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LA PASTORA — Jonathan Blitzer of The New Yorker tells the story of Keldy Mabel Gonzáles Brebe de Zúniga, who fled Honduras in 2017 to seek asylum in the U.S. and was separated from her teenage sons at the border — one of the first mothers separated under the Trump administration’s "zero tolerance" policy. More than three years later, Gonzáles Brebe — known as ‘la pastora’ to friends and family — has been granted humanitarian parole, allowing her to finally reunite with her boys. The family was among "the first of hundreds of reunifications that the Biden Administration plans to orchestrate over the next several months" following its creation of a family reunification task force in February. "Something different is passing over me now," Gonzáles Brebe told Blitzer. "I’m returned to life." (Don't miss the video of the family reunion.) FINGERPRINTS — The Department of Homeland Security will suspend the fingerprint requirement used to renew visas for spouses of legally employed H-1B visa holders, reports Michelle Hackman of The Wall Street Journal. In a court filing Monday night, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it will lift the requirement for two years starting May 17. The original requirement, implemented by the Trump administration in 2019, "resulted in tens of thousands of immigrants losing their work permits amid visa processing delays" which were exacerbated amid the pandemic. A court brief signed by companies including Google, Microsoft and Twitter emphasized the importance of an efficient visa process: "Not only does a lapse in work authorization sever important professional and personal relationships and destroy institutional knowledge within companies, it requires employers to expend significant resources on searching for, hiring, and training replacements (often temporary)—all because the government is refusing to process a simple form within a 6-month window."
NUMBERS — According to the latest enforcement data, the number of deportations carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in April fell to the lowest monthly level on record, reports Nick Miroff of The Washington Post. ICE deported 2,962 immigrants in April, per the agency — "the first time the monthly figure has dipped below 3,000." In a statement Wednesday, ICE said it "has concentrated its limited law enforcement resources on threats to national security, border security, and public safety." In response to the decline in deportations and immigrant detention, ACLU attorney Naureen Shah said in a statement: "... President Biden has a unique moment to shrink the infrastructure that’s been used to abuse and traumatize immigrants for decades." BORDER FACILITIES — Newly released images from the Department of Homeland Security show a now-empty Border Patrol facility in Donna, Texas, as unaccompanied minors are transferred to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), reports Adam Shaw of Fox News. At its peak, the Donna facility held more than 4,000 migrants, including children. Today, there are more than 22,000 unaccompanied minors in HHS care, up from around 11,000 in March. The administration says HHS is more equipped than Border Patrol to handle caring for children, and has been moving quickly to open new facilities. As a result, the amount of time children spend in Border Patrol custody is down 75% from the end of March from 131 hours under 30, per White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. Speaking of empty facilities, something else is missing at the border: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the nighttime brush looking for alleged smugglers. Thanks for reading, Ali |
