Earlier this year we learned that the Obama administration, in an attempt to deter illegal border crossings, had started to target recently arrived Central American teenagers for deportation. Despite outcry from the community and increasing reports of violence in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, these cruel...
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Today the White House announced an expansion of refugee processing for Central Americans fleeing danger in the northern triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. As a result, there will be enhanced opportunities in the region for refugees to find safety. In addition, the U.S. is expanding eligibility for refugee...
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There is a refugee emergency in Central America, and, to deal with it effectively, we need to treat it as a refugee emergency. Central American kids and families are fleeing horrific violence, gangs and rape. El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala are among the most murderous countries in the world. Today,...
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Over the holiday weekend, the New York Times published a powerful editorial criticizing the Obama Administration’s approach to the ongoing refugee emergency in Central America. The administration’s emphasis, heavy on deterrence and detention, stands in stark contrast to the Senate Democrats’ humane and practical approach to the refugee emergency (unveiled in late June and praised...
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An immigration judge has ruled that a North Carolina teenager arrested by ICE nearly six months ago can be released from detention — but only if his family can pay up thousands of dollars first. 19-year-old Yefri Sorto was one of the six North Carolina teens arrested by ICE...
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There is a refugee emergency in Central America, and, to deal with it effectively, we need to treat it as a refugee emergency. Central American kids and families are fleeing horrific violence, gangs and rape. El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala are among the most murderous countries in the world....
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On World Refugee Day, new figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveal that the number of displaced people globally has hit a record high: The report, entitled Global Trends, noted that on average 24 people were forced to flee each minute in 2015, four times...
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High-schooler Kimberly should be sitting in a classroom like any other young person her age, but instead she’s sitting in a federal immigration detention center assembling packets of clothes for incoming detainees for one dollar a day. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the latest major news organization to cover the...
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Senator Patrick Leahy had some choice words about a recent statement from immigration Judge Jack Weil, who claimed that toddlers as young as three, with some “patience,” could be taught enough immigration law to represent themselves before a judge in immigration court. “I’ve been on this committee for decades,...
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Last week, Jerry Markon of the Washington Post wrote a startling piece entitled “Can a 3-year old represent herself in immigration court? This judge thinks so.” It quotes sworn testimony from Jack Weil, a senior Justice Department official and a long-time immigration judge who is responsible for training other judge, who asserts “I’ve...
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