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[1/4] Migrants, without a place to stay upon arrival in the city, seek safe shelter at the District 12 station of the Chicago Police Department in Chicago, Illinois, U.S. May 17, 2023. Some migrants seeking a safe place to sleep have turned to police stations. Earlier this month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, resumed a campaign of busing migrants to Democratic strongholds further north, including Chicago and New York City. The busing aims to alleviate pressure on border cities and call attention to what Abbott says were overly lenient policies by Biden's Democratic administration. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has called on the Biden administration to provide more funding to cities receiving recently arrived migrants.

The number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally since Title 42 ended on Friday dropped sharply from highs last week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Blas Nunez-Neto said on a call with reporters. Nunez-Neto said migrants crossing illegally "now face tougher consequences at the border, including a minimum five-year bar on reentry and the potential to be criminally prosecuted if they try again." Title 42 allowed U.S. authorities to expel migrants to Mexico or other countries without the chance to request U.S. asylum. The Biden administration has also expanded legal pathways that allow more people to enter the U.S. without crossing illegally, including the CBP One appointments and applications available abroad for humanitarian parole and refugee status. The number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to an average of 5,000 per day since Title 42 ended, down from daily highs of over 10,000 last week, Nunez-Neto said, cautioning that the situation "is very fluid."

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended the Biden regulation, saying it aims to encourage migrants to enter using legal pathways. U.S. asylum officers hurried to figure out the logistics of applying the new asylum regulation. COVID EMERGENCY ENDS, ASYLUM BAN BEGINSTrump first implemented Title 42 in March 2020 as COVID swept the globe. The order allowed American authorities to quickly expel migrants to Mexico or other countries without a chance to request asylum. Migrants have been expelled more than 2.7 million times under Title 42, although the total includes repeat crossers.

Migrants have been amassing in Mexico this week as thousands crossing into the U.S. have strained border cities. The Title 42 restrictions allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel many non-Mexican migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek U.S. asylum. Biden's new regulation restricting asylum access at the border resembles similar measures implemented under Trump that were blocked by U.S. courts. Some Democrats and immigration advocates have said the regulation undercuts the ability to seek asylum at U.S. borders as required by U.S. law and international agreements. The officials also said they expected Mexico to step up immigration enforcement this week, including in southern Mexico.

The scenes come as Title 42 is set to expire just before midnight on Thursday. But Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council representing U.S. border agents, confirmed that agents distributed the handouts. Judd said border officials were working to process as many migrants as possible before Title 42 ends. The flyer also said migrants must report to border authorities before accessing El Paso shelters, an assertion advocates said was not true. But hours later, after seeing other migrants return with U.S. paperwork, he lined up at a border patrol station.

☆ Senate Republicans oppose vote just to raise US debt ceiling, push for other priorities
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Biden will meet with four top congressional leaders on Tuesday to discuss spending priorities, according to the White House. Schumer said this week that the Senate might consider a bill that only raises the debt ceiling without addressing other Republican priorities. With only a 51-49 majority in the Senate, Schumer would need the support of at least nine Republicans to clear a 60-vote threshold to advance such legislation. The latest Senate Republican letter shows the party could block a so-called "clean" debt ceiling bill. The House in late April passed a bill to raise the government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling that includes sweeping spending cuts over the next decade.

WHAT IS TITLE 42? The COVID restrictions, known as Title 42, were first implemented under Republican then-President Donald Trump in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic. The Biden administration intends to lift Title 42 next Thursday when the U.S. COVID public health emergency ends. In April, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended some 183,000 migrants, according to preliminary data provided by Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, a 13 percent increase from March. U.S. border cities are bracing for a possible rise in migrants when Title 42 ends.

It allows border agents to rapidly expel many migrants to Mexico. The anticipated increase in border crossings will be "extremely challenging," Mayorkas said during a press conference in Brownsville, Texas. The Mexican government will step up border security in southern Mexico as part of an agreement reached this week, Mayorkas said. Migrant arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border have risen in recent weeks, which Mayorkas attributed to a spike in Venezuelan crossers. Beginning May 12, roughly 1,000 appointments will be available each day, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

☆ 'High wire act': U.S. Congress gears up for immigration reform as Title 42 ends
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

It has been 37 years since Congress passed significant immigration reform, but a persistently high volume of migrants and an acute labor shortage have galvanized lawmakers. Republican Senator Thom Tillis said the end of Title 42 "sets the table" for Congress to craft new border-control laws as Republicans predict a wave of new arrivals. STARS ALIGNINGThe U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest business association, has launched a campaign urging Congress to act. Republicans argue that is where the border security component comes in. Finally, passage of an immigration bill coupled with beefed-up border security could boost President Joe Biden's re-election campaign and give Republican candidates something to cheer too.

REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's administration will temporarily send 1,500 additional troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border, the Pentagon said on Tuesday, in preparation for a possible rise in illegal immigration when COVID-19 border restrictions lift later this month. Biden, a Democrat running for reelection in 2024, has grappled with record numbers of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border since he took office in 2021. The 1,500 troops could arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border by May 10, Ryder said during a briefing. U.S. military troops have been used to help secure the border during previous presidential administrations, including Republican George W. Bush, Democrat Barack Obama and Trump, who deployed thousands of active-duty and National Guard troops. Immigration advocates have criticized previous efforts to send troops to the border.

May 1 (Reuters) - A Texas man accused of killing five neighbors after being asked to stop shooting his assault-style rifle because of the noise had been deported from the U.S. four times since 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday. He was apprehended and deported again in September 2009, January 2012 and July 2016, ICE said. Oropesa was convicted of driving while intoxicated in January 2012 in Montgomery County, Texas, and sentenced to jail, ICE added. "We do not know where he is," FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge James Smith told reporters on Sunday. Capers said police have recovered the weapon used in the shooting, but the suspect might be armed with a pistol.

☆ US to dedicate specially trained asylum officers to centers in Guatemala, Colombia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States will dedicate specially trained asylum officers to new refugee centers in Guatemala and Colombia, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters on Thursday as Washington seeks to create new lawful pathways for migrants. The announcement was part of a series of actions rolled out by President Joe Biden's administration on Thursday to address a possible increase in illegal immigration when COVID-19 border restrictions in place since 2020 are expected to end on May 11. "Our border is not open and will not be open after May 11," Mayorkas said. Reporting by Ted Hesson, Kanishka Singh and Daphne PsaledakisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Reuters) - The United States will expand a family-reunification parole program currently available to Cubans and Haitians to include additional nationalities, U.S. officials said on Thursday, as part of a suite of measures aimed at curbing record border crossings. The program will be expanded to nationals of Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras in an effort to create new lawful pathways for migrants, the officials said during a briefing with reporters. Biden, a Democrat seeking re-election in 2024, has struggled politically with record numbers of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally. Reuters reported on Wednesday that the United States is also discussing increased refugee processing in Ecuador and Costa Rica. The family reunification program is distinct from a program that Biden launched in January that allows up to 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela with U.S. sponsors to enter the country by air.

At the same time, U.S. officials are expanding holding capacity for migrants at the border while piloting faster asylum screenings. The Biden plans aim to address a likely increase in unauthorized immigration after COVID border restrictions that have been in place since 2020 are set to end on May 11, barring any last-minute legal or congressional intervention. The expansion of refugee processing in Latin America would come as the Biden administration has yet to restore refugee admissions after they were slashed under Trump. Miller noted that an estimated 660,000 migrants are currently in Mexico, citing United Nations figures. CBP has capacity to detain 6,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and plans to add space for 2,500 more, Miller said, adding that the agency has stepped up its ability to quickly transport migrants away from the border.

☆ Biden's domestic policy adviser Susan Rice departs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"After more than two years of her steady leadership of the Domestic Policy Council – it’s clear: there is no one more capable, and more determined to get important things done for the American people than Susan Rice," Biden said. Rice previously served as national security adviser and the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations under then-President Barack Obama when Biden was vice president. "As the only person to serve as both National Security Advisor and Domestic Policy Advisor, Susan’s record of public service makes history," Biden added. Rice played an influential role shaping Biden's immigration policy, tending to favor more restrictive measures at the U.S.-Mexico border. A source with knowledge of the issue previously said her push for tougher border enforcement clashed with more liberal staffers on the president's Domestic Policy Counsel.

☆ Israeli PM plans to meet with Florida's DeSantis during Israel trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to meet with Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis when the expected 2024 presidential candidate visits Israel this week, Netanyahu said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday. DeSantis is traveling abroad to Japan, South Korea, Israel and the United Kingdom. The visit to Israel coincides with protests over Netanyahu's plans to tighten controls on the country's Supreme Court. Netanyahu, asked by CBS whether he would meet with DeSantis, replied: "Of course, I'll meet with everyone. DeSantis met with Netanyahu during a visit to Jerusalem in 2019, calling Florida "the most pro-Israel state in the nation."

☆ US Homeland security chief creating artificial intelligence task force
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that the agency would create a task force to figure out how to use artificial intelligence to do everything from protecting critical infrastructure to screening cargo to ferret out products made with slave labor. While artificial intelligence isn't new, the sudden popularity of OpenAI's ChatGPT in recent months has sent officials around the world scrambling to see how they can best use the technology for good and prevent it from turbocharging disinformation and criminal activity. Mayorkas said the Artificial Intelligence Task Force would also explore how AI could be used to do a better job of doing work like screening cargo coming into the country for illicit goods, like fentanyl or products made with slave labor. Mayorkas said on Thursday the new task force may also investigate the potential for AI to be used for pernicious purposes, and find ways to defend against them. Mayorkas said that artificial intelligence was still in "a nascent stage" and that it was too soon to say whether the harms will outweigh the good.

