Page 2 - Us Immigrants

Court cancels US govt's scheme guarding immigrant spouses from deportation

A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Biden administration policy that aimed to ease a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens. The program, lauded as one of the biggest presidential actions to help immigrant families in years, allowed undocumented spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card without first having to leave the country. The temporary relief from deportation brought a brief sense of security to some 500,000 immigrants estimated to benefit from the program before Texas-based U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker put it on hold in August, days after applicants filed their paperwork. Barker ruled Thursday that the Biden administration had overstepped its authority by implementing the program and had stretched the legal interpretation of relevant immigration law past its breaking point. The short-lived Biden administration initiative known as Keeping Families Together would have been unlikely to rem

US-India cooperation behind latest deportation of illegal Indian migrants

This is being done to create more avenues for legal migration from India to the US

Donald Trump drives his anti-immigration message in Aurora, Colorado

Donald Trump detoured from the battleground states Friday to visit a Colorado suburb that's been in the news over illegal immigration as he drives a message, often using false or misleading claims and dehumanizing language, that migrants are causing chaos in smaller American cities and towns. Trump's rally in Aurora marked the first time ahead of the November election that either presidential campaign has visited Colorado, which reliably votes Democratic statewide. The Republican nominee has long promised to stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history and has made immigration core to his political persona since launching his first campaign in 2015. In recent months, Trump has pinpointed specific smaller communities that have seen large arrivals of migrants, with tensions flaring locally over resources and some longtime residents expressing distrust about sudden demographic changes. Aurora entered the spotlight in August when a video circulated showing armed men walking .

US November 2024 visa bulletin: India's family-based dates advance

While all employment-based categories remain unchanged in US November 2024 visa bulletin, there are updates in the family-sponsored visa categories for Indian applicants

47.8 million immigrants in US, most from Mexico and India: Report

According to Pew Research Centre report, Mexico, China, and India are among the top birthplaces for immigrants residing in the US

Biden administration toughens asylum restrictions at border to stir voters

The Biden administration said Monday it is making asylum restrictions at the southern border even tougher, as it's increasingly eager to show voters uneasy over immigration that it is taking a hard stance on border security. The new rules, which toughen restrictions announced in June, bar migrants from being granted asylum when US officials deem that the southern border is overwhelmed. Under the previous rules, the US could restrict asylum access when the number of migrants trying to enter the country between the official border crossings hit 2,500 per day. The daily numbers had to average below 1,500 per day for a week in order for the restrictions to be lifted. But the version rolled out Monday says the daily numbers will have to be below 1,500 for nearly a month before the restrictions can be lifted. And the administration is now counting all children toward that number, whereas previously only migrant children from Mexico were counted. These changes will make it much more ...

Indians most-educated immigrants in US; Chinese, Mexicans runners-up

India stands out as a leader in the global pool of educated immigrants, contributing around 2 million degree-holders

US opens citizenship programme for migrant spouses, but some still left out

As registration opened on Monday for an estimated 500,000 spouses of US citizens to gain legal status without having to first leave the country, Karen and Xavier Chavarria had nothing to celebrate. Like many others, Karen left the United States voluntarily in her case, for Nicaragua as the price of living in the country illegally, planning to accumulate enough time away to be able reenter and reunite with her husband, Xavier, on a path to citizenship. Joe Biden's offer of a path to citizenship without having to first leave the country for up to 10 years is one of the biggest presidential orders to ease entry for immigrants since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme allowed temporary but renewable stays for hundreds of thousands of people who came to the United States as young children with their parents. To be eligible, spouses must have lived in the United States continuously for 10 years as of June 17, 2024, and been married by then. The Biden ...

Largest housing provider for migrant children engaged in sexual abuse: US

Employees of the largest housing provider for unaccompanied migrant children in the US repeatedly sexually abused and harassed children in their care for at least eight years, the Justice Department has said, alleging a shocking litany of offences that took place as the company amassed billions of dollars in government contracts. Southwest Key Programmes Inc employees, including supervisors, raped, touched or solicited sex and nude images of children beginning in 2015 and possibly earlier, the Justice Department said in a lawsuit filed this week. At least two employees have been indicted on criminal charges related to the allegations since 2020. It was not immediately clear Thursday how many children are currently in Southwest Key's vast network of shelters across three states, which have room for more than 6,300 children. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to emailed questions about whether it had recommended to federal officials that they remove children from the ..

