cbsnews--2019-02-05--9 immigration facts What you need to know

9 immigration facts: What you need to know

There's little doubt that immigration will be on the agenda at President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night. After shutting down the government for more than a month, Mr. Trump remains without his campaign's hallmark promise: a Mexican-funded southern border wall. D.C. politicians have until February 15 before temporary funding runs out and the government shuts down for the second time this year.  Regardless of what the president says Tuesday night, here are seven facts that describe the state of immigration in 2019.  Fact: Two-thirds of the recent unauthorized immigrant population entered the U.S. on valid visas, then stayed in the country after that visa expired.  Source: Center for Migration Studies  Only about one-third of the recently unauthorized immigration population got to the U.S. by sneaking across the southern border, according to Randy Capps, director of research for U.S. Programs at the Migration Policy Institute. That means a wall would not have prevented two-thirds of the country's recently undocumented immigrants from illegally entering the U.S.  Fact: Between 10.7 and 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants were living in the U.S. as of 2016, the most recent year for which data is available.  Source: Pew Research Center and the Migration Policy Institute  According to Pew, the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the United States hit a 12-year low in 2016, a decline that researchers attribute to stepped-up enforcement at the country's southern border and shifting economic trends. The Migration Policy Institute estimates there were 11.3 million undocumented immigrants living in the U.S. in 2016.  Fact: 396,579 people were caught illegally crossing the border in the year ending September 30, 2018.  Source: U.S. Customs and Border Patrol  Illegal border crossings began to fall significantly in the mid-2000s after hitting record-highs through the 1980s and 1990s. In 2005, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents apprehended just over 1.17 million migrants. Since then, arrests for illegal border crossings have fallen nearly every year.  Fact: No. "If you are eligible for asylum you may be permitted to remain in the United States."  Source: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)  Asylum is a special type immigration process reserved for people who have "suffered persecution or fear that they will suffer persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion," according to USCIS.  Being granted asylum is not an easy feat. It's a multi-year process that involves likely detainment, multiple interviews, extensive documentation of an immigrant's prior suffering, and less than stellar odds.  Last year, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services processed about 100,000 "credible fear" claims, the first step in an immigrant's asylum proceedings. Judges decided about 42,000 asylum cases during the same time period, more than any other year since 2001, according to Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.  But asylum denials also hit a record high last year. Immigration judges rejected 65 percent of the asylum claims they ruled on in 2018, according to TRAC.  Fact: Asylum seekers showed up to their court dates 89 percent of the time in the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, the most recent year for which data is available.  Source: The Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review  The Trump Administration has based a handful of its new immigration policies, like the recently implemented "Remain in Mexico" policy, based on the assertion that immigrants don't show up to their court hearings, an idea the White House  views as a "loophole." Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said during a Congressional testimony late last year that asylum seekers "more than not" fail to appear for their hearings. And in January, President Trump said only two percent of asylum seekers make their court dates.  Fact: The vast majority of illegal drugs — like heroin, cocaine and fentanyl — entered the country through legal entry points, known officially as ports of entry.  Source: The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration  Only a "small percentage" of the heroin seized by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents was found "along the land border between Ports of Entry," according to the 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment report, published by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in October.  As for cocaine, the DEA said it was "uncommon to see very large shipments of cocaine headed toward to U.S.-Mexico border," and that instead the drug is transported on boats and "amongst legitimate cargo of commercial trucks or within secret compartments build within passenger vehicles." The DEA added that "traffickers are also increasingly targeting seaports along the East Coast."  Fentanyl enters the country from China via mail and by way of the southern border, according to the DEA. Though it noted that "most [Customs and Border Patrol] fentanyl seizures occur at [ports of entry] in Southern California."  U.S Customs and Border Protection officials announced the agency's biggest fentanyl bust ever late last month. On a tractor trailer legally crossing the border in Arizona, the agency captured 254 pounds of the synthetic opioid, according to the Associated Press.  Fact: Studies say that undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit violent crimes than American-born citizens.  Source: The Cato Institute and The University of Wisconsin  According to a June 2018 research report from the Cato Institute, "illegal immigrants are 47 percent less likely to be incarcerated by natives" and "legal immigrants are 78 percent less likely to be incarcerated than natives."  Undocumented immigrants are also less likely to commit serious criminal offenses, according to research conducted by Cato. Using government-supplied data from the Texas Department of Safety, the libertarian think tank concluded that in Texas the murder arrest rate for native-born Americans was "about 46 percent higher than the illegal immigrant homicide rate," according to a June 2018 research note. Another study, performed by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, found that "increased concentrations of undocumented immigrants are associated with statistically significant decreases in violent crime."  Fact: Undocumented immigrated are ineligible for government welfare benefits and legal immigrants only qualify for federal benefits once they've resided in the U.S. for five years.  Source: National Immigration Law Center  Undocumented immigrants are barred from most public benefits, like food stamps, regular Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), according to the National Immigration Law Center. However, some exceptions are granted in order to "protect life or guarantee safety in dire situations," the National Immigration Forum wrote in August 2018.  Legal immigrants — including green card holders, people granted asylum and refugees — qualify for federal benefits, but only after they have resided in the U.S. as a legal resident for five years, according to the NILC.


cbsnews--2019-02-20--Shutdown canceled up to 95000 immigration hearings

Shutdown canceled up to 95,000 immigration hearings

Between 80,051 and 94,115 immigration hearings were canceled during the five-week government shutdown, according to a new report. Those cases will be added to the system's record-high backlog, which as of Feb. 1 was reported to be 829,608.  Immigration experts warn that's only the beginning.  Relatively few new immigrations cases were recorded during the government shutdown, according to Tuesday's report from Syracuse University's TRAC. It added that "until new filings are recorded, any new [Department of Homeland Security] actions seeking removal orders aren't reflected in this backlog count."  According to the report, in 2018, between 20,000 and 25,000 new immigration cases were filed every month. But during the shutdown in January, that figure dropped to just under 5,600.  In other words, the immigration court backlog will be much higher once court officials are caught up.  "Unless there was a dramatic drop in arrests and removal actions initiated by immigration authorities during the shutdown period, there appear to be a sizable number of new filings yet to be recorded and reflected in the court's workload," according to the report.  The Department of Justice, which oversees the immigration court system, disputes TRAC's estimate of cancellations during the shutdown. An official at the agency told CBS News "our best estimate is that approximately 60,000 hearings were rescheduled because of the partial government shutdown."  Courts around the country are still catching up on the work they missed during the government shutdown. Hundreds of thousands of documents didn't get filed during the closure, leaving a mountain of work for court administrators to wade through. Even though the government reopened over three weeks ago, the Newark immigration court still hasn't caught up on filings, according to Alan Pollack, a Newark-based immigration attorney, who said that, "hundreds more cases have been rescheduled because the government did not have the time and resources to prepare."  In Los Angeles, the court had to authorize overtime pay for clerks who, as of Tuesday, were still wading through mail-in filings, said Ashley Tabaddor, the president of the National Association of Immigration Judges and a Los Angeles-based immigration judge herself.  "The administration failed to realize what a huge mess the shutdown was going to be for us," Tabaddor said in a telephone interview with CBS News on Tuesday. "They basically threw us into the water and said, 'sink or swim.'"  The vast majority of immigration cases have not yet been rescheduled, immigration attorneys told CBS News. None of Pollack's 12 cases that were canceled due to the shutdown have been put back on the calendar. Because of the backlog, he doesn't expect those cases to be rescheduled until 2020.  "The shutdown put a strain on an already overloaded system," Pollack said.


coloradopeakpolitics--2019-07-01--BENNET Taxpayers Should Cover Health Insurance for Illegal Immigrants

BENNET: Taxpayers Should Cover Health Insurance for Illegal Immigrants

Now that everyone has affordable or free insurance, it’s time Americans start paying even more taxes to buy coverage for the 11 million illegal immigrants in this country.  That must be the reasoning behind half of the Democratic candidates running for president declaring their agreement for the proposal during last week’s debate.  Keep in mind, PeakNation, Colorado’s own U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet as well as former Gov. John Hickenlooper were two of those candidates waving their hands in the air for support when asked the question by moderators.  Why else would they agree to it, unless they thought the insurance Coloradans and the rest of the nation have is satisfactory, and apparently cheap enough for us to pay even more.  Keep in mind, we’re already paying health care costs of America’s poor out of our own pockets, while we can’t even afford our own health insurance with outrageously high deductibles.  And now, Bennet and Hick want us to literally cough up even more money to buy this lousy insurance for people who overstayed their visas or overran the border?  Remember this, PeakNation, when Bennet drops out of the presidential race and runs for reelection for his Colorado Senate seat in 2022.  If Hick was planning to run against U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner when he drops out as well, this pledge will haunt him until the end of days.


conservativehome--2019-11-17--WATCH: Labour on Immigration 1) Ashworth won’t say if they want numbers up or down

Labour’s @JonAshworth refuses to say whether the party wants immigration to go up or down.  He says Labour wants a “balanced, fair approach” and will not set an “arbitrary target” like the Conservatives. #GE2019


fusion--2019-02-13--America First The Legacy of an Immigration Raid

America First: The Legacy of an Immigration Raid

It’s been a decade since Postville, a small town in Iowa, suffered the largest immigration raid at a worksite in U.S. history: 389 immigrants were arrested in the biggest kosher meatpacking plant in the country.


