southern border Archives - The Minnesota Sun

Biden Picks Top Immigration Officials as Migrants Continue to Arrive at Southern Border

April 13, 2021April 12, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

President Joe Biden announced two key immigration official nominations Monday as migrants continue to arrive at the southern border in record numbers.

Police Chief Chris Magnus of Tucson, Arizona, will be nominated to head Customs and Border Protection and immigrant rights advocate Ur Jaddou will be tapped to lead U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), according to a statement.

“They are highly-regarded and accomplished professionals with deep experience in their respective fields,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement, Bloomberg reported. “Together they will help advance the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to ensure the safety and security of the American people.”

Ambassador Callista Gingrich Commentary: The Human Crisis at the U.S. Southern Border

March 27, 2021March 26, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The surge of migrants at the U.S. southern border has dramatically increased in recent months. According to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, “We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years.”

In February, changes in U.S. border policy and the search for a better life incentivized more than 100,000 migrants to travel to the United States and cross the southern border.

Government Accountability Office Investigates Biden’s Decision to Halt Border Wall Construction

March 26, 2021March 25, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has opened an investigation into President Joe Biden’s decision to freeze congressional funds allocated for construction of the southern border wall, Politico reported.

Senate Republicans requested the GAO investigate the Biden administration for potentially violating the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), which prohibits the president from altering funding appropriated by Congress without approval, Politico reported. Republicans are referring to the $1.4 billion allocated for border wall construction in the $900 billion COVID bill passed by Congress in December.

Biden Team Ignored Warnings from Career Immigration Officials That Their Actions Could Cause a Border Crisis

March 25, 2021March 24, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden administration ignored career immigration officials’ warnings of an impending surge in the number of migrants arriving at the southern border, The Washington Post reported.

The administration has repeatedly refused to refer to the situation as a crisis, despite a seeming inability to curb the increasing flow of migrants, the Post reported. The administration’s mixed messaging, which often appeals to liberal activists, has hampered efforts to halt the influx of migrants at the southern border, according to the Post.

Poll: By Sizable Margin, Voters Blame Biden not Trump for Border Crisis

March 23, 2021March 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

By a decisive margin, voters blame Joe Biden instead of Donald Trump for the current crisis at the southern border, according to a new Just The News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Forty percent of respondents pointed to Biden when asked: “Which of the following do you believe is the most responsible for the current migration crisis at the southern border?”

Biden Admin Won’t Expel Migrant Minors Despite Running out of Places to Hold Them

March 18, 2021March 17, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden administration won’t expel unaccompanied minor migrants despite holding facilities rapidly running out of room to house them, a Homeland Security Department official said Tuesday.

The U.S. is on track to see a record number of migrants at the southern border this year and officials are expelling most single adults and family units but allowing unaccompanied minors to remain in government facilities, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement. Over 9,400 unaccompanied minors were apprehended in February and nearly 30,000 have been encountered since October 2020, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Four Suspects on the FBI’s Terror Watchlist Arrested at the Border Since October

March 18, 2021March 17, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Since October, four terrorists who are on the FBI’s terror watchlist have been arrested trying to sneak across the southern border, as reported by Fox News.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) confirmed the news to Congress on Tuesday, revealing that three of the detained terrorists were from Yemen, while the fourth is from Serbia. This is down slightly from the fiscal year 2018, where six members on the terror watchlist, from Yemen and Bangladesh, were arrested at the border.

Mayorkas: Southern Border Crossings on Pace to Hit 20-Year High

March 17, 2021March 16, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Tuesday that the number of migrants apprehended at the United States’ southern border is on track to hit a two-decade high.

“We are on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than we have in the last 20 years,” Mayorkas said in a statement. “We are expelling most single adults and families. We are not expelling unaccompanied children.”

Commentary: Amid 2014 Border Crisis, Biden Blasted ‘Reckless’ Parents

March 14, 2021March 13, 2021 RealClearWire

Joe Biden called it a crisis and worse.

“When children travel hundreds of miles to reach the United States without their families, in the hands of criminals in the 21st century,” he said of unaccompanied minors surging across the nation’s southern border, “that’s a tragedy we all must take responsibility for.”

Child Migration Quickly Overwhelming Biden Administration’s Resources, Internal Documents Show

March 5, 2021March 4, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The number of child migrants crossing the United States’ southern border is quickly exceeding the federal government’s ability to hold them, internal documents from the Department of Health and Human Services show.

In the final week of February, Border Patrol referred an average of 321 children a day to HHS custody, according to Axios, which first reported the documents’ findings. Child migrant crossings averaged 203 per day in late January, and just 47 a day during the first week of 2021.

Biden Administration Weighing How to Prevent a Humanitarian Crisis with Increasing Numbers of Unaccompanied Children Arriving at the Border

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Biden administration aims to avoid a humanitarian crisis at the southern border as the number of migrant children seeking asylum increases.

