US authorities caught more than 171,000 migrants at the border with Mexico in March -- the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting President Joe Biden.

According to a report published in Reuters news agency, the preliminary March arrest totals at the US-Mexico border represent the highest monthly level since April 2000, when border patrol agents caught more than 180,000 migrants.

The total includes about 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children and 53,000 family members traveling together, the figures show. Single adults made up roughly 99,000 of the total.

The Biden administration is struggling to house newly arrived unaccompanied children, who are exempted from expulsion under a COVID-19 health order known as Title 42. Children have been backed up in crowded border stations and processing centers for days.

The shelter system that houses the children has been overwhelmed and US officials have scrambled in recent weeks to open emergency shelters, including sites in convention centers in Dallas and San Diego.

Meanwhile, the March figures show a 178 per cent increase in the number of migrant families caught at the border compared with last month.

More than half of the 19,000 family members caught at the border in February were not expelled, according to public US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, with many released into the United States to pursue immigration court cases.

(with inputs)

US authorities caught more than 171,000 migrants at the border with Mexico in March -- the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting President Joe Biden.

US authorities caught more than 171,000 migrants at the border with Mexico in March -- the highest monthly total in two decades and the latest sign of the mounting humanitarian challenge confronting President Joe Biden. According to a report published in Reuters news agency, the preliminary March arrest totals at the US-Mexico border represent the highest monthly level since April 2000, when border patrol agents caught more than 180,000 migrants. The total includes about 19,000 unaccompanied migrant children and 53,000 family members traveling together, the figures show. Single adults made up roughly 99,000 of the total. The Biden administration is struggling to house newly arrived unaccompanied children, who are exempted from expulsion under a COVID-19 health order known as Title 42. Children have been backed up in crowded border stations and processing centers for days. The shelter system that houses the children has been overwhelmed and US officials have scrambled in recent weeks to open emergency shelters, including sites in convention centers in Dallas and San Diego. Meanwhile, the March figures show a 178 per cent increase in the number of migrant families caught at the border compared with last month. More than half of the 19,000 family members caught at the border in February were not expelled, according to public US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, with many released into the United States to pursue immigration court cases. (with inputs)

US caught a huge number of migrants at Mexico border in March, report says

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a video showing smugglers bringing the children to the border barrier on the Mexico side and dropping from the top of a 14-foot wall marking the US-Mexican border.

Authorities release video of smugglers dropping children over US border barrier

President Joe Biden faced mounting pressure from Republicans over his handling of a surge in migrants. The influx of migrants has grown radically under the Biden Administration. Watch this report

Influx of migrants has grown under Biden administration

According to a top US border official, more than a million migrants are set to arrive at the US-Mexico border this year. The constant influx of migrants on the Southwest border is posing a growing humanitarian challenge for US President Joe Biden.

US witnesses constant influx of migrants at Mexico border

Unaccompanied migrants at the US-Mexico border are an unprecedented challenge for the Biden administration. US President Joe Biden has planned to visit the US-Mexico border to review the situation of migrants seeking refugee status in the country.

Joe Biden plans to visit Mexican border to review migrants situation

Biden, who took office on January 20, has faced criticism from Republicans for reversing some of the hard-line policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump.

Joe Biden to visit Mexican border ‘at some point’

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

Migrant children are being forced to sleep on gym mats with foil sheets and go for days without showering as the Border Patrol struggles to handle thousands of young Central Americans who are surging across the southwestern border, some of them as young as a year old.

Children are arriving in groups and alone, some of them clutching phone numbers of relatives scrawled on little pieces of paper, according to two court-appointed lawyers who are monitoring conditions at facilities along the border. Many of the children interviewed by the lawyers in recent days said they had not been allowed outdoors for days on end, confined to an overcrowded tent.

“It’s an urgent situation. These children are caught up in a crisis,” said Leecia Welch, a lawyer who visited a holding facility for migrant children in Donna, Texas, that was built to house 250 people but which last week was holding about 1,000.

More than 9,400 minors — ranging from young children to teenagers — arrived along the border without parents in February, a nearly threefold increase over last year at the same time, presenting the Biden administration with an urgent humanitarian challenge as it opens the door to children and gradually welcomes in families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America.

Two Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed on Monday that the administration planned to shelter thousands of teenage boys at a convention center in downtown Dallas. The administration is opening another temporary facility in Midland, Texas, at a former camp for oil field workers. The Department of Health and Human Services is also considering a proposal to house migrants at a NASA site, Moffett Federal Airfield, in Mountain View, California.

The backlog in migrant shelters, which until recently were strained by coronavirus occupancy limits, has caused a logjam in Border Patrol processing facilities and resulted in the detention of many children for several days longer than the maximum 72 hours allowed under federal law.

Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said last week that those housed at the border stations have full access to meals and medical care, and are provided showers every 48 hours.

The southwestern border typically sees a surge in migration during the spring months, before the lethal summer heat. During the current fiscal year that started Oct. 1, Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 396,000 migrant crossings, including at official ports of entry, compared with about 201,600 during the same period last fiscal year.

A majority of those crossings involved single adults, who under current rules are often quickly expelled back to Mexico or their home countries. But President Joe Biden has declined to expel unaccompanied children back to uncertain fates in Mexican border cities, and the number of those cases has reached more than 29,700 this fiscal year — about 400 a day so far in March — compared with 17,100 during the same period last fiscal year.

The tent facility erected just a month ago in Donna, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, is crammed with more than 1,000 children and teenagers, some as young as 1, according to the lawyers who recently visited.

Their interviews with about 20 children, arranged under a court settlement guaranteeing protections for migrant children, provide the only window so far into conditions during the current surge at border facilities, which normally are not open for public access.

The Border Patrol is operating the Donna facility, holding 40 children to a room in white tents partitioned with clear, plastic sheets, until a government shelter can receive them.

The two lawyers, Welch and Neha Desai, visited on Thursday; under a 1997 settlement decree, known as Flores, they are permitted to inspect facilities holding children to monitor the government’s compliance with the agreement, which guarantees protections for migrant children held in government custody.

Some of the children told the visiting lawyers that there were not enough mats available for sleeping, forcing some of them to sleep directly on the ground or on a metal bench. Many said they had been confined to their crowded room for the duration of their stay.

