8HliH2yas1 — RKannie3 (@rosalita356) March 27, 2021 × .@tedcruz you still hiding in the weeds you dumb shit? pic.twitter.com/9NBPl1mo7C — Mz. Chievous ™️ (@CCLcaribecrew) March 27, 2021 ×

Is it not Cancun? Twitter asks after Ted Cruz posts documentary-style trip to US-Mexico border

A nine-year-old Mexican child died while trying to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States, the Border Patrol said Friday amid a surge in migrants seeking to enter the country.

The child was found together with a Guatemalan woman and her three-year-old, all unconscious and stranded on an island in the middle of the river which demarcates the US-Mexico border in Texas on March 20.

"Agents found the individuals and immediately began administering first aid while transporting the migrants to shore," the Border Patrol said in a statement that did not state the deceased child's gender.

The woman and the three-year-old regained consciousness but the nine-year-old could not be revived.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lack-of-sanitation-and-social-distancing-how-immigrants-in-america-are-struggling-372618">Lack of sanitation and social distancing: How immigrants in America are struggling</a>

The three, who were not identified, were some of the 500 migrants rescued from dangerous situations in the past five months as thousands attempt to cross the border every day.

A senior Border Patrol official said Friday that the numbers continue to increase: some 6,000 undocumented migrants were caught on Thursday trying to enter the country.

Unlike in the past, when most of those caught crossing the southern border illegally were single adults, most recently about half have been either in family units or as unaccompanied children.

Most are being sent back into Mexico but all of the unaccompanied children and a number of the families are being allowed to stay in the United States.

Holding and processing facilities for the children at both the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are packed far beyond capacity.

On Wednesday the CBP was holding 5,156 migrant minors while HHS, which takes them from CBP and tries to place them with family members in the United States, had 11,900. &nbsp;

In February more than 9,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Mexico and Central American, came in, and that number appears on track to top 14,000 this month.

"We are apprehending more people than we are discharging," the official, who declined to be identified, told reporters.

On Thursday President Joe Biden defended his handling of the increase in migrants, which has become his largest political liability two months into his adminsitration, after predecessor Donald Trump sought to seal off the border.

Biden called the surge seasonal, because it was the safest time to travel, and said the children were being accepted in for humane reasons.

The Border Patrol official said they expect the surge to continue at least through April.

"I fully expect the numbers to increase into the summer months," he said.

A nine-year-old Mexican child died while trying to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States, the Border Patrol said Friday amid a surge in migrants seeking to enter the country.

A nine-year-old Mexican child died while trying to cross the Rio Grande River into the United States, the Border Patrol said Friday amid a surge in migrants seeking to enter the country. The child was found together with a Guatemalan woman and her three-year-old, all unconscious and stranded on an island in the middle of the river which demarcates the US-Mexico border in Texas on March 20. "Agents found the individuals and immediately began administering first aid while transporting the migrants to shore," the Border Patrol said in a statement that did not state the deceased child's gender. The woman and the three-year-old regained consciousness but the nine-year-old could not be revived. Also read | Lack of sanitation and social distancing: How immigrants in America are struggling The three, who were not identified, were some of the 500 migrants rescued from dangerous situations in the past five months as thousands attempt to cross the border every day. A senior Border Patrol official said Friday that the numbers continue to increase: some 6,000 undocumented migrants were caught on Thursday trying to enter the country. Unlike in the past, when most of those caught crossing the southern border illegally were single adults, most recently about half have been either in family units or as unaccompanied children. Most are being sent back into Mexico but all of the unaccompanied children and a number of the families are being allowed to stay in the United States. Holding and processing facilities for the children at both the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) are packed far beyond capacity. On Wednesday the CBP was holding 5,156 migrant minors while HHS, which takes them from CBP and tries to place them with family members in the United States, had 11,900. In February more than 9,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Mexico and Central American, came in, and that number appears on track to top 14,000 this month. "We are apprehending more people than we are discharging," the official, who declined to be identified, told reporters. On Thursday President Joe Biden defended his handling of the increase in migrants, which has become his largest political liability two months into his adminsitration, after predecessor Donald Trump sought to seal off the border. Biden called the surge seasonal, because it was the safest time to travel, and said the children were being accepted in for humane reasons. The Border Patrol official said they expect the surge to continue at least through April. "I fully expect the numbers to increase into the summer months," he said.

Mexican child, 9, dies trying to enter US: Border patrol

Since the migrant crisis has been alarmingly increasing in the US, the newly-elected <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">President</a> has appointed his trusted right-hand woman to be in charge of migration for the country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Biden </a>has given <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/kamala-harris">Kamala Harris</a> the responsibility of tackling the influx of migrants on the Mexican border.&nbsp;

"I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this," Biden said at a White House meeting. "When she speaks, she speaks for me."

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/biden-to-hold-first-press-conference-after-breaking-100-year-record-without-one-372963">Biden to hold 1st press conference after breaking 100-year record without one</a>

The President also cautioned the Vice President that the responsibility is a tough but important one, to which Harris assured that while she is aware "that this is a challenging situation", she will put in her best to bring the country out of this crisis and help the migrants.

This is the first time Harris has been assigned a specific portfolio since she took over the office on January 20 — which earlier belonged to Mike Pence.

Biden administration has also announced that the San Diego Convention Center will be added to the list of shelters for the incoming migrant children. The centre will be able to accommodate nearly 1,400 children.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-states-president-joe-biden-appoints-harris-to-lead-efforts-to-tackle-crisis-373009">Watch |</a>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/united-states-president-joe-biden-appoints-harris-to-lead-efforts-to-tackle-crisis-373009/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Talking about the crisis, Harris acknowledged that the country is stuck in a huge problem, but assured quick and reliable solutions.

"It's a huge problem. I'm not going to pretend it's not," she said in an interview.

However, she also added that the Biden administration is having to work through the damage done by the previous administration over a period of four years — an administration that ruled with anti-immigration agenda.

"We have to reconstruct it. It's not going to happen overnight," Harris said.

Since the migrant crisis has been alarmingly increasing in the US, the newly-elected President has appointed his trusted right-hand woman to be in charge of migration for the country.

Since the migrant crisis has been alarmingly increasing in the US, the newly-elected President has appointed his trusted right-hand woman to be in charge of migration for the country. Biden has given Kamala Harris the responsibility of tackling the influx of migrants on the Mexican border. "I can think of nobody who is better qualified to do this," Biden said at a White House meeting. "When she speaks, she speaks for me." Also read | Biden to hold 1st press conference after breaking 100-year record without one The President also cautioned the Vice President that the responsibility is a tough but important one, to which Harris assured that while she is aware "that this is a challenging situation", she will put in her best to bring the country out of this crisis and help the migrants. This is the first time Harris has been assigned a specific portfolio since she took over the office on January 20 — which earlier belonged to Mike Pence. Biden administration has also announced that the San Diego Convention Center will be added to the list of shelters for the incoming migrant children. The centre will be able to accommodate nearly 1,400 children. Watch | Talking about the crisis, Harris acknowledged that the country is stuck in a huge problem, but assured quick and reliable solutions. "It's a huge problem. I'm not going to pretend it's not," she said in an interview. However, she also added that the Biden administration is having to work through the damage done by the previous administration over a period of four years — an administration that ruled with anti-immigration agenda. "We have to reconstruct it. It's not going to happen overnight," Harris said.

'She speaks for me': Biden appoints Kamala Harris to handle immigration crisis

Shocking images of a Biden-Era detention centre have emerged. The photos from Texas show children sleeping on mats under foil blankets. A report claims the migrants haven't been given adequate access to soap or food. WION's Molly Gambhir tells you more.

Gravitas: Shocking images of Biden-era detention centre

The United States is expelling migrants to Mexico far from where they are caught crossing the border, according to Reuters witnesses, in a move that circumvents the refusal of authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas who stopped accepting the return of migrant families with younger children.

The practice is a sign that President Joe Biden is toughening his approach to the growing humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexican border after his administration`s entreaties for Central American migrants to stay home have failed to stop thousands from heading north.

Some families caught at the border in Texas` Rio Grande Valley said in interviews they were flown to El Paso, Texas, after being held in custody just a few days. From there, they were escorted by U.S. officials to the international bridge to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, around 800-miles (1,300 km) away from where they were first picked up by U.S. border patrol agents.

A Reuters photographer saw planes landing in El Paso this week that were loaded with dozens of migrant families with young children, including babies in diapers, and then saw the same families crossing the international bridge.

Some passengers interviewed by Reuters once they crossed into Mexico said they had been awakened in their holding cells at night by border agents and not told where they were going as they were loaded on buses and taken to the airport.

Landon Hutchens, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman, said that due to a lack of capacity in the Rio Grande Valley, migrants have been sent to El Paso for processing, as well as Laredo, Texas, and San Diego, California.

Gloria Chavez, the U.S. Border Patrol chief for the El Paso Sector, said that El Paso had been receiving families from the Rio Grande Valley since March 8. Chavez said the priority was to expel them to Mexico, but that Mexico could only receive a limited amount of families from the region per day. She said some families were still being released to shelters in the United States.

The shuttling of migrants to El Paso was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.

While the United States has been expelling thousands of people crossing the border illegally, Tamaulipas, which sits across the border from Texas, has not been accepting families returning with younger children, presenting a conundrum for the Biden administration.

U.S. authorities have been releasing hundreds of families to shelters and giving them notices to appear in immigration court to reduce overcrowding at border facilities.

Dylan Corbett, the director of the Hope Border Institute, an advocacy organization, said the majority of families expelled to Ciudad Juarez after crossing in south Texas have children under 7 years of age.

"They have been returned to Juarez to a situation of extreme vulnerability," facing dangers from human traffickers and organized criminal groups, Corbett said in an interview, adding that shelters in Mexico are full due to the pandemic.

Edna Sorto, who came from Honduras with her two young sons, sat on the floor in a state government immigration office in Ciudad Juarez shortly after walking over the bridge from El Paso. Dozens of families milled around the office with some toddlers and babies sleeping on blankets on the floor.

"They didn`t ask us anything about why we came or where we were going or who could receive us in the United States," Sorto said through tears and over the cries of children in the background who said they were hungry. "We are just going to wait here and see what they tell us, see if we can find a place to stay."

UNDER PRESSURE

The new practice of expelling families to a different part of Mexico comes as the Biden administration faces pressure by both critics and some supporters for its handling of the crisis on the border.

Opposition Republicans blame the increase in illegal border crossings on Biden`s immigration policies and what they say is his mixed messaging to would-be migrants.

Biden administration officials` warnings to migrants not to make the journey north appear to be ignored, as people smugglers point to some families being allowed in to persuade would-be migrants that the border is open.

"We have been clear from all levels of government that the border is closed and the majority of individuals will be turned away or expelled under Title 42," a White House spokesman said, referring to a public health order instituted under former President Donald Trump amid the pandemic. The order allows migrants, including families, to be "expelled" to Mexico or their home countries.

