immigration

ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ: A FLORIDA `CONCENTRATION CAMP’

By Alexander J Schorr

July 4, 2025 (Everglades, FL)  — Nearby President Trump’s Miami resort in the swamplands of the Florida Everglades sits a makeshift detention facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the latest in his administration’s immigration enforcement efforts.

Andrea Pitzer, author of One Long Night: A Global History of Concentration Camps, writes in an editorial published on MSNBC, “I visited four continents to write a global history of concentration camps. This facility’s purpose fits the classic model: mass civilian detention without real trials targeting vulnerable groups for political gain based on ethnicity, race, religion or political affiliation rather than for crimes committed. And its existence points to serious dangers ahead for the country.”

The term ‘concentration camp’ was in use for many years before the Germans used some as extermination camps, Pitzer notes. While most have been in foreign countries,notable exceptions were internment camps on U.S. soil set up to hold Japanese-Americans, including citizens, during World War II. President Ronald Reagan later apologized for their imprisonment and signed a measure granting reperation payments to those incarcerated.


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SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP TO DEPORT MIGRANTS TO COUNTRIES THAT AREN'T THEIR HOMES, WITHOUT DUE PROCESS

 

Court majority’s action exposes “thousands to the risk of torture or death,”  says Justice Sonia Sotomayor

By G. A. McNeeley 

June 25, 2025 (Washington D.C.) — The Supreme Court has allowed The Trump Administration to restart the swift deportations of migrants to countries that aren't their homelands. The conservative majority also lifted a court order that required migrants be given a chance to challenge their deportations, according to PBS

Immigration officials had put eight people on a plane to South Sudan that was eventually diverted to a U.S. naval base in Djibouti, after U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy stepped in. 


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ICE AGENTS SCATTER AS SD BISHOP PHAM, CLERGY VISIT IMMIGRATION COURT

San Diego Bishop Michael Pham (left) waits to enter the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building on World Refugee Day. (Photo by Chris Stone/Times of San Diego)
 
By Ken Stone, Times of San Diego, a member of the San Diego Online News Association
 
June 20, 2025 (San Diego) -- Eight immigration courts line the fourth-floor hallway of the downtown Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building. On the walls: boot prints of ICE agents.
 
But on World Refugee Day, masked immigration agents weren’t leaning against the off-white walls, waiting to grab people. They scattered Friday after seeing a clergy delegation led by Bishop-elect Michael Pham.
 
“Like the story of Moses and Exodus, the Red Sea parted,” said observer Scott Reid of the immigrant-aiding San Diego Organizing Project.

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CALIF. SENATOR PADILLA FORCIBLY REMOVED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY PRESS CONFERENCE AND HANDCUFFED

Action sparks bipartisan outrage

By Miriam Raftery

June 12, 2025 (Los Angeles) – In a shocking action, California’s U.S. Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly dragged out of a press conference in Los Angeles today, thrown on the ground and handcuffed while trying to ask a question of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video shows he clearly identified himself, stating "I am Senator Alex Padilla" before being manhandled by federal agents.

A statement from Senator Padilla’s office indicates the Senator “is currently in Los Angeles exercising his duty to perform Congressional oversight of the federal government’s operations in Los Angeles and across California,” a reference to immigration enforcement that has led to protests in L.A. and President Donald Trump calling in the National Guard and U.S. Marines.


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'EVERYBODY STOOD UP': WHY A UNION LEADER'S ARREST GALVANIZED CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATS ON IMMIGRATION

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters.

By Jeanne Kuang

June 9, 2025 (San Diego County) -- The union leader federal agents detained at an immigration protest in Los Angeles last week is well known to California’s Democratic leadership from his years of activism in and out of the Capitol.
 
That’s one reason so many leading Democrats jumped to his defense.  
 
David Huerta, the 58-year-old president of a statewide janitors union and of the Service Employees International Union California, was arrested by federal agents Friday outside a Los Angeles garment warehouse where protesters gathered to watch and oppose an apparent workplace immigration raid. 
 
The denouncements poured in quickly after that. 
 
“David Huerta is a respected leader, a patriot, and an advocate for working people,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement. “No one should ever be harmed for witnessing government action.”

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SAN DIEGO COUNTY AND FOUR LOCAL CITIES LISTED AS “SANCTUARY JURISDICTIONS” AT RISK OF LOSING FEDERAL FUNDS

Update June 3, 2025 -- Homeland Security has taken down its list of sanctuary jurisdictions amid controversy nationwide.

