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Many of the arrivals abandoned plans to seek asylum in the United States, deterred by long processing times and restrictive definitions for asylum, according to aid officials and interviews with asylum seekers. "We want to help asylum seekers stabilize their lives whether in New York City or elsewhere." REUTERS/Christinne Muschi Acquire Licensing RightsThe Quebec government has said the increase in asylum seekers is straining its capacity to house people and provide basic services. The federal government said it has relocated more than 5,500 asylum seekers to other provinces since June, the first time it has done so. Immigration experts said closing off the border to asylum seekers could push migrants to take even riskier routes.

Persons: Zulema Diaz, Maryangel Diaz, Carlos Osorio, Diaz, Justin Trudeau, Joe Biden, Sean Fraser, Alejandro Mayorkas, Trudeau, Biden, Zulema, Eric Adams, Kate Smart, Fabien Levy, Smart, Ilze Thielmann, Raymond Theriault, Theriault, Christinne, Pierre, Luc Bouchard, You’re, Jamie Chai Yun Liew, Anna Mehler Paperny, Ted Hesson, Denny Thomas, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, New, . Homeland, Washington , D.C, Ottawa, New York City, Department of Homeless Services, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, Reuters Graphics Canada, United, Colombian, Immigration, Refugee Board, Canadian, Reuters, U.S, . Citizenship, Immigration Services, TLC, Border Patrol, University of Ottawa, Thomson Locations: U.S, Quebec, Niagara Falls , Ontario, Canada, CHAMPLAIN , New York, WASHINGTON, Peru, United States, New York City, Plattsburgh, Washington ,, New York State, New York, Haitian, Syracuse, El Paso, West Virginia, Niagara Falls, Guatemala, Champlain , New York, Montreal, Canada's province, Manitoba, Washington

☆ CIA future will be defined by US technology race with China, director says
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] The seal of the Central Intelligence Agency is shown at the entrance of the CIA headquarters in McLean, Virginia, U.S., September 24, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, March 8 (Reuters) - The U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s future will be defined by America's ongoing technology race with China, agency director William Burns said on Wednesday during a Senate hearing. Burns’ remarks followed the release of the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, which pointed to China as the biggest national security threat facing America. “It's also the main determinant of our future as an intelligence service as well.”The CIA director was speaking during Congress’s so-called Worldwide Threats hearing, also featuring other heads of the U.S. intelligence community, including National Security Agency Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, National Intelligence Director Avril Haines, Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier and Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray. Gen. Nakasone, the NSA director, testified China's cyber operations have grown more aggressive recently.

☆ China Floats a Trial Balloon Over Montana
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday postponed his visit to Beijing scheduled for next week after a suspicious Chinese balloon was spotted over Montana. Good decision. But the public deserves to know more about this episode, and one uncomfortable lesson is that the U.S. homeland is increasingly vulnerable. The Pentagon said Thursday night it had “detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon” over the U.S. F-22 fighter jets and other assets were sent to examine the balloon, and one question is why the U.S. didn’t shoot it out of the sky. The Pentagon admits it’s been lurking in sovereign U.S. air space for “a couple of days,” notably near bases for U.S. nuclear missiles.

The reaction in the United States to what appears to be an ill-timed spying mission will have lingering consequences for efforts to stabilize ties – already near historic lows. Since then, the Biden administration has said it hopes to build a "floor" for the relationship and ensure that rivalry does not spiral into conflict. The mood in China over the balloon was also glum. "Overall, I do think the Biden administration would like to reschedule, as there are many issues on the table and a real chance for a thaw. But the balloon incident probably means the thaw is postponed indefinitely," said RAND Corporation Indo-Pacific analyst Derek Grossman.

☆ Biden to expedite deportation relief for migrants caught up in labor abuses - document
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Biden administration will expedite the deportation relief process for immigrants in the United States illegally who witness or experience labor abuses, according to a U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notification to Congress. The administration plans to streamline the process for workers to seek deportation protection in labor abuse cases to shield them from possible employer retaliation, with an announcement set for Friday. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in an October 2021 memo. The U.S. Department of Labor issued guidance in July 2022 that explained how whistleblowers can request deportation relief. Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Biden administration announces new border enforcement measures
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - The U.S. Homeland Security Department announced new border enforcement measures on Thursday, saying it would establish new parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, and Nicaraguans. The steps announced Thursday were aimed at limiting irregular migration and creating orderly processes for people fleeing humanitarian crises to lawfully come to the United States, the department said in a statement. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Mexico nabs son of drug lord 'El Chapo' before Biden visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Defense Secretary Luis Cresencio Sandoval said Army and National Guard personnel had captured a son of "El Chapo." Ovidio Guzmán, nicknamed "the Mouse," had not been one of El Chapo's better-known sons until an aborted operation to capture him three years ago. "This is a significant blow to the Sinaloa cartel and major victory for the rule of law. A burning truck is seen across a street during an operation to arrest the son of Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Ovidio Guzman, in Culiacan, Sinaloa state, Mexico, on January 5, 2023. Marcos Vizcarra | AFP | Getty ImagesVigil said that Ovidio Guzmán was involved in all of the cartel's activities, especially the production of fentanyl.