Welch said the lawyers were not allowed by the Justice Department to go inside the facility, but instead were allowed to interview about 20 children brought to a portable unit.

She said that they received a list, several pages long, of more than 1,000 children who were being housed at the facility, and that a “staggering” number of them were children under the age of 10.

“One child told me that she hadn’t showered in six days, others said two and others three,” Welch said. “Obviously, the border authorities are overwhelmed with the numbers.”

She said that most of the children interviewed, who ranged in age from 8 to 13 years, said they had been in the tent for five to seven days, in violation of acceptable practice designed to safeguard their well-being.

The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday sent a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, calling on the Biden administration to limit detention of migrants at the border, hold its staff members accountable and establish a humane asylum system.

In response to the recent surge in arrivals, the Biden administration is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in processing and finding shelters for the children. The agency, which normally provides financial assistance during natural disasters, will help find shelter space and provide “food, water and basic medical care” to thousands of young migrants. The Biden administration has also deployed Health and Human Services officials to border facilities, where the children are held before being moved to shelters, to help quickly identify their sponsors.

The administration also has asked officials in the Department of Homeland Security to volunteer “to help care for and assist unaccompanied minors” who have been held in border facilities.

But the infrastructure along the border, largely designed for single men, has not adjusted to the demographic shift to children and families, who began to arrive in large numbers in 2013. Finding suitable housing has been a challenge for several administrations.

Most of the children are being placed under COVID-19 quarantine for 10 days in shelters around the country, which is delaying their release to family members or other sponsors — and creating the bottleneck in border facilities like the one in Donna.

The government last month opened an emergency shelter in Carrizo Springs, Texas, with a 700-bed capacity.

Despite the current space constraints, immigration groups that have long worked along the border cautioned against describing the situation with a sense of alarm.

Marisa Limón Garza, deputy director of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, said various factors were contributing to the rising numbers of migrants at several border sites — including the changing of the seasons, hurricanes in Central America and the gradual phasing out of a requirement that many asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their applications are being considered.

“We don’t see this as a crisis,” said Limón Garza, whose organization has been briefed by administration officials on the treatment of migrant families at border facilities. “Spring is the natural time for migration between the cold of the winter and the heat of the summer. We also know that the Trump administration really did quite a bit of damage within the bureaucracy, so putting that all together, that’s the context we’re in.”

Similarly, Linda Rivas, executive director at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, said the uptick this year resembled the migration flows she had seen in seven years as a practicing immigration lawyer, with more people heading north as the spring approaches.

But Rivas also expressed concern over the challenges the Biden administration faced as it tried to work with an immigration system that the previous administration overhauled with the aim of making it exceptionally difficult to apply for asylum in the United States.

“We would love to see the processing of minor children happen a lot quicker,” Rivas said. But, she added, “Right now we don’t have an operational asylum system because there’s still a lot of rebuilding to do.”

Migrant children are being forced to sleep on gym mats with foil sheets and go for days without showering as the Border Patrol struggles to handle thousands of young Central Americans who are surging across the southwestern border, some of them as young as a year old.

Migrant children are being forced to sleep on gym mats with foil sheets and go for days without showering as the Border Patrol struggles to handle thousands of young Central Americans who are surging across the southwestern border, some of them as young as a year old. Children are arriving in groups and alone, some of them clutching phone numbers of relatives scrawled on little pieces of paper, according to two court-appointed lawyers who are monitoring conditions at facilities along the border. Many of the children interviewed by the lawyers in recent days said they had not been allowed outdoors for days on end, confined to an overcrowded tent. “It’s an urgent situation. These children are caught up in a crisis,” said Leecia Welch, a lawyer who visited a holding facility for migrant children in Donna, Texas, that was built to house 250 people but which last week was holding about 1,000. More than 9,400 minors — ranging from young children to teenagers — arrived along the border without parents in February, a nearly threefold increase over last year at the same time, presenting the Biden administration with an urgent humanitarian challenge as it opens the door to children and gradually welcomes in families fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. Two Department of Homeland Security officials confirmed on Monday that the administration planned to shelter thousands of teenage boys at a convention center in downtown Dallas. The administration is opening another temporary facility in Midland, Texas, at a former camp for oil field workers. The Department of Health and Human Services is also considering a proposal to house migrants at a NASA site, Moffett Federal Airfield, in Mountain View, California. The backlog in migrant shelters, which until recently were strained by coronavirus occupancy limits, has caused a logjam in Border Patrol processing facilities and resulted in the detention of many children for several days longer than the maximum 72 hours allowed under federal law. Troy Miller, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said last week that those housed at the border stations have full access to meals and medical care, and are provided showers every 48 hours. The southwestern border typically sees a surge in migration during the spring months, before the lethal summer heat. During the current fiscal year that started Oct. 1, Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 396,000 migrant crossings, including at official ports of entry, compared with about 201,600 during the same period last fiscal year. A majority of those crossings involved single adults, who under current rules are often quickly expelled back to Mexico or their home countries. But President Joe Biden has declined to expel unaccompanied children back to uncertain fates in Mexican border cities, and the number of those cases has reached more than 29,700 this fiscal year — about 400 a day so far in March — compared with 17,100 during the same period last fiscal year. The tent facility erected just a month ago in Donna, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, is crammed with more than 1,000 children and teenagers, some as young as 1, according to the lawyers who recently visited. Their interviews with about 20 children, arranged under a court settlement guaranteeing protections for migrant children, provide the only window so far into conditions during the current surge at border facilities, which normally are not open for public access. The Border Patrol is operating the Donna facility, holding 40 children to a room in white tents partitioned with clear, plastic sheets, until a government shelter can receive them. The two lawyers, Welch and Neha Desai, visited on Thursday; under a 1997 settlement decree, known as Flores, they are permitted to inspect facilities holding children to monitor the government’s compliance with the agreement, which guarantees protections for migrant children held in government custody. Some of the children told the visiting lawyers that there were not enough mats available for sleeping, forcing some of them to sleep directly on the ground or on a metal bench. Many said they had been confined to their crowded room for the duration of their stay. Welch said the lawyers were not allowed by the Justice Department to go inside the facility, but instead were allowed to interview about 20 children brought to a portable unit. She said that they received a list, several pages long, of more than 1,000 children who were being housed at the facility, and that a “staggering” number of them were children under the age of 10. “One child told me that she hadn’t showered in six days, others said two and others three,” Welch said. “Obviously, the border authorities are overwhelmed with the numbers.” She said that most of the children interviewed, who ranged in age from 8 to 13 years, said they had been in the tent for five to seven days, in violation of acceptable practice designed to safeguard their well-being. The American Civil Liberties Union on Monday sent a letter to Alejandro Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary, calling on the Biden administration to limit detention of migrants at the border, hold its staff members accountable and establish a humane asylum system. In response to the recent surge in arrivals, the Biden administration is directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist in processing and finding shelters for the children. The agency, which normally provides financial assistance during natural disasters, will help find shelter space and provide “food, water and basic medical care” to thousands of young migrants. The Biden administration has also deployed Health and Human Services officials to border facilities, where the children are held before being moved to shelters, to help quickly identify their sponsors. The administration also has asked officials in the Department of Homeland Security to volunteer “to help care for and assist unaccompanied minors” who have been held in border facilities. But the infrastructure along the border, largely designed for single men, has not adjusted to the demographic shift to children and families, who began to arrive in large numbers in 2013. Finding suitable housing has been a challenge for several administrations. Most of the children are being placed under COVID-19 quarantine for 10 days in shelters around the country, which is delaying their release to family members or other sponsors — and creating the bottleneck in border facilities like the one in Donna. The government last month opened an emergency shelter in Carrizo Springs, Texas, with a 700-bed capacity. Despite the current space constraints, immigration groups that have long worked along the border cautioned against describing the situation with a sense of alarm. Marisa Limón Garza, deputy director of the Hope Border Institute in El Paso, said various factors were contributing to the rising numbers of migrants at several border sites — including the changing of the seasons, hurricanes in Central America and the gradual phasing out of a requirement that many asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their applications are being considered. “We don’t see this as a crisis,” said Limón Garza, whose organization has been briefed by administration officials on the treatment of migrant families at border facilities. “Spring is the natural time for migration between the cold of the winter and the heat of the summer. We also know that the Trump administration really did quite a bit of damage within the bureaucracy, so putting that all together, that’s the context we’re in.” Similarly, Linda Rivas, executive director at Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center in El Paso, said the uptick this year resembled the migration flows she had seen in seven years as a practicing immigration lawyer, with more people heading north as the spring approaches. But Rivas also expressed concern over the challenges the Biden administration faced as it tried to work with an immigration system that the previous administration overhauled with the aim of making it exceptionally difficult to apply for asylum in the United States. “We would love to see the processing of minor children happen a lot quicker,” Rivas said. But, she added, “Right now we don’t have an operational asylum system because there’s still a lot of rebuilding to do.”