By Miriam Raftery

Image via Immigration and Customs Enforcement:  ICE stop in Florida

May 30, 2025 (San Diego) –A list of over 500 “sanctuary jurisdictions” published by the Dept. of Homeland Security yesterday includes San Diego County and four local cities: Santee, San Diego, Chula Vista, and Vista. The criteria for inclusion is baffling, since the list includes both conservative-run and liberal-run jurisdictions locally.

The DHS website claims the jurisdictions are “deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws” but does not specific why any specific city or county is on the list. Under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump on April 28, federal grants and contracts with sanctuary jurisdictions are to be suspended or terminated.

Although the DHS site states that jurisdictions would be notified, all five local jurisdictions have indicated that they did not receive any notification before being publicly listed and local leaders dispute the designation.


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WHO WILL BE THERE WHEN THEY COME FOR YOU? OUR INTERVIEW WITH IMMIGRATION ATTORNEY NORA MILNER

By Alexander J Schorr

May 19, 2025 (San Diego) -- East County Magazine editor Miriam Raftery interviewed Nora Milner, an immigration attorney based in San Diego. This interview originally aired April 4 on KNJS radio, with a Youtube video available. Milner, who works at the Milner & Markee (LLP) law firm, specializes in immigration law.

In the interview, she voiced alarm over blatant denials of due process for immigrants under the Trump administration, warned that even citizens are not safe, and offered tips for those concerned about being visited by ICE or detained for potential deportation.

Audio: 


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CA ADVOCACY GROUPS DECRY NEW IMMIGRANT REGISTRATION POLICY

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service
 
April 2, 2025 (San Diego) -- Immigrants' rights groups are speaking out against the Trump administration's decision to start requiring people who did not enter with a visa to register with the federal government - a first step toward deportation. Immigrants would have to carry proof of their registration at all times, or risk criminal prosecution. 

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PROTEST OUTSIDE EL CAJON CITY HALL OVER IMMIGRATION RAIDS

Latino and labor groups submit records request on communications between city, ICE and federal officials

By Miriam Raftery

View video of the press conference

April 2, 2025 (El Cajon) – A coalition of advocacy groups and El Cajon residents held a press conference today outside El Cajon City Hall to denounce the March 27 immigration raid on a painting company in the unincorporated part of El Cajon.

El Cajon City Manager Graham Mitchell, in response to a request for comment from ECM, stated via email, “El Cajon staff (police, management, elected officials, etc.), had no involvement in the Federal law enforcement action that took place outside the city limits last week. I learned about the event when I saw a media alert. Further, the City's involvement would have been a violation of Prop 47 and we are committed to abiding the law.”

But speakers called for “accountability” from the Mayor and three councilmembers who recently voted on a resolution to allow the city’s police to cooperate with federal immigration officials regarding undocumented immigrants in the city accused or convicted of crimes.

Latinos en Acción and the National Day Labor Organizing Network also submitted a public records request to the city seeking all communications of city elected officials and employees with U.S. Customs and Immigration (ICE), the Dept. of Homeland Security, Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, the San Diego County Sheriff, State Senator Brian Jones, and the anti-immigrant group America First Legal between Nov. 2024 and the present regarding enforcement of immigration law, the immigration enforcement resolution, and the immigration raid.


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ICE RAIDS EL CAJON PAINTING COMPANY, ARRESTS UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS

Update March 29:  Company owner John Washburn has been charged with conspiracy to harbor aliens; employees Gilver Martinez-Juanta, Miguel Angel Leal-Sanchez and Fernando Casas-Gamboa are charged with falsifying documents to obtain employment in the U.S., according to a press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in San Diego.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of Sky 10 via ABC 10 News, an ECM news partner

 

March 28, 2025 (El Cajon) – Federal immigration authorities raided the San Diego Powder and Protective Coatings company on Magnolia Ave. in El Cajon yesterday afternoon.  A search warrant accuses the company of hiring undocumented workers, as well as fraud and misuse of visas, ECM news partner 10 News reports.


