DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have left their troubled homeland for Mexico this year to get to the United States. Up to 1,000 Venezuelans per day could be expelled to Mexico under the new agreement, two U.S. officials told Reuters. "We've been overwhelmed by the news," said Lizbeth Guerrero, director of an aid group for Venezuelan migrants in Mexico City. She forecast many people would press on with plans to reach the United States because they had nothing to return to. Those who could not enter the United States or find work quickly risked becoming prey for violent gangs, she said.

☆ Biden Considers Creating Immigration Program for Venezuelans
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-12 | by ( Michelle Hackman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration is considering creating a new immigration program for Venezuelans that would allow them to enter the country legally provided they have a U.S.-based financial sponsor, according to a government official familiar with the deliberations, a move designed to discourage Venezuelans from crossing into the U.S. illegally. More than 150,000 Venezuelans have crossed the border illegally in the first 11 months of the government’s fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, compared with about 48,000 the entire year before, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

☆ Salesforce has sold its tech to US Customs and Border Protection dozens of times in recent years, ignoring a history of employee protests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-03 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Salesforce sold its tech to federal agencies through over 1,400 contracts in the past five years. Employees have protested Salesforce's work with CBP. Employees protested a Salesforce contract with CBP throughout summer 2018. Since then, the company has continued to work with agencies involved in immigration enforcement, as well as military agencies. Public-contract data shows that over the past five years, Salesforce has entered into at least 46 contracts with CBP.

☆ Google and Amazon ignore employee protests and plow ahead with deals involving the US military, ICE, and CBP
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-28 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Google and Amazon used third parties for contracts with DHS and DOD agencies in the past year. Their dissent has been largely ignored, according to an Insider review of contracts involving Google and Amazon. In the same time frame, Amazon used third parties to work with DHS agencies at least 28 times, including at least 14 contracts with CBP. As Insider previously reported, these companies have used third parties to work with CBP as well as Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Google and Amazon employees have a history of speaking out against their companies' work with the military and immigration enforcement.

☆ Forced Labor a ‘Top-Tier’ Compliance Issue, Says U.S. Official
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +5 min

Risk & Compliance Journal spoke to Robert Silvers, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security undersecretary who chairs the interagency Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force. He called on companies and their top executives to make examining supply chains a high-level compliance issue to root out goods tainted by forced labor. Mr. Silvers: Compliance professionals—and, indeed, C-suite executives—need to understand that forced labor is now a top-tier compliance issue. Forced labor needs to be one of those pillars as well. Mr. Silvers: Forced labor belongs in the same breath as FCPA.

☆ Border chief says GOP governors are worsening crisis by 'lying' to migrants
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas also criticized Republican governors for sending migrants to other cities in an interview with José Díaz-Balart on MSNBC. Migrants line up after having arrived by bus in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. Magnus said that despite the releases and the busing of migrants to Northern cities, the Border Patrol is managing the influx. El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser said the city’s shelters are full, which is why he, like Republican governors, has begun busing migrants out of the city. Unlike Republican governors, Leeser is notifying cities that will be receiving migrants from El Paso.

☆ DeSantis and the GOP's myth of an 'open border'
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Debu Gandhi | Debu Gandhi Is The Senior Director Of Immigration Policy At The Center For American Progress Action Fund. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

One would think that those perpetuating the “open border” myth would be eager to seize every opportunity to strengthen border security. This action — and similar ones orchestrated by other GOP governors — have also deliberately elevated the “open border” narrative, which falsely represents that unlawful immigrants are waltzing into the U.S. through a porous southern border in droves. Contrary to the “open border” myth, U.S. borders are guarded by a vast and well-funded national security agency that has grown far larger and more powerful in recent years. Nick Ut / Getty Images fileOne would think that those perpetuating the “open border” myth would be eager to seize every opportunity to strengthen border security. Characterizing the humanitarian challenge at the southern border as a solely U.S. “open border” problem also presents an inaccurate picture of the global forced displacement crisis.

☆ U.S. Embassy in Cuba will fully process immigrant visas in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration said Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy in Cuba will begin processing full immigrant visas in early 2023, making it easier for Cubans to reunite with family members in the United States. The embassy in Havana had last processed full immigrant visas in 2017. The U.S. government will also stop requiring Cubans seeking visas in family preference categories to travel to Georgetown, Guyana, for their interviews. The added personnel are part of the commitment stemming from the resumption of the Cuban Family Reunification Parole program last month. The 2007 program enables U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for their family members in Cuba to come to the U.S. sooner than conventionally allowed.