Children are sleeping on mats in overcrowded US border facilities

US President Joe Biden is slated to order a major review of asylum processing at its border with Mexico, and the legal immigration system as he seeks to undo some of former president Donald Trump's hard-line policies. He on Tuesday will also sign a series of executive orders overhauling the US immigration process, signalling a return to a more inclusive policy.

The Democratic president will&nbsp;create a task force to reunite migrant families who were separated at the US-Mexico border by Trump’s 2018 "zero tolerance" border strategy. He&nbsp;will also sign another executive order dealing with regional migration.

Biden's actions on Tuesday will follow six immigration orders he issued on his first day in office and will further jumpstart his ambitious pro-immigrant agenda that seeks to erase Trump's restrictive policies on legal and illegal immigration.

As part of the actions, he will call for a review of a Trump-era rule that made it harder for poorer immigrants to obtain permanent residency in the United States. He will also mandate a review of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a controversial programme that pushed 65,000 asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait for US court hearings. Most returned to their home countries but some remained in a makeshift camp near the Mexican border.

The Biden administration has already stopped adding people to the programme but crucially it has not yet outlined how it will process the claims of those already enrolled.

Chad Wolf, former acting US Department of Homeland Security secretary under Trump, said in an interview that halting the MPP programme was a mistake because it had been an effective deterrent to illegal immigration.

Biden's review of Trump’s so-called “public charge” rule is expected to start the process to rescind it, according to two people familiar with the plan. The rule makes it harder for immigrants who are poor or need government help to secure residency and stay in the country.

It remains unclear whether Biden's executive orders on Tuesday will address two Trump proclamations that banned the issuance of many work and immigrant visas, which Trump had said would protect American jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The working group will examine ways to reunite the families, officials said, without specifying whether that could allow parents or children who had been deported to return to US soil.

A second executive order echoes a similar policy under the Barack Obama administration, putting in place legal mechanisms for prospective immigrants in their home countries to apply for residency, allowing them to avoid dangerous smuggling routes.

The third decree will promote the integration of migrants legally settled in the United States and make naturalization "more accessible to the more than nine million immigrants who are currently eligible to apply" for citizenship.

Most of the reforms will be led by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

Biden has nominated Alejandro Mayorkas to the position, and the Senate will vote on his appointment midday Tuesday.

If confirmed, Mayorkas -- who arrived in the United States as an infant as the son of Cuban refugees -- will be the first Hispanic person to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a sprawling agency that oversees immigration issues, border police and emergency responses.

(with inputs from agencies)

US President Joe Biden is slated to order a major review of asylum processing at its border with Mexico, and the legal immigration system as he seeks to undo some of former president Donald Trump's hard-line policies.

