This week in immigration news – February 6, 2020

These are the stories we’re following this week:

ICE fingerprints migrant children

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun fingerprinting unaccompanied migrant children as young as 14.

These children are being held in shelters run by the Office of Refugee Resettlement across the country.

ICE claims this is needed to keep the children safe. But immigrant advocates say ICE doesn’t run these facilities and is causing children unnecessary stress by fingerprinting them.

Longtime U.S. resident deported to Yemen

Anwar Alomaisi, a Yemeni photographer who has lived in the United States for the past two decades, was abruptly deported back to Yemen this past week.

Alomaisi has diligently reported to check-ins with ICE, has no criminal record and has been heavily involved in his community as both a volunteer firefighter and wedding photographer. But Alomaisi’s case is far from unique. In fiscal year 2017, there were more than 79,000 similar stories of people with no criminal conviction who were ordered deported.

For example, there’s Melissa Aispuro, who called the police to report a car accident and was put in deportation proceedings. And there’s Ruben Moroyoqui, who was pulled over—with no driving violation being cited—and asked by police if he was in the United States legally. He was also put in deportation proceedings.

Court could determine yet another family separation case

A family in Portland’s hope to get their father back rests on a ruling from the 9th Circuit Court District.

When someone is ordered deported, they must receive a “notice to appear” with a date, time, and location. Trinidad Lorenzo’s notice to appear didn’t include any of that information, so his deportation should have been cancelled. However, the Department of Justice is trying to reverse that, which could separate Lorenzo’s family.