From what’s next for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, to Abbott's latest executive order, to young people who have aged out of their parent’s work visa protections, here’s a roundup of some of the top border and immigration stories of the week from public radio reporters across Texas.
Check in with your local station online every Friday morning for this recap of the week’s top stories.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott Issues Order Restricting The Transportation Of Migrants
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order on Wednesday that restricts the transportation of detained migrants, which he says will reduce the spread of COVID-19. Immigrant rights activists are challenging the governor’s reasoning, with some describing the order as ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘fascist.
As Texas Public Radio’s Carolina Cuellar reports, the executive order states ground transportation for migrants can only be provided only by local, state and federal law enforcement. The order also allows law enforcement to stop, reroute, or impound any vehicle “on reasonable suspicion” it may be violating the order.
“This is clearly an anti immigrant order that will lead to both racial profiling and over policing," Kate Huddleston, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, told Texas Public Radio. Read the full story here.
After Judge's Ruling on DACA, Many Urge Congress To Act On A Permanent Solution
New applications for the DACA program, Deferred Action For Childhood Arrivals, have been halted. That’s after a federal judge in Houston ruled the Obama administration created the program illegally.
Edna Yang, an immigrant advocate in Austin, told KERA’s Stella Chavez she was working from home last Friday when the decision came down. Her phone started blowing up. Texts, phone calls and emails, all from other advocates, her staff and clients.
“I think it was best put by one of the clients who contacted me and said, ‘I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut,” Yang said. “‘You know? I was expecting to get this great benefit and to be able to make some plans for my life and now everything's on hold again, with all of this uncertainty.’” Read the full story here.
A White House Plan Aims To Speed Up Consideration Of Many Asylum Claims
The White House is moving forward on a plan that would move asylum cases out of U.S. immigration courts. As NPR’s Franco Ordoñez reports, Department of Homeland Security asylum officers will take over future cases on the southern border.
The measure, reports Ordoñez, is one of a series of moves to speed up consideration of asylum claims, steps the Biden administration says wouldreduce the case backlog and make the immigration system more orderly and fair.
"The administration is committed to fairly and efficiently considering asylum claims. Asylum and other legal migration pathways should remain available to those seeking protection. But those not seeking protection or who don't qualify will be returned to their country of origin," said the White House in a statement Tuesday.
As NPR reported this spring, this week’s move has been under consideration since before President Biden took office. Read the full story from NPR.
Also this week, The Biden Administration unveiled a plan targeting the root causes of migration from Central America.
A Houston Student May Be Forced To Self-Deport After Spending Most Of His Life In The U.S. – Even Though His Father Is Here Lawfully
A growing number of young people with parents who are high-skilled immigrant workers may be forced to leave the country. These “documented Dreamers” grow up in the U.S., but because of the visa backlog, they aren't allowed to stay.
In this story, Houston Public Media’s Elizabeth Trovall profiles 24-year-old Animesh Namjoshi, who is graduating soon from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in economics.
For most students, Trovall reports, it's an exciting time. But for Namjoshi, “Graduation means that my time is running out, ironically, so it's definitely not a happy thing,” Namjoshi, whose student visa will expire after he graduates, told HPM.
Despite his family immigrating to the United States following a strict legal pathway, Namjoshi said he’s still facing an uncertain future. Read the full story here.
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