US President Joe Biden is slated to order a major review of asylum processing at its border with Mexico, and the legal immigration system as he seeks to undo some of former president Donald Trump's hard-line policies. He on Tuesday will also sign a series of executive orders overhauling the US immigration process, signalling a return to a more inclusive policy. The Democratic president will create a task force to reunite migrant families who were separated at the US-Mexico border by Trump’s 2018 "zero tolerance" border strategy. He will also sign another executive order dealing with regional migration. Biden's actions on Tuesday will follow six immigration orders he issued on his first day in office and will further jumpstart his ambitious pro-immigrant agenda that seeks to erase Trump's restrictive policies on legal and illegal immigration. As part of the actions, he will call for a review of a Trump-era rule that made it harder for poorer immigrants to obtain permanent residency in the United States. He will also mandate a review of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a controversial programme that pushed 65,000 asylum seekers back to Mexico to wait for US court hearings. Most returned to their home countries but some remained in a makeshift camp near the Mexican border. The Biden administration has already stopped adding people to the programme but crucially it has not yet outlined how it will process the claims of those already enrolled. Chad Wolf, former acting US Department of Homeland Security secretary under Trump, said in an interview that halting the MPP programme was a mistake because it had been an effective deterrent to illegal immigration. Biden's review of Trump’s so-called “public charge” rule is expected to start the process to rescind it, according to two people familiar with the plan. The rule makes it harder for immigrants who are poor or need government help to secure residency and stay in the country. It remains unclear whether Biden's executive orders on Tuesday will address two Trump proclamations that banned the issuance of many work and immigrant visas, which Trump had said would protect American jobs during the coronavirus pandemic. The working group will examine ways to reunite the families, officials said, without specifying whether that could allow parents or children who had been deported to return to US soil. A second executive order echoes a similar policy under the Barack Obama administration, putting in place legal mechanisms for prospective immigrants in their home countries to apply for residency, allowing them to avoid dangerous smuggling routes. The third decree will promote the integration of migrants legally settled in the United States and make naturalization "more accessible to the more than nine million immigrants who are currently eligible to apply" for citizenship. Most of the reforms will be led by the Secretary of Homeland Security. Biden has nominated Alejandro Mayorkas to the position, and the Senate will vote on his appointment midday Tuesday. If confirmed, Mayorkas -- who arrived in the United States as an infant as the son of Cuban refugees -- will be the first Hispanic person to lead the Department of Homeland Security, a sprawling agency that oversees immigration issues, border police and emergency responses. (with inputs from agencies)

Biden to issue executive orders on asylum, legal immigration, separated families

The United States on Friday closed lanes at select ports of entry at the border with Mexico and will conduct more secondary checks to limit non-essential travel and the spread of coronavirus, a US&nbsp;Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official said.

Non-essential travel has been restricted at the border since March, but US&nbsp;citizens and permanent residents can still enter the United States from Mexico. The new measures are aimed at those travelers, the CBP official said.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump, who faces re-election Nov. 3, has taken a series of sweeping steps to scale back immigration during the coronavirus pandemic, including emergency border rules that allow US authorities to rapidly deport migrants arrested at the border.

The United States leads the world with more than 174,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus, followed by Brazil with 112,000 and Mexico with 59,000, according to a Reuters tally.

"We need people to think twice about non-essential travel and to ask themselves if the travel is worth risking their lives and the lives of others," El Paso CBP spokesman Roger Maier said in a written statement.

CBP said it would take steps to reduce non-essential travel at more than a dozen border crossings in Texas, Arizona and California. The wait times for passenger vehicles at those ports of entry on Friday evening ranged from no wait to several hours.

The Trump administration had been considering a measure to block US&nbsp;citizens and residents from returning home if they were suspected of being infected with the coronavirus, Reuters reported this month. The plan was blasted by some hospitals, U.S. expats and immigrant advocacy groups.

Senior White House officials have decided against the proposal, according to two officials familiar with the deliberations, although it remains unclear if it could be resurrected.

The United States on Friday closed lanes at select ports of entry at the border with Mexico and will conduct more secondary checks to limit non-essential travel and the spread of coronavirus, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official said.

The United States on Friday closed lanes at select ports of entry at the border with Mexico and will conduct more secondary checks to limit non-essential travel and the spread of coronavirus, a US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official said. Non-essential travel has been restricted at the border since March, but US citizens and permanent residents can still enter the United States from Mexico. The new measures are aimed at those travelers, the CBP official said. US President Donald Trump, who faces re-election Nov. 3, has taken a series of sweeping steps to scale back immigration during the coronavirus pandemic, including emergency border rules that allow US authorities to rapidly deport migrants arrested at the border. The United States leads the world with more than 174,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus, followed by Brazil with 112,000 and Mexico with 59,000, according to a Reuters tally. "We need people to think twice about non-essential travel and to ask themselves if the travel is worth risking their lives and the lives of others," El Paso CBP spokesman Roger Maier said in a written statement. CBP said it would take steps to reduce non-essential travel at more than a dozen border crossings in Texas, Arizona and California. The wait times for passenger vehicles at those ports of entry on Friday evening ranged from no wait to several hours. The Trump administration had been considering a measure to block US citizens and residents from returning home if they were suspected of being infected with the coronavirus, Reuters reported this month. The plan was blasted by some hospitals, U.S. expats and immigrant advocacy groups. Senior White House officials have decided against the proposal, according to two officials familiar with the deliberations, although it remains unclear if it could be resurrected.

US closes lanes, adds checks at Mexico border to contain coronavirus

Yearender 2019: Reliving the year via pictures

In a muddy makeshift camp in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, more than 1,000 migrants had waited for weeks for a chance to request asylum in the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-pushes-back-after-top-us-court-favours-trump-on-shunning-migrants-249280">United States</a>, enduring cold nights and long days of uncertainty.

Frustrated, many are giving up and clearing out.

Authorities say as of last week, there were still about 1,400 migrants, most of them from southwestern Mexico, holding out hope under tents and tarps in a park not far from the Rio Grande.&nbsp;

But on Thursday, only about 700 remained. The others grew tired of the near-freezing temperatures at night and the seemingly fruitless quest to be heard by US officials.

Local associations convinced several families to head to shelters or hotels when the mercury started to plummet.

Some instead made their way across the river, without any idea if they would succeed.

And still others opted to remain -- they are afraid to lose their place on the murky waitlist system they themselves created to convince US border agents to take them in order of their arrival.

"They won't let us proceed unless we hand them our slips to show them we have indeed been waiting," said Rosa, who keeps up the list on a daily basis.

Every night, the men and women at the camp keep watch on the comings and goings on the bridge crossing the Rio Grande -- the natural, international border -- to make sure new arrivals don't jump the queue.

'The cartels threatened us'&nbsp;

According to a survey recently led by several universities in northern Mexico, 60 per cent of those at the camp wait their turn in tents, but more than a quarter are sleeping in the open air.

Many migrants say they are fleeing violence in their hometowns.

"The cartels threatened us and took our land," said one man from Guerrero state.

"At first, they asked us for money," he explained. "But when we could no longer pay, they took our house. They gave us two weeks" to get out, he added.

Officials in Ciudad Juarez -- once known as the "murder capital of the world" -- are trying to be flexible about the influx of migrants.