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EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL APPROVES ALLOWING POLICE TO COOPERATE WITH ICE, REVERSING PREVIOUS ACTION

 

Issue prompts drive to recall Councilman Phil Ortiz

By Alex Schorr and Miriam Raftery

View video

Photo, left:  Resolution opponents hold up sign denouncing hate and likening ICE roundups to “Gestapo” tactics

February 14, 2025 (El Cajon) – El Cajon’s City Council on Tuesday passed a controversial resolution allowing the city’s police to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and hand over any undocumented who has been convicted of a violent crime, as well as immigrants merely accused of a crime.  The measure was introduced by Mayor Bill Wells, with backing of Councilmember Phil Ortiz and amendments by Councilman Steve Goble.

The meeting was contentious, sparked by numerous emotional outbursts, threats to recall Councilmember Ortiz for supporting the resolution, and playing of phone threats made against Councilmembers who voted against the measure previously.

Just two weeks ago, the Council rejected a similar proposal by a 3-2 vote, but reversed that action on Wednesday after Councilmember Goble switched sides.


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READER’S EDITORIAL: WE OWE IT TO IMMIGRANT FAMILIES TO DO BETTER

By Patrick Cameron, El Cajon

February 13, 2025 (El Cajon) -- In one of Donald Trump’s first acts in office, he stripped away protections for schools, hospitals, and places of worship from immigration enforcement. These were once safe spaces where people could learn, receive health care, and pray without fear. Now they have been turned into targets for ICE raids.

This is unconscionable. As the world’s largest historical climate polluter, the United States has a responsibility to immigrants. Our pollution is causing the climate chaos — droughts, floods, hurricanes, rising waters — that is forcing people in Latin America, Asia, Africa and elsewhere to leave their homes. Others are fleeing violence, poverty, and hunger — all of which are caused or made worse by the climate crisis.

People have the right to be able to leave their homes and migrate with dignity to find safe haven. But right now, immigrant families are facing the unimaginable: the fear that seeking education or health care could mean deportation, or that a peaceful moment of prayer might be shattered by ICE agents barging in.


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IN PACKED HEARING, EL CAJON COUNCIL VOTES 3-2 AGAINST CONTENTIOUS IMMIGRATION RESOLUTION

By Miriam Raftery

View video of full Council hearing (Immigration agenda item begins at 37 minutes.)

January 29, 2025 – Emotions ran high during yesterday’s El Cajon City Council meeting, where a packed chamber heard testimony from 88 members of the public over a proposed over immigration enforcement resolution, followed by a heated Council debate that divided the all-Republican members during a hearing that ran over five hours.

The measure introduced by Mayor Wells, a revision from a version heard two weeks ago, aims to authorize El Cajon police to comply with federal immigration enforcement officials within the limits of state law and the Constitution for the purpose of removing violent criminals.

But the action comes on the same day that the White House Press Secretary indicated that the Trump administration views all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” even though crossing the border itself is a misdemeanor on the first offense, not a felony or violent crime.

Sweeps by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have begun nationwide, picking up many immigrants with no criminal record—including an El Cajon man with no criminal record who was awaiting his asylum hearing when arrested  this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his home in front of his five-year-old daughter, Councilman Michelle Metschel revealed in an impassioned speech.


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AS PRESIDENT TRUMP DECLARES A BORDER EMERGENCY ON DAY ONE, CALIFORNIA'S TARGETED IMMIGRANTS LIE LOW

By Wendy Fry, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Saul Muñoz, 53, waits for any job opportunities in front of a Home Depot in San Diego on Jan. 20, 2025. Photo by Adriana Heldiz, CalMatters

January 23, 2025 (San Diego) - Undocumented immigrants and their California families braced for the worst — and many told CalMatters they would go underground — as newly sworn-in President Donald Trump began issuing executive orders to enable what he promises will be the most massive deportation in U.S. history. 


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A SURPRISING IMMIGRATION RAID IN KERN COUNTY FORESHADOWS WHAT AWAITS FARMWORKERS AND BUSINESSES

By Sergio Olmos, CalMatters

CalMatters is a public interest journalism venture committed to explaining how California’s state Capitol works and why it matters

Photo:  Farmworkers work on a field outside of Bakersfield in Kern County on July 25 2023. Photo by Larry Valenzuela, CalMatters/CatchLight Local

January 22, 2025 (Kern County, Calif.) - Acres of orange fields sat unpicked in Kern County this week as word of Border Patrol raids circulated through Messenger chats and images of federal agents detaining laborers spread on local Facebook groups. 


