New security restrictions are making it more difficult for migrant children and their families to reunite, reports Rachel Uranga of the Los Angeles Times.
New restrictions on sponsorships require families to provide proof of income, show a U.S. identification and sometimes take a DNA test. As a result, unaccompanied children could spend months in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
"These families are put in an impossible bind," said Molly Chew, project director at Vecina, a nonprofit that assists in family reunification. "They’re being asked to submit documents they legally can’t obtain, comply with procedures that expose them to immigration enforcement and wait indefinitely while their children remain in detention. They are being systematically set up to fail."
In northern Texas, immigration authorities are doing check-ins on migrant children who entered the country unaccompanied, report Imelda García and Aarón Torres of The Dallas Morning News.
Normally any welfare checks for migrant children would take place under the purview of the Department of Health and Human Services, not Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The visits are worrying families and advocates who believe they could lead to arrests and deportations.
Speaking of which, the Trump administration has restarted family detention — the practice of detaining parents and children together, reports Maanvi Singh of The Guardian. For more on immigration detention including family detention, see our fact sheet.
Welcome to Friday’s edition of The Forum Daily. I’m Dan Gordon, the Forum’s VP of strategic communications, and the great Forum Daily team also includes Jillian Clark, Soledad Gassó Parker, Broc Murphy, Clara Villatoro and Becka Wall. If you have a story to share from your own community, please send it to me at [email protected].
CONCERNS FOR AFGHANS — Changes in U.S. policies are affecting our Afghan allies, Deborah Becker reports on WBUR’s On Point. Allies stuck in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as U.S. military veterans and advocates, are among those disappointed by America’s unfulfilled promises. Meanwhile, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger (R) has joined the call on the Trump administration to stop the deportation of Afghan Christians, reports Lauren Irwin of The Hill.
For more on the strains on Afghan welcome:
RWANDA — The United States reportedly has deported a resettled Iraqi refugee to Rwanda, raising concerns about additional migrants being sent to the African country, Marisa Kabas of The Handbasket reports. A State Department cable indicates that Rwanda has agreed to accept 10 other deportees, Kabas reports.
DESPITE A JUDGE’S ORDER — The administration has sent a Venezuelan man from Pennsylvania to Texas for possible deportation, despite a federal judge’s order halting his removal, reports Luc Cohen of Reuters. Meanwhile, Luis Ferré-Sadurní of The New York Times zooms in on the story of Nascimento Blair, deported to Jamaica and trying to reintegrate there after living in the United States for more than two decades.
HELPERS — In Iowa, local pastors are attempting to aid refugees who were cut off by recent federal funding cuts, reports F. Amanda Tugade of the Des Moines Register. "We cannot leave them alone," said the Rev. Faustin Alobo, who is helping refugees to navigate life in the city. Meanwhile, Charles Watts shares his experiences carrying on his father’s legacy by assisting Vietnamese refugees in his op-ed for The Oklahoman.