msnbc--2019-08-12--Meat processing plant to hold job fair after hundreds arrested in Mississippi immigration raid

Hundreds of people are in custody after ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants. Now the head of the Department of Homeland Security says, 'The timing was unfortunate', after a massacre in El Paso, Texas, targeting Mexicans.Aug. 12, 2019


npr--2019-04-03--ICE Raids Texas Technology Company Arrests 280 On Immigration Violations

ICE Raids Texas Technology Company, Arrests 280 On Immigration Violations

Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 280 employees at a technology repair company in Collin County, Texas, on charges of working in the United States illegally. It's the largest work site raid in the country in more than a decade, according to a Homeland Security Investigations official.  ICE's Homeland Security Investigations division received tips that the company — CVE Technology Group — may have knowingly hired undocumented immigrants and that several workers were using fraudulent identification documents, said Katrina Berger, special agent in charge in HSI's Dallas office.  Hiring irregularities found during an audit of the company's I-9 forms confirmed those tips. CVE hasn't responded to media requests for comment.  Federal hiring laws require that employers have new hires fill out I-9 forms. The laws perform "necessary and common sense functions," Berger said at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.  "They ensure U.S. citizens and legal U.S. residents are hired for jobs in the U.S.," Berger said. "They also ensure that illegal workers are not preyed upon or paid less than the going wage or otherwise coerced or cheated or subjected to unsafe working conditions without any means of complaint."  Businesses that knowingly hire undocumented workers "create an atmosphere poised for exploiting an illegal workforce," Berger said.  CVE employee Yessenia Ponce was inside the building in Allen, Texas, when agents arrived.  "Man, it was crazy," she said. "We were working like a normal day. ... We just heard screaming, you know, people screaming and stuff. We went out and an officer just said 'follow my voice, follow my voice.' "  In the past year, North Texas has been the site of the two largest single-site workplace raids in the U.S. in the past decade.  Prior to Wednesday's raid in Allen, 159 undocumented workers were arrested in the small northeast Texas town of Sumner at a trailer manufacturer.  The largest workplace raid to ever take place in the U.S. was in Postville, Iowa, in May of 2008, where almost 400 undocumented workers were arrested.  What's next for the arrested employees  The workers arrested on Wednesday will first be interviewed by ICE, which will make note of "humanitarian situations" such as medical needs or whether a worker is the sole caretaker of another person such as a child.  Based on those interviews, ICE will decide who remains in immediate custody and who can be considered for temporary humanitarian release.  Either way, ICE said in a statement that "in all cases, all illegal aliens encountered will be fingerprinted and processed for removal from the United States."  Families wait outside during the raid  Late Wednesday morning, workers inside the repair plant began texting and calling family members, who arrived and waited outside the building for information. One got a text from his wife, who asked him to call an attorney.  Maria Soria waited in tears outside the repair plant. Her mother, Socorro Lechuga, 46, is an employee there and was eventually released by ICE agents.  Soria, 24, said her mother already had a petition for legalization in place before the raid. Lechuga is originally from Guerrero, Mexico.  Around 10 a.m., Soria received a voicemail from her mother saying that ICE agents had arrived at the company and that she didn't know what was going to happen.  "I was worried at first, because you hear 'ICE' and everything goes downhill," Soria said. "I got myself together," she said, and left work at a health care insurance company to drive to Allen.  She called her mother's lawyer, who told her not to worry because, he said, "they'll either release her or set a bond to be released within 48 hours" and that "they can't do anything to her, pretty much, because she does have a petition in place."  "So that gave me peace of mind, that at least I know my mom will be OK," Soria said. "As for anyone else here, I really don't know their status or their situation, so that's a whole different story."  Mathew Varughese, who says he repairs cellphones at CVE, described the scene inside the company. Agents arrived about 10 a.m. Wednesday, he said, and some employees began running. Agents instructed workers to group together by legal status.  Employees who work at the company with legal immigration papers were given green wristbands to wear.  By then, the reactions from employees were mixed — "Standing, no talking. Ladies crying," Varughese said.  He estimates that 60 percent of CVE Technology employees are women.  One woman was in the building applying for a job when ICE agents arrived. She says there were hundreds of people inside.  Buses, at least one of which said LaSalle Corrections Transport on the side, left CVE a few hours after the raid began, presumably with workers inside. Some demonstrators yelled toward one of the buses, "We see you; we love you."  According to the Allen Economic Development Corp. website, CVE has 2,100 employees, making it the third-largest employer in the city.  CVE already had an office in Plano when it moved its headquarters from New Jersey to Allen in 2014. The company was founded by Howard Cho in 1986 and is now headed by his son Edward Cho.  In 2014, Samsung accounted for 75 percent of the company's business, but CVE planned to reduce that significantly as it expanded, according to North Jersey Media Group.  The company was honored in 2017 by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Minority Business Development Agency with a national award.  KERA has reached out to CVE Technology for comment.


npr--2019-08-08--Mississippi Immigration Raids Lead To Arrests Of Hundreds Of Workers

Mississippi Immigration Raids Lead To Arrests Of Hundreds Of Workers  Federal immigration officials raided several food-processing plants in Mississippi on Wednesday and arrested approximately 680 people believed to be working in the U.S. without authorization.  The coordinated raids were conducted by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations "at seven agricultural processing plants across Mississippi," according to an ICE statement. In addition to the arrests, agents seized company business records.  More than 600 ICE agents were involved in the raids, surrounding the perimeters of the targeted plants to prevent workers, mainly Latino immigrants, from escaping. The actions were centered on plants near Jackson owned by five companies, according to The Associated Press.  One of the plants is owned by Koch Foods Inc., which bills itself as one of the largest poultry processors in the U.S. with more than 13,000 employees. Forbes ranks it as the 135th largest privately held company in the country, with an estimated $3.2 billion in annual revenue, according to Fortune.  Another plant raided Wednesday is in Canton, Miss., and is owned by Peco Foods Inc., based in Tuscaloosa, Ala. It is the eighth-largest poultry producer in the U.S., according to the company's website.  No representatives for either company responded to an email request or telephone call for comment.  The arrested workers were bused to a local Mississippi National Guard hangar, where they were interviewed about their immigration status, including whether they already had deportation orders.  "Today's raids are part of the ongoing war against immigrant families and the communities in which they live," Julia Solórzano, an attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said in an emailed statement. "It is especially sickening that days after immigrants were targeted by a gunman in El Paso, Texas, workers at plants across Mississippi witnessed armed agents descending on their workplace.  "It's also worth noting that immigration agencies that have repeatedly blamed 'over capacity' detention facilities for the horrific treatment of those imprisoned nevertheless detained more than 600 people today," she said.  The size of the raid operation harks back to 2008 when, under the George W. Bush administration, more than 400 unauthorized workers were arrested in a meatpacking facility in Iowa.


slate--2019-08-08--ICE Releases 300 People Detained in Major Mississippi Immigration Raid

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that it had released nearly half of the 680 people detained in Wednesday’s massive raid of seven food processing plants in Mississippi.  ICE said that 300 people captured in what it called the largest ever raid in a single state had been released that same day, according to a press release issued Thursday.  Thirty of those released were let go on “humanitarian grounds,” according to the press release issued by ICE and Mike Hurst, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. That appears to include single parents or one of a set of parents if both were captured in the raid. “Based on these procedures, it is believed that all children were with at least one of their parents as of last night,” the release stated.  Bryan Cox, the ICE spokesman, said all people detained Wednesday were asked if they had children, and those who did were allowed to make calls to ensure their children were picked up from school or otherwise placed in appropriate care for the day.  But according to reports from families and friends of those detained, many children said goodbye to their parents without knowing when they would see them again. Some children without any other family were left without places to go after school. In some cases, neighbors and other community members took children to volunteer-run makeshift shelters. And according to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services was not alerted to the raids ahead of time and struggled to locate the children and determine their needs.  The remaining 270 people who were released were returned to their workplaces after being processed by Homeland Security. According to the Associated Press, ICE officials had said earlier Wednesday they would release pregnant women or those who had not already faced immigration proceedings.


theblaze--2019-03-19--Sacramento Immigration Coalition releases comic book teaching children to know their rights during I

Sacramento Immigration Coalition releases comic book teaching children to know their rights during ICE raids


theblaze--2019-04-04--ICE arrests hundreds of illegal immigrant workers in massive raid of north Texas company


theblaze--2019-08-09--ICE grants humanitarian releases to nearly half of illegal immigrants arrested in Mississippi raid

ICE grants 'humanitarian' releases to nearly half of illegal immigrants arrested in Mississippi raid  They believe no child is without at least one parent


theblaze--2019-11-08--Stolen identities of 400 Americans used by illegal immigrants arrested in Mississippi ICE raids


thetorontostar--2019-08-08--The Latest Mississippi immigration raids net 680 arrests