"We understand that US authorities administratively can't process all of these requests," said Enrique Valenzuela, who works for a Chihuahua state agency tasked with local population issues.

"Most of these people are alleged victims in some way," he said.

"They say that they either have been threatened for some reason -- themselves or their families -- or they have either lost a loved one or a neighbour," he added. 
&nbsp;

In a muddy makeshift camp in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, more than 1,000 migrants had waited for weeks for a chance to request asylum in the United States, enduring cold nights and long days of uncertainty.

In a muddy makeshift camp in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez, more than 1,000 migrants had waited for weeks for a chance to request asylum in the United States, enduring cold nights and long days of uncertainty. Frustrated, many are giving up and clearing out. Authorities say as of last week, there were still about 1,400 migrants, most of them from southwestern Mexico, holding out hope under tents and tarps in a park not far from the Rio Grande. But on Thursday, only about 700 remained. The others grew tired of the near-freezing temperatures at night and the seemingly fruitless quest to be heard by US officials. Local associations convinced several families to head to shelters or hotels when the mercury started to plummet. Some instead made their way across the river, without any idea if they would succeed. And still others opted to remain -- they are afraid to lose their place on the murky waitlist system they themselves created to convince US border agents to take them in order of their arrival. "They won't let us proceed unless we hand them our slips to show them we have indeed been waiting," said Rosa, who keeps up the list on a daily basis. Every night, the men and women at the camp keep watch on the comings and goings on the bridge crossing the Rio Grande -- the natural, international border -- to make sure new arrivals don't jump the queue. 'The cartels threatened us' According to a survey recently led by several universities in northern Mexico, 60 per cent of those at the camp wait their turn in tents, but more than a quarter are sleeping in the open air. Many migrants say they are fleeing violence in their hometowns. "The cartels threatened us and took our land," said one man from Guerrero state. "At first, they asked us for money," he explained. "But when we could no longer pay, they took our house. They gave us two weeks" to get out, he added. Officials in Ciudad Juarez -- once known as the "murder capital of the world" -- are trying to be flexible about the influx of migrants. "We understand that US authorities administratively can't process all of these requests," said Enrique Valenzuela, who works for a Chihuahua state agency tasked with local population issues. "Most of these people are alleged victims in some way," he said. "They say that they either have been threatened for some reason -- themselves or their families -- or they have either lost a loved one or a neighbour," he added.

At the US-Mexican border, migrants give up hope of crossing

The <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/united-nations-states-pledge-more-than-3-billion-for-refugees-asylum-rights-under-threat-269069">United States</a> began flying Mexican deportees deep into Mexico on Thursday, and senior US&nbsp;and Guatemalan officials said Mexicans seeking US&nbsp;refuge might be sent to the Central American nation, in a renewed effort to slash border crossings.

The flight carrying Mexican deportees from Tucson, Arizona, landed in the central city of Guadalajara around midday. One immigration shelter in the city said it had been informed of a likely influx of deportees.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/democrats-have-no-proof-i-want-an-immediate-trial-trump-on-impeachment-proceedings-269248">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump</a> has made clamping down on unlawful migration a top priority of his three-year-old term in office and his 2020 re-election campaign.

Numbers of Central American migrants apprehended at the border fell sharply in the second part of 2019 after Mexico deployed National Guard troops to stem the flow, under pressure from Trump.

With fewer Central Americans at the border, US&nbsp;attention has turned to Mexicans crossing illegally or asking for asylum. Around 150,000 Mexican single adults were apprehended at the border in the fiscal year 2019, sharply down from previous decades but still enough to bother US&nbsp;immigration hawks.

In another sign of the new focus on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/mexican-businesses-want-clarity-on-details-of-usmca-trade-deal-267698">Mexicans</a>, Acting Deputy US&nbsp;Department of Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said an agreement that lets US&nbsp;immigration officials send asylum seekers to Guatemala to request refuge there instead could also apply to Mexicans and other nationalities.

"As we fully implement the agreement, all populations are being considered, including Mexican nationals," Cuccinelli said on Twitter.

His comments were echoed by Guatemala's Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart, who told Reuters he had analysed whether Mexicans could be included in the programme, which is similar to the "safe third country" arrangement in Europe that outsources asylum to Turkey.

Also Watch:&nbsp;Migrants gather at US-Mexico border for Christmas party

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Degenhart said the idea of including Mexicans had not been implemented so far but could not be ruled out.

"Right now, it is only being used with Central Americans," he said, pointing out that Mexicans were not part of the long-standing pact that allows Central Americans to move freely between each others' countries.

Mexico's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Cuccinelli and Degenhart's remarks.

Flights

Mexico said it had requested the flights to keep deportees away from dangerous border cities, while a senior DHS official said the flights were in response to rising numbers of Mexican nationals arrested at the US-Mexico border.

Mexicans made up nearly half of all migrants caught between October and December, according to US&nbsp;Customs and Border Protection data.

John Sandweg, a former acting director of US&nbsp;Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Obama administration, said the programme would help stop Mexican migrants from simply crossing again once they had been deported.

"It's a lot cheaper to just return Mexicans across the border," he said. "But the real benefit is the recidivism rate." A bus ride from Guadalajara to Nogales, a Mexican border city across from the US&nbsp;state of Arizona, can take more than a day.

The flights could be scaled up quickly in the coming weeks, said the DHS official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Mexican foreign ministry said the flights would begin on a regular basis in January.

The US&nbsp;official added the return flights may expand beyond Guadalajara, Mexico's second-biggest city, to other parts of Mexico.

Acting ICE Director Matt Albence said in a written statement on Thursday that the interior repatriations would allow Mexican nationals to be returned closer to their homes and discourage future border-crossing attempts.

The flight from Tucson to Guadalajara on Thursday carried approximately 150 Mexican deportees, according to ICE.

The United States has in recent years mainly deported Mexicans to border towns, although in the past it also flew them to cities in the interior.

The United States began flying Mexican deportees deep into Mexico on Thursday, and senior US and Guatemalan officials said Mexicans seeking US refuge might be sent to the Central American nation, in a renewed effort to slash border crossings.

