Tag: Illegal Immigrants

Record Apprehensions Continue off Florida Coast

The Center Square

A record number of foreign nationals attempting to enter Florida illegally by sea continue to be apprehended by federal, state and local law enforcement agents who are breaking up violent altercations, rescuing people from overloaded and sinking boats, and arresting MS-13 gang members and child sex offenders – the majority of whom are single military age men.

U.S. Coast Guard crews have apprehended a record number of Cubans attempting to enter Florida illegally. Since Oct. 1, 2022, they’ve apprehended 5,740 Cubans. That’s nearly as many as they did in all of fiscal 2022 – 6,182.

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Hospital Costs for Foreign Nationals Illegally in Florida Total $340 Million in Fiscal ’21

The Center Square

Taxpayers spent nearly $340 million for foreign nationals illegally in the U.S. who were admitted to Florida hospitals during fiscal 2021, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office says. This is after taxpayers spent $312 million on illegal foreign nationals admitted to Florida hospitals in fiscal 2020.

According to the findings, donations from charities were used to help pay for illegal foreign nationals’ hospital bills.

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Biden’s Border Admissions Program Is Leading to Family Separations

Admin

The Biden administration’s program to admit migrants using an exception to a major expulsion order if they crossed illegally is leading to family separations, according to multiple reports.

The program allows individual migrants to make appointments through a phone application, known as CBP One, to apply for an appointment to get an exception to Title 42, the Trump-era expulsion order used to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Parents are being forced to weigh a difficult decision of sending their children to cross the border when they can’t get appointments with the family for the admissions process, an immigration lawyer and advocates told Border Report.

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In-State Tuition for Illegal Immigrants Sends Wrong Message, Immigration Reform Advocate Says

M.D. Kittle

A Tennessee Republican lawmaker is pushing another bill that would give illegal immigrants a taxpayer-funded break on college tuition — a move, according to one immigration reform advocate, that sends the message that the Volunteer State is turning a blind eye to the law.

State Senator Todd Gardenhire’s (R-Chattanooga) bill is being sold as an inducement to deal with Tennessee’s teacher shortage.

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Republican Representative Introduces Sweeping Border Security Package to Stop Record Illegal Immigration

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Republican South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan introduced a series of bills Thursday to secure the southern border and crack down on illegal immigration.

The package includes six bills introduced in the last Congress that seek to ban access to Social Security for illegal immigrants, allow authorities to deport illegal immigrants who are listed on the national terrorism database, permit funds from the cartels to be used to build a border wall, revoke passports from members of foreign terrorist groups, punish illegal immigrants who overstay visas and make sanctuary cities ineligible for federal funding, according legislation obtained by the DCNF. Duncan’s plan follows U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s (CBP) highest month on record for migrant encounters, which topped more than 250,000 in December.

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Human Rights Group Warns FBI: Cuban Regime Members Are Masquerading as Asylum Seekers

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A project from the Florida-based Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba that works with activists and victims of political persecution in Cuba recently reported the presence of an alleged repressor of the Cuban communist regime in the United States. Cuban Repressors, a program of the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba (FDHC), filed a formal complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Jan. 4, against 55-year old Cuban citizen Iran Septiem Suarez, accusing him of “advising and participating in the repressive political persecution of Cuban activists on the island,” according to former political prisoner and Florida Cuban Repressors Director Rolando Cartaya told ADN Cuba.

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Poll: Fewer than Three Percent of Hispanic Voters Support Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants

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Fewer than 3% of likely Hispanic voters support amnesty for illegal immigrants as they continue to overwhelm authorities stationed on the southern border, according to a poll conducted by Convention of States Action and The Trafalgar Group.

Just 2.8% of Hispanic likely voters believe that both individuals with pending asylum cases and those who entered the country illegally should be granted amnesty and eventual citizenship, according to the Tuesday poll. The findings come amid a record surge in illegal migration at the U.S.-Mexico border, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recorded more than 250,000 migrant encounters in December alone and more than 2.3 million in fiscal year 2022.

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Connecticut GOP: State Democrats Have ‘Lost Their Minds’ on Plan to Give Voting Rights to Illegal Immigrants

Just the News

The Connecticut Republican Party is criticizing the Democrat-led state House for a proposal this legislative session to consider voting rights for illegal immigrants, saying Democrats in the state in considering such as idea have “lost their minds.”