Gil Kerlikowske, who was CBP commissioner for three years under former President Barack Obama, said the Biden administration`s heavy reliance on messaging was "a huge mistake."

"We have 25 plus years of messaging in Mexico and Central America, from placards on buses and bus shelters to radio spots and more, saying, `Don`t come, it`s dangerous,` and for 25 years that message has been completely unheard."

Democrats and activists meanwhile say children are being kept in border patrol custody for too long and should be released more quickly to family members or other sponsors.

More than 500 of the roughly 4,500 unaccompanied children being held in sparse border patrol facilities as of Thursday have been there for more than 10 days, above the legal three-day limit, according to U.S. government data shared with Reuters.

The United States is expelling migrants to Mexico far from where they are caught crossing the border, according to Reuters witnesses, in a move that circumvents the refusal of authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas who stopped accepting the return of migrant families with younger children.

The United States is expelling migrants to Mexico far from where they are caught crossing the border, according to Reuters witnesses, in a move that circumvents the refusal of authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas who stopped accepting the return of migrant families with younger children. The practice is a sign that President Joe Biden is toughening his approach to the growing humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexican border after his administration`s entreaties for Central American migrants to stay home have failed to stop thousands from heading north. Some families caught at the border in Texas` Rio Grande Valley said in interviews they were flown to El Paso, Texas, after being held in custody just a few days. From there, they were escorted by U.S. officials to the international bridge to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, around 800-miles (1,300 km) away from where they were first picked up by U.S. border patrol agents. A Reuters photographer saw planes landing in El Paso this week that were loaded with dozens of migrant families with young children, including babies in diapers, and then saw the same families crossing the international bridge. Some passengers interviewed by Reuters once they crossed into Mexico said they had been awakened in their holding cells at night by border agents and not told where they were going as they were loaded on buses and taken to the airport. Landon Hutchens, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesman, said that due to a lack of capacity in the Rio Grande Valley, migrants have been sent to El Paso for processing, as well as Laredo, Texas, and San Diego, California. Gloria Chavez, the U.S. Border Patrol chief for the El Paso Sector, said that El Paso had been receiving families from the Rio Grande Valley since March 8. Chavez said the priority was to expel them to Mexico, but that Mexico could only receive a limited amount of families from the region per day. She said some families were still being released to shelters in the United States. The shuttling of migrants to El Paso was first reported by the Dallas Morning News. While the United States has been expelling thousands of people crossing the border illegally, Tamaulipas, which sits across the border from Texas, has not been accepting families returning with younger children, presenting a conundrum for the Biden administration. U.S. authorities have been releasing hundreds of families to shelters and giving them notices to appear in immigration court to reduce overcrowding at border facilities. Dylan Corbett, the director of the Hope Border Institute, an advocacy organization, said the majority of families expelled to Ciudad Juarez after crossing in south Texas have children under 7 years of age. "They have been returned to Juarez to a situation of extreme vulnerability," facing dangers from human traffickers and organized criminal groups, Corbett said in an interview, adding that shelters in Mexico are full due to the pandemic. Edna Sorto, who came from Honduras with her two young sons, sat on the floor in a state government immigration office in Ciudad Juarez shortly after walking over the bridge from El Paso. Dozens of families milled around the office with some toddlers and babies sleeping on blankets on the floor. "They didn`t ask us anything about why we came or where we were going or who could receive us in the United States," Sorto said through tears and over the cries of children in the background who said they were hungry. "We are just going to wait here and see what they tell us, see if we can find a place to stay." UNDER PRESSURE The new practice of expelling families to a different part of Mexico comes as the Biden administration faces pressure by both critics and some supporters for its handling of the crisis on the border. Opposition Republicans blame the increase in illegal border crossings on Biden`s immigration policies and what they say is his mixed messaging to would-be migrants. Biden administration officials` warnings to migrants not to make the journey north appear to be ignored, as people smugglers point to some families being allowed in to persuade would-be migrants that the border is open. "We have been clear from all levels of government that the border is closed and the majority of individuals will be turned away or expelled under Title 42," a White House spokesman said, referring to a public health order instituted under former President Donald Trump amid the pandemic. The order allows migrants, including families, to be "expelled" to Mexico or their home countries. Gil Kerlikowske, who was CBP commissioner for three years under former President Barack Obama, said the Biden administration`s heavy reliance on messaging was "a huge mistake." "We have 25 plus years of messaging in Mexico and Central America, from placards on buses and bus shelters to radio spots and more, saying, `Don`t come, it`s dangerous,` and for 25 years that message has been completely unheard." Democrats and activists meanwhile say children are being kept in border patrol custody for too long and should be released more quickly to family members or other sponsors. More than 500 of the roughly 4,500 unaccompanied children being held in sparse border patrol facilities as of Thursday have been there for more than 10 days, above the legal three-day limit, according to U.S. government data shared with Reuters.

Biden steps up family expulsions as US-Mexico border arrivals keep climbing

After being trodded away for years by the Trump administration, asylum seekers have finally started returning to the US by the border under President Joe Biden's new immigration reforms.

The first group of 25 asylum seekers crossed the US border recently, with thousands of others waiting for their turn.

Biden's new and progressive immigration reforms have come as a welcome step as tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America were earlier being sent back through the border under Trump's "Remain in Mexico" program.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-his-first-major-global-appearance-biden-draws-sharp-contrast-with-trumps-policies-364920" hreflang="en">At his first major global appearance, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump's policies</a>

The former US President Donald Trump was infamous for being against immigrants. Pertaining to that, he had issued notices to send immigrants back over the border due to the pending outcome of their applications.

Within a few days of taking over the White House, Biden's administration rushed to control the damage made by the previous administration and started to dismantle the controversial policy called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

The group of 25 migrants crossed the border by bus from the Mexican city of Tijuana and were accompanied by volunteers of UNHCR.&nbsp;

After being trodded away for years by the Trump administration, asylum seekers have finally started returning to the US by the border under President Joe Biden's new immigration reforms.

After being trodded away for years by the Trump administration, asylum seekers have finally started returning to the US by the border under President Joe Biden's new immigration reforms. The first group of 25 asylum seekers crossed the US border recently, with thousands of others waiting for their turn. Biden's new and progressive immigration reforms have come as a welcome step as tens of thousands of asylum seekers from Central America were earlier being sent back through the border under Trump's "Remain in Mexico" program. Also read| At his first major global appearance, Biden draws sharp contrast with Trump's policies The former US President Donald Trump was infamous for being against immigrants. Pertaining to that, he had issued notices to send immigrants back over the border due to the pending outcome of their applications. Within a few days of taking over the White House, Biden's administration rushed to control the damage made by the previous administration and started to dismantle the controversial policy called the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). The group of 25 migrants crossed the border by bus from the Mexican city of Tijuana and were accompanied by volunteers of UNHCR.

First group of asylum seekers cross US border from Mexico

President Joe Biden has said repeatedly that he wants to create a path to citizenship for all of the 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

But even as he prepares to push hard for the broadest possible overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, he and his aides have started to signal openness to more targeted approaches that could win citizenship for smaller, discrete groups of immigrants living in the United States without legal permission. At a CNN town hall Tuesday, he said such efforts would be acceptable “in the meantime.”

In a private telephone call with activists Wednesday, top immigration aides to Biden said they supported what they called a “multiple trains” strategy, which could target citizenship for “Dreamers,” the young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children; farmworkers who have toiled for years in U.S. fields; and others.

Smaller bills could move forward as the president tries to build support for the broader legislation, which is scheduled to be introduced Thursday, according to two people who were on the call.

If he chooses to move step by step, Biden appears unlikely to anger the most powerful pro-immigration groups, which are embracing a more pragmatic strategy after spectacular defeats under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

For more than two decades, activists have tried and failed to secure passage of a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws that would create a path to citizenship for most immigrants living in the United States without legal permission, a faster path for Dreamers, expanded visa access for highly skilled workers and a new program for seasonal agricultural laborers.

They are betting that Biden will struggle even more than his predecessors did to win support from a Republican Party that became more anti-immigrant during the Trump administration.

While the activists are willing to let Biden try for a bipartisan deal this year, they have warned that they will not wait forever.

“We want 11 million people legalized. That is our North Star,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice and a veteran of immigration wars in the nation’s capital for more than 30 years. “But we can’t come home empty-handed. We’re not going to adopt an all-or-nothing approach. We have to achieve a breakthrough.”

For those like Sharry, that is a major shift, and it could herald fierce debates over whether Democrats should use parliamentary tactics in the Senate to ram through individual immigration measures without any Republican support.

The activists are mobilizing on behalf of separate bills that would legalize Dreamers, farmworkers, immigrants granted temporary status after fleeing war and natural disasters, and “essential workers” living in the United States illegally who have been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Publicly, the White House is insisting that Congress should pass the president’s broad immigration overhaul. Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said this week that Biden was pushing for comprehensive changes because “they all need to be addressed — that’s why he proposed them together.”

And the chief backers of Biden’s legislation in Congress — Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Rep. Linda Sanchez of California — say abandoning the broader effort before it has even begun would be a mistake. Menendez and Sanchez are expected to reveal details about the president’s legislation Thursday morning after it is introduced in the House.

A Democratic aide familiar with the legislation said if immigration activists ask for only “half a loaf,” they should not be surprised when they end up going home with just a single slice of bread.

“We have an economic and moral imperative to pass big, bold and inclusive immigration reform — reform that leaves no one behind,” Menendez said Wednesday evening. He criticized advocates for not being willing to fight for legislation that would eventually legalize all the country’s immigrant population.

“We must not start with concessions out of the gate. We are not going to start with 2 million undocumented people instead of 11 million,” he said. “We will never win an argument that we don’t have the courage to make. We must make our case for bold, inclusive and lasting immigration reform.”

How to successfully revamp the nation’s immigration system has for decades eluded policymakers in Washington. The last time a major immigration bill was signed into law was in 1990, when President George Bush expanded legal immigration into the United States, before an explosion of illegal crossings at the southwestern border in the following 20 years.

The surge in illegal border crossings prompted demands for increased enforcement from conservatives even as backlogs in legal immigration created a growing crisis for businesses looking for workers and for families seeking refuge in the United States from violence and disasters at home.

For nearly three decades, those in favor of immigration have argued for a single, comprehensive bill with elements that could unite Democrats and Republicans, labor unions and big businesses, security-minded conservatives and liberal immigration supporters.

Such bills — which were introduced in 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2013 — centered around a trade-off: amped-up border security and immigration law enforcement in exchange for a path to citizenship for people living in the United States without legal permission. They also included increases in the number of temporary workers allowed into the United States, more resources for processing asylum applications, new opportunities for high-skilled workers from other countries, some limits on immigration based on family ties, and protections for people living in the United States illegally who arrived as children.