☆ McCarthy's dream of being U.S. House speaker faces a political nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( David Morgan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

McCarthy has spent his adult life in politics, first as a congressional staffer and then state legislator before being elected to the House in 2006. At the same time, McCarthy, who has been House minority leader since 2019, would need to work with a Democratic Senate and the Biden White House on must-pass legislation. House Republicans and Democrats will then move quickly to a floor election for speaker, at which McCarthy will need support from a majority of members present to obtain the top congressional post. But already there is speculation that incoming House Majority Leader Steve Scalise or conservative leader Jim Jordan could emerge as a Republican compromise candidate. The House Freedom Caucus is pushing for rule changes that would make it easier to control the speaker and enhance the hard-line group's influence within the Republican conference.

☆ North Korea fires 2 ballistic missiles in resumption of testing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

South Korea’s military detected the launch of two North Korean ballistic missiles from its northwest Tongchangri area. It said the missiles were fired about 50 minutes apart but gave no further details, like precisely what type of weapons North Korea fired and how far they flew. Its coast guard said the missiles fired from North Korea fell in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. North Korea has defended its weapons testing as self-defense measures to cope with the expanded U.S.-South Korea military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal. North Korea already has a growing arsenal of short-range, solid-fueled ballistic missiles targeting key locations in South Korea, including U.S. military bases there.

☆ Republicans grill Biden homeland chief in possible preview of next Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Republicans at a congressional hearing on Tuesday chastised U.S. While Tuesday's hearing before the House Homeland Security Committee was titled "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland," Republicans focused intensely on the southwestern border. [1/6] A general view of a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on "Worldwide Threats to the Homeland" on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. Higgins said there were rumors that Mayorkas would resign before the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3. Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Howard Goller, Kristina Cooke and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Top U.S. homeland official faces lawmakers after border chief resigns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will testify before lawmakers on Tuesday, three days after the country's top border official, Chris Magnus, resigned under what he said was pressure from Mayorkas. Magnus, who held the role of U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner since December 2021, resigned in a letter on Saturday to President Joe Biden. A day earlier, Magnus said he had been pressured by Mayorkas to step down or be fired. It was the most significant staffing shakeup in Biden's Democratic administration to follow last week's U.S. midterm election vote and signals that record border crossings remain a concern under Biden, a Democrat. FBI Director Christopher Wray and National Counterterrorism Center Director Christine Abizaid will also testify in the U.S. House Homeland Security Committee hearing, which focuses on security threats.

☆ U.S. Defense Strategy Casts China as Greatest Danger to American Security
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Michael R. Gordon | Brett Forrest | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The Biden administration unveiled a new defense strategy Thursday, casting China as the greatest danger to American security and calling for an urgent, concerted effort to build the military capabilities to deter Beijing in the decades to come. The strategy document warns that China is seeking to undermine U.S. alliances in the Indo-Pacific, engaging in coercive activity on Taiwan and is posing a potential threat to the U.S. homeland through its ability to mount cyberattacks against the U.S. industrial base and the system used to mobilize American forces.

☆ Venezuelans stranded in Panama by U.S. policy change return home
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The policy change shut the door on Venezuelan asylum seekers, many of whom previously were being paroled into the United States. We began to call relatives in the United States, in Chile and they us yes, it was true. We all lost the little that we had.”Some 900 Venezuelans have returned on charter flights from Panama since the U.S. policy change, according to Panama’s National Immigration Service. The U.S. policy change was driven by a surge in Venezuelans arriving at the U.S. border that put them second only to Mexicans this year. The program, which requires pre-registration online and that applicants have a sponsor in the United States, is similar to one set up for Ukrainians earlier this year.

☆ 'We're going to hang you': DOJ cracks down on threats to election workers ahead of high-stakes midterms
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

That is just one example of the rising number of violent threats election workers in the days leading up to the Nov. 8 midterms. "These threats against election officials continue," Michael McDonald, a professor of political science at the University of Florida, told CNBC. Additional funding from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan can also be used to protect election workers, Polite said. DOJ launched an election threats task force in July 2021 to ensure voters are safe at the polls and to look into the rise in threatening behavior against election workers like Moss. Jared Polis signed an act protecting election workers from threats, coercion or intimidation into law.

In Spain, six vessels were frozen following sanctions imposed after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February. The "majority" of the owners are paying their maintenance, crew, docking and insurance fees, a source with knowledge of the matter said. In March, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez vowed, when announcing the freezing of one yacht in Spain, to hit Putin's allies "decisively" and "hard". read more read moreProposals by the United States and European Union to sell seized Russian assets and give the proceeds to Ukraine have stalled. In France, five yachts have been frozen.

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