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LATINO LEADERS GIVE EARFUL TO EL CAJON CITY COUNCIL OVER PROPOSED IMMIGRATION RESOLUTION

Council asks  staff to revise resolution, which will be on the agenda January 28

By Miriam Raftery


"I see this as disrespectful from you, the Council, the Mayor and the attorneys...This is going to create a lot of distrust in the community.” -- Jose  Cruz, photo, left

"It's about following the law.  California is asking us to ignore federal law."--Mayor Bill Wells, photo, right

January 17, 2025 (El Cajon) – In emotional testimony, leaders of the Latino community and others pleaded with El Cajon City Council members on January 14 to reject a resolution proposed by Mayor Bill Wells aimed at maximizing the city’s cooperation with federal immigration authorities. With President-Elect Donald Trump’s announced mass deportation intent, which Trump has said could include all undocumented immigrants in the U.S., many speakers voiced fears over potential discrimination by police against people of color, as well as fears that even long-term immigrants and children who have committed no crimes could be rounded up for deportation. 

Trump has also said he wants to deport some special protection status immigrants who came here legally, such as Haitians; others with TPS status include Afghans and Iraqis who helped the U.S. military, Ukrainian refugees, and others.


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EAST COUNTY LEADERS BRACE FOR LEGAL LIMBO, POLICY CHANGES REGARDING UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

By Jessica Brodkin Webb

January 7, 2025 (El Cajon) --In 13 days, President-elect Donald Trump could potentially begin to make good on his campaign promise to pursue mass deportations of immigrants and refugees living in the United States.

“As President I will immediately end the migrant invasion of America," Trump said in a Sept, 2024 speech and although he has not released specific details of how he might direct such a plan at a federal level, community leaders stand divided on how best to respond at the local level.

Under current California law, state and municipal governments are barred from working in conjunction with federal law enforcement agencies to actively pursue deportation for anyone who has not committed a serious crime. That approach stands in direct opposition to Trump’s proposed plan to conduct mass immigrant deportations.

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells, in a letter to the Calif. Attorney General, says he plans to propose that his city fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities. San Diego’s Board of Supervisors majority, by contrast, has urged county authorities not to turn over any immigrants to federal authorities, while the County Sheriff has said she will take the middle ground and follow state law, cooperating only when immigrants have committed serious crimes.

Besides posing a challenge for local elected officials who must decide how they will answer to conflicting state and federal guidelines, an element of murkiness also exists for prominent community members and social service agency heads who spend many hours each week working directly with refugees.


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CITIES, COUNTY IN CROSSHAIRS BETWEEN FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS OVER AIDING MASS DEPORTATION OF IMMIGRANTS

 

County approves tough migrant protections, but Sheriff says state laws should prevail;  El Cajon Council weighs city’s legal and moral obligations

Update:  The letter sent by Mayor Wells to the Attorney General is now available here.The letter states that the City Council is considering a resolution declaring the city's intent to "comply with federal immigration laws and assist federal authorities in their enforcement efforts to the maximum extent possible."

By Miriam Raftery

Photos: Right, El Cajon Mayor Wells calls sanctuary policies "stupid and dangerous." He has voiced support for Trump's mass deportation policies but wants clarification on the city's legal obligations.

Left, Councilman Gary Kendrick does not support having police "dragging children out of schools or churches" or aiding in deportation of residents with no criminal records,only those guilty of serious crimes.

December 11, 2024 (San Diego) – Yesterday, San Diego County Supervisors and El Cajon’s City Council held discussions that could determine fates of many immigrant residents—and set the stage for showdowns among federal, state and local authorities. San Diego County has an estimated 169,000 undocumented residents, according to the Migration Policy Institute, based on 2019 data.

The incoming Trump administration has announced plans to deport millions of immigrants nationwide—and demands that local authorities cooperate in mass deportation efforts. But a California law, Senate Bill 54, passed during the last Trump term, prohibits state and local jurisdictions from cooperating with federal authorities on deportation,with notable exceptions for serious crimes. Local authorities are carefully weighing the legal and moral implications of potential actions.


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STUDY: UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS CONTRIBUTE NEARLY $100 BILLION IN TAXES EACH YEAR, INCLUDING $8.5 BILLION IN CALIFORNIA

Study: Undocumented Immigrants Contribute Nearly $100 Billion in Taxes in Each Year
 
Source: America’s Voice
 
Photo: Farmworker; Creative Commons via Bing
 
July 30,2024 (Washington D.C.) -- Immigration policies have taken center stage in public debates this year, but much of the conversation has been driven by emotion, not data. A new in-depth study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy aims to help change that by quantifying how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes – both nationally and in each state.
 
