In this monthly newsletter, please read about : 1) ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends, 2) US Government Policy: Some legislators and DHS trying to do more to offer humanitarian relief to migrants, 3) Migration Impacts on Women, 4) At the Border, 5) Beyond Borders: Health and Safety in the Age of Migration in Mexico, 6) Changing Demographics: Migrants to the US Come from Different Corners of the Globe, 7) Danger in the Darién Gap: Human rights abuses and the need for human pathways to safety, 8) Texas Gets Tough on Migrants, 9) Economic Benefits of Immigration – both documented and undocumented migrants, 10) Biden Can Claim Record Numbers of Removals.
TAKE ACTION NOW. (See details at the bottom of this newsletter.) A) Join a Solidarity Delegation to Southern Mexico: Nov 2024, B) Stop Criminalizing Migrants Traveling through the Darién Gap, C) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: Catholic Charities, D) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: NEO Friends of Immigrants, E) Get Paid to Assist Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland, F) Act Now for Welcoming, Dignified, and Just Immigration.
1- ICE Air: Update on Removal Flight Trends
The U.S. government’s COVID-19 public health emergency order expired on May 11, 2023 — this includes the Title 42 order that has expelled over 2.5 million migrants from the US-Mexico border. With the end of Title 42, the government started to ramp up Title 8 expedited removal deportations in June 2023.
Since the Biden Administration took office there have been a total of
26,547 ICE Air Flights
4,857 Removal Flights
ICE Air Flights
The number of observed removal flights to ten different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean continues. Over the last 12 months, there have been 8,019 ICE Air flights; 1,651 of those have been removal flights. With an estimated average of 100 passengers per flight, this means that over the past 12 months, as many as 165,100 people could have been returned to Latin America, the Caribbean and a small number to Africa by air by the U.S.
Removal Flights, Lateral Flights, Domestic Shuffles:
In July 2024, there were 645 ICE Air flights, utilizing 18 different planes operated by 6 different charter carriers (World Atlantic, GlobalX, Eastern, Gryphon (ATS), Eastern Express and OMNI); this is up 18 from June, and above the prior 6 month average (618) by 29. Border Patrol encounters at the southern border were down by 34,365 (29%) from 117,901 to 83,536.
Lateral flights: Lateral flights in July decreased from 40 in June to 26. The decrease from June to July is most likely related to the continuing decrease in encounters.
16 of the laterals originated in San Diego, 5 in Tucson, 4 in El Paso, and 1 in Yuma. The destination of 12 laterals was McAllen, 11 was Laredo, and 3 to Harlingen.
Shuffle flights: Shuffle flights of 339 decreased by 8 from June and were 1 over the prior 6-month average and 26 over July 2023.
Detention: Migrants in detention decreased by 1,521 over the past 4 weeks to 37,004 in July.
Removal flights: In July 2024, removal flights increased from 143 to 146. The Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala (46), Honduras (24), and El Salvador (12) were destinations for 56% of all removal flights in July. Adding the 16 flights to Mexico makes it 67% of all deportation flights.
Countries:
Venezuela (flights were suspended all of February and did NOT resume in May, after flights paused following an announcement by the US that some sanctions would be reinstated if Venezuela did not agree to allow candidates from the Unitary Party to compete in this year’s elections.)
Flights were suspended all of February after they paused the last week of January.
OCT = 3 flights
NOV = 3
DEC = 5
JAN = 4
FEB = 0
MAR = 0
APR = 0
MAY= 0
JUNE = 0
JULY = 0
Mexico
Flights continued under PRIM (Procedure for the Repatriation to the Interior of Mexico) Program
JAN = 1 (on January, 30 from San Antonio to Morelia, Mexico)
APR = 13 (under PRIM, with 1 every Tuesday and 2 every Thursday)
MAY = 18 (2 flights each Tuesday and Thursday)
JUNE = 14 (127 people were returned by plane)
JULY = 16 (1,584 Mexican Nationals were returned by air from the US in June)
Guatemala
ICE Air flights to Guatemala increased by 2 from 44 in June to 46 in July. ICE Air returned 5,767 Guatemalans by air.
OCT = 52
NOV = 45
DEC = 47
JAN = 52
FEB = 58
MAR = 51
APR = 42
MAY= 47
JUNE = 44
JULY = 46
Honduras
Flights to Honduras dropped by 6 to 24 from 30 in June.