The United States began flying Mexican deportees deep into Mexico on Thursday, and senior US and Guatemalan officials said Mexicans seeking US refuge might be sent to the Central American nation, in a renewed effort to slash border crossings. The flight carrying Mexican deportees from Tucson, Arizona, landed in the central city of Guadalajara around midday. One immigration shelter in the city said it had been informed of a likely influx of deportees. US President Donald Trump has made clamping down on unlawful migration a top priority of his three-year-old term in office and his 2020 re-election campaign. Numbers of Central American migrants apprehended at the border fell sharply in the second part of 2019 after Mexico deployed National Guard troops to stem the flow, under pressure from Trump. With fewer Central Americans at the border, US attention has turned to Mexicans crossing illegally or asking for asylum. Around 150,000 Mexican single adults were apprehended at the border in the fiscal year 2019, sharply down from previous decades but still enough to bother US immigration hawks. In another sign of the new focus on Mexicans, Acting Deputy US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said an agreement that lets US immigration officials send asylum seekers to Guatemala to request refuge there instead could also apply to Mexicans and other nationalities. "As we fully implement the agreement, all populations are being considered, including Mexican nationals," Cuccinelli said on Twitter. His comments were echoed by Guatemala's Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart, who told Reuters he had analysed whether Mexicans could be included in the programme, which is similar to the "safe third country" arrangement in Europe that outsources asylum to Turkey. Also Watch: Migrants gather at US-Mexico border for Christmas party × Degenhart said the idea of including Mexicans had not been implemented so far but could not be ruled out. "Right now, it is only being used with Central Americans," he said, pointing out that Mexicans were not part of the long-standing pact that allows Central Americans to move freely between each others' countries. Mexico's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Cuccinelli and Degenhart's remarks. Flights Mexico said it had requested the flights to keep deportees away from dangerous border cities, while a senior DHS official said the flights were in response to rising numbers of Mexican nationals arrested at the US-Mexico border. Mexicans made up nearly half of all migrants caught between October and December, according to US Customs and Border Protection data. John Sandweg, a former acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Obama administration, said the programme would help stop Mexican migrants from simply crossing again once they had been deported. "It's a lot cheaper to just return Mexicans across the border," he said. "But the real benefit is the recidivism rate." A bus ride from Guadalajara to Nogales, a Mexican border city across from the US state of Arizona, can take more than a day. The flights could be scaled up quickly in the coming weeks, said the DHS official, who was not authorized to speak publicly. The Mexican foreign ministry said the flights would begin on a regular basis in January. The US official added the return flights may expand beyond Guadalajara, Mexico's second-biggest city, to other parts of Mexico. Acting ICE Director Matt Albence said in a written statement on Thursday that the interior repatriations would allow Mexican nationals to be returned closer to their homes and discourage future border-crossing attempts. The flight from Tucson to Guadalajara on Thursday carried approximately 150 Mexican deportees, according to ICE. The United States has in recent years mainly deported Mexicans to border towns, although in the past it also flew them to cities in the interior.

US deports Mexicans far from border, may send others to Guatemala

Reliving the decade via pictures

Mexican authorities said Tuesday they have arrested&nbsp;10&nbsp;alleged gunmen from a drug cartel commando that <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/at-least-14-killed-in-bloody-gunfight-in-northern-mexico-265538">attacked a town</a>&nbsp;near&nbsp;the US&nbsp;border, leaving six locals and 17 assailants dead.

At least 60 gunmen terrorised the small northern city of Villa Union&nbsp;over&nbsp;the weekend, riding into town in heavily armed four-by-fours and spraying dozens of buildings with bullets, including houses and the city hall.

The army, National Guard and police then engaged the gunmen in a series of firefights Saturday and Sunday that killed 23 people, according to an updated toll from authorities in Coahuila state.

Two kidnapped city employees, four state police and 17 gunmen died in the attack, the authorities said.

The episode marks the latest security embarrassment for leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office a year ago vowing to curb the gruesome violence of&nbsp;Mexico's "drug wars."

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-warns-will-not-allow-us-military-operations-against-cartels-265319">The authorities mounted a large manhunt after the attack</a>, announcing eight new&nbsp;arrests&nbsp;Tuesday, in addition to two suspects detained earlier.

Coahuila Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme said those arrested "participated directly in the attack on Villa Union City Hall and the houses they shot up along the way, as well as the confrontation" with the security forces.

Witnesses said the gunmen wore the insignia of the Northeast Cartel, a breakaway from the ultra-violent Zetas, a drug cartel founded by corrupt army commandos in the northern state of Tamaulipas in 2010.

"Their instructions were to come scare people and sow terror and seize that turf," Riquelme told Mexican radio network Formula.

"I believe they want to open up a new drug-trafficking route" to the United States, he added.

Lopez Obrador, who marked one year in office just as the incident was taking place, has suffered a series of security setbacks recently, including a botched attempt to arrest the son of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the massacre of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon family last month.

Mexican authorities said Tuesday they have arrested 10 alleged gunmen from a drug cartel commando that attacked a town near the US border, leaving six locals and 17 assailants dead.

Mexican authorities said Tuesday they have arrested 10 alleged gunmen from a drug cartel commando that attacked a town near the US border, leaving six locals and 17 assailants dead. At least 60 gunmen terrorised the small northern city of Villa Union over the weekend, riding into town in heavily armed four-by-fours and spraying dozens of buildings with bullets, including houses and the city hall. The army, National Guard and police then engaged the gunmen in a series of firefights Saturday and Sunday that killed 23 people, according to an updated toll from authorities in Coahuila state. Two kidnapped city employees, four state police and 17 gunmen died in the attack, the authorities said. The episode marks the latest security embarrassment for leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office a year ago vowing to curb the gruesome violence of Mexico's "drug wars." The authorities mounted a large manhunt after the attack, announcing eight new arrests Tuesday, in addition to two suspects detained earlier. Coahuila Governor Miguel Angel Riquelme said those arrested "participated directly in the attack on Villa Union City Hall and the houses they shot up along the way, as well as the confrontation" with the security forces. Witnesses said the gunmen wore the insignia of the Northeast Cartel, a breakaway from the ultra-violent Zetas, a drug cartel founded by corrupt army commandos in the northern state of Tamaulipas in 2010. "Their instructions were to come scare people and sow terror and seize that turf," Riquelme told Mexican radio network Formula. "I believe they want to open up a new drug-trafficking route" to the United States, he added. Lopez Obrador, who marked one year in office just as the incident was taking place, has suffered a series of security setbacks recently, including a botched attempt to arrest the son of jailed kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman and the massacre of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon family last month.

