VOA Immigration Weekly Recap, December 11–17
US Revives Refugee-, Migrant-Support Task Force
The U.S. government is bringing back a commission aimed at helping immigrants integrate in the U.S. through language learning, workforce training and financial education programs. The effort will assist newcomers under legal status in the United States, according to Brandon Prelogar, special adviser for humanitarian protection and refugees at the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC), in a Monday interview with VOA. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story with VOA’s LATAM White House correspondent Jorge Agobian.
End of Title 42 Looming, US Immigration Agency Releases Detailed Assessment
With the imminent sidelining of Title 42 — a pandemic-era restriction that blocked migrants from seeking asylum in the U.S. — the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently outlined steps it will take at the U.S.-Mexico border if the order is lifted. A federal judge in Washington ordered enforcement of Title 42 to end December 21. Republican-led states filed an appeal asking the court to keep it in place. The Biden administration also has challenged parts of the ruling ending the Trump-era asylum restrictions. VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros reports.
In pictures:
Immigration around the world
UN: Climate of Oppression Intensifies in Nicaragua
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk warns people's rights and freedoms in Nicaragua are being whittled away by the increasingly authoritarian government of President Daniel Ortega. The high commissioner presented an update Thursday on the situation to the U.N. Human Rights Council. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
509 Migrants Arrive in Italy as Rescue Ships Dock
Italy, which has vowed a tough line on immigration, took in more than 500 migrants Sunday as two charity rescue ships were allowed to dock at ports in the south of the country after several days at sea in bad weather, Reuters reports.
27 Suspected Ethiopian Migrants Found Dead in Zambia
Zambian police Sunday found the bodies of 27 men, believed to be migrants from Ethiopia, dumped in a farming area on the outskirts of the capital. Authorities said they died from suspected hunger and exhaustion, Reuters reports.
Afghan Academic Rebuilds Her Life in Italy, Dreams of Returning
Batool Haidari was a prominent sexology professor at a Kabul university before the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. She taught mixed classes of male and female students and helped patients struggling with gender identity issues, The Associated Press reports.
News Brief
— The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary released a statement on the agency's plan for the end of Title 42. “The Title 42 public health order remains in place through December 20, 2022, and until then, DHS will continue to expel single adults and families encountered at the southwest border under that authority.”
— The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to conduct a trial for updates to the current naturalization test. “The naturalization test is a key step in becoming a U.S. citizen. We welcome input from – and the participation of – stakeholders who are familiar with this important process, as we continue to improve and update our naturalization test, ensuring that it is consistent with industry testing standards,” USCIS Director Ur M. Jaddou said in a statement.