This week in immigration news — July 11, 2019
Children being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Yuma, Arizona, have reported a number of disturbing incidents that have occurred while they were under government custody.
These incidents include being subject to retaliation by border patrol agents when complaining about conditions in the detention center, and allegations of sexual assault.
With President Trump’s claims that ICE is poised to begin a mass deportation of undocumented people, millions of Americans living in mixed status families are terrified of being separated from one another.
The announcement has also raised fears for asylum seekers that they could be deported back to their home country where they may have faced discrimination, violence, and death threats.
Under a new policy, the Trump administration is aiming to speed up asylum hearings. Currently, asylum officers have 48 hours to interview a potential asylee.
Under the Trump administration’s policy, these interviews would have to be done within 24 hours. Critics claim that moves like this one make it more difficult for asylees to gather evidence for their cases and point to an aggressive immigration enforcement policy overall.