Mexico: 10 arrested over deadly battle near US border

The Trump administration said on Thursday it plans to allow only 18,000 refugees to resettle in the United States in the 2020 fiscal year, the lowest number in the history of the modern refugee program.

In a move immediately decried by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-border-crossings-plunge-but-immigration-raids-draw-fire-241783">immigrant</a> advocates as an affront to the nation's humanitarian commitments, the administration said it had to shift focus to processing a backlog of hundreds of thousands of asylum claims, most of which are filed by migrants from Central America crossing the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-treasurys-mnuchin-says-mexico-immigration-deal-fixes-problems-225469">US-Mexico border</a>.

"The current burdens on the US&nbsp;immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle a large number of refugees," the State Department said in a statement.

At the same time, President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying his administration would seek the approval of state and local governments to resettle refugees in their communities, in a shift for a federally directed program.

Trump has made cutting immigration a centerpiece of his presidency.

One of his first acts after assuming office in January 2017 was to issue an order capping the maximum number of refugees that year at 50,000, less than half the number former President Barack Obama had set a few months earlier.

The proposed new number includes specific carve-outs for US&nbsp;national security and foreign policy interests, a senior administration official told reporters.

Of the proposed 18,000 spots, 4,000 would be reserved for Iraqis, 5,000 for those fleeing religious persecution and 1,500 for people from the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

That leaves 7,500, or roughly 40 per cent, for all others.

When reports began circulating about plans to dramatically cut resettlement, the administration faced public criticism from evangelical leaders who said an agenda supporting religious freedom around the world should go hand in hand with protection for persecuted refugees.

A senior administration official discussing the move on Thursday said that the specific allocation for religious minorities would be an improvement over previous years where broad allocations were made per region.

Dwindling program

The refugee cap was whittled down to 45,000 for 2018 and 30,000 for 2019, over the objections of senior officials in the Department of Defense, who view the program as crucial to rewarding and building allies in US&nbsp;military campaigns oversees.

Under US&nbsp;law, the president must consult Congress before finalizing the annual number of refugees it plans to accept but the determination is ultimately set by the White House.

The reduction comes at a time when there are nearly 71 million displaced people around the world, many of them refugees who have been waiting years in limbo for a chance at resettlement.

Beneficiaries of the US&nbsp;program are meant to include people whose lives are in danger for assisting the US&nbsp;military, orphaned children, and victims of female genital mutilation as well as many other fleeing civil strife and war.

Tens of thousands of refugees are in the pipeline for arrival to the United States, many with applications far along in the approval and vetting process.

But a drastic reduction in the overall numbers, as well as the allotments for particular groups, could mean many of them will likely miss the chance to come to the country in the 2020 fiscal year.

The senior administration official said refugee arrivals, which had been temporarily suspended pending the release of the new resettlement numbers, should resume on October 22.

While a short suspension is typical, the weeks-long halt has left many refugees who had already booked their flights stranded.

With the focus on the influx of migrants at the southern border, the administration has signed a series of bilateral deals in recent weeks that seek to push asylum seekers from Central America back to the region to apply for refuge in neighboring countries instead of in the United States.

Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement the current refugee proposal, with nearly 10 per cent of slots reserved for the northern triangle countries,&nbsp;offers people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras "the opportunity to seek refugee status close to home, rather than embark on a dangerous and often futile journey."

Local say

The President's companion executive order also potentially limits the places where those that are accepted can be resettled.

In the order, he said refugees should only be placed where state and local governments agree to receive them.

"State and local governments are best positioned to know the resources and capacities they may or may not have available," the order said, "which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance."

The administration said refugee resettlement was a drain on government resources but immigration experts said new arrivals, who come with a legal status, often quickly fill jobs and contribute to local tax revenues.

Mark Hetfield, chief executive of Jewish non-profit refugee assistance organization HIAS said the executive order was an attempt by Trump to "allow governors and mayors to imitate his own refugee ban, state by state and town by town."

The Trump administration said on Thursday it plans to allow only 18,000 refugees to resettle in the United States in the 2020 fiscal year, the lowest number in the history of the modern refugee program.

The Trump administration said on Thursday it plans to allow only 18,000 refugees to resettle in the United States in the 2020 fiscal year, the lowest number in the history of the modern refugee program. In a move immediately decried by immigrant advocates as an affront to the nation's humanitarian commitments, the administration said it had to shift focus to processing a backlog of hundreds of thousands of asylum claims, most of which are filed by migrants from Central America crossing the US-Mexico border. "The current burdens on the US immigration system must be alleviated before it is again possible to resettle a large number of refugees," the State Department said in a statement. At the same time, President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying his administration would seek the approval of state and local governments to resettle refugees in their communities, in a shift for a federally directed program. Trump has made cutting immigration a centerpiece of his presidency. One of his first acts after assuming office in January 2017 was to issue an order capping the maximum number of refugees that year at 50,000, less than half the number former President Barack Obama had set a few months earlier. The proposed new number includes specific carve-outs for US national security and foreign policy interests, a senior administration official told reporters. Of the proposed 18,000 spots, 4,000 would be reserved for Iraqis, 5,000 for those fleeing religious persecution and 1,500 for people from the Northern Triangle countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. That leaves 7,500, or roughly 40 per cent, for all others. When reports began circulating about plans to dramatically cut resettlement, the administration faced public criticism from evangelical leaders who said an agenda supporting religious freedom around the world should go hand in hand with protection for persecuted refugees. A senior administration official discussing the move on Thursday said that the specific allocation for religious minorities would be an improvement over previous years where broad allocations were made per region. Dwindling program The refugee cap was whittled down to 45,000 for 2018 and 30,000 for 2019, over the objections of senior officials in the Department of Defense, who view the program as crucial to rewarding and building allies in US military campaigns oversees. Under US law, the president must consult Congress before finalizing the annual number of refugees it plans to accept but the determination is ultimately set by the White House. The reduction comes at a time when there are nearly 71 million displaced people around the world, many of them refugees who have been waiting years in limbo for a chance at resettlement. Beneficiaries of the US program are meant to include people whose lives are in danger for assisting the US military, orphaned children, and victims of female genital mutilation as well as many other fleeing civil strife and war. Tens of thousands of refugees are in the pipeline for arrival to the United States, many with applications far along in the approval and vetting process. But a drastic reduction in the overall numbers, as well as the allotments for particular groups, could mean many of them will likely miss the chance to come to the country in the 2020 fiscal year. The senior administration official said refugee arrivals, which had been temporarily suspended pending the release of the new resettlement numbers, should resume on October 22. While a short suspension is typical, the weeks-long halt has left many refugees who had already booked their flights stranded. With the focus on the influx of migrants at the southern border, the administration has signed a series of bilateral deals in recent weeks that seek to push asylum seekers from Central America back to the region to apply for refuge in neighboring countries instead of in the United States. Kevin McAleenan, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement the current refugee proposal, with nearly 10 per cent of slots reserved for the northern triangle countries, offers people from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras "the opportunity to seek refugee status close to home, rather than embark on a dangerous and often futile journey." Local say The President's companion executive order also potentially limits the places where those that are accepted can be resettled. In the order, he said refugees should only be placed where state and local governments agree to receive them. "State and local governments are best positioned to know the resources and capacities they may or may not have available," the order said, "which maximizes the likelihood refugees placed in the area will become self-sufficient and free from long-term dependence on public assistance." The administration said refugee resettlement was a drain on government resources but immigration experts said new arrivals, who come with a legal status, often quickly fill jobs and contribute to local tax revenues. Mark Hetfield, chief executive of Jewish non-profit refugee assistance organization HIAS said the executive order was an attempt by Trump to "allow governors and mayors to imitate his own refugee ban, state by state and town by town."