The study finds that undocumented immigrants contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 – a number that would rise dramatically if these taxpayers were granted work authorization.
 
Other key findings:
 


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ADVOCATES FOR DETAINED IMMIGRANTS DECRY LOSS OF FREE PHONE CALLS

By Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Photo: Adobe Stock, via CNS

July 5, 2024 (Sacramento) -- Groups advocating for people detained in immigration facilities are calling for the reinstatement of a program which allowed 500 free minutes of phone calls per month.

In recent weeks, Immigration and Customs Enforcement cut off the free domestic and international calls, telling advocates pandemic-era funding has run out.

Rosa Santana, interim co-executive director of the Envision Freedom Fund, said families of the detainees often struggle to afford the calls, which can cost up to $3 for 15 minutes.


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BIDEN ANNOUNCES ACTION TO PROTECT MANY IMMIGRANT SPOUSES OF CITIZENS FROM DEPORTATION, ALONG WITH THEIR CHILDREN

Plan also makes it easier for DACA recipients and immigrant college graduates to obtain work visas

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Immigrant rights march, via Wikimedia

June 18,2024 (Washington D.C.) – President Joe Biden today announced executive actions to protect a half million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens from deportation, if they have lived in the U.S. for at least 10 years. An estimated 50,000 children under 21 with a U.S. citizen parent will also be protected from deportation. 

Until now, undocumented spouses and children of citizens had to leave the U.S. to apply for permanent residency, a process that often separated families for years. A similar parole in place program is already used to protect undocumented families of military members.

The new, broader parole-in-place program will allow parents and children to stay in the U.S. for three years while they apply for permanent residency.  All applicants will be vetted by the Department of Homeland Security to assure the applicant does not pose a threat to public safety or national security.

Reuters reports that the majority of those set to benefit from the order are Mexicans, many of them in California.

In addition, Biden announced a program to make it easier for Deferred Action Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and undocumented college graduates to obtain work visas/green cards if they have been offered a job related to their degree.


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MIGRANT CENTER CLOSES DESPITE SURGE IN IMMIGRANTS; DROP-OFFS AT TRANSIT STATIONS RESUMES

By Miriam Raftery

Photo courtesy of ECM news partner KGTV 10 News.

February 25, 2024 (San Diego) – Bipartisan calls for federal help are escalating after closure of a local migrant welcoming center due to lack of funds amid an unprecedented surge in migrants from around the world.

The migrant center run by SBCS (formerly known as South Bay Community Center) closed its doors Thursday night.  Kathie Lembo, the nonprofit’s president and CEO, stated,  “As the number of migrants arriving at the center has increased significantly over the last few weeks, our finite resources have been stretched to the limit.”

San Diego County had allocated $6 million to fund the welcome center as an alternative to Border Patrol dropping off massive numbers of migrants at transit centers. The welcome center had provided temporary shelter, food, Wifi connections, and travel information for the vast majority of migrants seeking to rejoin family members elsewhere in the United States. The funds were expected to last until March.

But with more than 100,000 migrants arriving in our region since September, the center ran out of funds.  Now Border Patrol, which lacks sufficient facilities to detain migrants, is once again dropping many of them off at transit centers to fend for themselves, or accept help from volunteers.


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JANUARY SEES SHARP DROP IN BORDER CROSSINGS AFTER A RECORD-SETTING DECEMBER

 
 
February 18, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- Border encounters plunged from record highs of more than 300,000 in December to 176,205 in January, a 42% drop that Customs and Border Protection attributed to enforcement efforts and a traditional seasonal drop.


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AS IMMIGRATION DEBATE HEATS UP, MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS IN DECEMBER SET RECORD

By Ian McKinney, Cronkite News

Photo, left: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, backed by fellow Democrats on Monday, criticizes a Republican plan to open impeachment hearings this week against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With Jeffries, from left, are Reps. Lou Correa of California, Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, Dan Goldman of New York and Glenn Ivey of Maryland. (Photo by Ian McKinney/Cronkite News)

January 30, 2024 (Washington, D.C.) -- Border officials said they encountered more than 300,000 migrants at the southern border in December, setting a one-month record that pushed the total for the first quarter of fiscal 2024 to 785,422.

The continuing surge in migrants comes as debate on immigration is heating up in Washington. Senators this week are expected to unveil a sweeping, bipartisan immigration reform bill that is already being called “dead on arrival” in the House, where a committee is set to start impeachment proceedings Tuesday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.