The Latest: Mississippi immigration raids net 680 arrests

MORTON, Miss. - The Latest on immigration raids at Mississippi food processing plants (all times local):  U.S. immigration officials say raids at seven food processing plants in Mississippi resulted in 680 arrests.  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Matthew Albence told The Associated Press that the arrest count from Wednesday’s raids may make it the largest workplace sting in more than a decade and probably the largest ever for a single state.  Authorities say about 600 agents fanned out across the plants, surrounding the perimeters to prevent workers from fleeing. They targeted several companies.  The raids happened in small towns near Jackson with a workforce made up largely of Latino immigrants. The towns hit include Bay Springs, Carthage, Canton, Morton, Pelahatchie and Sebastapol.  U.S. immigration officials have launched raids at several Mississippi food processing plants.  A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said Wednesday that search warrants were executed at seven locations across the state targeting several companies. They include the Morton plant of poultry producer Koch Foods Inc., which has no relation to Charles and David Koch. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because details of the operation were not intended for publication.  The official says owners as well as employees are targeted in a federal criminal investigation.  The AP witnessed dozens of agents ready to process the workers inside a military facility in Flowood, Miss., with seven lines, one for each location.  Get more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now


thetorontostar--2019-08-09--Immigration raids to have long-term effects on poultry towns

MORTON, Miss. - Effects of the largest immigration raid in at least a decade are likely to ripple for years through six Mississippi small towns that host poultry plants.  A store owner who caters to Latino poultry plant workers fears he will have to close. A school superintendent is trying to rebuild trust with the Spanish-speaking community. And the CEO of a local bank says the effects are likely to touch every business in her town.  More than 100 civil rights activists, union organizers and clergy members in Mississippi denounced the raid, but the state’s Republican Gov. Phil Bryant commended federal immigration authorities for the arrests, tweeting that anyone in the country illegally has to “bear the responsibility of that federal violation.”  Officials said 680 people were initially detained during Wednesday’s operation. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement sent more than 300 of those people home by dawn Thursday, with notices to appear before immigration judges, said ICE spokesman Bryan Cox.  In the coming months, as those people await hearings, they’re unlikely to be able to work, and local churches are gathering food and money to provide aid.  Juan Garcia and his wife own Hondumex, a grocery store and restaurant catering to Latinos in downtown Morton, a small town of roughly 3,000 people about 40 miles (65 kilometres) east of the capital of Jackson. Sales have been terrible since the raid, Garcia said Thursday, surrounded by plantains, pastries and specially butchered meat. Garcia said even those who have been released will have trouble before they go to court.  “All the workers, the people that have been taken, they’re not going to be able to spend money,” Garcia said. “They’re not going to be able to work in the plant.”  Garcia said many workers at the two raided poultry plants — Koch Foods and PH Foods — have bought houses. He questions whether they will be able to keep up their mortgage payments. Garcia said he and his wife also own a restaurant in nearby Philadelphia, Mississippi, and he may close the Morton store.  “I was thinking about shutting down my business,” Garcia said. “I don’t think we’re going to be able to stay here.”  Martha Rogers, the chairman and CEO of the Bank of Morton, also expressed concern for the local economy. Rogers said many Spanish-speaking residents have become customers of the bank.  “Every business in town will be affected,” said Rogers, whose family has owned a controlling interest in the small bank since the 1950s.  Scott County Superintendent Tony McGee said more than 150 students were absent Thursday from the 4,100-student district, including a number of students in Morton, where the enrolment is about 30% Latino.  Parents are saying they’re afraid for their children to come back to class, McGee said. School officials have been making phone calls and visiting homes to try to coax the parents to let the students return.  “We’re just trying to reassure them that if those kids come to school, we’re going to do everything possible to make sure they come back to you,” McGee said. “We want those children at school.”  McGee said some longtime teachers told him that Wednesday “was by far the worst day they have ever spent as educators.”  ICE didn’t have much space to detain workers, even overnight, because the number of people in custody is hovering near all-time highs. The agency has been housing thousands more than its budgeted capacity of 45,274 people, largely because of an unprecedented surge of Central American families arriving at the Mexican border. Those released included 18 juveniles, with the youngest being 14 years old, said Jere Miles, special agent in charge of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit in New Orleans. Workers were assessed before they were released, including for whether they had any young children at home.  The companies involved could be charged with knowingly hiring workers who are in the county illegally and will be scrutinized for tax, document and wage fraud, said Matthew Albence, ICE’s acting director.  Koch Foods, one of the country’s largest poultry producers based in the Chicago suburb of Park Ridge, said in a statement Thursday that it follows strict procedures to make sure full-time employees are eligible to work in the country.  Gabriela Rosales, a six-year resident of Morton who knows some of those detained, said she understands that “there’s a process and a law” for those living in the country illegally. “But the thing that they (ICE) did is devastating,” she said. “It was very devastating to see all those kids crying, having seen their parents for the last time.”  The Rev. Mike O’Brien, pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Canton, said he waited outside the Peco Foods plant in the city until 4 a.m. Thursday for workers returning by bus. O’Brien said he visited parishioners whose relatives had been arrested. He said he also drove home someone who had hidden from authorities inside the plant.  “The people are all afraid,” he said. “Their doors are locked, and they won’t answer their doors.”  Children whose parents were detained were being cared for by other family members and friends, O’Brien said.  “They’re circling the wagons that way and taking care of each other,” he said.  Associated Press Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Emily Wagster Pettus in Jackson, Mississippi, contributed to this report.

Jeff Amy And Rogelio V. Solis - The Associated Press


thinkprogress--2019-08-09--Immigrants detained during mass ICE raids could be held in abusive Louisiana facility

Of the over 600 undocumented immigrants who were arrested in mass workplace raids across Mississippi this week, approximately 400 could be detained at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities in Louisiana, BuzzFeed News reported.  One of the facilities where a number of the immigrants reportedly will be detained is the ICE Processing Center in Pine Prairie where the outlet reported earlier this month that 100 immigrants were pepper-sprayed following a peaceful demonstration in the facility’s courtyard.  ICE officials did not immediately respond to requests for confirmation of the plans.  In a statement to BuzzFeed News this week, Bryan Cox, an ICE spokesman, described the pepper spray incident as “brief” and “calculated.” The incident occurred just one day after 30 immigrants were pepper-sprayed at an ICE facility in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, to “deescalate” a “small disturbance around lunchtime.”  According to lawyers for several migrants at the facilities, however, the conditions in the detention centers are far worse than has been reported: The total number of immigrants pepper-sprayed at the Pine Prairie facility was in fact over 100, a legal representative with the Southern Poverty Law Center told The Independent. And a prior NBC News report revealed officers had allegedly detained at least one transgender migrant in isolation for four months, “because of the way [she] looked.”  The SPLC reported in April that, in addition to arbitrary solitary confinement, migrants at Pine Prairie were allegedly being held in “deplorable” conditions. Among other things, detainees were forced to consume “barely edible food,” and were kept in “foul” smelling, moldy rooms. Some have been held in the barbed-wire-encircled processing facility for months.  At the Bossier Parish facility, things are no better, migrants say. “There are lots of cops who came from another prison, they beat up the Cubans, they pepper spray them and handcuff them,” one man told attorney Lara Nochomovitz — who represents detained immigrants at the facility — in a text message obtained by Mother Jones earlier this month.  “There’s even an ambulance here. Help us please this is ugly,” he added.  Both incidents seem to have stemmed from hunger strikes by migrants at the facilities, Mother Jones reported. Currently, there are multiple active hunger strikes across the county in a number of ICE detention facilities, signaling to watchdogs that conditions in ICE facilities are worsening.  Louisiana is becoming ground zero for the expansion of U.S. immigration detention. ICE is continuing to spend money that has not been allocated to them in order to open up more detention facilities there.  This year alone, three for-profit detention facilities began operating in Louisiana. Those  facilities have the capacity to hold about 4,000 people, expanding ICE’s presence in the Deep South by 50%.  This story has been updated with new details and sourcing.


truepundit--2019-11-10--Stolen identities of 400 Americans used by illegal immigrants arrested in Mississippi ICE raids

Department of Homeland Security investigators discovered that the identities of 400 American citizens were stolen and used by illegal immigrants who were arrested this summer during immigration raids on Mississippi poultry plants, an official disclosed Thursday.  In August, 680 “removable aliens” working in Mississippi processing plants were arrested in a sting operation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in what one official said could be “the largest single-state immigration enforcement operation in our nation’s history.”  Days later, nearly half of the individuals detained were released on humanitarian grounds, amid criticism that the arrests had left children without a parent to care for them.  CBS reported that the Homeland Security special agent in charge of the operations, Jere Miles, was grilled by the lawmakers, who criticized him for allegedly not giving local stakeholders a heads up and for separating children from their parents as part of the law enforcement initiative.  According to The Washington Times, Miles pushed back against lawmakers’ claims that the arrested workers did no harm, telling the panel, “They stole the IDs of 400 U.S. citizens. Where’s their voice?” – READ MORE


usatoday--2019-08-10--ICE used ankle monitors informants to plan immigration raids where 680 people were arrested

ICE used ankle monitors, informants to plan immigration raids where 680 people were arrested