“It’s official. @CTDems have lost their minds,” the Connecticut GOP tweeted Thursday. “Now they are proposing voting rights for ILLEGAL ALIENS. Elections are for U.S. citizens only. We will fight this tooth and nail to preserve the integrity of our democratic system.”

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ICE Releases Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Affected by Data Leak

Admin

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released nearly 3,000 illegal immigrants from custody after they were affected by a data leak, an agency spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The late November accidental data breach involved the leaking of names, birth dates, nationalities and detention locations of approximately 6,000 illegal immigrants, according to ICE. The information was on ICE’s website for five hours before it was taken down.

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Minnesota Legislature Considers Bill to Give Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants

Admin

Minnesota Democrats are moving forward with a bill that would allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses.

Sen. Zaynab Mohamed, DFL-Minneapolis, lead author of the bill in the Senate, said illegal immigrants were eligible for driver’s licenses in Minnesota until 2003, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty “unilaterally” established a requirement that applicants demonstrate proof of legal residence.

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ICE Says It Provided Medical Care to Nearly 120,000 Illegal Immigrants in 2022

Just the News

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed recently that it saw tens of thousands of illegal immigrants for medical services in 2022, with the agency reporting a nine-figure budget to address the health needs of noncitizens. 

The bureau said in its annual fiscal report last week that over the course of the fiscal year it “provided direct care – including medical and dental health services – to over 118,000 noncitizens housed at 19 [ICE Health Service Corps]-operated facilities throughout the United States.”

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Texas Sues Biden Admin over Policy Loosening Restrictions on Illegal Immigrants Seeking Welfare Benefits

Admin

Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is suing the Biden administration over its changes to a policy that will allow illegal immigrants to more easily obtain welfare benefits.

President Joe Biden’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented changes to the rule Dec. 23 to no longer consider certain nutrition, health and housing benefits when deciding whether a noncitizen can legally stay in the country, according to DHS. Paxton is requesting not just action in a Texas court, but is also asking that the Supreme Court intervene, he announced Thursday.

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Supreme Court Agrees with Republican States Led by Arizona AG Brnovich, Keeps Title 42 Border Restrictions in Place

Rachel Alexander

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in favor of Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich’s lawsuit that keeps Title 42 restrictions in place until the justices hear a challenge in February. Brnovich led a coalition of 21 Republican states in trying to keep the Trump-era rule in place.

Title 42, named in reference to a 1944 public health law, is a policy implemented under the Trump administration in 2020 which allows immigration officials to turn illegal immigrants back at the border due to COVID-19. In the interests of public health, they are not allowed to apply for asylum. Multiple efforts have been made to halt it but have faced stiff opposition from proponents like Brnovich.  

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Illegal Immigrants Set to Fill Up Arizona Colleges in 2023

Admin

Arizona colleges are preparing to enroll more illegal immigrants this spring after voters approved a ballot measure to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition, Arizona Public Media reported.

Voters approved Proposition 308 during the midterm elections with 51.7% of the vote to allow all students to receive in-state tuition regardless of immigration status so long as they graduated from an Arizona high school which they attended for a minimum of two years. Undocumented students will be eligible for in-state tuition prices beginning in January, Arizona Board of Regents Chair Lyndell Manson told APM.

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Biden Admin to Expand Trump-Era Border Policy to Expel More Illegal Immigrants: Report

Admin
Border surge

The Biden administration is considering expanding the Trump-era illegal immigrant expulsion policy known as Title 42, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The plan includes adding Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians to the list of nationalities expelled under the policy, according to Reuters. The change in policy will also add a humanitarian pathway for migrants of those countries to enter the U.S. if they have sponsors and are vetted at ports of entry.

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ICE Admits It Has ‘No Records’ for Hundreds of Thousands of Illegal Immigrants Released with Electronic Monitors

Admin

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) admitted it has “no records” of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants released into the country with electronic tracking devices, the agency said in a Dec. 22 letter to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

ICE informed TRAC that it had “no records” of the 377,980 individuals monitored by the agency’s “Alternatives to Detention” (ATD) program used to electronically track illegal immigrants released into the country. TRAC had asked for data via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on those in ATD custody from the start of fiscal year 2019 to August 2022.