But none of those efforts succeeded. Despite support from Bush, the Senate and House failed to reach a compromise in 2006, and legislation in 2007 was defeated in the Senate. In 2013, Obama secured bipartisan Senate passage of an immigration overhaul, 68-32, only to see it ignored by the Republican-controlled House. Over the past four years, some of the conservative side of the equation — border security — was secured by President Donald Trump in the form of tough restrictions on asylum-seekers and partial construction of Trump’s border wall.

Biden won the presidency in part by pledging that he would bring back bipartisanship and saying that his long-standing relationships in the Senate would help him bridge the partisan divides that have grown deeper in recent years. Psaki said the president has outlined “the tenets of what we think the proposal should look like” in the hopes of addressing the root causes of immigration problems.

But immigration advocates say the history of failure is driving a change in strategy this year.

“You’re talking about a fight that we’ve had for over three decades at this point,” said Lorella Praeli, president of Community Change Action. “I’m not interested in a dance. I’m committed to seeing this through and delivering on concrete changes.”

Praeli and other proponents praised Biden, Menendez and Sanchez for their broader bill. But they also called on the president to promise that he would also use a budgetary tool known as reconciliation to enact smaller components of the legislation even as he pushes ahead with the larger effort.

Under Senate rules, legislation that significantly affects the nation’s budget can be passed with only a majority vote, avoiding filibuster rules that require the support of 60 senators. With the current 50-50 Senate, that would give Democrats the ability to pass reconciliation bills without Republican support and with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaking vote — if they can stay united.

Immigration proponents say some more targeted efforts to legalize some immigrants living in the United State illegally would pass muster under the sometimes baffling rules of reconciliation, which are supposed to bar pure policy measures from bills that are supposed to deal with government taxation and spending. Because newly legalized residents would affect tax revenue and government benefits, the groups say immigration legislation could be tailored as budget measures.

Reconciliation is already being used to muscle through Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, but another budget measure is expected to address infrastructure funding and climate change.

“We should be included in that package,” said Sharry of America’s Voice.

Biden’s immigration efforts face even more headwinds than those of Obama and Bush.

Many Republican senators who had been supporters of immigration — including John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee; Orrin Hatch of Utah; Dean Heller of Nevada; and others — have left the Senate. Others, like Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who helped negotiate previous immigration packages, shifted right in the Trump years.

Kerri Talbot, deputy director of the Immigration Hub, said that it was clear to many of the groups that Republicans cannot be counted on to support a broad overhaul of immigration without the kind of extreme measures that Trump insisted upon during his presidency. She said that pursuing smaller, popular measures like providing legalization for Dreamers would put Republicans on the spot.

“We’re always open to having a broader discussion, but absent that, we want to move forward with pieces that can pass,” she said. “We would love to have bipartisanship. I’d love to have that conversation again. But it’s really up to Republicans.”

Praeli said she and others who have fought over immigration for years believed it was time to “put the ‘W’s’ on the board” by granting a path to citizenship to as many people as they can.

“We’re in a different moment,” said Praeli, who became a citizen in 2015 after living in the United States for years without legal permission following her arrival as a small child. “We can see that Trump is no longer here, but Trumpism did not go away.”

President Joe Biden has said repeatedly that he wants to create a path to citizenship for all of the 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

President Joe Biden has said repeatedly that he wants to create a path to citizenship for all of the 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally. But even as he prepares to push hard for the broadest possible overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, he and his aides have started to signal openness to more targeted approaches that could win citizenship for smaller, discrete groups of immigrants living in the United States without legal permission. At a CNN town hall Tuesday, he said such efforts would be acceptable “in the meantime.” In a private telephone call with activists Wednesday, top immigration aides to Biden said they supported what they called a “multiple trains” strategy, which could target citizenship for “Dreamers,” the young immigrants brought into the country illegally as children; farmworkers who have toiled for years in U.S. fields; and others. Smaller bills could move forward as the president tries to build support for the broader legislation, which is scheduled to be introduced Thursday, according to two people who were on the call. If he chooses to move step by step, Biden appears unlikely to anger the most powerful pro-immigration groups, which are embracing a more pragmatic strategy after spectacular defeats under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. For more than two decades, activists have tried and failed to secure passage of a broad overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws that would create a path to citizenship for most immigrants living in the United States without legal permission, a faster path for Dreamers, expanded visa access for highly skilled workers and a new program for seasonal agricultural laborers. They are betting that Biden will struggle even more than his predecessors did to win support from a Republican Party that became more anti-immigrant during the Trump administration. While the activists are willing to let Biden try for a bipartisan deal this year, they have warned that they will not wait forever. “We want 11 million people legalized. That is our North Star,” said Frank Sharry, executive director of America’s Voice and a veteran of immigration wars in the nation’s capital for more than 30 years. “But we can’t come home empty-handed. We’re not going to adopt an all-or-nothing approach. We have to achieve a breakthrough.” For those like Sharry, that is a major shift, and it could herald fierce debates over whether Democrats should use parliamentary tactics in the Senate to ram through individual immigration measures without any Republican support. The activists are mobilizing on behalf of separate bills that would legalize Dreamers, farmworkers, immigrants granted temporary status after fleeing war and natural disasters, and “essential workers” living in the United States illegally who have been on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic. Publicly, the White House is insisting that Congress should pass the president’s broad immigration overhaul. Jen Psaki, White House press secretary, said this week that Biden was pushing for comprehensive changes because “they all need to be addressed — that’s why he proposed them together.” And the chief backers of Biden’s legislation in Congress — Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Rep. Linda Sanchez of California — say abandoning the broader effort before it has even begun would be a mistake. Menendez and Sanchez are expected to reveal details about the president’s legislation Thursday morning after it is introduced in the House. A Democratic aide familiar with the legislation said if immigration activists ask for only “half a loaf,” they should not be surprised when they end up going home with just a single slice of bread. “We have an economic and moral imperative to pass big, bold and inclusive immigration reform — reform that leaves no one behind,” Menendez said Wednesday evening. He criticized advocates for not being willing to fight for legislation that would eventually legalize all the country’s immigrant population. “We must not start with concessions out of the gate. We are not going to start with 2 million undocumented people instead of 11 million,” he said. “We will never win an argument that we don’t have the courage to make. We must make our case for bold, inclusive and lasting immigration reform.” How to successfully revamp the nation’s immigration system has for decades eluded policymakers in Washington. The last time a major immigration bill was signed into law was in 1990, when President George Bush expanded legal immigration into the United States, before an explosion of illegal crossings at the southwestern border in the following 20 years. The surge in illegal border crossings prompted demands for increased enforcement from conservatives even as backlogs in legal immigration created a growing crisis for businesses looking for workers and for families seeking refuge in the United States from violence and disasters at home. For nearly three decades, those in favor of immigration have argued for a single, comprehensive bill with elements that could unite Democrats and Republicans, labor unions and big businesses, security-minded conservatives and liberal immigration supporters. Such bills — which were introduced in 2001, 2006, 2007 and 2013 — centered around a trade-off: amped-up border security and immigration law enforcement in exchange for a path to citizenship for people living in the United States without legal permission. They also included increases in the number of temporary workers allowed into the United States, more resources for processing asylum applications, new opportunities for high-skilled workers from other countries, some limits on immigration based on family ties, and protections for people living in the United States illegally who arrived as children. But none of those efforts succeeded. Despite support from Bush, the Senate and House failed to reach a compromise in 2006, and legislation in 2007 was defeated in the Senate. In 2013, Obama secured bipartisan Senate passage of an immigration overhaul, 68-32, only to see it ignored by the Republican-controlled House. Over the past four years, some of the conservative side of the equation — border security — was secured by President Donald Trump in the form of tough restrictions on asylum-seekers and partial construction of Trump’s border wall. Biden won the presidency in part by pledging that he would bring back bipartisanship and saying that his long-standing relationships in the Senate would help him bridge the partisan divides that have grown deeper in recent years. Psaki said the president has outlined “the tenets of what we think the proposal should look like” in the hopes of addressing the root causes of immigration problems. But immigration advocates say the history of failure is driving a change in strategy this year. “You’re talking about a fight that we’ve had for over three decades at this point,” said Lorella Praeli, president of Community Change Action. “I’m not interested in a dance. I’m committed to seeing this through and delivering on concrete changes.” Praeli and other proponents praised Biden, Menendez and Sanchez for their broader bill. But they also called on the president to promise that he would also use a budgetary tool known as reconciliation to enact smaller components of the legislation even as he pushes ahead with the larger effort. Under Senate rules, legislation that significantly affects the nation’s budget can be passed with only a majority vote, avoiding filibuster rules that require the support of 60 senators. With the current 50-50 Senate, that would give Democrats the ability to pass reconciliation bills without Republican support and with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tiebreaking vote — if they can stay united. Immigration proponents say some more targeted efforts to legalize some immigrants living in the United State illegally would pass muster under the sometimes baffling rules of reconciliation, which are supposed to bar pure policy measures from bills that are supposed to deal with government taxation and spending. Because newly legalized residents would affect tax revenue and government benefits, the groups say immigration legislation could be tailored as budget measures. Reconciliation is already being used to muscle through Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package, but another budget measure is expected to address infrastructure funding and climate change. “We should be included in that package,” said Sharry of America’s Voice. Biden’s immigration efforts face even more headwinds than those of Obama and Bush. Many Republican senators who had been supporters of immigration — including John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona; Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee; Orrin Hatch of Utah; Dean Heller of Nevada; and others — have left the Senate. Others, like Marco Rubio of Florida and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who helped negotiate previous immigration packages, shifted right in the Trump years. Kerri Talbot, deputy director of the Immigration Hub, said that it was clear to many of the groups that Republicans cannot be counted on to support a broad overhaul of immigration without the kind of extreme measures that Trump insisted upon during his presidency. She said that pursuing smaller, popular measures like providing legalization for Dreamers would put Republicans on the spot. “We’re always open to having a broader discussion, but absent that, we want to move forward with pieces that can pass,” she said. “We would love to have bipartisanship. I’d love to have that conversation again. But it’s really up to Republicans.” Praeli said she and others who have fought over immigration for years believed it was time to “put the ‘W’s’ on the board” by granting a path to citizenship to as many people as they can. “We’re in a different moment,” said Praeli, who became a citizen in 2015 after living in the United States for years without legal permission following her arrival as a small child. “We can see that Trump is no longer here, but Trumpism did not go away.”

Biden signals he’s flexible on immigration overhaul

With almost 48 hours left before the UK imposes the compulsory hotel quarantine for all incoming travellers, the immigration officials are yet to be briefed, as per local media reports.

It has been reported that the immigration officers have not been informed about this decision at all, till now. While they have read and heard about it in the newspapers and channels, they have not received official communication.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-travellers-may-have-to-undergo-covid-tests-in-quarantine-362462">UK travellers may have to undergo Covid tests in quarantine</a>

"They've had no information at all," said Lucy Moreton, the general secretary of the ISU. "They can watch the media, read statements from ministers, but that’s pretty much it."

