immigration

Sleeping quarters set up for migrant children are shown during a tour of the Long Beach Convention Center on April 22. Long Beach officials and officials with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services led the tour.

Advocates Say Biden Administration Is Violating Pact On Detaining Migrant Children

1:53pm May 21, 2021

by Franco Ordoñez

The administration is now caring for almost 20,000 migrant children — most of them in emergency shelters. Lawyers argue that the shelters are a violation of what's called the Flores agreement.

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Clive Thompson reads aloud the letter that means he and his wife, Oneita, no longer need to fear deportation. They are joined by their son, Timothy, 15.

National

'All Our Opportunity Was Taken Away': Sanctuary Family Slowly Restarts Life

5:00am May 13, 2021

by Laura Benshoff

The Thompsons, originally from Jamaica, spent 843 days living in churches in Philadelphia to avoid deportation. Now they are free, but reentry comes with new challenges.

Immigration rights supporters rally Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., demanding citizenship for essential workers.

Politics & Government

As Biden Shifts On Immigration, Some Advocates See Him Giving Up Without A Fight

2:36pm May 07, 2021

by Franco Ordoñez

The president rolled out a plan to overhaul the immigration system on his first day in office. Last week he shifted to talk about a narrower approach. Some advocates feel abandoned.

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U.S. Considers Greensboro Site To House Unaccompanied Minors

10:49am May 07, 2021

by Neal Charnoff

Federal officials are considering a former Greensboro private school as a transitional housing site for unaccompanied refugee minors.

Ms. A.B. had been allowed to stay in the U.S. for years while her case is pending. She requested that NPR identify her only by her initials because she is afraid her ex-husband might find her.

Domestic Abuse Survivors Fear Deportation Under Trump Policy Biden Has Yet To Reverse

5:08am April 30, 2021

by Joel Rose

Immigrant advocates want those asylum protections restored quickly, erasing Trump-era restrictions. "Women, children, families are being sent back to the very dangers that they fled," one lawyer says.

Protesters in Baltimore call for the abolition of ICE in 2019.

National

Biden Administration Limits Power Of ICE To Arrest Immigrants In Courthouses

10:46pm April 27, 2021

by Mark Katkov

The decision rolls back a Trump administration practice of seizing people who were in courthouses for reasons unrelated to their immigration status.

Chart: ICE Detention Population Decreasing Sharply

Beyond The Border, Fewer Immigrants Being Locked Up But ICE Still Pays For Empty Beds

5:56am April 01, 2021

by Joel Rose

The number of immigrants in detention peaked under former President Donald Trump. Now those detention centers have emptied out, but ICE is still paying more than $1 million a day for empty beds.

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Two-thirds of American adults polled approve of the job that President Biden is doing with the coronavirus pandemic. That's nearly twice as high as those who say the same of Biden's job on immigration.

NPR/Marist Poll: Biden Gets High Marks On COVID-19. It's Not The Case On Immigration

5:00am March 30, 2021

by Domenico Montanaro

Two-thirds of Americans approve of how Biden is handling the pandemic, but only a third approves of how he's dealing with immigration. An increasing number also say they will get vaccinated.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks during a news conference about U.S.-Mexico border policy outside the Capitol on Thursday. McCarthy leads a delegation to the border on Monday.

Politics & Government

House GOP Leader Blasts Biden At Southern Border As Democrats Ready Immigration Bills

3:21pm March 15, 2021

by Barbara Sprunt

Kevin McCarthy's trip comes amid a jump in the number of migrants showing up at the border, especially unaccompanied children.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, seen here on March 2 at a FEMA community vaccination center in Philadelphia, announced Saturday the agency will assist with the influx of migrant children at the U.S. southern border.

DHS Directs FEMA To Help With Surge Of Migrant Children At Southern Border

1:20pm March 14, 2021

by Barbara Sprunt

The deployment highlights an escalation in the Biden administration's response to the increasing number of unaccompanied migrant children arriving at the U.S. border.