Over more than a decade, hundreds of undocumented workers across the country told federal officials they worked at food processing plants in Mississippi.  In some instances, immigrants were released from detention and outfitted with ankle monitors while awaiting deportation proceedings. Authorities tracking their GPS coordinates were able to see they were coming and going from Mississippi food processing plants.  On Wednesday, hundreds of immigration officials descended on seven Mississippi plants owned by four companies — Peco Foods, Koch Foods, PH Food and Pearl River Foods. They are suspected of "willfully and unlawfully employing" undocumented workers, recently unsealed search warrants say.  Workers reported hearing the roar of helicopters and seeing agents round up mostly Latino workers for questioning. Many wept as they waved goodbye to their family and friends being carted away on buses for processing.  It was the largest immigration sting of its kind in more than a decade. A total of 680 people were arrested. Of those, about 300 were released the same day, officials said. Those who remain in detention are being held in a ICE facility in Louisiana.  'They're going to lose everything': Families are devastated after Mississippi ICE raids  As for the companies, no fines or arrests have taken place, though federal officials say investigations into the companies are ongoing.  Unsealed court records provide the first look into how federal authorities planned what officials have described as the largest single-state workplace enforcement action in the country, ever.  ICE filed for search warrants Monday at the seven plants. The records had been sealed until U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda Anderson approved a motion Thursday to open them.  Affidavits by ICE Special Agent Anthony Williams Jr. revealed that, for years, temporarily detained undocumented workers — from as far as El Paso, Texas, and Yuma, Arizona — had employment cards from plants in Mississippi. He also said electronic ankle monitoring, surveillance and a confidential informant played a part in where raids would be targeted.  In an affidavit about Peco Foods, Williams notes that historical data dating back 17 years, from Nov. 18, 2002, to June 13, 2019, showed that approximately 222 undocumented workers processed by federal officials indicated they worked at Peco Foods and presented agents with Peco Foods personnel identification cards with their photographs and assumed identities.  Similarly for Koch Foods, between Sept. 10, 2002 to April 13, 2019, about 144 undocumented workers told authorities during processing that they worked at Koch Foods in Morton, Mississippi or Forest, Mississippi an affidavit said.  At Pearl River Foods in Carthage, agents analyzed employee rolls and found that numerous workers were using stolen identities, Social Security cards that didn't match their names, or using Social Security cards reported to belong to dead people.  Immigration official: Those arrested in Mississippi shouldn't have been hired by company  In at least two cases at Pearl River Foods, the allegedly stolen personal information came from people who discovered that someone else had applied for work under their names when they tried to apply for food assistance or unemployment benefits.  For PH Food in Morton, an employee served as a confidential informant. He told authorities the vast majority of the immigrants employed at the plant are undocumented and using fake biographical information. He also gave investigators information about the inner workings of the plant and identified people he believed to be undocumented workers.  Williams' affidavits, making a case for why a judge should approve the raids, detailed dozens of cases that linked known undocumented immigrants to the plants that were raided on Wednesday.  The following are just a few cases that illustrate the different ways law enforcement was able to trace undocumented workers to Mississippi plants.  ► On June 15, 2018, Magdalena Alonzo-Martin of Guatemala was detained near the San Luis, Arizona, port of entry. She didn't have legal documents to work or live in the U.S.  Later Alonzo Martin provided ICE with an address in Forest and was was outfitted with an ankle monitor. Alonzo-Martin told officials she was employed with Koch Foods. GPS coordinates show that she worked at the Koch Foods plant in Morton for eight to 10 hours a day on a regular basis.  ► On May, 27, 2014, Camelina Cash-Ramirez of Guatemala had an encounter with agents near San Miguel, Arizona. She had unlawfully entered the U.S. and did not have legal documentation to live or work in the country. She provided ICE with a Morton address. GPS monitoring showed she visited the PH Food processing plant multiple times a week, staying for six to eight hours at a time.  ► On May 6, agents interviewed Ana Alonzo-Alonzo in Jackson, Mississippi. She provided the agents with information on her employment at Peco Foods. She said she entered the U.S. illegally in 2015 and had been working at Peco for five months.  She told agents she was working under the assumed identity of Isabel Perez and was on the night shift. Her unit is responsible for processing chicken tenders. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security Employer’s Quarterly Wage Report showed the Social Security number for Isabel Perez was paid a total of $6,710.96 by Peco Foods in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to court documents.  She told agents she bought the assumed identity from a man at a laundromat in Forest and paid $200 for a counterfeit identification card and a Social Security card.  ► On Feb. 13, 2019, immigration officials executed an arrest and search warrant in Carthage, Mississippi for Silvia Custodio-Morales, who was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. They found a Tennessee ID card and Social Security card in the name of another woman. The fake ID card had Custodio-Morales' face on it.  Custodio-Morales told agents she was currently employed at Pearl River Foods and had worked there for about three weeks under the other woman's name. She said there were numerous undocumented workers at plant, including a shift supervisor.  Southern District U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst wouldn't provide many details of the ongoing investigation or what companies might face if they were knowingly hiring undocumented workers.  Federal law says the maximum penalty for intentionally hiring a undocumented workers is six months in jail and/or a $3,000 fine for each undocumented worker.  “I would direct you to the history of this office and our prosecutions in the past of business owners who hire illegal workers,” Hurst said, noting that in his years as an assistant U.S. attorney, he personally prosecuted numerous such cases.  “I can tell you that when I was assistant U.S. attorney, I raided the Country Club of Jackson,” Hurst said. “At a press conference, the U.S. attorney at the time said this was the first action against an employer for immigration violations in our district’s history."  Hurst said there were a number of other employers he dealt with, including Love Irrigation, China Buffet "and the big one was Howard Industries.”  “We will follow the evidence where it leads, and if there is evidence beyond a reasonable doubt, we will prosecute the case,” Hurst said.  Hurst said the unsealed affidavits from the federal raid warrants “speak for themselves,” and he would not elaborate on the cases at this point.  In an emailed statement sent Wednesday, Peco Foods said the company adheres "strongly to all local, state and federal laws, including utilizing the government-based E-Verify program which screens new hires through the Social Security Administration as well as the Department of Homeland Security."  Koch Foods said in a statement Thursday that it screens employees through E-Verify. Jim Gilliland, company spokesman, also said the company relies on temporary workers vetted through a third-party service.  A man at PH Food, who identified himself as Jun Lian, receiving and shipping manager, told the Clarion Ledger the company uses a different company to recruit workers.  A message left with a representative at Pearl River Foods was not immediately returned.

Jimmie E. Gates and Alissa Zhu, Mississippi Clarion Ledger


cnsnews--2019-01-31--Pelosi on Border Deal There Will be Sizable Funding for Food Clothing Medical Care for Immigrant

Pelosi on Border Deal: 'There Will be Sizable Funding for Food, Clothing, Medical Care for Immigrants'

(CNSNews.com) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that congressional conferees working on a border security deal agree that there should be “sizable funding for food, clothing, medical care for immigrants,” as well as funding for more judges to adjudicate immigration cases, and sending taxpayer money to countries in the northern triangle to “alleviate” the conditions there that made them flee.      “We’re hoping that we can find common ground as soon as possible so that we can not only meet our responsibility to protect our border, to treat people coming here with dignity and respect but also to keep government open. Some of the things that we have in there I think will be very acceptable, goes on both sides of the ledger,” she said in a speech to the annual president’s conference of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities.      “We both care, all of us on either side of the wall question -- but all care about treating the people who come, so there will be sizable funding for food, clothing, medical care for immigrants coming across the border so we don’t have people dying in our custody - children. There’ll be sizable funding for additional judges to more quickly adjudicate these cases so that it doesn’t become, well, they’re here such a long time. Well, it’s because we have such a backlog too, so we’ll have that,” she said.      “There’ll be funding to send money to the countries where most of these people are coming from - the northern triangle - to try to alleviate some of the conditions that have exacerbated the situation there, to mitigate for the horror that some of them face,” Pelosi said.  She said if they can solve some of the problems illegal immigrants are having at home, “then people can stay home.”      “They come here, because they have no choice. It’s just a matter of life or death or danger for their families,” Pelosi said. She added that “there are other areas where we can find common ground, but those three are very personal in terms of the adjudication of the case, the care and feeding of them coming, and trying to help them stay at home.”      Pelosi said everyone has the obligation to treat people with respect. She quoted the Bible, saying, “When people talk about and the gospel of Matthew as being an inspiration to so many of us - ‘when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was homeless, you sheltered me. When I was in prison, you visited me.’ I always want to remind them that the rest of that gospel is the converse.      “ ‘When I was hungry, you didn’t feed me.’ See because at that date, God separates the people - when I was hungry, you fed me. When I was hungry, you didn’t feed me. When I was homeless, you didn’t shelter me.’ And that second part of it I think is very important for us all to remember, because the responsibility challenge is there both to respond positively, but not to respond negatively,” the speaker said.      “And I can’t find it in the Bible, but I quote it all the time, and I keep reading and reading the Bible. I know it’s there some place. It’s supposed to be in Isaiah, but I heard bishop say, ‘to minister to the needs of God’s creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.’ It’s there somewhere in some words or another, but certainly, the spirit of it is there and that we all have a responsibility to act upon our beliefs and the dignity and worth of every person,” she added.


politicalite--2019-11-17--BORIS BORDER FORCE: Immigrants Will Need Job Offer To Enter Britain, says PM

