(Im)migration Recap: Immigration Year in Review | Voice of America - English
Editor's note: We want you to know what's happening, and why and how it could impact your life, family or business, so we created a weekly digest of the top original immigration, migration and refugee reporting from across VOA.
VOA's immigration team in July broke a story about the Trump administration forging a "" with Guatemala, where asylum-seekers from Central America could be sent to that country instead of admitted to the U.S. Former acting U.S. Department of  and Guatemalan officials outlined details of the pact a month later. A June photo of a  lying face down in the water of the Rio Grande separating the United States and Mexico sparked sorrow and outrage on both sides of the border. At least three children are believed to have while in CBP custody over the last two years, including 16-year-old Carlos Gregorio Hernández Vásquez. A video shot earlier this year and published by ProPublica showed Vásquez motionless after collapsing in his cell at 1:36 a.m. The migrant Guatemalan boy died May 20. A day later, the border station was temporarily closed amid reports that a "large number" of detained migrants had . During a visit to the U.S.-Mexico border, VOA's immigration team spoke with a broad sampling of and in early August. Many departed their home countries months before U.S. policy changes went into effect, under assumptions that no longer apply. All were awaiting . The United States reached its self-imposed cap of  on Sept. 30, the last day of the 2019 fiscal year, as the Trump administration further lowered the cap for refugee admittances for 2020. For the second year after decades of growth, the number of  coming to the U.S.  from some countries. Nationals of six countries living and working in the U.S. under will be able to remain in legal status until early 2021. The Trump administration's attempt to end TPS for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Sudan was met with several lawsuits in the last year, and the cases remain pending, buying TPS holders more time. The Trump administration finalized a rule to expand the definition of a person who might become dependent on the government for support, known as a, allowing immigration officials to decide who is admitted into the United States or is allowed to adjust his or her status to that of lawful permanent resident (LPR) based on the likelihood of consuming public resources. The  expedited initial screenings of immigrants seeking asylum, moving to interview immigrants within one calendar day. The government also proposed a regulation to of a new list of crimes from claiming asylum. The proposal must go through a public comment period before it is finalized. The heard arguments on the Trump administration's bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shields immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation and allows them to work in the United States legally. A decision is expected by June 2020. living in the U.S. since Nov. 20, 2014, without legal residency status are eligible to apply for green cards and eventually U.S. citizenship under terms of a defense spending bill passed by Congress. U.S. Customs and Border Protection released . USCIS  related to naturalization requirements of good moral character. USCIS proposed to  to meet operational needs.