Over 5,700 unaccompanied minors reached the border in January and government shelters are quickly reaching capacity, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shelters for migrant children are operating at 60% capacity to maintain COVID-19 guidelines and were 93% full as of Friday.

Joe Biden Ends President Trump’s National Emergency on Southern Border

February 14, 2021February 13, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Joe Biden has announced that his administration will be ending the declaration of a national emergency on the southern border that was first declared by the Trump Administration, as reported by Fox News.

President Trump first declared the national emergency in February of 2019, which allowed him to allocate billions of federal dollars to the construction of the wall after Congress repeatedly blocked his efforts to do so. The move allowed for nearly 500 miles of new border wall to be constructed by the end of his first term. Biden announced the decision in a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in which he described the policy as “unwarranted.”

Biden Administration Expects to Rely on Trump-Era Private Detention Facility to Hold Migrant Teenagers at the Border

February 12, 2021February 11, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A Trump-era temporary private facility for holding unaccompanied migrant teenagers will reopen at the southern border as the Biden administration anticipates it will be needed within the next two weeks.

The spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human (HHS) Administration for Children and Families declined to answer when asked how the Biden administration’s treatment of detained children would differ from conditions during the Trump administration and instead pointed to President Joe Biden’s executive order on reuniting separated families.

Biden Ends Trump-Era Deals with Central American Countries to Reduce Asylum Claims at US Border

February 8, 2021February 7, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Arrangements made between the U.S. and three Central American countries to curb the number of asylum claims at the U.S. border were suspended Saturday, the Biden administration announced.

The Asylum Cooperative Agreements that limited some asylum seekers from making claims in the U.S. and required them to instead seek asylum in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras were suspended and scheduled to be terminated with an executive order signed Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.

Eleven Iranian Migrants Caught Illegally Crossing the Border

February 8, 2021February 7, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Eleven Iranian migrants were arrested on Monday after crossing the border illegally from Mexico into Arizona, as reported by Breitbart.

The group of illegals, confirmed to consist of six men and five women, was stopped in Yuma County, Arizona by the Yuma Sector Border Patrol. After being confirmed as Iranian citizens, they were taken to the Yuma Station for processing and questioning. The group included five adult women, two young boys, and four adult men.

Federal Judge in Texas Blocks Biden’s Deportation Moratorium

January 28, 2021January 27, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

A federal judge in Texas has sided with the state’s Attorney General against the Biden Administration, temporarily halting Biden’s planned pause on deporting illegal aliens, as reported by The Daily Wire.

Biden originally announced the 100-day halt on all deportations shortly after taking office, directing his Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to focus its resources elsewhere. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton subsequently sued the administration, pointing out that such a moratorium would force the state of Texas to face “irreparable education and healthcare costs,” and also violated a prior agreement between the state government and the DHS, where the DHS was obligated to inform the state of any significant changes in its immigration policy beforehand.

Migrant Caravan in Guatemala Pushes Through Border from Honduras to Reach U.S.

January 20, 2021January 19, 2021 Minnesota Sun Staff

Guatemalan officials report that 6,500 migrants are moving from Honduras to the USA. The migrants began pushing through the Guatemalan southern border.

The spokeswoman for Guatemala’s immigration authority, Alejandra Mena, estimated that there were some 6,500 Hondurans crossing the country’s southern border on Saturday, making their way north, with 3,000 to 3,500 of them already in Guatemalan territory. A Honduran police officer said he observed “more or less 5,000 people” walk past his checkpoint.

Trump Touts Success of 450 Miles of Border Wall

January 14, 2021January 13, 2021 The Center Square

President Donald Trump on Tuesday hailed the completion of 450 miles of border wall completed long the U.S.-Mexican border and praised the men and women of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

At a news conference held at the Mexico–U.S. border in Reynosa–McAllen, Texas, in the Rio Grande Valley, Trump said the border is more secure than it’s ever been.

ICE Arrested Significantly Fewer Illegal Immigrants Due to COVID-19

December 27, 2020December 25, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Officials arrested 30% fewer individuals in 2020 than they did last year, in part because of COVID-19, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday.

ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations officials made 103,603 arrests this year and deported 185,884 individuals, according to ICE. Around 90% of the aliens who were arrested had criminal convictions or charges, and 92% of those deported had prior or pending criminal charges.

Border Patrol Agents Seize Over $37 Million Worth of Meth, 800 Pounds of Weed, and 14 Pounds of Fentanyl

December 26, 2020December 25, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Officials announced the seizure of liquid methamphetamine hidden in a gas tank, more than 800 pounds of marijuana, nearly 15 pounds of fentanyl and over $37 million worth of methamphetamine at the southern border over the weekend, Customs and Border Protection announced Monday.