IMMIGRANTS who try to enter Britain will need a job offer regardless of where they are from in the world, Boris Johnson has announced.  The Prime Minister said that if the Tories are elected on December 12th the party will toughen up Britain’s immigration laws.  “A majority Conservative government will ensure that people who come to our great country from anywhere in the world have both a job to come to, and make a contribution to our NHS – so that we can protect and improve the public services we all benefit from.” said Boris.  “We will make our immigration system equal – whilst at the same time ensuring our fantastic public services, like the NHS, are all properly funded.  Ms Patel said: “One of the benefits of Brexit is that we get to take back control and make our system fairer. A majority Conservative government will ensure that people who come to our great country from anywhere in the world will contribute on day one.  “A Labour government would see immigration surge, placing huge strain on public services like our NHS and prisons.  “(Jeremy) Corbyn would also subject the UK to the chaos of two more referendums, with no time to focus on the people’s priorities.  “Only a Conservative majority can get Parliament working again and get Brexit done so that we can end freedom of movement once and for all.”  Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Immigration will finally be subject to democratic control, allowing us to get overall numbers down.”  Announcing immigration plans, the party said access to benefits will be equalised between EU nationals and those from the rest of the world, meaning non-UK citizens will typically need to wait five years before they are able to claim benefits.  The party pointed out that under current rules, EU migrants can access welfare and services after being in the UK for three months.  A Tory government would also vow to put an end to the practice of child benefit being sent abroad to support children who do not live in the UK.  The party claims these two measures could save an estimated £800 million a year by 2024-25.  Another measure to be introduced by the Tories would be an increase to the immigration health surcharge from £400 to £625.  The party said that under the current system, people on a work, study or family visa incur average NHS costs of £625 per year but only pay £400, and it said the change will raise more than £500 million a year.  The surcharge was originally brought in by the Government in 2015 in a clampdown on so-called “health tourism”, and has previously been doubled from £200 to £400.  The party said there will be an “immediate cash injection of £20 million this year” to strengthen borders and reduce illegal immigration, including new equipment to better detect illicit goods such as firearms and drugs.


sottnet--2019-05-07--Border Patrol chief says officers have arrested over 30000 illegal immigrants in last 10 days

Border Patrol chief says officers have arrested over 30,000 illegal immigrants in last 10 days

A U.S. Border Patrol official said his agency has apprehended more than 30,000 illegal immigrants on the southern border in the past 10 days."This is a challenge unlike any we've ever faced before," Chief of Law Enforcement Operations Brian Hastings said Monday on "Fox & Friends.""We're up to 474,000 arrests so far this fiscal year, and just the last 10 days alone, 33,000 arrests for us," he added. "So, our facilities were not designed to handle this type of flow or more importantly, this demographic - about 63 percent being family units and UACs, or unaccompanied alien children." U.S. officials announced in March they had released 84,500 migrant family members since Dec. 21, The Arizona Republic reported . The government released 14,500 migrants into the Phoenix area, while 37,500 were set free into south Texas. Immigration officials also sent 24,000 illegal immigrants to El Paso, Texas, and 8,500 to San Diego.He also criticized current immigration law and said there must be a consequence for entering the U.S. illegally."And so with that, we have had to look at for the safety of our agents and for those that we detained, releasing process non-criminal family units, which we don't want to do.


theblaze--2019-02-21--Illegal immigrants needed help from Border Patrol after getting lost trying to enter US

Illegal immigrants needed help from Border Patrol after getting lost trying to enter US  'You can bet THEY know who the good guys are!'


theblaze--2019-03-20--It took just 5 minutes for Texas border agents to grab more than 400 illegal immigrants on Tuesday


theblaze--2019-04-03--Flood of illegal immigrants lack of action from Congress forces Border Patrol agents to expand cat

Flood of illegal immigrants, lack of action from Congress forces Border Patrol agents to expand 'catch and release' practice  'Law enforcement doesn't have the resources to process and detain the crushing influx of migrants arriving at the border'


theblaze--2019-04-19--Watch Armed militia detains more than 300 illegal immigrants who crossed border into New Mexico

Watch: Armed militia detains more than 300 illegal immigrants who crossed border into New Mexico  The United Constitutional Patriots say they are helping Border Patrol agents


theblaze--2019-06-25--Glenn Beck Number of immigrants flooding the southern border hits highest level seen in over a dec

Glenn Beck: Number of immigrants flooding the southern border hits 'highest level seen in over a decade'


theepochtimes--2019-09-23--Border Agents Find 53 Illegal Immigrants Hidden Inside 105-Degree Tractor-Trailer

A United States Border Patrol car drives near the Rio Grande in Laredo, Texas, on Jan. 14, 2019. (Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty Images)  U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered 53 illegal immigrants from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras hidden inside a tractor-trailer in Laredo, Texas, on Sept. 17.  Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement that all 53 illegal aliens and their driver, who is a United States citizen, were arrested and their vehicle was seized.  Authorities said the temperature inside the tractor-trailer was 105 degrees when the illegal aliens were intercepted on Interstate Highway 35 north of Laredo. They were evacuated but no one needed any medical attention.  “Agents encountered a tractor-trailer with only one visible occupant at the IH-35 checkpoint. During primary inspection, a service canine alerted to the odors of concealed humans and/or narcotics, inside the trailer,” said the border agency.  Homeland Security is currently investigating the incident.  In another case of law enforcement at the border, border patrol agents arrested two men attempting to smuggle methamphetamine in Salton City in California on Thursday.  The law enforcement agency said in a statement that “agents discovered 30 sealed packages concealed behind the auxiliary tank located in the bed of the truck” when they intercepted a white Ford F-250 at a checkpoint on Highway 86 in El Centro Sector at about 2.45 a.m.  A border patrol canine investigation team discovered the narcotics during a secondary investigation and alerted the agents.  The packages weighed 31.53 pounds and are worth around $78,825. Both the men including the driver of the vehicle are citizens of the United States.  Their vehicle and narcotics were handed over to the Drug Enforcement Administration for investigation.  The CBP said that between Oct. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019, it had apprehended 818,361 illegal aliens. With the number of individuals who are seeking lawful admission into the country but are found to be inadmissible at 263,945, the total enforcement actions is at 1,082,306.  The CBP has asked the public to download the “USBP Laredo Sector” app or contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll-free at 1-800-343-1994 “to report suspicious activity such as alien and/or drug smuggling.”


truepundit--2019-05-01--Border Patrol Arrests 424 Illegal Immigrants At Once In The Largest Arrest Its Ever Made

Border Patrol Arrests 424 Illegal Immigrants At Once In The ‘Largest’ Arrest It’s Ever Made

Border Patrol agents nabbed 424 illegal aliens attempting to cross the border in a single group, marking the largest apprehension in the agency’s history.  In the early hours of Tuesday morning, agents encountered a large group of “what seemed to be over 400 illegal aliens” near the border town of Sunland Park, New Mexico, according to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release. The group of mostly Central American families and unaccompanied minors reached the border shortly after midnight.  Hours after their apprehension, Border Patrol was able to count every individual and determine the group was a record-setting size.  “This is an ongoing situation that U.S Border Patrol agents are facing in southern New Mexico: hundreds of parents and children being encountered by agents after having faced a dangerous journey in the hands of unscrupulous smugglers,” CBP wrote in its press release, revealing the massive group traveled with the help of human smugglers.  Border Patrol agents in New Mexico apprehended another large group of illegal migrants shortly afterward. Officials working in the Antelope Wells Port of Entry, about 160 miles west of Sunland Park, encountered 230 illegal aliens around 2 a.m., bringing New Mexico’s Tuesday morning haul to more than 600.  News of the recording-setting apprehension comes as more Americans believed that the situation at the border constitutes a “crisis.” A survey conducted earlier in April found 56 percent of Republicans calling it a crisis, and 35 percent of Democrats agreeing. The results were a steady rise from January, where only 49 percent of Republicans and 7 percent of Democrats had said the same thing.  The highest number of apprehensions in over a decade took place in March, and experts believe the numbers will continue to climb as the summer months approach. Fiscal year 2019 has already surpassed the previous fiscal year’s total apprehensions.  “Criminal organizations continue to exploit innocent human lives in order to enhance their illicit activities without due regard to the risks of human life. In most cases these smugglers never cross the border themselves in order to avoid apprehension,” CBP continued in its statement.  Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected]


truepundit--2019-08-20--Border Patrol Nabs Nearly 200 Illegal Immigrants Near New Mexico

U.S. Border Patrol on Monday said that its agents apprehended a group of nearly 200 illegal aliens.  This occurred near a base at a New Mexico port of entry over the weekend, as Fox Newsreported.  The agency said 194 illegal immigrants were taken in by authorities after 3 a.m. on Sunday.  The individuals were trying to cross the border near Camp Bounds Forward Operating Base, which is located near the Antelope Wells Port of Entry in New Mexico, a statement read.  The group consisted mostly of families and unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.  Medical screenings done initially showed that some of the migrants had lice and scabies. – READ MORE


eveningstandard--2019-07-07--Boat carrying more than 20 suspected illegal immigrants detained after Channel crossing