☆ Migrants From Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua Drive Border Arrests
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Michelle Hackman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Migrants from Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are driving the continued record pace of illegal migration at the southern border, with more than three times as many migrants from those countries arrested so far this year as at the same point in 2021, government data show. Border Patrol agents made about 181,000 arrests of migrants crossing the southern border illegally in August, putting the total this year just shy of two million with a month still to go in the government’s 2022 fiscal year. Migrants who want to ask for asylum at the border must be arrested by a Border Patrol agent to start the process. Separately, Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, took 22,473 people into custody at legal border crossings. Combined, CBP has recorded nearly 2.2 million encounters along the southwest border since October.

☆ 'Failing communist regimes' in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua account for new wave of migration, US says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration," a US official said. In total, just under 158,000 people had encounters with southwest border officials in August. "Failing communist regimes in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba are driving a new wave of migration across the Western Hemisphere, including the recent increase in encounters at the southwest US border," CBP Commissioner Chris Magnus said in a statement. More than 55,000 people from the three, ostensibly socialist regimes were encountered at the southwest border in August, per CBP. The fact that nearly half of all migrants encountered were from Nicaragua and South America, he said, represented a "staggering change."

☆ Venezuelan migrants — like those dropped in Martha's Vineyard by Ron DeSantis — are fleeing a government that has engaged in 'crimes against humanity,' UN says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Venezuelan government is responsible for "crimes against humanity," per a United Nations report. "[G]rave crimes and human rights violations are being committed," the UN's Marta Valiñas said. Sign up for our newsletter to receive our top stories based on your reading preferences — delivered daily to your inbox. Ron DeSantis — are fleeing a government that has engaged in "crimes against humanity," including the use of torture and sexual violence to repress dissent, according to a United Nations report released Tuesday. "In doing so, grave crimes and human rights violations are being committed, including acts of torture and sexual violence."

☆ Salesforce, Oracle, Palantir and other tech companies are interested in building a new Army tool to manage weapons distribution and troop deployment
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Caroline Haskins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Army is looking for tech companies to build a prototype for its new "operational back-bone." Palantir, Gitlab, Salesforce, Oracle, RedHat, IBM, and others submitted "Requests for Information" to build the prototype, a step before submitting a bid. The prototype would manage the deployment of troops, and the supply and distribution of missiles, guns, tanks, and other weapons. Palantir has an $823 million Army contract for data mining and analytics. It's also unclear if Amazon, Google, or Microsoft will contribute to the project in some capacity, including as a subcontractor.

☆ US Customs stores duplicates of travelers' phone and laptop contents — including medical records, photos, and calendar appointments — without much oversight, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Taiyler Simone Mitchell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

US Customs preserves data from phones, laptops, and tablets seized from international travelers. The data is held for up to 15 years and can be viewed by thousands of CBP employees. "Innocent Americans should not be tricked into unlocking their phones and laptops," Sen. Ron Wyden said in a Thursday letter to the agency. Information in the database can also be referred to other law enforcement agencies like the FBI or local police departments. Hackers have previously accessed CBP online data in a cyber attack, compromising travelers' photos and license plates.

☆ DeSantis flying migrants to Martha’s Vineyard is the evilest version of a GOP game
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Susanne Ramírez De Arellano | Susanne Ramírez De Arellano Is A Freelance Writer | Journalist Based In New York City. She Is The Former News Director Of Channel In Puerto Rico | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Ron DeSantis unexpectedly sent two planes carrying mostly Venezuelan immigrants, including children, to Martha’s Vineyard on Wednesday. Greg Abbott bused migrants out of Texas this year to cities with Democratic mayors — he has sent more than 10,000 migrants to liberal enclaves. The migrants were kindly greeted on Martha’s Vineyard and received Covid-19 tests, food, clothing and shelter. It’s been reported that the migrants said they were unaware that they were going to Martha’s Vineyard, were promised aid and housing and had to walk miles from the airport to seek help. Perhaps DeSantis sent these planes to Martha’s Vineyard hoping that the visual of immigrants at the doorstep of rich, white liberals would help his political aspirations — all the way to the White House.

☆ Man accused in 2014 massacre of co-worker's family arrested after landing in U.S. from China
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( Marlene Lenthang | Marlene Lenthang Is A Breaking News Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

A man accused of killing his co-worker’s family in their Texas home more than eight years ago was arrested over the weekend after he arrived at San Francisco’s airport from China, officials said. Similar to what he told the FBI, Lu told sheriff's office investigators he didn't know where the Sun family lived until he saw news coverage of their deaths. Authorities also interviewed Lu’s wife. The sheriff’s office said there were inconsistencies between her version and Lu’s versions of what happened. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation continues.

