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.
Migrant encounters at the US-Mexico border drop
The latest numbers show migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have dropped. Illegal crossings usually increase in the spring, but officials say they fell in April by more than 6% compared with March. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.
Border bill fails Senate test vote as Democrats seek to underscore Republican resistance
Senate Republicans again blocked a bill meant to clamp down on the number of migrants allowed to claim asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sought Thursday to underscore Republican resistance to the proposal. Reported by The Associated Press.
US Justice Department sues to block Oklahoma immigration law
The U.S. Department of Justice sued Oklahoma on Tuesday, seeking to block a law that aims to impose criminal penalties on those living in the state illegally. The lawsuit in federal court in Oklahoma City challenges a law that makes it a state crime — punishable by up to two years in prison — to live in Oklahoma without legal immigration status. Similar laws passed in Texas and Iowa are facing challenges from the Justice Department. The Associated Press reports.
San Diego is latest hot spot for illegal border crossings, but routes change quickly
On many nights, hundreds of migrants squeeze through poles in a border wall or climb over on metal ladders. They gather in a buffer zone between two walls with views of the night lights of Tijuana, Mexico, waiting hours for Border Patrol agents while volunteers deliver hot coffee, instant ramen and bandages for busted knees and swollen ankles. The Associated Press reports.
Colorado clinic provides Ukrainian refugees with care in own language
Almost half a million Ukrainian immigrants have moved to the U.S. since the start of Russia’s invasion, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Two of the biggest challenges they face are finding health care and a job. In one small Colorado city, a local clinic owner, herself a Ukrainian immigrant, is helping out as much as she can. Svitlana Prystynska has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.
Immigration around the world
Tunisians protest as number of stranded migrants grows
Hundreds of Tunisians marched through the streets of Jebeniana on Saturday to protest the presence of sub-Saharan migrants who have found themselves stranded as the country ramps up border patrol efforts. United Nations correspondent Margaret Besheer reports.
Myanmar refugees in Thailand start interviews for US resettlement
Interviews have begun with Myanmar refugees living in Thailand who are eligible for a new resettlement program in the United States, the Thai government said. Thailand said it hopes the first group may get to move by the end of the year. By Zsombor Peter
Finland debates measure to block asylum-seekers at border with Russia
Finland’s parliament is debating a bill that would allow border agents to block asylum-seekers at the Finnish-Russian border. The right-wing government on Tuesday proposed the emergency measure because Finland believes Russia is responsible for orchestrating a migrant crisis on its 1,335-kilometer border in retaliation for joining NATO, which supports Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. VOA News reports.
News brief
— Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas wrote in a statement that “Only Congress can fix our broken immigration system. I urge Congress to do so. In the meantime, we will continue to enforce the law with full force with the limited resources we have. Our personnel have done so remarkably. Over the past twelve months alone, we have removed or returned more than 720,000 migrants who did not have a legal basis to stay in the United States, more than in any year since 2011.”