This has come as a shock as the country has announced that from Monday, travellers arriving from 33 countries named in the "red list" will be forced to spend at least 10 days in hotel quarantine, but at their own expense.

These 33 countries are the ones where the spread of new variants, which are vaccine resistant, is more and the cases have been increasing.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/melbourne-orders-snap-coronavirus-lockdown-during-australian-open-tennis-363038">Melbourne orders snap coronavirus lockdown during Australian Open tennis</a>

Travellers have also complained that they have been unable to book a hotel room for their compulsory quarantine as the official booking portal faced a "minor technical issue".

"It is Friday afternoon and I understand Border Force still haven’t been given the operational guidance on how the hotel quarantine system will work from Monday. This isn’t good enough," said Yvette Cooper, Labour MP, chair of Commons home affairs committee.

"We urgently need to know what arrangements have been made to ensure that those from high-risk countries about to go to hotels aren’t queueing with people about to get on the tube or train home."

The new guidelines have also raised concerns as the travellers fear mixing with people coming from the 'red list' countries.

In addition to this, experts have also warned against letting the quarantined travellers come out once a day for exercise.

With almost 48 hours left before the UK imposes the compulsory hotel quarantine for all incoming travellers, the immigration officials are yet to be briefed, as per local media reports.

With almost 48 hours left before the UK imposes the compulsory hotel quarantine for all incoming travellers, the immigration officials are yet to be briefed, as per local media reports. It has been reported that the immigration officers have not been informed about this decision at all, till now. While they have read and heard about it in the newspapers and channels, they have not received official communication. Also read| UK travellers may have to undergo Covid tests in quarantine "They've had no information at all," said Lucy Moreton, the general secretary of the ISU. "They can watch the media, read statements from ministers, but that’s pretty much it." This has come as a shock as the country has announced that from Monday, travellers arriving from 33 countries named in the "red list" will be forced to spend at least 10 days in hotel quarantine, but at their own expense. These 33 countries are the ones where the spread of new variants, which are vaccine resistant, is more and the cases have been increasing. Also read| Melbourne orders snap coronavirus lockdown during Australian Open tennis Travellers have also complained that they have been unable to book a hotel room for their compulsory quarantine as the official booking portal faced a "minor technical issue". "It is Friday afternoon and I understand Border Force still haven’t been given the operational guidance on how the hotel quarantine system will work from Monday. This isn’t good enough," said Yvette Cooper, Labour MP, chair of Commons home affairs committee. "We urgently need to know what arrangements have been made to ensure that those from high-risk countries about to go to hotels aren’t queueing with people about to get on the tube or train home." The new guidelines have also raised concerns as the travellers fear mixing with people coming from the 'red list' countries. In addition to this, experts have also warned against letting the quarantined travellers come out once a day for exercise.

UK immigration officials still not briefed about hotel quarantine: Reports

A judge in Texas on Tuesday temporarily blocked President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-reverse-trumps-immigration-policies-biden-tells-mexican-president-358885">Biden's </a>administration's 100-day cap on deportations.

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/democrats-need-17-republican-votes-to-convict-donald-trump-359663/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Judge Drew Tipton granted a 14-day temporary restraining order until the case could be further examined on request by state’s Republican attorney-general Ken Paxton.

Paxton had argued before the judge that the deportation freeze violated immigration law. Biden had signed the moratorium on the deportation of undocumented <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/joe-biden-signs-raft-of-orders-rolls-back-trump-policies-on-coronavirus-immigration-and-more-358220">migrants </a>who arrived in the United States before November 1, 2020 on his first day as US president. Biden had also cancelled Trump's immigration measures, including the building of a wall on the border with Mexico.&nbsp;

"I commend the court for prioritising the law and safety of our citizens," Paxton said in the statement.

During a call to Mexican President Obrador President Biden outlined his plan to create new legal path for immigration which involved "reversing the previous administration’s draconian immigration policies".&nbsp;

Biden,78, had also reversed Trump's entry ban for people from many majority Muslim nations targeted at citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen within hours of entering the White House.

Iraq and Sudan were dropped from the Trump administration's list, however, the US Supreme Court had&nbsp;upheld a later version of the ban for the other nations

Biden also signed new protections for the "Dreamers" project which involved children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in the United States. A US judge had earlier ordered the Trump administration to fully reinstate a program.

Former President Barack Obama had instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA) in 2012 by executive order to help nearly 10 million people estimated to be living in America without documentation which applied to people who were brought into the United States illegally as children and then grew up there.

However, former President Donald Trump had moved to end the DACA in 2017.

A judge in Texas on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Biden's administration's 100-day cap on deportations. Watch: Judge Drew Tipton granted a 14-day temporary restraining order until the case could be further examined on request by state’s Republican attorney-general Ken Paxton.

A judge in Texas on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Biden's administration's 100-day cap on deportations. Watch: Judge Drew Tipton granted a 14-day temporary restraining order until the case could be further examined on request by state’s Republican attorney-general Ken Paxton. Paxton had argued before the judge that the deportation freeze violated immigration law. Biden had signed the moratorium on the deportation of undocumented migrants who arrived in the United States before November 1, 2020 on his first day as US president. Biden had also cancelled Trump's immigration measures, including the building of a wall on the border with Mexico. "I commend the court for prioritising the law and safety of our citizens," Paxton said in the statement. During a call to Mexican President Obrador President Biden outlined his plan to create new legal path for immigration which involved "reversing the previous administration’s draconian immigration policies". Biden,78, had also reversed Trump's entry ban for people from many majority Muslim nations targeted at citizens from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen within hours of entering the White House. Iraq and Sudan were dropped from the Trump administration's list, however, the US Supreme Court had upheld a later version of the ban for the other nations Biden also signed new protections for the "Dreamers" project which involved children of illegal immigrants who have grown up in the United States. A US judge had earlier ordered the Trump administration to fully reinstate a program. Former President Barack Obama had instituted the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals(DACA) in 2012 by executive order to help nearly 10 million people estimated to be living in America without documentation which applied to people who were brought into the United States illegally as children and then grew up there. However, former President Donald Trump had moved to end the DACA in 2017.

US judge blocks President Biden's 100-day pause on deportations

Unrest broke out at an Australian island immigration detention centre, authorities and NGOs said Wednesday following reports the Christmas Island facility had been set alight by frustrated detainees.

The Australian Border Force said an operation was underway "to restore order after a disturbance" at the North West Point Immigration Detention Centre on the Australian territory in the Indian Ocean.

"A small number of detainees caused some damage to the facility overnight and continue to be non-compliant," the government agency said in a statement, adding there were no reports of any injuries.

Advocacy group Refugee Action Coalition said&nbsp;reports from inside the centre suggested two compounds had been set ablaze overnight Tuesday into Wednesday as tensions boiled over.

"While the extent of the damage&nbsp;is not known, the glare from the fires and the extent of the smoke in the air&nbsp;indicates the fires are substantial," the group said.

National Justice Project principal solicitor George Newhouse said detainees were increasingly frustrated with conditions after being confined to their rooms for up to 22 hours a day and unable to contact their families due to a poor mobile phone signal.

"The federal government have a policy of keeping detainees in harsh and inhumane conditions to force them to leave Australia," Newhouse said.

"These harsh and solitary conditions are having an effect on the mental health and welfare of detainees."

The Australian Border Force said the centre was being used to house "unlawful non-citizens" -- migrants who had their visas cancelled after being convicted of crimes -- but would not confirm how many people were currently being detained.

The Refugee Council of Australia said the facility held 220 detainees as at October 2020.

Christmas Island, a tropical isle off Australia's northwest, gained notoriety as a venue where asylum seekers&nbsp;who attempted to reach the country by boat were detained.

The government controversially reopened the facility last August after a two-year hiatus, saying mainland detention centres were filling up as the coronavirus pandemic prevented the deportation of migrants.

It was also used to quarantine Australians evacuated from Wuhan in February after Covid-19 was first detected in the central Chinese city.

Unrest broke out at an Australian island immigration detention centre, authorities and NGOs said Wednesday following reports the Christmas Island facility had been set alight by frustrated detainees.

Unrest broke out at an Australian island immigration detention centre, authorities and NGOs said Wednesday following reports the Christmas Island facility had been set alight by frustrated detainees. The Australian Border Force said an operation was underway "to restore order after a disturbance" at the North West Point Immigration Detention Centre on the Australian territory in the Indian Ocean. "A small number of detainees caused some damage to the facility overnight and continue to be non-compliant," the government agency said in a statement, adding there were no reports of any injuries. Advocacy group Refugee Action Coalition said reports from inside the centre suggested two compounds had been set ablaze overnight Tuesday into Wednesday as tensions boiled over. "While the extent of the damage is not known, the glare from the fires and the extent of the smoke in the air indicates the fires are substantial," the group said. National Justice Project principal solicitor George Newhouse said detainees were increasingly frustrated with conditions after being confined to their rooms for up to 22 hours a day and unable to contact their families due to a poor mobile phone signal. "The federal government have a policy of keeping detainees in harsh and inhumane conditions to force them to leave Australia," Newhouse said. "These harsh and solitary conditions are having an effect on the mental health and welfare of detainees." The Australian Border Force said the centre was being used to house "unlawful non-citizens" -- migrants who had their visas cancelled after being convicted of crimes -- but would not confirm how many people were currently being detained. The Refugee Council of Australia said the facility held 220 detainees as at October 2020. Christmas Island, a tropical isle off Australia's northwest, gained notoriety as a venue where asylum seekers who attempted to reach the country by boat were detained. The government controversially reopened the facility last August after a two-year hiatus, saying mainland detention centres were filling up as the coronavirus pandemic prevented the deportation of migrants. It was also used to quarantine Australians evacuated from Wuhan in February after Covid-19 was first detected in the central Chinese city.

Australia vows to 'restore order' on immigration detention island

With fists raised in victory, Oneita and Clive Thompson were feeling jubilant as they came out of the Tabernacle United Church in Philadelphia, US.&nbsp;

The couple can finally stay in the United States after spending two and a half years in churches to avoid deportation.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/court-rules-for-dreamers-rejects-trumps-limits-on-immigration-programme-343218">Court rules for 'Dreamers', rejects Trump's limits on immigration programme</a>

"We won," Oneita Thompson, 48, told supporters who were present outside the church, as quoted by the New York Times.&nbsp;

Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-joe-biden-calls-donald-trumps-immigration-policies-criminal-337306">US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal'</a>

The victory was by no means easy for the couple, but Oneita said that she was hopeful that someday this day would arrive.&nbsp;

After living for 14 years legally in the US and bringing up seven children, in 2018 Oneita was informed by the immigration authority that she and her husband had to leave the country.&nbsp;

The couple arrived in the US in 2004 seeking asylum over gang violence in their native country Jamaica.

Each year, Thompsons application was denied, but they used to get a one-year extension to stay.