Most interesting guy: JD Vance's Indian-origin wife Usha recalls first meet

A lawyer by profession, 38-year-old Usha Vance recalled her first meeting with her husband JD Vance, who has been named the US vice-presidential candidate by the Republican Party in the upcoming polls

Biden admin urged to take steps to protect over 250K 'Documented Dreamers'

A bipartisan group of 43 lawmakers has urged the Biden administration to take urgent action to protect more than 250,000 Documented Dreamers, a significantly large number of whom are Indians, who will be forced to self-deport after ageing out of the temporary legal status derived through their parents' visas. Documented Dreamers are foreign nationals who entered the United States as dependents under their parents' temporary, nonimmigrant visa status, usually a work visa. Despite growing up in the US with legal status, children of long-term visa holders age out of their dependent status when they turn 21 and are often left with no choice but to leave the United States if they cannot transition to a new status, the lawmakers said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur M Jaddou. This is because, in part, their families' adjustment of status applications face extensive backlogs, preventing them fr

Overseas friends of BJP to celebrate PM Modi's victory in 22 US cities

Supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are planning to celebrate his third swearing-in in 22 cities across the United States, a senior leader from Overseas Friends of BJP-USA has said. The celebrations in cities, including New York, Jersey City, Washington DC, Boston, Tampa, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, would be spread over the current and the coming weekends. Victory celebrations will be held from this Friday to next Sunday in 22 cities in the US, OFBJP-USA President Adapa Prasad told PTI on Friday. During the election campaign, OFBJP-USA and its members conducted several awareness campaigns in various American cities that ranged from car rallies to calling people in India. The BJP is the largest party in Lok Sabha, and this is the first time since 1962 that a prime minister has been voted to power for the third consecutive term. Prime Minister Modi is set to take oath for a third consecutive term, a first in over 60 years. This is a his

Biden preparing to stop asylum if daily average of migrants reaches 2,500

The White House is telling lawmakers that President Joe Biden is preparing to sign off on an executive order that would shut down asylum requests at the US-Mexico border once the average number of daily encounters hits 2,500 at ports of entry, with the border reopening only once that number declines to 1,500, according to several people familiar with the discussions. The impact of the 2,500 figure means that the executive order could go into immediate effect, because daily figures are higher than that now. The Democratic president is expected to unveil the actions -- his most aggressive unilateral move yet to control the numbers at the border -- at the White House on Tuesday at an event to which border mayors have been invited. Five people familiar with the discussions on Monday confirmed the 2,500 figure, while two of the people confirmed the 1,500 number. The figures are daily averages over the course of a week. All of the people insisted on anonymity to discuss an executive order

National Spelling Bee: Reflection of Indian immigrants at global stage

When Balu Natarajan became the first Indian American champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1985, a headline on an Associated Press article read, Immigrants' son wins National Spelling Bee, with the first paragraph noting the champion speaks his parents' native Indian language at home. Those details would hardly be newsworthy today after a quarter-century of Indian American spelling champs, most of them the offspring of parents who arrived in the United States on student or work visas. This year's bee is scheduled to begin Tuesday at a convention centre outside Washington and, as usual, many of the expected contenders are Indian American, including Shradha Rachamreddy, Aryan Khedkar, Bruhat Soma and Ishika Varipilli. Nearly 70 per cent of Indian-born US residents arrived after 2000, according to census data, and that dovetails with the surge in Indian American spelling bee champions. There were two Indian American Scripps winners before 1999. Of the 34 since, 28 have been

People of Indian origin feel very proud to be Indian, says FIIDS chief

Observing that there has been a paradigm shift in India's stature at the global stage and its all round development in the last 10 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the head of a Indian diaspora think-tank on Friday said the global Indian community right now feel very proud to be an Indian. Indian diaspora right now feels very proud to be an Indian and I think a lot of credit goes to the leadership of Prime Minister Modi in these last two terms. It really did a paradigm shift and infused confidence not just on Indian Americans but also people of Indian origin all over the world because they're now getting respected, Khanderao Kand, chief of Policy and Strategy at Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), told PTI Friday. India is not just strong, but India's position on various issues are really appreciated. India is making awesome progress on the climate side. India is developing its infrastructure. Indian diaspora when visiting India now from ..