Trump administration plans to slash number of refugees for US resettlement

International diplomacy may be a balancing act, but the instalment of fluorescent pink seesaws on a section of the US Mexico border on Sunday showed it could be child's play. Children and adults from both sides of the divide played on the three seesaws, set up in Sunland Park in New Mexico. The seesaws were installed by Ronald Rael, a professor of architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, with the support of Colectivo Chopeke in Ciudad Juarez, to connect both sides "as a recognition of the actions that happen in one side and have a direct impact on the other," Ronald wrote on his Instagram page.

Pink seesaws enable play across Mexico-US border

Tourists flock to US-Mexico border to see razor wire

Pope Francis wasted no time wading in on the standoff over funding for a <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-offers-temporary-protection-to-immigrants-in-return-for-his-wall-democrats-say-no-191509&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiq2o7IyIXgAhUHso8KHeRUDU4QFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3iMMK7iPlQNvLOFQIUTAlZ">US-Mexico border wall</a> on Wednesday as he started his trip to Panama, saying on the plane from Rome that hostility to immigrants was driven by irrational fear.

In a brief conversation between the pope and journalists on the flight, one reporter described the barrier that juts out into the Pacific Ocean between the two countries in San Diego, California, as a "folly".

Francis, who has made the defence of migrants a key part of his papacy, responded: "Fear makes us crazy".

<a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-reiterates-demand-for-wall-attacks-media-191492&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjYofXgyIXgAhVVknAKHZQEC5IQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0kEDorYu3T_d6V7J1EqXde">President Donald Trump</a>, with whom the pope has sparred before on immigration, has triggered a US government shutdown over demands for $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the United States' southern border.

Immigration is expected to be one of the main themes of Francis's six-day trip. The pope met eight refugees in Rome before heading to the airport for his 13-hour flight to Panama for World Youth Day.

Since mid-October, thousands of Central Americans, mostly from Honduras, have travelled north to the United States through Mexico in caravans, some walking much of the way.

Many are seeking asylum, saying they suffer from rampant crime and bleak opportunities in their native countries.

"Nobody wants to leave their country but young Salvadorans are doing it searching for opportunities, employment, security," said Edwin Valiente, a 28-year-old architecture student who came to Panama from El Salvador for Francis' visit.

Francis, on his first trip to Panama and the first by a pope since 1983, was greeted at the airport by President Juan Carlos Varela and thousands of cheering children.

World Youth Day has been dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock", a jamboree where young people celebrate their faith and discuss social issues. It is held in a different city every three years.

About 150,000 have registered for this year's event, being held in Latin America for only the third time since Pope John Paul instituted it in 1985.

Several hundred thousand people are expected at the final Mass at a park on Sunday that will be open to all visitors and citizens of the country of 4 million people, which is about 89 per cent Catholic.

Pope Francis wasted no time wading in on the standoff over funding for a US-Mexico border wall on Wednesday as he started his trip to Panama, saying on the plane from Rome that hostility to immigrants was driven by irrational fear.

Pope Francis wasted no time wading in on the standoff over funding for a US-Mexico border wall on Wednesday as he started his trip to Panama, saying on the plane from Rome that hostility to immigrants was driven by irrational fear. In a brief conversation between the pope and journalists on the flight, one reporter described the barrier that juts out into the Pacific Ocean between the two countries in San Diego, California, as a "folly". Francis, who has made the defence of migrants a key part of his papacy, responded: "Fear makes us crazy". President Donald Trump, with whom the pope has sparred before on immigration, has triggered a US government shutdown over demands for $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the United States' southern border. Immigration is expected to be one of the main themes of Francis's six-day trip. The pope met eight refugees in Rome before heading to the airport for his 13-hour flight to Panama for World Youth Day. Since mid-October, thousands of Central Americans, mostly from Honduras, have travelled north to the United States through Mexico in caravans, some walking much of the way. Many are seeking asylum, saying they suffer from rampant crime and bleak opportunities in their native countries. "Nobody wants to leave their country but young Salvadorans are doing it searching for opportunities, employment, security," said Edwin Valiente, a 28-year-old architecture student who came to Panama from El Salvador for Francis' visit. Francis, on his first trip to Panama and the first by a pope since 1983, was greeted at the airport by President Juan Carlos Varela and thousands of cheering children. World Youth Day has been dubbed the "Catholic Woodstock", a jamboree where young people celebrate their faith and discuss social issues. It is held in a different city every three years. About 150,000 have registered for this year's event, being held in Latin America for only the third time since Pope John Paul instituted it in 1985. Several hundred thousand people are expected at the final Mass at a park on Sunday that will be open to all visitors and citizens of the country of 4 million people, which is about 89 per cent Catholic.

Pope says fear of migrants makes people 'crazy'