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ASYLUM SEEKERS FACE NEW REQUIREMENT TO FIND THEIR OWN INTERPRETERS

 

by Adriana Gonzalez-Chavez • Cronkite News

A record 2.47 million migrants were encountered at the United States’ southern border in fiscal year 2023, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (File photo by Alexia Faith/Cronkite News)

January 22, 2024 -- Asylum seekers who don’t speak English are once again required to bring their own interpreters to interviews for U.S. immigration services, and some worry it will be a hindrance for those fleeing persecution in their home countries.

The September rule change reverted to a pre-pandemic requirement that put the onus on non-English-speaking migrants to find and pay for an interpreter.


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MEDI-CAL IMMIGRATION STATUS EXCLUSION ENDS

 

By  Suzanne Potter, California News Service

Suzanne Potter

January 9,2024 (Sacramento) -- Starting January 1st, California became the first state to cover health care for all income-eligible people regardless of their age or immigration status. 


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COUNTY SUPERVISORS APPROVE $3 MILLION FOR MIGRANT SERVICES - BUT TOWNS CLOSEST TO BORDER BREECHES NOT ALLOCATED FUNDS

 

By Rebecca Person

 

December 13, 2023 (Jacumba Hot Springs, CA) -- Local volunteers in isolated East county border towns Jacumba and Boulevard are seeking support for humanitarian aid for migrants via a new crowd-funding campaign.  Volunteers set up this fundraising account in the face of a lack of  support by government entities such as Border Patrol and the National Guard and nonprofits such as the Red Cross, which have failed to utilize their resources to help masses of border crossers still arriving on U.S. ground. Border Patrol has directed them into barren detention sites with zero supplies. Water, shelter and food resources are being supplied mostly by volunteers through donations.


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SETTLEMENT REACHED IN LAWSUIT OVER FAMILIES SEPARATED AT BORDER BY TRUMP-ERA POLICY

By Miriam Raftery

Photo,left, courtesy of the ACLU

October 17, 2023 (San Diego) – The U.S.Justice Department has reached a settlement in a San Diego-based class action lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of immigrant families separated at the international border by the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance immigration policy.

The settlement is subject to a judge’s approval.

“The practice of separating families at the southwest border was shameful,” Attorney Merrick Garland said in a statement. ”This agreement will facilitate the reunification of separated families and provide them with critical services to aid in their recovery.”

Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU, said in a press release, “The ACLU has settled hundreds of lawsuits in our 103-year history, but none more important than this one. To America’s enduring shame, we tore children from the arms of their families to enact a xenophobic agenda. This settlement closes the darkest chapter of the Trump administration, but as welcomed as it is, the damage inflicted on these families will forever be tragic and irreversible.”


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VOLUNTEERS USE PEANUT BUTTER DIPLOMACY TO RESOLVE TOUGH BORDER SITUATION

By Rebecca Person

Photos by R. Person and Noah Miller

October 10, 2021 (San Diego’s East County) -- What began as a trickle of migrant activity at the Mexican border outside small towns in the farthest corner of east San Diego County has surged to a humanitarian crisis - a river, a deluge of hundreds of border crossings here daily. The scene has mirrored and surpassed the crisis last May, when the towns of Jacumba Hot Springs and Boulevard felt a sudden wave of migrants when Title 42 was lifted and Title 8 returned.

Those changes allowed migrants to apply for asylum.  But for those not able to qualify for asylum, crossing the border can lead to formal deportation back to one’s country of origin and possible criminal prosecution if the person makes a second entry within five years. 

Humanitarian groups such as Border Kindness have joined local resident volunteers and some church groups to bring a steady supply of donations - bottled water, blankets, jackets and tarps to migrants camped along the border fence. Also sandwiches, especially the peanut butter kind.


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THE MIGRANT CRISIS IN PHOTOS

By Rebecca Person

Photos by Rebecca Person and photographers who asked to be anonymous

October 1, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- Waves of border crossers quietly filter into the high desert towns of Jacumba Hot Springs and Boulevard in the farthest eastern corner of San Diego County.

Local residents and volunteers there respond with rounds of water and supplies. Surprisingly, many locals are unaware of the human drama unfolding all around them. Some who do encounter bands of migrants on back country roads use caution, fearing arrest for assisting illegal border crossers.


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

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