Washington — Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.
What to expect on immigration under a new Trump administration
President-elect Donald Trump put immigration at the front of his campaign agenda, pledging to bring what he calls “unprecedented order” to the southern border and launch the nation’s largest mass deportation operation of undocumented immigrants on his first day in office. VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.
US judge rules against Biden legalization program for immigrant spouses
A U.S. judge in Texas ruled Thursday against President Joe Biden’s program offering a path to citizenship for certain immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, a blow that could keep the program blocked through Biden’s final months in office. U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker found the program exceeded Biden’s executive authority. The program offers a path to citizenship to about 500,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally if they are married to U.S. citizens. Reuters reports.
After election, Kenya-born legislator heads to Minnesota Capitol
Huldah Momanyi Hiltsley made history November 5 by becoming the first Kenya-born immigrant elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. She describes her victory as a testament to resilience, determination and the realization of the American dream. Standing in the State Capitol for the first time on the morning of her orientation, Hiltsley told VOA she was overwhelmed with emotions and eager to start her journey as an elected official. Produced by Abdushakur Aboud.
Families separated by US-Mexico border reunite for a few precious minutes
Nearly 200 families gathered Saturday along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border for heartfelt but brief reunions with loved ones they had not seen for years because they live in different countries. Tears flowed and people embraced as Mexican families were allowed to reunite for a few minutes at the border with relatives who migrated to the U.S. Adults and children passed over the Rio Grande to meet with their loved ones. The Associated Press reports.
Immigration around the world
Migrant caravan of 3,000 heads north in Mexico
A caravan of approximately 3,000 migrants set off Tuesday from southern Mexico, headed toward the United States on the day when U.S. voters were deciding between U.S. presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Immigration has been a key issue in the U.S. election campaign. Before heading northward, the migrants gathered in Tapachula, the capital of the southern Chiapas state, carrying banners with messages such as “NO MORE MIGRANT BLOOD” and images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, an important religious and cultural symbol in Mexico, according to witnesses. Reuters reports.
Ukrainian physicians find homes – and jobs – in Latvia
More than 160,000 Ukrainians fled their home country and headed to the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania since the Russian invasion. Physicians were among the 50,000 or so refugees who went to Latvia. Vladislavs Andrejevs spoke with some of them in Riga. Anna Rice narrates his story.
Israel notifies UN it will not cooperate with UN agency for Palestinian refugees
Near-universal concern and condemnation have followed Israel’s formal announcement to the United Nations that it will not cooperate with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, after Israel’s parliament voted to cut ties last week. In Washington, at the U.N. and on the ground, officials and residents are raising alarms over the disintegrating humanitarian situation in Gaza and elsewhere. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell reports from Washington.
News brief
— Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Leonard Darnell George, 42, of San Diego was sentenced in federal court Oct. 25 to 23 years in prison for accepting bribes to allow unauthorized migrants and vehicles containing methamphetamine and other illicit drugs to pass through the border into the U.S.
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