More than 20 suspected illegal immigrants have been detained after crossing the English Channel, the Home Office said today.  The Border Force intercepted a small boat as it crossed the Channel on Saturday, while another group of suspected migrants was found in the Kingsdown area of Kent.  In the first incident, 11 men on board an inflatable boat were detained by coastal patrol and Border Force agents and brought to Dover, Kent.  A Home Office spokesman said: "All individuals were brought to Dover, where they were medically assessed before being transferred to immigration officials for their cases to be dealt with. Their nationalities have not yet been confirmed.  "The 11 migrants are now onshore in Dover and will be transferred to Kent Intake Unit for screening."  In the second incident, also on Saturday, Kent Police and Border Force officials responded to reports of a group of suspected Iranian migrants in Kingsdown.  The spokesman said: "A group of 10 people, who have presented themselves as Iranian, have been medically assessed and believed to be well, before being transferred to immigration officials for interview.  "Their nationalities have not yet been confirmed."  He added: "Anyone crossing the Channel in a small boat is taking a huge risk with their life and the lives of their children.  "Since the Home Secretary declared a major incident in December, two cutters have returned to UK waters from overseas operations, we have agreed a joint action plan with France and increased activity out of the Joint Co-ordination and Information Centre in Calais.  "In June, the Home Secretary and the French interior minister, Christophe Castaner, agreed to continue to explore options to reinforce the efforts already being made to cut down on illegal immigrants attempting the crossing.  "It is an established principle that those in need of protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach and since January more than 40 people who arrived illegally in the UK in small boats have been returned to Europe.


intellihub--2019-01-05--DHS releases more than 2000 immigrants citing lack of detention space

Border-crossers will be given ankle monitors and will be released into the general population until they appear before a judge at an immigration hearing in the near future.  The Department of Homeland Security will be releasing over 2000 migrants over the course of the next few weeks after facilities became packed full with border-crossing men, women, and children who seek refuge in the United States.  A DHS official confirmed to Breitbart News that the U.S. Border Patrol and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is releasing more than 2,000 family units caught at the U.S.-Mexico border, citing a lack of detention space. The border-crossing adults and the children they arrived at the border with will be released and given a court date for an immigration hearing. The adults will be given ankle monitors, though the DHS official says the process of keeping track of border-crossers via ankle monitors is not effective.  According to the report at least four major border crossing locations have been inundated with migrants.  Please comment below and share this post on Facebook and Twiter.


theindependent--2019-12-24--More than 1,800 people spending Christmas in immigration detention centres

More than 1,800 people in the UK are set to spend Christmas locked in immigration detention centres, according to government figures.  The finding prompted the Liberal Democrats to brand the government “cruel and callous” and call for a 28-day limit to be introduced on keeping people in detention centres.  According to the latest official statistics, there are currently 1,826 people being held in detention centres. Of these, almost two thirds (1,152) are people seeking asylum in the UK.  Last year, 1,784 people were in immigration detention centres at Christmas.  The vast majority (1,506) of the 1,800 people in detention are being held in Home Office immigration removal centres – while 300 are being detained in prison.  Twenty-seven people have been kept in detention for more than a year, and three people for more than two years. Almost one in 10 have been held for at least six months.  The government has come under fire over its treatment of asylum seekers and other immigrants at detention centres, particularly since the Windrush scandal.  Last year, women at one of the main detention centres, Yarl’s Wood in Bedfordshire, went on hunger strike in protest at the conditions.  Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that the government’s detention of many asylum seekers was unlawful, paving the way for a slew of new compensation claims against the Home Office that could run to millions of pounds.  Keeping people in immigration detention centres costs the taxpayer £89m a year, and last year the Home Office was forced to pay £8.2m in compensation for 312 cases of wrongful detention.  The overall number of people in immigration detention centres has decreased in recent years, and has more than halved since the end of 2014, when 3,439 people were being held.  The Liberal Democrats called for a 28-day limit to be imposed on the length of time people can be held in immigration detention centres.  Christine Jardine, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, said: “If we needed any reminder of the cruel and callous nature of the Conservatives, then this is it. Almost two thousand people will spend Christmas separated from their loved ones, as they remain indefinitely imprisoned in a detention centre.  “Locking vulnerable people up with no idea of when they will be released is yet another part of the Conservative government’s toxic and hostile approach to immigration. It is time the Tories gained some humanity and stopped wasting tax payers money on ensuring people spend their Christmas languishing in cells.  “The Liberal Democrats believe detention centres should only ever be a last resort. It’s time the Tories listened, introduced a 28-day limit on detention, and shut the majority of the UK’s detention centres.”


politicalwire--2019-05-30--Over 1000 Immigrants Apprehended In One Day

Over 1,000 Immigrants Apprehended In One Day

“More than 1,000 immigrants were apprehended after illegally crossing the border near El Paso, Texas early Wednesday morning,” NBC News reports.  “The group of 1,036 is the largest ever encountered by the Border Patrol; the previous record of 424 was set last month.”  “Customs and Border Protection has noticed a trend in the number of large groups crossing the border together. In fiscal year 2018, border agents encountered 13 groups of more than 100 immigrants. Now, they have seen that same number in a single day.”


prisonplanet--2019-04-23--Most illegal immigrants in US receive government benefits costing taxpayers billions experts

Most illegal immigrants in US receive government benefits, costing taxpayers billions: experts

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court considers whether to count self-identified illegal immigrants in the 2020 census. Cities worry adding the citizenship question could undercount 6.5 million people. Their argument, however, isn’t just about political power but billions of dollars in federal funds states expect.  The case underscores what experts say is a growing cost to taxpayers from the surge of Central American families and unaccompanied minors.  “We’re talking about billions of dollars in taxpayer benefits over the next few years,” said Dan Stein, director of the right-leaning think tank, Federation for American Immigration Reform. “The payout for the taxpayer is enormous and income to the Treasury is miniscule.”  A FAIR study in 2017 found illegal immigrants are a net consumer of taxpayer benefits worth more than $100 billion a year, not including the cost of enforcing the border.  While federal benefits are supposed to be off limits, in practice many are not. More than 25,000 undocumented workers receive subsidized housing, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Children receive free education and most qualify for English lessons and free school breakfast and lunch.  This article was posted: Tuesday, April 23, 2019 at 7:42 am


sottnet--2019-11-08--15 'illegal immigrants' discovered in back of lorry near Chippenham, Irishman, 50s arrested

Fifteen migrants who were found in the back of a lorry in Chippenham last night have been arrested on suspicion of entering the UK illegally.Police were called at 8.30pm to check out an HGV which was involved in 'suspicious activity' on the A350 near the town. Officers checked the lorry and discovered the 15 people in the back, one of which was treated in Swindon Great Western Hospital.The driver of the vehicle, an Irishman in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of assisting illegal entry into the country. He also remains in custody for further questioning.Police have confirmed all of the suspected illegal migrants are men over the age of 16.Duty Superintendent Steve Cox said: "Members of the public would have noticed a large number of emergency services in the vicinity of the A350 last night while we dealt with this incident and the road was closed for approximately four hours while we carried out enquiries at the scene and recovery was arranged for the lorry, which was a hard-sided large goods vehicle."We are working closely with partner agencies as we conduct further enquiries - I fully understand that recent tragic events elsewhere in the country will mean there will be increased interest and heightened concern regarding this incident."I'd like to thank all emergency services who responded last night - as with all incidents, we didn't know the scale of what we would potentially be dealing with and all first responders showed true professionalism at the scene."I would also like to extend my thanks to the vigilant member of the public who initially reported this incident to us - it is thanks to them that this incident was resolved swiftly and safely with no serious casualties."A road closure was put in place on the A350 at the Kington Langley crossroads while the lorry was recovered.Robert Burton, 31, from Chippenham, was driving down the A350 when he saw the incident unfold."Two ambulances passed us. We saw another five or six police cars then another three or four ambulances," he said."We saw immigrants being pulled out of the lorry."One man had a jacket with the hood up. There was another man being treated."It was shocking. You expect it in the city. You don't expect it in a small market town."


pamelagellerreport--2019-11-12--Yale University shocker: 29.5 million illegal immigrants, 3X higher than Census number

This dwarfs every major immigration wave in US history. But the Democrats must have their slaves/voters and that it was they are so violent and militant about keeping the floodgates open.  These numbers were released last year.  The illegal immigrant population is as high as 29.5 million, far more than the 11 million accepted by experts and the government, according to an explosive new report from three Yale University experts. “Our results lead us to the conclusion that the widely accepted estimate of 11.3 million undocumented immigrants in the United States is too small. Our model estimates indicate that the true number is likely to be larger, with an estimated 95 percent probability interval ranging from 16.2 to 29.5 million undocumented immigrants,” said their report published by PLOS One, an academic journal. The authors from Yale School of Management, Mohammad M. Fazel-Zarandi, Jonathan S. Feinstein, Edward H. Kaplan, said the average in their new model is about 22 million, exactly twice the number accepted by the Census Bureau and other experts. “The mean estimate based on our simulation analysis is 22.1 million, essentially double the current widely accepted estimate,” they wrote. The estimate considers the flow of illegals differently than other models. The report, however, was assailed by the Center for Immigration Studies that has long surveyed the population of illegal immigrants and is a proponent of curbing it. Steven Camarota, the Center’s director of research, issued a statement rejecting the Yale numbers.  The Truth Must be Told Please take a moment to consider this. Now, more than ever, people are reading Geller Report for news they won't get anywhere else. But advertising revenues have all but disappeared. Google Adsense is the online advertising monopoly and they have banned us. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter have blocked and shadow-banned our accounts. But we won't put up a paywall. Because never has the free world needed independent journalism more. Everyone who reads our reporting knows the Geller Report covers the news the media won't. We cannot do our ground-breaking report without your support. We must continue to report on the global jihad and the left's war on freedom. Our readers’ contributions make that possible. Geller Report's independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our work is critical in the fight for freedom and because it is your fight, too. Please contribute to our ground-breaking work here.    Make a monthly commitment to support The Geller Report – choose the option that suits you best.