US firm helping immigrants in detention to pay over $811 mn in lawsuit

A company that provides services for immigrants in federal detention was ordered Tuesday to pay more than $811 million in restitution and penalties in a lawsuit alleging it used deceptive and abusive tactics. Nexus Services must pay roughly $231 million in restitution as well as penalties of $13.8 million to New York, $7.1 million to Virginia and $3.4 million to Massachusetts, according to a judgement filed in federal court for the Western District of Virginia in Harrisonburg. The Virginia-based company, its subsidiary Libre by Nexus and its three executives must also each pay more than $111 million in civil penalties. This judgment is a victory for thousands of immigrant families who lost their life savings and were targeted and preyed on by Libre, New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement. Libre exploited vulnerable immigrants and their families to pad its pockets, and that is illegal and unconscionable. James joined state attorneys general in Virginia and ...

Four, including 3 Indians, arrested while illegally entering US from Canada

At least four people, including three Indian nationals, have been arrested in Up state New York along the Canada border when they were trying to enter the US illegally, officials here said on Wednesday. The US Border Patrol arrested four people, including a woman, when they were jumping off a moving freight train on the International Railroad Bridge in the city of Buffalo. The fourth person, a man, was identified from the Dominican Republic. The men left the woman who became immobile due to an injury as they were approached by the police and were caught shortly after a foot pursuit. The injured woman received first aid from Erie County Sheriff's deputies and US Customs and Border Protection officers (CBP). After treatment, the woman was transported by ambulance to a local medical centre. The investigation concluded that all four people were undocumented non-citizens. The three men are being processed for removal and detained in Batavia Federal Detention Facility awaiting a deport

Programme that allows 30K migrants from 4 nations into US each month upheld

A federal judge in Texas on Friday upheld a key piece of President Joe Biden's immigration policy that allows a limited number of migrants from four countries to enter the U.S. on humanitarian grounds, dismissing a challenge from Republican-led states that said the program created an economic burden on them. U.S. District Judge Drew B. Tipton ruled in favor of the humanitarian parole program that allows up to 30,000 asylum-seekers into the U.S. each month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela combined. Eliminating the program would undercut a broader policy that seeks to encourage migrants to use the Biden administration's preferred pathways into the U.S. or face stiff consequences. Texas and 20 other states that sued argued the program is forcing them to spend millions on health care, education, and public safety for the migrants. An attorney working with the Texas attorney general's office in the legal challenge said that the program created a shadow immigration ...

Indians now third-largest population of illegal immigrants in US: Report

The influx of undocumented Indians in the US has been climbing since the Covid restrictions were lifted, with 30,662 apprehended in FY21 and 63,927 in FY22

Pedro Pascal, Ajay Banga among Carnegie's 2023 Great Immigrants list

World Bank President Ajay Banga, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan, singer-songwriter Alanis Morissette and The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal are on this year's Great Immigrants list announced on Wednesday by the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Since 2006, the foundation has assembled an annual list of notable naturalised American citizens to celebrate the contributions immigrants make to the country and how they strengthen democracy. These are extraordinary people, said Dame Louise Richardson, president of Carnegie Corporation of New York and a native of Ireland who is a naturalised citizen herself. Presenting all these amazingly positive stories of people who've contributed hugely to American life I think is important every year. However, she acknowledges that the issue of immigration has become more politicized. I do think there is a growing sense that the numbers of migrants are somehow getting out of hand -- and this is not unique to the US, Richardson told The Associated Press in a