However, things changed dramatically when Donald Trump became the President of the United States in 2016.&nbsp;

The policies of Trump, who during his presidential election campaign, vowed of acting tough on immigration, meant that the Jamaican couple would now have to leave the US.

Oneita came in touch with Peter Pedemonti, co-director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, who suggested that refuge in a church is the only viable option.&nbsp;

For decades, families have stayed in churches to avoid deportation and buy time to urge immigration authorities to allow them to stay.&nbsp;

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has designated churches as "sensitive locations" and by and large don't interfere with shelters here.&nbsp;

In August 2018, the couple shifted into First United Methodist Church of Germantown with their two children.&nbsp;

After spending two years in the church, the Thompsons moved to Tabernacle United Church in September.&nbsp;

After a long struggle, help came via their eldest daughter's way.&nbsp;

On Dec 10, Oneita was got to know that since her daughter is a US citizen, she can submit a petition for an "alien relative".&nbsp;

She immediately printed the email.

"I had to physically look at it, touch it," Oneita said.&nbsp;

"I literally felt numb."&nbsp;

With fists raised in victory, Oneita and Clive Thompson were feeling jubilant as they came out of the Tabernacle United Church in Philadelphia, US. The couple can finally stay in the United States after spending two and a half years in churches to avoid deportation.

With fists raised in victory, Oneita and Clive Thompson were feeling jubilant as they came out of the Tabernacle United Church in Philadelphia, US. The couple can finally stay in the United States after spending two and a half years in churches to avoid deportation. Also read | Court rules for 'Dreamers', rejects Trump's limits on immigration programme "We won," Oneita Thompson, 48, told supporters who were present outside the church, as quoted by the New York Times. Also read | US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal' The victory was by no means easy for the couple, but Oneita said that she was hopeful that someday this day would arrive. After living for 14 years legally in the US and bringing up seven children, in 2018 Oneita was informed by the immigration authority that she and her husband had to leave the country. The couple arrived in the US in 2004 seeking asylum over gang violence in their native country Jamaica. Each year, Thompsons application was denied, but they used to get a one-year extension to stay. However, things changed dramatically when Donald Trump became the President of the United States in 2016. The policies of Trump, who during his presidential election campaign, vowed of acting tough on immigration, meant that the Jamaican couple would now have to leave the US. Oneita came in touch with Peter Pedemonti, co-director of the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia, who suggested that refuge in a church is the only viable option. For decades, families have stayed in churches to avoid deportation and buy time to urge immigration authorities to allow them to stay. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has designated churches as "sensitive locations" and by and large don't interfere with shelters here. In August 2018, the couple shifted into First United Methodist Church of Germantown with their two children. After spending two years in the church, the Thompsons moved to Tabernacle United Church in September. After a long struggle, help came via their eldest daughter's way. On Dec 10, Oneita was got to know that since her daughter is a US citizen, she can submit a petition for an "alien relative". She immediately printed the email. "I had to physically look at it, touch it," Oneita said. "I literally felt numb."

Jamaican couple, who hid in church for 2.5 years, can finally walk free in US

NMC Health founder BR Shetty was prevented from departing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early on Saturday by immigration officials at India`s Bengaluru airport, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.

Shetty had said in a statement on Saturday he planned to return to the UAE and denied reports he had fled the country after the hospital group`s implosion under a mountain of previously undisclosed debt.

Shetty`s wife was allowed to fly to Abu Dhabi, the source said.

"He was told that we have some kind of intimation that you cannot travel at this point in time," the source said, adding Shetty was not detained.

Shetty could not be reached for comment on his cellphone. His spokesman declined to comment beyond the statement issued by Shetty on Saturday. Immigration officials in Bengaluru could not immediately be reached for a comment.

NMC went into administration in April following months of turmoil over its finances and the discovery that it had $6.6 billion in debt, well above earlier estimates.

Shetty is also facing a legal challenge in India, where Bank of Baroda is suing him for backing away from an agreement it says was decided at a March meeting to give the bank 16 properties as collateral for debts and to secure additional guarantees.

Shetty has said the agreement was a "fraudulent document", according to a statement of objection filed to an Indian court and seen by Reuters.

NMC Health founder BR Shetty was prevented from departing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early on Saturday by immigration officials at India`s Bengaluru airport, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday.

NMC Health founder BR Shetty was prevented from departing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) early on Saturday by immigration officials at India`s Bengaluru airport, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Sunday. Shetty had said in a statement on Saturday he planned to return to the UAE and denied reports he had fled the country after the hospital group`s implosion under a mountain of previously undisclosed debt. Shetty`s wife was allowed to fly to Abu Dhabi, the source said. "He was told that we have some kind of intimation that you cannot travel at this point in time," the source said, adding Shetty was not detained. Shetty could not be reached for comment on his cellphone. His spokesman declined to comment beyond the statement issued by Shetty on Saturday. Immigration officials in Bengaluru could not immediately be reached for a comment. NMC went into administration in April following months of turmoil over its finances and the discovery that it had $6.6 billion in debt, well above earlier estimates. Shetty is also facing a legal challenge in India, where Bank of Baroda is suing him for backing away from an agreement it says was decided at a March meeting to give the bank 16 properties as collateral for debts and to secure additional guarantees. Shetty has said the agreement was a "fraudulent document", according to a statement of objection filed to an Indian court and seen by Reuters.

NMC founder BR Shetty stopped from flying to UAE by Indian immigration

McALLEN, Texas — The leadership of the Department of Homeland Security gathered Thursday under the shadow of 30-foot, black-painted, steel bollards to promote the near completion of 400 miles of President Donald Trump’s border wall.

The politics of the moment, five days before the election, was lost on no one.

“The only reason we haven’t reached another crisis is because of the policies and procedures this administration put into place over the last several years, including the construction of an effective border wall system,” Chad Wolf, the acting homeland security secretary, told reporters, photographers and cameramen. “Abolishing these measures or reversing course is absolutely no way forward.”

Immigration has not been a central theme of the race between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but the future of some of the president’s hard-line policies at the border will be determined by the results.

The Homeland Security Department has been racing to deliver on Trump’s promise of 450 miles of border wall before the end of the year. The agency is still about a week away from the 400-mile marker, according to Customs and Border Protection officials, and nearly all of the construction has been in areas where dilapidated fencing or vehicle barriers already stood.

But the steel structure on the border, built without congressional approval, is something of a monument to the president’s determination. It has affected the environment, private property owners and, Homeland Security officials say, the job of border agents.

Department leaders in recent days have traversed the nation, including in battleground states, to emphasize routine arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, criticize Democrats and blast so-called sanctuary city policies. The agency has also erected billboards in Pennsylvania to warn of the dangers posed by immigrants without legal status.

All of that has amplified criticism that the department has become an arm of the Trump campaign.

“There are partisan politics behind it, not operational reasons,” said David Lapan, a former spokesman for the Homeland Security and Defense departments under Trump. “Over the time of the Trump administration, DHS has been seen as more and more politicized.”

The nonprofit government watchdog American Oversight requested that the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general investigate whether the senior leadership had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities on the job.

Standing in front of a line of Border Patrol agents, Wolf dismissed the criticism and defended policies that have effectively halted migration across the southwest border, leaving families in squalid tent camps in some of the most dangerous areas in Mexico.

The Homeland Security officials also attacked the policy proposals of Biden, who has pledged to halt wall construction and end the Remain in Mexico program that has forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for court hearings on asylum claims.

Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Biden’s policies would prompt a migrant “invasion,” although he acknowledged in a separate interview that most migrants who crossed the border last year were not criminals but rather Central American families fleeing poverty.

Asked in an interview whether his language could incite violence, Morgan responded defensively.

“That’s what people immediately want to go to, is that we’re being xenophobic, we’re racist, right?” he said, adding: “I have no problem saying that the overwhelming majority of those trying to illegally enter the United States are not bad people, right? But some are. So my question is, how many?”

Most illegal crossings into the United States in recent years have been in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, but only 7 miles of the wall have been constructed in the area.

Private landowners in South Texas say the wall will cut through their properties; they have forced the Trump administration to go through the arduous process of asserting eminent domain in court. To make good on Trump’s promised 450 miles, the administration has concentrated construction in areas owned by the federal government, over terrain that already impedes border crossers.

Chief Rodney Scott of Border Patrol conceded that the Rio Grande Valley “was higher priority for the U.S. Border Patrol.” But, he added, “we elected to go ahead and shift down to a lower priority because I could make a difference there and then.”

That approach has damaged ecosystems and disrupted the migration of endangered wildlife, said Laiken Jordahl, a borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“This 400-mile celebration is not insignificant,” he said. “This is something communities and Indigenous nations across the borderlands are mourning. This marks 400 miles of destruction.”

The Trump administration has secured about $15 billion to build 731 miles of border wall, with much of the money transferred from the Defense Department and funds that had been appropriated by Congress for military construction projects and narcotics interdiction.

With the president’s deadline nearing, the government has stepped up litigation against landowners in South Texas. It has filed 106 lawsuits against landowners this year to survey, seize and potentially begin construction, an increase from 27 lawsuits filed in 2019, said Ricky Garza, a staff lawyer for the Texas Civil Rights Project. The federal government filed 22 cases in September alone.

“This is an attack on our culture, our heritage, our very identity, and that is why we are fighting,” said Melissa Cigarroa, a landowner who said the government had threatened to sue her for access to her property in Zapata County, Texas. “We feel it viscerally.”

Homeland Security officials say the border wall is critical. It has allowed the agency to funnel migration into specific areas, where they can strategically place Border Patrol agents to apprehend migrants. They say it has freed those agents to make more arrests rather than respond to families seeking protection.

This month, the agency is expected to record the highest monthly total of illegal crossings for the year, Wolf said. But the blockade on asylum came not from a wall of steel but a web of policy changes, especially the Remain in Mexico policy, which has forced more than 60,000 migrants back to Mexico to await court dates to have their asylum claims assessed.

The department has also used a public health emergency declaration to rapidly return migrants, including unaccompanied children, to Mexico or their home countries without providing chances to have their asylum claims heard.

While the department has said the rule has prevented the spread of disease in the United States, immigration lawyers say it conflicts with immigration laws that say migrants must have a chance to have their fear of persecution in their home countries heard when they step on U.S. soil.

Morgan again pushed back.

“There are times when someone’s want and need to claim asylum is superseded by something of far greater value,” he said, “and that’s lives of American citizens.”

He added that migrants were still provided the opportunity to have fear of torture assessed by an immigration officer, although that screening carries a much higher bar than screenings for persecution.

Morgan said the Mexican government had not verified reports of widespread violence against migrants in Mexico. But immigration advocacy organizations have recorded hundreds of attacks against those forced by the United States to return to Mexico, with some disseminating recordings of extortion attempts by cartels.

Morgan blamed the migrants.

“They’re intentionally leaving the sheltered environment, re-engaging the smuggling organizations, even when they’ve been told not to, to try to get illegally in the United States,” he said. “That’s when they’re exposing themselves.”