theblaze--2019-01-26--Texas official reveals stunning number of illegal immigrants voted in recent elections


thesun--2019-02-01--Number of immigrants attempting to cross the Channel in small boats jumps from 13 in 2017 to 583 las

Number of immigrants attempting to cross the Channel in small boats jumps from 13 in 2017 to 583 last year

FRENCH officials revealed they intercepted 583 illegal immigrants last year who were trying to cross the Channel in boats.  The figure is up from just 13 in 2017, as they sailed towards Britain in dinghies and stolen boats.  The numbers have spiked in the last two months and The Sun can also reveal that a Border Force boat ordered back to the Channel to help deal with the crisis is still weeks away.  HMC Protector is one of two vessels Home Secretary Sajid Javid back to the Channel last month.  But the ship is still in the Med and was yesterday sailing between Sardinia and Gibraltar where it is expected to refuel and take on supplies.  It is unlikely to reach Britain until mid-February – more than six weeks after Mr Javid ordered the Protector back.  Meanwhile vice admiral Philippe Dutrieux, of the French Coastguard, said: ''There has been a marked acceleration in numbers attempting to cross the Channel in boats.  ''November and December were particularly high and we saw 75% of rescues taking place during this period.  “In total last year there were 78 attempts to cross the Channel and 583 migrants rescued.”  Officials in France say increase was due to gangs fuelling fears Brexit would make it harder to reach Britain.  Mr Dutrieux added:'' The Channel around Calais is a very busy maritime area with strong winds and currents and very low sea temperatures which make the chance of survival of anyone falling onto the water very slim. The gangs that move these people have no idea of the real dangers faced and which my teams also face when they have to rescue them.''  Last month The Sun revealed how one Border Force boat HMC Valiant was in a Greek shipyard undergoing repairs and unlikely to be seaworthy for another month at least.  It left Mr Javid red faced as he had to call in the Navy to help out with patrols with the Home Office agreeing to pay for the use of HMS Mersey.  He and Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson had a blistering row over who should foot the vessel's £20,000 a day bill for helping the Border Force patrol the English Channel for migrant boats.  Last week Mr Javid also announced new measures to deter future crossings including CCTV, night vision goggles and additional surveillance at French ports to catch would-be migrants.  The Home Office has confirmed that a number of the 300 migrants who reached Britain after sailing from Calais late last year in a series of landings have been returned to France.


themoscowtimes--2019-02-04--Share of Russians Unwilling to Emigrate Hits 7-Year-High Poll Says

Share of Russians Unwilling to Emigrate Hits 7-Year-High, Poll Says

According to official data, 377,000 Russians left the country in 2017, the latest period for which figures are available and a six-year record. However, Russian investigative media reported last month that the real number of citizens who emigrated could be six times higher than official figures suggest.  The percentage of Russians who say they are not willing to leave the country on a permanent basis has hit a 7-year record, according to a new survey published by the independent Levada Center.  The share of Russians who say they would “absolutely” not want to emigrate has reached a seven-year high of 61 percent, according to Levada’s latest poll published Monday. Another 21 percent said they would “rather not” want to emigrate.  “This can be explained both by the scale of the country, as well as the fact that many continue to feel that they are part of a great power and are not in need of anything foreign,” says Levada sociologist Denis Volkov.  Overall, 17 percent of all Russians said they were willing to migrate, a share that is within the 20 percent range that has expressed that wish in recent years.  Meanwhile, young people aged 18 to 24 were more than twice as likely (41 percent) to want to move abroad as the general population.  Conversely, only 5 percent of those aged 55 and over entertained the idea of leaving Russia.  The age gap was also consistent in the perception of Russian expats abroad: almost half of younger respondents said they view emigres positively, versus almost 20 percent of older respondents.  Levada conducted the survey among 1,600 respondents in 52 Russian regions between Dec. 13 and Dec. 19.


themoscowtimes--2019-04-04--Record Number of Russians Want to Emigrate Gallup

Record Number of Russians Want to Emigrate – Gallup

Public polling inside Russia has indicated in recent years that between 17 and 20 percent of Russians were willing to migrate. Official data, which has been criticized for downplaying immigration figures, says Russia’s emigration numbers have reached a six-year record.  A record one-fifth of Russians would like to leave the country if they could, a threefold increase from five years ago, the Gallup pollster said Thursday.  In Gallup's 2018 poll, 20 percent of Russian respondents said they would like to leave Russia if they could.  The share of Russians seeking to move permanently to another country had never passed Gallup’s 17-percent high in 2007, the U.S. pollster’s results say. However, this number has grown steadily over the past five years, tripling from 7 percent in 2014 to 20 percent in 2018.  An “unprecedented” 44 percent of young Russians between ages 15 and 29 voiced the desire to leave.  Gallup tracked a direct correlation between changes in Russians’ migratory mood and President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings, noting that “he may be at least partly to blame” for the latest record.  Russian respondents named Germany or the United States as their most-desired destinations at 15 and 12 percent respectively. Japan, Canada and Spain shared the third spot, with 5 percent of hopeful immigrants each.  Gallup conducted the survey among 2,000 Russian respondents between June and October 2018.


windowoneurasiablog--2019-01-17--Moscow Dramatically Understating Number of Russians Emigrating New Study Says

Moscow Dramatically Understating Number of Russians Emigrating, New Study Says

Staunton, January 16 – Moscow’s Project Research Center says that the Russian government is understating the number of Russians emigrating from the country by a factor of six times, a conclusion it has reached by comparing the numbers Rosstat says are leaving the country with the numbers of Russians other countries say are arriving.  Indeed, if the Project Center’s figures are correct, more than two million Russians are emigrating each year now and not the slightly less than 400,000 Rosstat has reported, a figure that would drive down the Russian population still further now and by taking away many in prime child-bearing cohorts drive it down still further in the future.  There are several reasons why the figures diverge besides the obvious one that Moscow doesn’t want to acknowledge the number is so large -- especially since a very large share of them is younger and far more educated, a pattern that doesn’t hurt the Kremlin’s resource-export economic agenda but is an embarrassment and further reduces the size of the Russian population.  First of all, various countries count emigres in various ways, with some including those who may simply be long-term students or visitors and who may eventually return to their own country. Russia doesn’t count such people, but others do. Consequently, Russian figures would be lower.  Second, Russia is not the only country that manipulates figures in this area. Some countries like to present themselves as magnets which attract people from other places, while others want to minimize the inflow or alternatively seek more resources for dealing with immigrants.  And third, in today’s globalized and interconnected world, emigration has changed its meaning: A century ago, it was almost always unidirectional. Once someone left a country, he or she almost certainly would never return. Now, the flow often is reversed in response to economic and political change.  But even allowing for those factors, the Project numbers are significant both as an indictment of the Putin regime’s failure to make Russia an attractive place to live even for Russians and as an indication that the problems with Russian statistics are deeper than even recent criticism has suggested.


windowoneurasiablog--2019-02-05--Increasing Desire of Politically Active Young to Emigrate May Save Putin but Destroy Russia

Staunton, February 4 – The Russian media are focusing on the findings of a new Levada Center poll showing that 41 percent of Russians between 18 and 24 are ready to emigrate because they have lost hope in the future of their country and that almost one in five of all Russians know someone who has left in the last two years.  When such people depart, she argues, the regime faces ever less pressure to change because those who might have gone into the streets to oppose it are now living abroad where any protests they make will matter less. Schulmann was speaking about Maduro’s Venezuela. The new Levada poll suggests that she could very well have been speaking about Putin’s Russia.  But if Putin benefits, Russia does not. When a country deprives its young of hope for the future and hope of any prospect that they will be able to change an unfortunate present for a better future either personally or the country as a whole, that country may not experience turmoil but it will not experience progress either.


windowoneurasiablog--2019-02-23--Putin has Provoked an Emigration Equal in Size and Importance to the One the Bolsheviks Did