ICE Arrested More Than 150 Aliens in 10 Days

December 26, 2020December 25, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Over 150 aliens, including 117 who said they would voluntarily leave the U.S. were arrested during a 10-day enforcement period, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday.

The national enforcement operation, “Operation Broken Promise” found that 71% of the aliens arrested from Dec. 7 through Dec. 17 had criminal convictions or pending charges, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Multiple Illegal Immigrants with Previous Deportations and Serious Crime Convictions Found in Texas by CBP

December 6, 2020December 5, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Over 20 illegal immigrants, including some with prior deportations, criminal histories, and gang affiliations, were arrested within a 24-hour period near Laredo, Texas, officials announced Thursday.

The arrests were part of a “troubling trend” of agents detaining large groups of illegal immigrants, including finding detainees with significant criminal histories, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Over the past 10 days, three illegal immigrants with prior sexual offense convictions were apprehended, the CBP said.

Federal Judge Blocks New Criminal Disqualifiers to Asylum

November 21, 2020November 20, 2020 The Associated Press

A federal judge on Thursday blocked a Trump administration rule about to take effect that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes.

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco said the rule “sweeps too broadly” and was unnecessary because current federal law already includes a host of disqualifying crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting.

Over 100 Illegal Immigrants Detained by CBP in Texas Over One Week

November 6, 2020November 5, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Over 100 illegal immigrants were found at three separate stash houses and detained over the span of a week near Laredo, Texas, border officials announced.

The illegal immigrants received medical screenings before they were processed as none were wearing personal protective equipment when officials searched the residences, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Court Order Forced ICE to Release 250 Criminal Immigrants

October 30, 2020October 29, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Tuesday that it released 250 immigrants with criminal histories back into communities in response to a coronavirus-related order issued by the Central District of California, Fox News reports.

The news came a week after U.S. Judge Terry Hatter ordered the agency either release or deport detainees at the Adelanto ICE processing center in Southern California in order to halt the spread of coronavirus infections. According to the order, starting from October 19 they must reduce the population at the facility by at least 50 detainees a day, until the population is at or below 475 detainees. At the time of the order, about 750 people were detained there.

Top Trump Adviser Wants More Nations to Field Asylum Claims

October 25, 2020October 24, 2020 The Associated Press

One of President Donald Trump’s top priorities on immigration if he wins a second term would be to use agreements with Central American governments as models to get countries around the world to field asylum claims from people seeking refuge in the United States, a top adviser said.

Stephen Miller, a key architect of Trump’s immigration policies, said Friday the agreements would help stop “asylum fraud, asylum shopping and asylum abuse on a global scale.”

Border Patrol Arrests Nearly 300 Illegal Immigrants After Searching Stash Houses, Stopping Smuggling Attempts

October 23, 2020October 22, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials and local law enforcement in Texas arrested 294 suspected illegal immigrants within 18 hours, the Department of Homeland Security announced last week.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents intercepted smuggling attempts and raided stash houses in four separate incidents in Laredo, Texas, on Oct. 13, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Of those detained, 90 were from countries other than Mexico.

Apprehensions at Southern Border Decreased by Nearly Half from Last Year 2019, CBP Says

October 16, 2020October 15, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Nearly half as many individuals were apprehended at the southern border during fiscal year 2020 as in the previous year, Customs and Border Protection announced Wednesday.

A total of 400,651 migrants were apprehended between ports of entry at the southern border in fiscal year 2020, which ended with September, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced. In the fiscal year 2019, just over 851,500 individuals were apprehended.

ICE Arrests Over 2,000 Illegal Immigrants with Violent Criminal Convictions or Charges

September 5, 2020September 4, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 2,000 illegal immigrants who have criminal histories involving victims between July 13 and Aug. 20, ICE announced Monday.

The immigrants who are illegally living in the U.S. are subject to removal because of their previous arrests or charges connected to victims, according to ICE. Of those arrested for immigration-related charges, around 85% had pending criminal charges or previous criminal convictions.

133 Illegal Immigrants and Nearly $48 Million Worth of Drugs Seized at Texas Border in 5 Days, CBP Reports Show

September 3, 2020September 2, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Customs and Border Protection arrested 133 illegal immigrants and seized roughly 7,630 pounds of narcotics were seized at the border between Texas and Mexico over five days, according to the agency.

Authorities intervened in drug smuggling, human smuggling and trafficking and illegal crossing attempts, and recovered around $47,863,472 worth of narcotics, according to 15 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reports between Aug. 25 and Aug. 28.

Judge: US Must Free Migrant Children from Family Detention

June 28, 2020June 27, 2020 The Associated Press

A federal judge on Friday ordered the release of children held with their parents in U.S. immigration jails and denounced the Trump administration’s prolonged detention of families during the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee – who was appointed by President Obama in 2009 – penned the order that applies to children held for more than 20 days at three family detention centers in Texas and Pennsylvania operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some have been detained since last year.