McALLEN, Texas — The leadership of the Department of Homeland Security gathered Thursday under the shadow of 30-foot, black-painted, steel bollards to promote the near completion of 400 miles of President Donald Trump’s border wall.

McALLEN, Texas — The leadership of the Department of Homeland Security gathered Thursday under the shadow of 30-foot, black-painted, steel bollards to promote the near completion of 400 miles of President Donald Trump’s border wall. The politics of the moment, five days before the election, was lost on no one. “The only reason we haven’t reached another crisis is because of the policies and procedures this administration put into place over the last several years, including the construction of an effective border wall system,” Chad Wolf, the acting homeland security secretary, told reporters, photographers and cameramen. “Abolishing these measures or reversing course is absolutely no way forward.” Immigration has not been a central theme of the race between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, but the future of some of the president’s hard-line policies at the border will be determined by the results. The Homeland Security Department has been racing to deliver on Trump’s promise of 450 miles of border wall before the end of the year. The agency is still about a week away from the 400-mile marker, according to Customs and Border Protection officials, and nearly all of the construction has been in areas where dilapidated fencing or vehicle barriers already stood. But the steel structure on the border, built without congressional approval, is something of a monument to the president’s determination. It has affected the environment, private property owners and, Homeland Security officials say, the job of border agents. Department leaders in recent days have traversed the nation, including in battleground states, to emphasize routine arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, criticize Democrats and blast so-called sanctuary city policies. The agency has also erected billboards in Pennsylvania to warn of the dangers posed by immigrants without legal status. All of that has amplified criticism that the department has become an arm of the Trump campaign. “There are partisan politics behind it, not operational reasons,” said David Lapan, a former spokesman for the Homeland Security and Defense departments under Trump. “Over the time of the Trump administration, DHS has been seen as more and more politicized.” The nonprofit government watchdog American Oversight requested that the Homeland Security Department’s inspector general investigate whether the senior leadership had violated the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activities on the job. Standing in front of a line of Border Patrol agents, Wolf dismissed the criticism and defended policies that have effectively halted migration across the southwest border, leaving families in squalid tent camps in some of the most dangerous areas in Mexico. The Homeland Security officials also attacked the policy proposals of Biden, who has pledged to halt wall construction and end the Remain in Mexico program that has forced tens of thousands of migrants to wait in Mexico for court hearings on asylum claims. Mark Morgan, the acting commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said Biden’s policies would prompt a migrant “invasion,” although he acknowledged in a separate interview that most migrants who crossed the border last year were not criminals but rather Central American families fleeing poverty. Asked in an interview whether his language could incite violence, Morgan responded defensively. “That’s what people immediately want to go to, is that we’re being xenophobic, we’re racist, right?” he said, adding: “I have no problem saying that the overwhelming majority of those trying to illegally enter the United States are not bad people, right? But some are. So my question is, how many?” Most illegal crossings into the United States in recent years have been in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas, but only 7 miles of the wall have been constructed in the area. Private landowners in South Texas say the wall will cut through their properties; they have forced the Trump administration to go through the arduous process of asserting eminent domain in court. To make good on Trump’s promised 450 miles, the administration has concentrated construction in areas owned by the federal government, over terrain that already impedes border crossers. Chief Rodney Scott of Border Patrol conceded that the Rio Grande Valley “was higher priority for the U.S. Border Patrol.” But, he added, “we elected to go ahead and shift down to a lower priority because I could make a difference there and then.” That approach has damaged ecosystems and disrupted the migration of endangered wildlife, said Laiken Jordahl, a borderlands campaigner at the Center for Biological Diversity. “This 400-mile celebration is not insignificant,” he said. “This is something communities and Indigenous nations across the borderlands are mourning. This marks 400 miles of destruction.” The Trump administration has secured about $15 billion to build 731 miles of border wall, with much of the money transferred from the Defense Department and funds that had been appropriated by Congress for military construction projects and narcotics interdiction. With the president’s deadline nearing, the government has stepped up litigation against landowners in South Texas. It has filed 106 lawsuits against landowners this year to survey, seize and potentially begin construction, an increase from 27 lawsuits filed in 2019, said Ricky Garza, a staff lawyer for the Texas Civil Rights Project. The federal government filed 22 cases in September alone. “This is an attack on our culture, our heritage, our very identity, and that is why we are fighting,” said Melissa Cigarroa, a landowner who said the government had threatened to sue her for access to her property in Zapata County, Texas. “We feel it viscerally.” Homeland Security officials say the border wall is critical. It has allowed the agency to funnel migration into specific areas, where they can strategically place Border Patrol agents to apprehend migrants. They say it has freed those agents to make more arrests rather than respond to families seeking protection. This month, the agency is expected to record the highest monthly total of illegal crossings for the year, Wolf said. But the blockade on asylum came not from a wall of steel but a web of policy changes, especially the Remain in Mexico policy, which has forced more than 60,000 migrants back to Mexico to await court dates to have their asylum claims assessed. The department has also used a public health emergency declaration to rapidly return migrants, including unaccompanied children, to Mexico or their home countries without providing chances to have their asylum claims heard. While the department has said the rule has prevented the spread of disease in the United States, immigration lawyers say it conflicts with immigration laws that say migrants must have a chance to have their fear of persecution in their home countries heard when they step on U.S. soil. Morgan again pushed back. “There are times when someone’s want and need to claim asylum is superseded by something of far greater value,” he said, “and that’s lives of American citizens.” He added that migrants were still provided the opportunity to have fear of torture assessed by an immigration officer, although that screening carries a much higher bar than screenings for persecution. Morgan said the Mexican government had not verified reports of widespread violence against migrants in Mexico. But immigration advocacy organizations have recorded hundreds of attacks against those forced by the United States to return to Mexico, with some disseminating recordings of extortion attempts by cartels. Morgan blamed the migrants. “They’re intentionally leaving the sheltered environment, re-engaging the smuggling organizations, even when they’ve been told not to, to try to get illegally in the United States,” he said. “That’s when they’re exposing themselves.”

Trump's hard-line immigration policies go before voters

A lot is being said about a proposed Australian law that is about immigration. Australia wants foreign spouses of existing residents to know basic English and&nbsp;wants spouses to pass an English test when applying for immigration to Australia.

This requirement has not been approved by the Parliament yet. If it gets the nod, it will be applicable from mid 2021. However, critics say the move is racist and&nbsp;has been designed to keep non-westerners out of Australia.

The other side of this debate is that if you were relocating to a country to join your spouse or family and want to be&nbsp;employable or even survive, you might need&nbsp;a functional knowledge of the local language — may be just enough to say a hello or a thank you or seek help.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-australia-world-champion-surfer-narrowly-escapes-shark-attack-333423">Watch | Australia: World champion surfer narrowly escapes shark attack</a>

What Australia is asking for&nbsp;is not for an applicant to write a Shakespearean prose&nbsp;or Keatsian poetry; it is asking for functional and beginner's level English.

If Australia goes ahead with the law, it will not be an exception.

In Germany, foreign nationals living there are expected to demonstrate competency in the German language. Their government website clearly states that to be able to live in Germany, you will need to know German.

You need to take a language test. "To be allowed to immigrate to Germany, you will need to enter the exams and pass them up to either a1 or b1," the official website reads.

If a child is seeking immigration to unite with his or her parents, Germany expects "for children over 16 years old, there must be suffiecient proof of German language proficiency and the ability to adapt and integrate".

As for spouses, "they will need to have at least an a1 German proficiency to qualify".

Similarly in&nbsp;Switzerland, if&nbsp;a family member applies for Swiss residence perimit, the authorities may ask them to sign a cultural intergration agreement. The applicants may be asked to show a certain level of language skill.

These countries are not looking for proficiency, but just functional knowledge of a lanauge.

The UK spouse visa requirement includes&nbsp;a minimum English language proficiency of CEFR level A1. CEFR stands for the Common European Framework of References for language.

In case you are wondering, &nbsp;there is no such language requirement in India. If someone wants to migrate to India, there is no expectation for him or her to have a functional knowledge of Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, or any of the official langauges.

Our question is that&nbsp;is it too much to ask for to learn basics of a language? It takes 80 to 100 hours of classes and a couple of tests to clear a beginner level foreign language test. Most of these lessons are now available online, so nobody needs to even pay for the classes.

Learning a new language will help the applicant adjust to the new country, be functional, if not employable.

Australia too is thinking on the same lines. It says there were about one million people living in Australia with poor or no English skill and this has limited their work and social skills.

So Canberra wants applicants to take 500 hours of English class which are free of cost. Australia is not saying that if you do not know English, you cannot visit your spouse. It says you can still enter the country and stay there temporarily.&nbsp;

It is only if you want to stay in Australia permanently that you would need to learn English, and&nbsp;you can do that while staying in Australia.

A lot is being said about a proposed Australian law that is about immigration. Australia wants foreign spouses of existing residents to know basic English and wants spouses to pass an English test when applying for immigration to Australia.

A lot is being said about a proposed Australian law that is about immigration. Australia wants foreign spouses of existing residents to know basic English and wants spouses to pass an English test when applying for immigration to Australia. This requirement has not been approved by the Parliament yet. If it gets the nod, it will be applicable from mid 2021. However, critics say the move is racist and has been designed to keep non-westerners out of Australia. The other side of this debate is that if you were relocating to a country to join your spouse or family and want to be employable or even survive, you might need a functional knowledge of the local language — may be just enough to say a hello or a thank you or seek help. Watch | Australia: World champion surfer narrowly escapes shark attack What Australia is asking for is not for an applicant to write a Shakespearean prose or Keatsian poetry; it is asking for functional and beginner's level English. If Australia goes ahead with the law, it will not be an exception. In Germany, foreign nationals living there are expected to demonstrate competency in the German language. Their government website clearly states that to be able to live in Germany, you will need to know German. You need to take a language test. "To be allowed to immigrate to Germany, you will need to enter the exams and pass them up to either a1 or b1," the official website reads. If a child is seeking immigration to unite with his or her parents, Germany expects "for children over 16 years old, there must be suffiecient proof of German language proficiency and the ability to adapt and integrate". As for spouses, "they will need to have at least an a1 German proficiency to qualify". Similarly in Switzerland, if a family member applies for Swiss residence perimit, the authorities may ask them to sign a cultural intergration agreement. The applicants may be asked to show a certain level of language skill. These countries are not looking for proficiency, but just functional knowledge of a lanauge. The UK spouse visa requirement includes a minimum English language proficiency of CEFR level A1. CEFR stands for the Common European Framework of References for language. In case you are wondering, there is no such language requirement in India. If someone wants to migrate to India, there is no expectation for him or her to have a functional knowledge of Hindi, Bangla, Tamil, or any of the official langauges. Our question is that is it too much to ask for to learn basics of a language? It takes 80 to 100 hours of classes and a couple of tests to clear a beginner level foreign language test. Most of these lessons are now available online, so nobody needs to even pay for the classes. Learning a new language will help the applicant adjust to the new country, be functional, if not employable. Australia too is thinking on the same lines. It says there were about one million people living in Australia with poor or no English skill and this has limited their work and social skills. So Canberra wants applicants to take 500 hours of English class which are free of cost. Australia is not saying that if you do not know English, you cannot visit your spouse. It says you can still enter the country and stay there temporarily. It is only if you want to stay in Australia permanently that you would need to learn English, and you can do that while staying in Australia.