The report describes the ways in which highly educated Russians who are often doing relatively well professionally in Russia nonetheless seek to live abroad rather than under Putin and suggests that many of them might return once the Kremlin leader passes from the scene and Russia may become more free.  All that is true and the documentation Herbst and Yerofeyev provide is welcome. But in three important respects, it understates the significance of the Russian emigration at present. First, by fitting the Russian flow into the general literature on brain drains in general, it understates the political nature of those who are fleeing Putin’s rule.  Second, it does not focus on the enormous diversity, professional, social and ethnic, of this diaspora. The two million include not only Russians but the nations of the North Caucasus who have been repressed even more than the dominant nation and who remain in close touch with their communities at home via Internet.  And third, it does not focus on the political organizations of the emigres ranging from Russian nationalists to liberal democrats to ethnic activists of all kinds. This variety resembles more the flight of some two million people from Bolshevik rule in the years of the Russian Civil War.  All three of these things call out for more attention than they have received so far not only because this emigration in its diversity may be the future of Russian but also because its members provide important sources of insight into what is going on outside of the usual circles Western diplomats and scholars focus on.  One could give dozens of examples of this from Chechens in Europe to Jews in Israel to Russians of various kinds in places across the planet. To give just one example of how diverse and interesting this emigration (and not just brain drain) is, consider the following Facebook post today by Vadim Shtepa, the Karelian regionalist who now lives in Tallinn.  “In Latvia,” Shtepa continues, “lives Russian nationalist Dimitry Savvin who wants to replace the Russian empire with ‘a Russian nation state … “And only in Estonia lives two rock-and-roll scoundrels – Artemy Troitsky and Vadim Shtepa. They want to destroy this empire down to its foundations.”  This emigration awaits its historians. In the meantime, all who follow what goes on in Russia need also to focus on what goes in in these various émigré centers just as Western scholars two and three generations ago learned much of what they knew about Russia under the Bolsheviks by reading and studying under those who fled that tyranny.  The time to do so has come again, and the two million people from within the current borders of the Russian Federation can provide insights every bit as important as those who fled communism in the past.


windowoneurasiablog--2019-04-04--One in Five Russians Wants to Emigrate ASAP and Seven Other Putin Achievements

One in Five Russians Wants to Emigrate ASAP – and Seven Other Putin ‘Achievements’

Putin has “breathed new life” into NATO, the Western alliance that before the Kremlin leader appeared has been on a course of “slow degradation.”  “Putin has revived the Ukrainian nation and its self-consciousness.” A few years ago, Ukrainians protested against the presence of NATO vessels in the black sea. Now they want them there “on a permanent basis.  “As a result of Putin’s efforts, Russia has thrown off the mask of a civilized state and shown the world the bestial grin of a political impotent suffering from resentment.”  Putin together with the Moscow patriarch have managed to alienate a “significant” share of the population by their “propaganda” of obscurantism and medieval ignorance.  “Putin has led the advanced Russian economy to such a point of development that it has to fight off the overproduction of goods with the help of bulldozers,” a reference to the destruction of Western foodstuffs banned by his counter-sanctions regime.  “Putin has liquidated all unnecessary state institutions leaving only the department for stealing and the handing out of loot.’‘  But when Putin destroys the Russian Empire, Mayvin says, then “no one will be interested in why I despise him.”


channel4uk--2019-02-08--British expats in Spain face uncertain future under no-deal Brexit

British expats living in Spain have been urged to register before the 29th of March to make sure the Spanish authorities recognise their residency after the UK leaves the EU. But in the event of a no-deal Brexit, what then?  Many of those who’ve retired abroad are facing unanswered questions about their rights to healthcare, freedom of movement and even their ability to keep pets.  We have been to Spain to speak to the Brits facing an uncertain future.


thedailycaller--2019-05-03--Venezuelan Expat Reacts To The Unrest In His Home Country

Venezuelan expatriate Daniel Di Martino talks about the unrest in his home country and warns of the dangers of socialism, in an interview with The Daily Caller.  “Progressively the government became more and more aggressive, kidnapping people, I have friends who were in the protests who were shot at by police,” said Martino.  Martino also responded to a reporter’s claims that the media’s coverage of Venezuela was false, as well as MSNBC inadvertently making the case for the Second Amendment during a live news report. (RELATED: Journalist Claims Media, Government Are Lying About Venezuela)  The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.


theindependent--2019-01-09--Singapore is best country for expats study finds

Singapore is best country for expats, study finds

Singapore is the best country for expats, according to an HSBC study.  The Asian country has topped the bank’s annual Expat Explorer survey, which analyses data from more than 22,000 respondents, for the fourth year running.  It offers the best overall package according to those surveyed, who were asked to rate countries on a range of factors including career progression, work/life balance, healthcare, tolerance and the ability to make new friends.  “Combining high scores across our key measures, the territory ticks many of the boxes on the expat wish list,” says the report.  “They’re certainly drawn to this global financial hub with its strong and stable economy. Almost half of all expats in Singapore moved to progress their careers (45 per cent). And though more than quarter simply wanted a challenge, many more (38 per cent) wanted to improve their earnings.”  Expats in Singapore earn an average annual salary of $162,000 (£127,350) – $56,000 (£44,000) more than the global average, according to HSBC.  Nearly half (47 per cent) of those who had moved there for work also said they had stayed due to the quality of life it offered them and their families. Some 60 per cent of expat parents in Singapore said their children’s health and wellbeing was better there than at home.  Singapore was followed by New Zealand, which also came in second last year, ranked number one for the “experience” category – factors include quality of life, culture, integration, safety and healthcare.  Germany came in third place, performing well for “economics” factors, followed by Canada and Bahrain, the latter having risen four places in the rankings since 2017. The Middle Eastern country came top for wage growth in this year’s survey.  One of the highest leaps on the list was Ireland, which rose 10 places from 28th to 18th between 2017 and 2018.  The UK places 22nd in the rankings, five places up from last year’s report and one higher than the US. It scored well for career progression, job security and tolerance, but performed poorly for “health”, “closeness with partner”, “integration” and “property”.


theindependent--2019-12-05--The best cities to be an expat, ranked

The best cities to be an expat, ranked

Asian cities are the best places to be an expat, according to a new ranking.  Taipei in Taiwan topped Internations’ 2019 Expat City Ranking, which analysed 82 cities worldwide on factors such as quality of life, ease of getting settled, work life, finance and housing and cost of living.  The Taiwanese capital came in first place for the second year running as the best place to move to for work, followed by Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.  Rounding out the top five were Singapore and Montreal in Canada.  The rest of the top 10 cities were in Europe: Lisbon, Portugal; Barcelona, Spain; Zug, Switzerland; The Hague, the Netherlands; and Basel, Switzerland.  Expats in Taipei rated the city highly for quality of life and local transport, plus most are happy with the availability of healthcare in the city, according to expat network Internations. Additionally, 96 per cent of expats said they felt safe in Taipei.  The other Asian cities in the ranking include Bangkok in 20th place, Tokyo in 26th place and Jakarta in 33rd place.  In terms of the worst cities to move to as an expat, Kuwait City came bottom at 82nd place. Rome, Milan, Lagos, Paris, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Lima, New York City and Yangon were also ranked poorly.  Top 10 cities to move to as an expat


themoscowtimes--2019-06-26--Moscow St Petersburg Become Cheaper for Expats Ranking Says

Moscow, St. Petersburg Become Cheaper for Expats, Ranking Says

Moscow placed 27th and St. Petersburg 75th out of 209 cities worldwide for the most expensive locations to work abroad in Mercer’s 2019 ranking , dropping by 10 and 26 spots from last year respectively.  Moscow and St. Petersburg are becoming more affordable for expats, according to new rankings from a global consulting firm.  “Despite moderate price increases in most of the European cities, European currencies have weakened against the U.S. dollar, which pushed most cities down in the ranking,” said Yvonne Traber, Mercer’s global mobility product solutions leader.  “Additionally, other factors like recent security issues and concern about the economic outlook have impacted the region,” she said.  Mercer creates its rankings by comparing the costs of more than 200 items including housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. New York City is used as the base for all comparisons, and currency movements are measured against the U.S. dollar.  Hong Kong remained the most expensive city for expats, according to Mercer’s ranking, followed by Tokyo and Singapore. Karachi, Tashkent and Tunis were named the cheapest, while Ashgabat catapulted 36 spots to rank the world’s seventh-most expensive city for expats.  At fifth place, Zurich was the only European city to crack the consultancy firm’s top 10 in prices for expats.  Mercer named Moscow and St. Petersburg among the world’s most dangerous and least livable cities earlier this year.


thesun--2019-04-01--Germany reveals plans to allow 100000 British expats to stay even if theres No Deal Brexit

Germany reveals plans to allow 100,000 British expats to stay even if there’s No Deal Brexit

BERLIN has announced emergency plans to allow all Brits living in the country to stay even if there’s a no deal Brexit.  Germany’s interior ministry has called on regional authorities to guarantee the rights of 100,000 expats and their families.  Officials have asked local parliaments to provide immigration services with the “necessary resources” to process Brits’ applications.  Their advice includes setting up new hotlines that UK citizens can call to ask for advice on how to gain permanent residency.  Under the plan UK citizens in Germany on our exit day will be granted a transition period during which they can apply for full citizenship.  The new law will also make it easier for British pensioners and low earners living in the country to meet the requirements for a residency permit.    German MP Franziska Brantner, said: “British citizens who already live in Germany, above all, need legal certainty.  “You cannot be held responsible for the harakiri of your Government.”  Berlin also wants to allow Brits to carry on travelling to the country without visas even if there’s No Deal.  But that will require a decision at EU level to add the UK to the bloc’s visa free travel list.   Internal Brussels talks over the issue have stalled amid a row over Spain’s attempts to use the legislation to brand Gibraltar a colony.  Other major EU countries including France, Spain and the Netherlands have also announced plans to ensure Brits are protected if there’s No Deal.