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Protesters Block Construction of Border Wall with Shipping Containers as Biden Administration Sues Arizona

Rachel Alexander

Outgoing Gov. Doug Ducey ordered gaps in the wall on the U.S.-Mexico border patched using shipping containers earlier this year, but protesters are blocking workers from finishing the project. At the same time, the Biden administration hit Arizona with a lawsuit also attempting to stop the construction. 

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who has taken on the Biden administration numerous times over its inaction on the border, vowed to defend the state in court, hinting that he would not be cowed into a settlement. “President Biden says there are more important things to talk about than the border, yet his DOJ is suing to immediately tear down our crowd control structure,” he tweeted. “Once again, we’ll see you in court.”

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Biden Admin Weighs Asylum Ban in Preparation for Flood of Illegal Immigrants: Report

Admin

The Biden administration is considering imposing a roughly five-month asylum ban to curb illegal immigration ahead of an expected surge in migrants crossing the border, Axios reported Tuesday.

The proposal, which applies to families and single adults, would only grant asylum eligibility to those who applied for legal entry into the US, first sought protection in a country on the way to the U.S., scheduled a meeting with border authorities at a port of entry or have dire circumstances, according to Axios. The Biden administration is considering the plan amid a record influx of illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, where federal authorities encountered more than 2.3 million migrants in fiscal year 2022, and ahead of the expected end of Title 42, a major border expulsion policy.

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Arizona Sheriff Sides with Border Crossers, Says Ducey’s Makeshift Container Wall ‘Illegal Dumping’

Just the News

An Arizona county sheriff is siding with protesters and demanding for Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to stop sending shipping containers to the border for a makeshift wall. 

Santa Cruz County Sheriff David Hathaway said Ducey’s order to use containers as the border wall is “illegal dumping,” and he plans on arresting construction crews and security personnel if they come to his county, Fox 10 Phoenix reported Saturday.

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Preliminary Border Data: Record Number of Apprehensions, Gotaways in November

The Center Square

Preliminary U.S. Customs and Border Protection data obtained by The Center Square from a border agent shows record numbers of apprehensions and gotaways at the southern border in November.

Agents apprehended 212,608 illegal foreign nationals and recorded at least 93,461 who evaded law enforcement and are now living illegally somewhere in the U.S. Combined, they total at least 306,069.

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ICE Is Massively Misreporting How Many Illegal Immigrants Are Being Released with GPS Trackers

Admin

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is massively misreporting the number of illegal immigrants released into the country with GPS tracking technology by nearly 600%, according to an internal document exclusively obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

ICE disclosed privately to participants of a closed-door event about the agency’s “Alternatives to Detention” Thursday, attended by ICE Director Tae Johnson along with several agency officials and non-profits, that 8,118 illegal immigrants are monitored with GPS tracking through the program as of Nov. 14. Publicly, however, ICE says on its website that 56,805 illegal immigrants are monitored by GPS as of Nov. 19.

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House Democrats from Philadelphia Tout ‘Sanctuary City’ Status as Illegals’ Bus Arrives

Bradley Vasoli

Democrats in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives’ Philadelphia Delegation on Thursday took the arrival of 28 illegal immigrants into their municipality as occasion to celebrate Philadelphia declaring itself a “sanctuary city.” 

State Representative Morgan Cephus (D-Philadelphia), chair of the delegation, also disputed the notion that the migrants bussed in from Texas should be deemed unlawful entrants, despite the fact that they crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. He noted that they secured “temporary protective status” by U.S. border agencies. 

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Virginia Has Almost 250,000 Illegal Immigrants, Five Sanctuary Localities

The Center Square
Border surge

More than a quarter of a million people in Virginia immigrated to the country illegally, according to estimates, and five localities do not fully work with federal law enforcement regarding deportations.

Although the government does not have data on the exact number of immigrants who came to the country illegally, estimates for the Virginia population are usually somewhere between 250,000 and 275,000. Some proponents of stricter immigration control have warned the failure to enforce immigration laws has become a burden on local economies and has made communities less safe.

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States Deploy About 2,500 National Guard Troops to U.S.-Mexico Border

The Center Square

Nearly two dozen states are sending National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border to help federal immigration officials grapple with an unprecedented surge of undocumented migrants.