Australia asks foreign spouses to clear basic English test; critics call it 'racist'

Swiss voters decide on Sunday whether to annul a pact with the European Union on the free movement of people, an important test of attitudes towards foreigners who make up a quarter of the population.

The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) - the biggest in parliament - has led the charge to take back control of immigration, echoing some of the arguments pro-Brexit politicians used in the run-up to Britain's exit from the EU.

But a gfs.bern poll found 63 per cent of respondents oppose the SVP proposal and 35&nbsp;per cent support it, suggesting voters want stability at a time of economic uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic.

The SVP paints a gloomy picture of young foreigners supplanting older Swiss, housing getting dearer, schools and transport getting overcrowded and construction running wild.

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Opponents say the plan would rob business of skilled workers and torpedo accords that enhance non-EU member Switzerland's access to the EU single market.

A "guillotine clause" means ending free movement would topple other bilateral pacts on land and air transport, procurement, technical barriers to trade, and research.

Citizens of the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which with Switzerland are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), made up 68&nbsp;per cent of the 2.1 million resident foreigners in 2019. More than 450,000 Swiss live in the EU.

Should the referendum drive, as expected, fail, the government can turn to its biggest foreign policy headache: a stalled treaty that would cement ties with the EU but which critics say infringes too much on Swiss sovereign

Swiss voters decide on Sunday whether to annul a pact with the European Union on the free movement of people, an important test of attitudes towards foreigners who make up a quarter of the population.

Swiss voters decide on Sunday whether to annul a pact with the European Union on the free movement of people, an important test of attitudes towards foreigners who make up a quarter of the population. The right-wing Swiss People's Party (SVP) - the biggest in parliament - has led the charge to take back control of immigration, echoing some of the arguments pro-Brexit politicians used in the run-up to Britain's exit from the EU. But a gfs.bern poll found 63 per cent of respondents oppose the SVP proposal and 35 per cent support it, suggesting voters want stability at a time of economic uncertainty during the coronavirus pandemic. The SVP paints a gloomy picture of young foreigners supplanting older Swiss, housing getting dearer, schools and transport getting overcrowded and construction running wild. × Opponents say the plan would rob business of skilled workers and torpedo accords that enhance non-EU member Switzerland's access to the EU single market. A "guillotine clause" means ending free movement would topple other bilateral pacts on land and air transport, procurement, technical barriers to trade, and research. Citizens of the EU plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein, which with Switzerland are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), made up 68 per cent of the 2.1 million resident foreigners in 2019. More than 450,000 Swiss live in the EU. Should the referendum drive, as expected, fail, the government can turn to its biggest foreign policy headache: a stalled treaty that would cement ties with the EU but which critics say infringes too much on Swiss sovereign

Swiss voters to decide on EU immigration pact

Are we becoming more intolerant of migrants? Are our current political discourses changing people’s perception and treatment of migrants?

According to new poll by “Gallup”, the world is now less tolerant of migrants. The poll results were divulged on Wednesday, in the wake of Europe setting ground for its asylum plan for migrants.

Countries least accepting

The world’s least accepting countries are led by European nations: North Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia, and Croatia.&nbsp;

In terms of recent change of attitude, the sharpest changes were seen in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, which have received more migrants from Venezuela, where the economy has collapsed. In terms of the most welcoming countries for migrants, Canada topped the list. Following Canada were Iceland and New Zealand.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/trump-administration-seeks-sweeping-dna-collection-of-immigrants-327048" hreflang="en">Trump administration seeks sweeping DNA collection of immigrants</a>

To ascertain this, the poll took 140,000 interviews across 145 countries.

The questions were about people responding to the idea of migrants living in their country, and additionally becoming their neighbours, and/or considering the probability of marrying into their families.

The scores on the index ranged from North Macedonia’s 1.49 to Canada’s 8.46, which is almost close to the maximum possible score, which is 9!

What's triggering this change?

Reuters reported that Gallup’s migrant expert Julie Ray acknowledged this shifting pattern, and said that this global fall from 5.21 in 2019, which was down from 5.34 in 2016, is a product of apparent changes in South America.

In Peru alone, people who believed migrants living in their country was a good thing dropped from 61 per cent to 29 per cent.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/lake-turns-into-graveyard-for-migrants-in-turkey-324065" hreflang="en">Lake turns into graveyard for migrants in Turkey</a>

The first ever Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index was conducted in 2015 when over a million people left their countries for parts of Europe in a bid to flee poverty and war.

The US was at #6 on the index, just behind Sierra Leone. According to Ray, as opposed to common belief, Trump supporters were more accepting of migrants than the global average, with a score of 7.10

Taking into account the global pattern, the poll found that migrants were better accepted among younger generations, people with better education, and those who live in urban areas.

Are we becoming more intolerant of migrants? Are our current political discourses changing people’s perception and treatment of migrants? According to new poll by “Gallup”, the world is now less tolerant of migrants.

Are we becoming more intolerant of migrants? Are our current political discourses changing people’s perception and treatment of migrants? According to new poll by “Gallup”, the world is now less tolerant of migrants. The poll results were divulged on Wednesday, in the wake of Europe setting ground for its asylum plan for migrants. Countries least accepting The world’s least accepting countries are led by European nations: North Macedonia, Hungary, Serbia, and Croatia. In terms of recent change of attitude, the sharpest changes were seen in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, which have received more migrants from Venezuela, where the economy has collapsed. In terms of the most welcoming countries for migrants, Canada topped the list. Following Canada were Iceland and New Zealand. Also read: Trump administration seeks sweeping DNA collection of immigrants To ascertain this, the poll took 140,000 interviews across 145 countries. The questions were about people responding to the idea of migrants living in their country, and additionally becoming their neighbours, and/or considering the probability of marrying into their families. The scores on the index ranged from North Macedonia’s 1.49 to Canada’s 8.46, which is almost close to the maximum possible score, which is 9! What's triggering this change? Reuters reported that Gallup’s migrant expert Julie Ray acknowledged this shifting pattern, and said that this global fall from 5.21 in 2019, which was down from 5.34 in 2016, is a product of apparent changes in South America. In Peru alone, people who believed migrants living in their country was a good thing dropped from 61 per cent to 29 per cent. Also read: Lake turns into graveyard for migrants in Turkey The first ever Gallup Migrant Acceptance Index was conducted in 2015 when over a million people left their countries for parts of Europe in a bid to flee poverty and war. The US was at #6 on the index, just behind Sierra Leone. According to Ray, as opposed to common belief, Trump supporters were more accepting of migrants than the global average, with a score of 7.10 Taking into account the global pattern, the poll found that migrants were better accepted among younger generations, people with better education, and those who live in urban areas.

World is now more intolerant of migrants than ever before, new poll reveals

The US President Donald Trump had ordered to exclude&nbsp;illegal immigrants and&nbsp;undocumented migrants from the US census.&nbsp;

The ordered issued by Trump in July has been rejected by a federal court in new York. The move has been rejected after several prosecutors, from different states, challenged Trump's decision.

A bench of three judges of a federal court in New York has now declared that this decision by the government is illegal, and cannot be carried out.

This order by Trump was one of his many tries to stop 'illegal' immigration — a point he stresses upom for the upcoming US elections.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-considers-postponing-refugee-admissions-326699">Also read|&nbsp;Trump administration considers postponing refugee admissions</a>

"We cannot allow the White House’s constant fearmongering and xenophobia to stop us from being counted," New York State Attorney Letitia James said in a statement.

The census counts every person in the country every 10 years, as the basis for determining representation in the 435-seat House of Representatives.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-almost-criminal-joe-biden-on-trumps-response-to-coronavirus-crisis-326741">Also read|&nbsp;'It's almost criminal': Joe Biden on Trump's response to coronavirus crisis</a>

The Prosecutors fought the decision claiming that if such an order is carried out, several migrants who entered the country legally would also fear detention and not participate in the census.

The court ruled out the decision calling it illegal and a violation of the constitutional mandate to count every person in the country, according to a written ruling.

The court ruling is expected to affect Trump's voter bank in the upcoming US Presidential elections, scheduled for November 03, in which he will be competing against Joe Biden.&nbsp;

The US President Donald Trump had ordered to exclude illegal immigrants and undocumented migrants from the US census. The ordered issued by Trump in July has been rejected by a federal court in new York.

The US President Donald Trump had ordered to exclude illegal immigrants and undocumented migrants from the US census. The ordered issued by Trump in July has been rejected by a federal court in new York. The move has been rejected after several prosecutors, from different states, challenged Trump's decision. A bench of three judges of a federal court in New York has now declared that this decision by the government is illegal, and cannot be carried out. This order by Trump was one of his many tries to stop 'illegal' immigration — a point he stresses upom for the upcoming US elections. Also read| Trump administration considers postponing refugee admissions "We cannot allow the White House’s constant fearmongering and xenophobia to stop us from being counted," New York State Attorney Letitia James said in a statement. The census counts every person in the country every 10 years, as the basis for determining representation in the 435-seat House of Representatives. Also read| 'It's almost criminal': Joe Biden on Trump's response to coronavirus crisis The Prosecutors fought the decision claiming that if such an order is carried out, several migrants who entered the country legally would also fear detention and not participate in the census. The court ruled out the decision calling it illegal and a violation of the constitutional mandate to count every person in the country, according to a written ruling. The court ruling is expected to affect Trump's voter bank in the upcoming US Presidential elections, scheduled for November 03, in which he will be competing against Joe Biden.

Court rejects Trump's order of excluding illegal immigrants from census

Thousands of asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos were camping on roadsides on Thursday after the country's largest camp burnt down, with officials racing to find them shelter and avert a health crisis.

Desperate families, many with young children, spent a second night in the open, some without tents or basic bedding.

Some of the homeless trekked to the nearest villages for water and other supplies.

The fire late on Tuesday at Moria camp, Greece's most notorious migrant facility, sent thousands fleeing for safety into surrounding olive groves.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/fire-destroys-europes-largest-migrant-camp-on-lesbos-326306#thousands-of-asylum-seekers-left-homeless-326287">Have a look:&nbsp;Fire 'destroys' Europe's largest migrant camp on Lesbos</a>

While nobody was seriously hurt, the blaze destroyed the official part of the camp, which housed 4,000 people, ministers said.&nbsp;

A second fire late on Wednesday destroyed most of the remaining camp where another 8,000 lived in tents and makeshift shacks around the perimeter, the migration ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

The ministry said a ferry had been sent to accommodate hundreds of people ahead of the expected arrival of European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas to inspect conditions on the island.