☆ Biden seeks expanded health insurance access for DACA participants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Leah MillisWASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The Biden administration is seeking to allow immigrants illegally brought to the United States as children greater access to health insurance through federal programs, the White House said on Thursday. The proposal would allow participants in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, to access to health insurance under Medicaid and Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges, it said. I've worked hard to get more Americans health insurance than ever before," President Joe Biden said on Twitter, adding the move would give "Dreamers the same opportunities." About 580,000 people were enrolled as of last year in the Obama-era 2012 DACA program, which grants protection from deportation and work permits. Eight U.S. states have already expanded state insurance access to health coverage regardless of immigration status, according to data from the healthcare policy organization Kaiser Family Foundation.

[1/3] Texas National Guard vehicles are pictured along the U.S.-Mexico border in downtown in El Paso, Texas, U.S., January 4, 2023. REUTERS/Paul RatjeWASHINGTON, April 12 (Reuters) - U.S. and Cuban officials discussed migration issues on Wednesday as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the United States from Mexico. After Biden adopted more restrictive border security measures in January, the number of Cubans and other migrants caught at the border plummeted. However, the Biden administration is preparing for a possible rise in illegal crossings with COVID restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border set to lift on May 11. Reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

REUTERS/Marco Bello/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba will hold another round of migration talks on Wednesday, officials said, as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. This week's meeting "represents a continuation of our long engagement with Cuba on migration matters as neighboring states and is limited to the topic of migration," a U.S. State Department official said on Monday. "Ensuring safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration between Cuba and the United States remains a primary interest of the United States, consistent with our interest in fostering family reunification, and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba," the State Department official said on condition of anonymity. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested 176 Cubans at the southwest border in February, down from nearly 43,000 in December. The restrictions, known as Title 42, allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek U.S. asylum.

WASHINGTON, April 8 (Reuters) - The Biden administration next week will begin testing faster asylum screenings for migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, the Department of Homeland Security said on Saturday, part of preparations for the end of COVID-19 border restrictions in May. U.S. asylum officers will conduct initial asylum screenings for a small number of migrants within days while they remain in the custody of border authorities, Homeland Security spokesperson Marsha Espinosa said. U.S. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, has implemented new border restrictions in recent months as he grapples with record numbers of migrants caught crossing illegally. Since March 2020, U.S. authorities have been able to quickly Rexpel migrants caught crossing the border illegally back to Mexico under a COVID-19 order known as Title 42. Reuters first reported in December that Biden officials were weighing whether to use the accelerated asylum screenings among other Trump-style restrictions.

[1/5] Asylum seekers that stated they were from Afghanistan cross into Canada at Roxham Road, an unofficial crossing point from New York State to Quebec in Champlain, New York, U.S. March 24, 2023. REUTERS/Christinne MuschiMarch 24 (Reuters) - Canada and the United States on Friday changed a two-decade-old refugee agreement as part of their attempts to reduce the record influx of asylum seekers entering Canada via unofficial border crossings. DIRT PATH ENTRYThe vast majority of irregular asylum seekers coming to Canada cross at Roxham Road, a narrow dirt path linking New York State with the province of Quebec. Hours before the new deadline kicked in, Roxham Road was relatively quiet. A Reuters photographer at Roxham Road saw a group of 11 Turkish refugees cross into Canada, brought to the border by a Turkish Uber driver.

[1/2] People walk with their luggage on Roxham Road before crossing the US-Canada border into Canada in Champlain, New York, U.S., February 14, 2018. REUTERS/Chris Wattie/File PhotoOTTAWA, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau struck a deal aimed at stopping asylum seekers from traversing the shared U.S.-Canada land border via unofficial crossings, an official U.S. document showed on Friday. Biden will address parliament on Friday, after an introduction by Trudeau, and the two leaders will hold a joint news conference afterward. Canada has been pushing the U.S. to extend the deal for a while. In recent months, there has been a sharp increase in asylum seekers entering Canada through unofficial border crossings.

[1/2] Asylum seekers, who state they are from Turkey, walk down Roxham Road to cross into Canada from the U.S. in Champlain, New York, U.S., February 28, 2023. Growing numbers of asylum seekers have been crossing: 40,000 last year and 5,000 in January alone. Quebec’s premier and opposition politicians have called for Roxham Road to be "closed." This would allow Canadian officials to turn back asylum seekers trying to cross at Roxham Road or anywhere else. Migrant crossings at Roxham Road may decrease in the short term but refugee advocates say people hoping to evade detection might take riskier routes.

[1/3] U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stand on stage together after delivering remarks at the DNC 2023 Winter Meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., February 3, 2023. Biden could lose crucial votes if he were to drop Harris, who is both the first Black and Asian-American U.S. vice president. While the vice president has disappointed some inside her party, Democrats see opportunity in the 2024 race. He leans on her a lot," said Cedric Richmond, a former congressman and former senior adviser in Biden's White House. "That was not her assignment," said the third former White House official, referring to reducing migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border broadly.

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