Evan Edwards told the officers they were headed to a conference in Texas, but he could not provide any specifics, according to the complaint. The scam and its unraveling stunned their neighbors as well as members of Evan Edwards’ extended family. “We knew we wanted to preach the gospel where it was not preached,” Evan Edwards said in a 2008 radio interview. Joy Edwards, Evan and Mary Jane Edwards, and Josh Edwards. The family moved back to Canada about 10 years ago, and Evan Edwards continued to preach, his cousin said.

Among them: an order to immediately halt construction on former President Donald Trump’s signature border wall. Before Biden stopped new construction on the wall, the Trump administration had built 458 miles of what it dubbed “border wall system,” according to final figures compiled by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and provided to U.S. News. The total figure also includes what the agency calls “secondary border wall” or sections of wall built behind preexisting barriers that ultimately remained in place. Since taking office and largely stopping wall construction, Biden has canceled border wall projects paid for by Pentagon funds. The Biden administration most recently said it would use border security funding allocated by Congress to close small gaps in border barriers and to pay for environmental fixes and the clean-up of border wall construction sites.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Trump, Alejandro Mayorkas Organizations: U.S, Defense, Democrats, U.S . Customs, Border, U.S . News, Border Patrol, Lone Star State, Pentagon, Defense Department, Homeland Locations: U.S, Arizona, Yuma, Tucson, New Mexico, Texas, El Paso, Rio, Rio Grande Valley . California, San Diego, El Centro, Mexico, Alaska, Germany

☆ Workforce at Alabama chicken plants includes migrant teens
▼ + stars: | 2022-02-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +20 min

At Amelia’s request, Reuters agreed not to identify her hometown, the chicken plant where she now works, or the exact job she performs there. She said she was determined to get here because Rosa told her she could find work quickly. Amelia provided her new credentials to a staffing firm that supplies laborers to a local chicken plant, she said. Some firms deduct as much as $40 a week from employees’ paychecks for the service, four workers told Reuters. She rarely leaves Rosa’s trailer except to head to and from the chicken plant.

☆ Chase Sapphire Preferred vs. Chase Sapphire Reserve
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-08 | by ( Darren Murph | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Both the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the Chase Sapphire Reserve are winners at their respective price points. The Chase Sapphire Preferred is aimed at the casual traveler, while the Chase Sapphire Reserve attempts to take the crown as the world’s most feature-packed, prestigious travel card anywhere. But as mentioned above, with the Chase Sapphire Reserve, you’ll get 1.5 cents per point when redeeming through the Chase travel portal. That means every point you earn on the Sapphire Reserve is worth an extra 20% over the Sapphire Preferred. Should you get the Sapphire Preferred or Sapphire Reserve?

Persons: Let’s, you’re, You’ll, you’ll, Sapphire Reserve’s, that’s, It’s, Chase, You'll, Josh Denmark Organizations: CNN, American Express, Chase, Chase Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire, Chase Sapphire, Target, Walmart, Sapphire Reserve, Airlines Aer Lingus AerClub Air Canada Aeroplan Air France, KLM Flying Blue British Airways Executive Club Emirates, JetBlue, Singapore Airlines, Rapid, United, Virgin Atlantic Flying, Hyatt, CSR, CSR cardholders, Reserve, Delta Sky, American, airfare, Amex, U.S . Customs Locations: Chase, Iberia, U.S

☆ How JFK customs searches 1 million packages a day for illegal items
▼ + stars: | 2021-03-23 | by ( Steve Cameron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

They're looking for anything that isn't legally allowed in the US; certain foods, animals, drugs, and counterfeit goods. This is where human CBP officers get a little help. Nearby, CBP officers are using another nonintrusive search tool: X-rays. And if all those counterfeit goods had gone on to sell at their suggested retail price, they'd total an estimated $54 million. Well, most of the narcotics and counterfeit goods will be sent to a top-secret incinerator to be destroyed.

Persons: John F, It's, Alex, Michael Lake, he'll, Nathanial Needham, Needham, Murielle, it's, Steve, We'll, I'm, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Steve Nethersole, they're, bing, they'll, Michael, you've Organizations: Kennedy International Airport, US Customs, US Postal, CBP, Homeland Security, FBI, Needham, Rolex, telltale, Burberry Locations: JFK, Needham, Netherlands, New York, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, China

Search resuls for: "Border Protection"

20 mentions found