"Today all necessary actions will be taken to immediately shelter families and vulnerable persons to begin with," the ministry said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fire-breaks-out-at-overcrowded-moria-migrant-camp-in-greece-326137">Also read:&nbsp;Fire breaks out at overcrowded Moria migrant camp in Greece</a>

Two Greek navy vessels would provide additional sleeping space, the ministry said.

The government also said it had sent three flights to remove 406 unaccompanied minors from the island.

The children have been tested for the novel coronavirus, and will be housed in "safe" facilities in northern Greece.

Migration minister Notis Mitarachi on Wednesday said asylum seekers had started the fire because of quarantine measures imposed after 35 people at the camp tested positive for coronavirus.

Officials have declared a four-month emergency on Lesbos and flown in additional riot police.

Greece's public health authority EODY said eight of the 35 positive cases had been located and isolated along with a significant number of their close contacts.

Medical staff from the World Health Organization are expected in Lesbos on Thursday to begin tests on asylum seekers and locals, EODY chief Panagiotis Arkoumaneas told reporters on Wednesday.

European countries from Germany to Norway -- along with EU chiefs -- have responded with offers of help as calls intensify for urgent reform of the bloc's asylum system.

Since becoming one of the main gateways into Europe for migrants and asylum-seekers in 2015, Greece has built dozens of detention centres around the country.

But with other European nations accepting only a small trickle of refugees, thousands remain trapped in the Greek camps in usually dismal health conditions.

Greece's conservative government has also toughened its asylum restrictions, slashing cash benefits and accommodation provisions to discourage further migration.

Thousands of asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos were camping on roadsides on Thursday after the country's largest camp burnt down, with officials racing to find them shelter and avert a health crisis.

Thousands of asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesbos were camping on roadsides on Thursday after the country's largest camp burnt down, with officials racing to find them shelter and avert a health crisis. Desperate families, many with young children, spent a second night in the open, some without tents or basic bedding. Some of the homeless trekked to the nearest villages for water and other supplies. The fire late on Tuesday at Moria camp, Greece's most notorious migrant facility, sent thousands fleeing for safety into surrounding olive groves. Have a look: Fire 'destroys' Europe's largest migrant camp on Lesbos While nobody was seriously hurt, the blaze destroyed the official part of the camp, which housed 4,000 people, ministers said. A second fire late on Wednesday destroyed most of the remaining camp where another 8,000 lived in tents and makeshift shacks around the perimeter, the migration ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The ministry said a ferry had been sent to accommodate hundreds of people ahead of the expected arrival of European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas to inspect conditions on the island. "Today all necessary actions will be taken to immediately shelter families and vulnerable persons to begin with," the ministry said. Also read: Fire breaks out at overcrowded Moria migrant camp in Greece Two Greek navy vessels would provide additional sleeping space, the ministry said. The government also said it had sent three flights to remove 406 unaccompanied minors from the island. The children have been tested for the novel coronavirus, and will be housed in "safe" facilities in northern Greece. Migration minister Notis Mitarachi on Wednesday said asylum seekers had started the fire because of quarantine measures imposed after 35 people at the camp tested positive for coronavirus. Officials have declared a four-month emergency on Lesbos and flown in additional riot police. Greece's public health authority EODY said eight of the 35 positive cases had been located and isolated along with a significant number of their close contacts. Medical staff from the World Health Organization are expected in Lesbos on Thursday to begin tests on asylum seekers and locals, EODY chief Panagiotis Arkoumaneas told reporters on Wednesday. European countries from Germany to Norway -- along with EU chiefs -- have responded with offers of help as calls intensify for urgent reform of the bloc's asylum system. Since becoming one of the main gateways into Europe for migrants and asylum-seekers in 2015, Greece has built dozens of detention centres around the country. But with other European nations accepting only a small trickle of refugees, thousands remain trapped in the Greek camps in usually dismal health conditions. Greece's conservative government has also toughened its asylum restrictions, slashing cash benefits and accommodation provisions to discourage further migration.

Greece races to shelter thousands after Lesbos migrant camp fire

The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted a lot of houses. Many people were stuck away from home. Similarly, a dog was stranded 10,000 miles away from his owners. Pipsqueak, a wiener dog, belonging to an Australian family was sailing around the world with his family when the novel coronavirus hit the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic had disrupted a lot of houses. Many people were stuck away from home. Similarly, a dog was stranded 10,000 miles away from his owners. Pipsqueak, a wiener dog, belonging to an Australian family was sailing around the world with his family when the novel coronavirus hit the world. However, as Australia decided to close their borders, the Eilbeck family — Zoe and Guy Eilbeck, and their sons Cam and Max — had 48 hours to pack up their stuff, dock their 40-foot yacht in Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and fly back to their home country. However, they had to make a tough decision of leaving their dachshund Pip behind as Australia has strict pet import rules. After making a few calls, the Eilbeck family made an eight-hour-long drive to their friend Lynn Williams' house where they left Pip with a hope to come back for him in a few days. However, their hopes came crashing down as the Australian borders remained shut and the coronavirus restrictions got stricter. View this post on Instagram A Pip Pupdate: Thank you enormously to everyone who shared Pip’s plea for a travel buddy across America to LA next week - the post was shared 135 times and viewed by over 18,500 people; we’ve been blown away by the kind offers of help received from so many. Ultimately Pip’s chosen ‘wing gal’ for the two flights from North Carolina to Los Angeles is the amazing Melissa Young @mhyoung83 who has generously offered to take Pip across the country in a time of great uncertainty and deliver her to Jetpets for her onward international journey. At this point Pip will do final vet checks before climbing aboard Air New Zealand to avail herself of their hospitality en route to Auckland. Why NZ? Because Qantas aren’t flying and we need to get this gal home. After a night in NZ to get some sleep and a good meal, Pip will fly cargo to Melbourne to complete her 10 (not 14) day quarantine. We envisioned ourselves driving the 12 hours to Melbourne to collect her (hoping like mad she remembers who the hell we are after all this!) but Victoria’s just closed their borders due to the latest Covid wave so we will find a way to get her out and home to us in the coming weeks - this journey certainly feels like a never ending roller coaster! No one’s kidding themselves that this is going to be a happy trip for Pip but she’s been in limbo now for 4 months and we are determined to get her home! Melissa’s generosity and bravery in taking Pip across borders in the USA is inspiring and humbling. she also happens to be on the Board of a NFP called @sparkyfoundationnc that rescue and find dogs loving homes for “the happily ever after story book ending that they all deserve.” If you wanted to help Pip or just want to acknowledge Melissa’s act of kindness and bravery, please consider donating to her foundation - every cent received will be used wholly for animal rescue in tough times ahead. #thankyou #generosity #helpingothers #cmonpip #dachshund #minidachshund #weinerdog #doxie A post shared by No Plans Just Options (@noplans.justoptions) on Jul 10, 2020 at 6:08am PDT × Little Pip and his family, however, were determined to meet each other soon. So, the family started working on the required paperwork needed to bring Pip back, but was facing one hurdle after another. "To export a dog from America, you need to get a US declaration to say the dog is in good health and has had particular blood tests to do with rabies," Zoe explains. "This was being done in New York, which was now closed. So trying to get anything like that done was extremely difficult." View this post on Instagram Pip travel update: It’s now all on track for flight #3! This is the long one LA to Auckland. After some hiccups with official paperwork Pip has now been successfully processed by the great team at Jetpets in Los Angeles who have been cuddling and walking her during her last day on American soil. @insteinbergram @staceyhopegreen @mhyoung83 and I are on tender-hooks.... She was bumped from one flight to Auckland this afternoon but reconfirmed shortly thereafter on another AirNZ flight which leaves an hour later (who knew there were so many flights going to New Zealand tonight!) Now she’s been checked by the USDA govt vet, accepted by LAX airport and her crate sealed for export 😳 She has a long road now ahead as she waits nearly 4 hours to fly at 10.30pm local time. Flight time is then 13 hours so this will be tough for her, here’s hoping she will sleep most of the way. #goodgirl #cmonhomepip #keepgoing #heregirl #travelingpup #airNZ #aucklandbound #seenz #laflight #aircargo #weinerdog #doxie #dachshund #minidachshund #noplansjustoptions A post shared by No Plans Just Options (@noplans.justoptions) on Jul 21, 2020 at 8:24pm PDT × The family was finally able to conclude the needed paperwork and was excited to meet their dog, but Qantas, the air carrier, announced that the company won't be flying dogs to the country. With limited options and red-tape limitations, Zoe turned towards social media and posted a message looki ng for people flying east to west coast in the US to help the family out. Upon reading the post, Melissa Young, who works for dog rescue foundation The Sparky Foundation, stepped in and helped Pip flew from Greensboro to Charlotte, North Carolina, and then from Charlotte to Los Angeles with Pip under her seat. From there, Pip travelled solo from Los Angeles to Auckland through Jetpets. Upon reaching Auckland, Pip was quarantined for a night and was flown out to Melbourne the next day, where she was quarantined for 10 days, as per the rules of the state. View this post on Instagram 🇺🇸 Flight #2 Charlotte to LA - nailed it! Not a squeak from Pipsqueak, now enjoying the amenities and luxury of #aloftelsegundo with kind human, dog whisperer and travel buddy @mhyoung83 prior to her booking with #jetpets in LA tomorrow. Sleep well, Pip. Two flights in, three flights and 14 days to go until you’re back in Sydney! #travelpet #worldtraveleddog #cmonpip #headedhome #aussiebound🇦🇺 #wellbehavedpets #weinerdog #dachshund #doxie #dachshundsofinstagram #flyingsausage #lax #lababy #noplansjustoptions A post shared by No Plans Just Options (@noplans.justoptions) on Jul 19, 2020 at 6:00pm PDT × The family was getting excited to meet their part of the 'crew', but problems increased when the state of Victoria imposed a strict lockdown and the borders between Victoria and New South Wales were closed. Pip was then taken by Zoe's brother, who resides in Melbourne. However, Pip's social media popularity came to her rescue as Virgin Australia contacteed the family and agreed to fly Pip home. "Our greatest fear was that she wouldn't remember us after all that time. My kids were so worried that they got a hotdog and rubbed it on their hands. And then this tiny dog walks out through the hangar, strutting along. When she heard our voices, she came barreling into our arms. It was absolutely amazing to have her back after all that time," Zoe said. "I'm conscious that she's a dog, but we think of ourselves as a bit of a crew," said Zoe. "Living on a boat you really have to work together. And even though she just lazed about and didn't really do anything, we still consider her a member of our crew." The family has now put their docked yacht, called No Plans Just Options, on market for sale. However, the family hopes to sail again soon. "It's been a really lovely story to be a part of. Especially during a pretty horrific time in the world for most people," Zoe said.

Dog travels from South Carolina to Australia to re-unite with owners

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