In today’s immigration news: Welcoming refugees; rebranding Homeland Security Investigations; recruiting teachers from the Philippines; more
The Welcome Corps, a Biden administration initiative, offers individuals and groups in the United States a way to sponsor and support refugees. Response to the program was immediate, overwhelming, and positive.
[Niskanen Center] “Applications have come from every state in the country, with Minnesota, Washington, Texas, California, and Ohio leading the way in submissions. This outpouring of support is yet another example of Americans’ enthusiasm for welcoming refugees in their communities through private sponsorship.
“First launched in January 2023, the Welcome Corps is the most significant innovation in U.S. refugee resettlement in decades, in which groups of five adults join to raise money together, complete sponsorship training, pass background checks, and ultimately welcome a refugee into their community. The program started by matching sponsors to refugees already qualified for and awaiting resettlement in the United States.
“In December 2023, responding to demand by interested sponsors, the program expanded to allow Americans to resettle refugees they already knew, such as family members, friends, classmates, coworkers, or others.”
A New Hampshire columnist describes the program:
[Hampshire Gazette] “One initiative that I don’t believe gets enough attention is the relatively recent creation of the Welcome.US program, which has allowed private citizens to sponsor incoming refugees.
“You might be under the impression that in the land of entrepreneurship and civic action private sponsorship has always been possible, but you’d be wrong: until two years ago, only a handful of organizations contracted by the State Department could organize and manage “communities of care” for individuals and families seeking safety in the United States.
“Welcome.US, along with its offspring, the Welcome Corps, now makes it possible for churches and synagogues, veterans’ associations, immigrant organizations, or even just groups of neighbors, co-workers and friends to bring refugees into their towns and help them adjust to their new life. …
“Once a family has been approved for resettlement by the American immigration authorities, the absolute priority is finding short-term housing and lining up some necessities, such as food, clothes and furniture. Then comes taking care of immediate medical needs, enrolling children in school, applying to state and federal social programs, and eventually finding decent jobs for the adults.”
And in other news
Contrary to the usual trend of springtime increases in border crossings, March numbers fell below February.
[AP] “The Border Patrol made 137,480 arrests of people entering from Mexico, down 2.3% from 140,638 arrests in February, the first time since 2017 that arrests fell in March from the previous month. Crossings typically rise as temperatures turn warmer.
“Mexico detained migrants 240,000 times in the first two months of the year, more than triple from the same period of 2023, sending many deeper south into the country to discourage them from coming to the United States. While Mexico hasn’t released figures for March, U.S. officials have said Mexican enforcement is largely responsible for recent declines.”
For asylum seekers, the first step is filing the application for asylum. Then the wait for a work permit begins. And after receiving a work permit, there’s still the challenge of finding a job to support a family.
[WGBH] “Katya J. and her husband Reginald Louis came to the United States last year, via Chile, after fleeing their native Haiti in 2017 with two small children. …
“But migrants like Katya and Reginald say that even with the coveted documents, finding a way out is harder than they thought. They struggle to find jobs, face significant language barriers and lack transportation or skills to get them the jobs they need, according to interviews with migrants and their advocates. This occurs even when many companies say they are seeking to fill vacancies in a state with low unemployment. …
“If a person is single with an open schedule and advanced English, she says, it’s an easy job placement. But if they’re a single parent, with less English proficiency, limited formal work experience and time restraints, getting the right placement takes longer.”
Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) is getting a rebrand, in an attempt to make clear that it is not ICE. While ICE exclusively focuses on immigration enforcement and removal, HSI is charged with investigating transnational crime, including terrorism, drug smuggling, human trafficking and money laundering. HSI has 6,000 agents operating out of offices in the United States and abroad.
[Washington Post] “HSI’s new ‘independent branding’ will allow its agents ‘to work without the undue toxicity that in some places comes with the ICE moniker,’ Patrick J. Lechleitner, ICE’s acting director, said in an interview. …
“In December 2021, senior HSI agents sent an internal report to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging him to let them become a standalone agency divorced from ICE. The report cited 77 instances in which the agency’s affiliation with ICE has hurt relations with state and local law enforcement, colleges and universities, and community groups, making it difficult to recruit new agents and build trust with victims of crime.”
Red Lake is one of the Minnesota school districts looking abroad for teachers.
[MPR] “A top education employment site shows there are more than 5,700 active job postings in Minnesota’s schools. There’s one school district, though, where you won’t see that– won’t see them on the list at all. That’s Red Lake Public Schools. The district is fully staffed. The reason, it’s turning to teachers from abroad, specifically from the Philippines.
“Red Lake has hired 11 educators from the Philippines. Back in 2022, MPR News reported on Willmar doing the same. Fridley Public Schools has hired 33 educators from the Philippines. And the Department of Education just signed a memorandum of understanding with Mexico to help pave the way for teachers from Mexico to get jobs here as more districts look to teachers from other countries to fill positions.”
Immigration news 