The deployments, which were requested by the U.S. Department of Defense, call for up to 2,500 National Guard members from Republican-led states like Kentucky, South Carolina and Arkansas, as well as Democratic-led states such as Rhode Island and Illinois.

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DeSantis Responds to Critics of Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights

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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida took on critics attacking him over flying illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, during a Monday night Fox News appearance.

“Sean, it’s really frustrating. You have been covering this,” DeSantis told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “Millions of people since Biden has been president illegally coming across the southern border. Did they freak out about that? No. You had migrants die in the Rio Grande, you had 50 die in Texas in a trailer because they were neglected. Was there a freak out? No, there wasn’t.”

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NBC Deletes Tweet with Immigration Activist’s Quote Comparing Illegal Migrants to ‘Trash’

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NBC News was criticized after tweeting a quote from an immigration activist who compared the illegal migrants sent by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, to “trash.”

The since-deleted tweet included a link to a story titled, “DeSantis sending asylum-seekers to Martha’s Vineyard divides Venezuelan Americans.” The post stated: “Florida Gov. DeSantis sending asylum-seekers to Martha’s Vineyard is like ‘me taking my trash out and just driving to different areas where I live and just throwing my trash there,’ a founding member of a foundation which helps refugees says.”

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Lawmakers Worry Amtrak Potentially Helping Illegal Immigrants Cross Border

The Center Square

Lawmakers sent a letter to Amtrak Wednesday requesting a briefing as well as all documents related to how taxpayer subsidized Amtrak may be used to transfer illegal immigrants across the border.

The Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee signed the letter, led by railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee Ranking Member Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Ark.

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Arizona and Texas Continue to Bus Thousands of Willing Illegal Immigrants to Washington D.C., Add NYC as a Destination

Rachel Alexander

Arizona and Texas have bused over 6,100 illegal immigrants they apprehended crossing the border since May to Washington D.C.. The migrants volunteer for the trips, motivated partly by more generous laws towards the indigent in those cities.

NPR and other new outlets interviewed the migrants, confirming that they preferred to be bused out of Texas or Arizona. One reporter said, “Ronald told me that he felt welcomed in Washington in a way he just didn’t in Texas.” The city is finding resources to deal with the migrants. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser secured a FEMA grant for an international nonprofit called SAMU to offer emergency services to migrants. The Catholic Charities umbrella organization is also assisting.

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Congressman Chuck Fleischmann Says Border Tragedy That Left 51 Migrants Dead Is a Result of the Left’s ‘Devastatingly Horrible, Anti-American, Anti-Capitalist Principles’

Julie Carr

Thursday morning on The Tennessee Star Report, host Leahy welcomed Tennessee Congressman Chuck Fleishmann (R-TN-03) to the newsmaker line to comment upon the recent deaths of 51 migrants in an abandoned trailer near the southern border and what he plans to do about securing it.

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DeSantis: Texas Should Be Sending Illegal Immigrants Back to Mexico

The Center Square
Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says Texas shouldn’t be allowing illegal immigrants to enter the state, echoing sentiments conservative Texans have been arguing for over a year.

“What Texas needs to do is just send them [illegal immigrants] back across the border,” Gov. DeSantis said at a recent press conference in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. “Who cares what the Feds are saying. They aren’t doing their job.

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Biden DHS Wants to Ramp Up Efforts to Flood U.S. with Illegal Immigrants

Admin
U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to the McAllen station encounter large group after large group of family units in Los Ebanos, Texas, on Friday June 15. This group well in excess of 100 family units turned themselves into the U.S. Border Patrol, after crossing the border illegally and walking through the town of Los Ebanos.

The Biden administration is planning to start funding the transport of migrants from border towns to cities across the country, NBC News reported Wednesday.

The plan, which will start in the coming weeks, will involve sending migrants to Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Albuquerque and elsewhere, according to NBC News, which obtained internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) documents. DHS  is coordinating with local shelters to support the migrants in those cities before they make their way to other areas of the country on their own. 