Justices Boost Trump Administration’s Power in Asylum Cases

June 26, 2020June 25, 2020 The Associated Press

The Supreme Court on Thursday strengthened the Trump administration’s ability to deport people seeking asylum without allowing them to make their case to a federal judge.

Immigration experts suggested the administration would use sweeping language in the majority opinion to bolster broader efforts to restrict asylum.

House Democrats Urge Trump Admin to Stop Deportations, Release Immigrant Detainees

May 22, 2020May 21, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

House Democrats urged the Trump administration Wednesday to stop all deportation flights, arguing that these repatriations contribute to the spread of coronavirus in Latin America.

In a letter sent Wednesday, members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Acting Secretary Chad Wolf to discontinue deportation flights amid the coronavirus pandemic, and release illegal aliens currently in detention.

North Dakota Based Company Awarded Largest Border Wall Construction Contract Ever Given

May 22, 2020 Zachery Schmidt

Federal officials gave Fisher Sand and Gravel a $1.28 billion deal to build 42 miles of the border wall along the southern border in Arizona, The Arizona Daily Star reported. This May 6 deal is the biggest contract ever given for border wall construction, according to CBS News. The…

Trump Admin Indefinitely Extends Authority That Allows Immediate Return of Illegal Aliens

May 21, 2020May 20, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Trump administration is extending an authority that allows immigration officers to immediately return illegal entrants along the U.S.-Mexico border for as long as it deems fit.

While the White House has chosen to renew an international agreement which blocks all non-essential traffic on its northern and southern borders, it has chosen to allow a specific health order to remain in place until the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decides the COVID-19 crisis has waned.

Trump Plans to Keep Borders Closed Until Coronavirus Isn’t a Threat: Report

May 15, 2020May 14, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The Trump administration is preparing an order that will extend current border restrictions indefinitely, until a top public health official declares the novel coronavirus is no longer a threat, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

The White House plans to keep border restrictions in place until it decides the coronavirus outbreak is not a significant threat to the public anymore, according to a draft of a public health order obtained by the NYT. If such an order is implemented, it would remove any concrete timetable to open up the U.S.-Mexico border to non-essential traffic.

Illegal Crossings Plummet as Coronavirus Pandemic Shuts Down Border

May 9, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Arrests along the U.S.-Mexico border in April dropped to some of their lowest levels in several years after the Trump administration restricted border crossings due to the coronavirus pandemic.

There were a total of 16,789 enforcement actions on the U.S. southern border during April, according to the latest data provided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP). That figure marks a 50% drop in enforcement actions compared to March, and a substantial decline from the more than 109,000 actions taken in April 2019. Enforcement actions are now at their lowest since April 2017.

Border Patrol Arrests Illegal Migrant Who Tested Positive for Coronavirus

April 29, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

An Indian national apprehended by a Border Patrol agent on Thursday was soon discovered to be the first individual in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody to carry the novel coronavirus.

CBP Chief: Imagine the Coronavirus Pandemic If the Border Crisis Was Never Addressed

April 13, 2020April 12, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

The head of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) credited President Donald Trump for addressing 2019’s border crisis, an action he said has helped mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among the agency and the United States.

The Coronavirus Pandemic Is Not Stopping Border Wall Construction

April 8, 2020April 7, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Progress on the border wall between the United States and Mexico has continued unabated, despite a worldwide pandemic that has halted most other functions of daily life.

First Migrant Children in US Custody Test Positive for Coronavirus

March 29, 2020March 28, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Several unaccompanied alien children have tested positive for coronavirus, according to the Office of Refugee Resettlement, making them the first minors in the agency’s custody to carry the disease.

‘Disregarding Fundamental Human Rights’: Democrats Criticize Border Closure Meant to Protect US from Coronavirus

March 29, 2020March 28, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

Numerous House Democrats criticized the Trump administration Friday for closing the U.S.-Mexico border amid the coronavirus pandemic and demanded a number of answers regarding the order.

Mexican Protesters Block Border Traffic, Tell Americans to ‘Stay At Home’

March 27, 2020March 26, 2020 Minnesota Sun Staff

In a seemingly-paradoxical turn of events, Mexican protesters on Wednesday blocked incoming traffic at the U.S. southern border, demanding their government do more to restrict American travel into their country.

A group of about a dozen protesters, holding signs and wearing face masks, used two vehicles to block southbound traffic coming out of a U.S.-Mexico port of entry near Nogales, Arizona, according to a report from the Arizona Republic. The protesters said their stunt was meant to highlight the dangers posed by incoming U.S. residents who may carry the coronavirus.