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DeSantis Cracks Down on Illegal Drug Traffickers

Grant Holcomb

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed HB 95 which cracks down on the penalties for the sale and distribution of opioids in Florida, which includes fentanyl. The signing comes as DeSantis has worked with the Florida Legislature to pass numerous pieces of legislation to fight the influx of illegal immigrants, and often times, illegal drug traffickers into Florida.

In the announcement, DeSantis swiped at the President Joe Biden (D) administration for their lack of action regarding the influx of illegal immigrants on the southern border.

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Commentary: All the President’s Border Policies That Have Illegals Heading North

RealClearWire

While a federal court has stayed the Biden administration’s attempt to lift pandemic-prompted restrictions on immigrants pouring across the southern border, that is just one setback in a largely successful push by the president to make it easier for migrants to enter, live, and work in the U.S.

Since Joe Biden’s first day in office, when he signed seven executive orders on immigration that, among other things, suspended deportations and ended the Trump administration’s “Remain in Mexico” program that had eased the crush of those awaiting asylum hearings, the president has in word and deed sent signals that migrants have interpreted as welcoming. The initiatives include reviving the Obama-era policy known as “catch and release,” “paroling” illegal border crossers so they can enter the country, resettling migrants through secret flights around the country, and ending the “no match” policy that had helped the government identify people who were using fraudulent credentials to find work.

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Arizona Attorney General Brnovich Leads Coalition of States Suing Biden Administration over New Rule to Speed Up Asylum When Title 42 Is Rescinded

Rachel Alexander

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich has filed another lawsuit against the Biden administration over its lack of defending the southern border. Leading a coalition of 14 states, the lawsuit challenges a new asylum rule that switches much of the authority over granting asylum away from federal immigration judges, giving it to asylum officers with the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is nothing more than a radical attempt to set up a system that encourages illegal immigration and undermines the rule of law,” said Brnovich in a statement. “President Biden may not care about the American people, but I do. I will continue to push back against his unlawful policies and imperial edicts.”

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Border Patrol Arrests Highest Number of Migrants in over 20 Years

Admin

U.S. Border Patrol agents in March arrested the highest number of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in a month in over 20 years.

Border agents arrested 209,906 people in March, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP) statistics released Monday. The figure is the highest number of monthly arrests at the southern border since March 2000, when Border Patrol apprehended 220,063 migrants.

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Tennessee General Assembly May Enable Illegal Immigrants to Acquire Commercial and Professional Licenses

Laura Baigert

The Tennessee General Assembly may be preparing to enable illegal immigrants to acquire commercial and professional licenses in the state.

The bill which could accomplish this, HB2309, narrowly passed in the Tennessee House of Representatives on Monday in a 56 to 35 vote, with 35 Republicans joining 15 Democrats and 3 Republicans present and not voting, led by bill sponsor State Rep. Bill Freeman (D-Nashville).

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Alabama Sues Biden Administration for Not Deporting Illegal Immigrants

The Center Square

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall is suing the Biden administration over claims it is ignoring immigration law that requires the federal government to arrest, detain and deport foreign nationals in the U.S. illegally.

The lawsuit alleges that the Biden administration’s immigration policy exceeds the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, is arbitrary and capricious, illegally bypassed notice and public commenting, and is unconstitutional.

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Already Stretched Thin, Border Agents Must Now Use Politically Correct Pronouns Under New Edict

Admin

Battered by COVID-19, waves of illegal immigrants and fears of even larger surges ahead, Customs and Border Protection officers have a new burden: they must now be sure to use proper pronouns for LGBTQI+ migrants.

The new requirement was included Thursday at the bottom of a much larger announcement by the Homeland Security Department concerning changes instituted on International Trans Day of Visibility.

“Facilitating effective communication at U.S. ports of entry and beyond: CBP has provided a job aid and memorandum to all staff that will serve as a guide for facilitating effective communication with the diverse public CBP serves, including LGBTQI+ individuals,” the agency said.

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Commentary: Nearly All of the 2.5 Million Illegal Immigrants Apprehended Since Biden Took Office Have Been Released

Admin

Since President Joe Biden was sworn into office in Jan. 2021, more than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the southern border, the greatest unchallenged influx of illegal immigrants in American history, according to data compiled by U.S. Customs & Border Patrol (CBP).

Of those, just 167,392 were either deemed inadmissible or expelled due to health concerns, according to the CBP.

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