OCT = 34 flights
NOV = 40
DEC = 40
JAN = 37
FEB = 29
MAR = 27
Mexico had 1 deportation flight to Honduras returning 41 unaccompanied children on a Marina Military plane. Honduras reported that a total of 795 people were returned from Mexico.
APR = 29
MAY = 29
JUNE = 30
JULY = 24
El Salvador
Flights to El Salvador increased by 4
OCT = 20 flights
NOV = 14
DEC = 9
JAN = 11
FEB = 12
MAR = 10
APR = 10
MAY = 13
JUNE = 8
JULY = 12
Ecuador
Ice Air Flights to Ecuador increased by 6
OCT = 6 flights
NOV = 4
DEC = 3
JAN = 5
FEB = 4
MAR = 6
APR = 11
MAY = 17
JUNE = 12
JULY = 18
Peru
Flights decreased by 1
OCT = 4 flights
NOV = 3
DEC = 2
JAN = 2
FEB = 3
MAR = 1 (the lowest since January 2023)
APR = 3
MAY = 3
JUNE = 4
JULY = 3
Colombia
ICE Air Flights to Colombia increased by 6
OCT = 5 flights
NOV = 5
DEC = 4
JAN = 6
FEB = 7
MAR = 12
APR = 9
MAY = 12
JUNE = 11
JULY = 17
Other destinations:
Dominican Republic:
Flights remained steady at 2 for the last 11 months.
OCT = 2 flights
NOV = 2
DEC = 2
JAN = 2
FEB = 2
MAR = 2
APR = 2
MAY = 2
JUNE = 2
JULY = 2
Brazil:
Flights remained at 1 over the last 11 months.
OCT = 1 flight
NOV = 1
DEC = 1
JAN = 1
FEB = 1
MAR = 1
APR = 1
MAY = 1
JUNE = 1
JULY = 1
Cuba:
Experienced the first return flight since December 2020 on April 24, 2023. Followed by 1 in each of the following months, including JULY 2024
Source: Witness At the Border
2 - US Government Policy: Some legislators and DHS trying to do more to offer humanitarian relief to migrants
US government policies (i.e., making it hard for migrants escaping violence, climate shocks, and destitute poverty to enter the US) are often cited as the main reasons for the “migrant crisis.”
While the politics of coming up with a more long term solution have stalled, some in the government are trying to address migration from a humanitarian approach.
On July 30, four US legislators proposed expanding the federal government’s role in the reception of new arrivals by establishing the Destination Reception Services Program. Praised by city and county leaders across the country, the Destination Reception Assistance Act (introduced in the Senate by Senator Markey [D-Mass.] and in the House by Representatives Meng [NY-06], Ramirez [IL-03], and Espaillat [NY-13]) would “promote self-sufficiency; reduce costs of extended emergency shelter; provide diversion from homelessness; and promote the effective navigation and compliance of the immigration process.” The legislation is meant to take pressure off of states, localities, and non-profit emergency providers and free up public resources for everyone.
In late June in the US House of Representatives, Rep. Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), the Vice Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee, along with Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35) and Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37)—and 21 other members of the Congress—launched the Congressional Caucus on Global Migration to: 1) advance regional and global collaboration; and 2) establish partnerships with local and grassroots leaders needed to realize effective, orderly, and humane migration management. The aim of the caucus is to “find effective, long-term solutions to humanely address irregular and forced migration around the world.” Several migrant justice organizations are applauding the move.
Outside the Congress, the Biden Administration is using its executive authority to offer more protections in the workplace for immigrants (documented and undocumented). Because workers might be afraid to report workplace law violations for fear of immigration removal, they can apply for DALE (Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement) to get some protection. DALE, initiated in 2022, gives undocumented workers employment authorization and keeps them out of the immigration court removal process. To ensure that labor protections are better enforced, DHS (Department of Homeland Security) extended the DALE program this summer from two to four years. This gives the Department of Labor (DOL) the ability to more fully investigate worksite violations and hold abusive employers accountable. If an immigrant worker is placed into immigration detention or deported during the investigation, this negatively impacts DOL’s ability to enforce the labor laws. This action—the extension of DALE—ultimately protects all workers in the US.
[Note: It should be noted that DHS initiated the DALE program in 2022 after 18 months of organizing and pressure from labor rights coalitions like the National Day Labor Organizing Network. On October 12, 2021, and in no small part because of this public pressure, DHS Secretary Mayorkas issued a “Workplace Enforcement Memo” directing DHS agencies to develop policies (in six months) to protect workers that denounce workplace abuse. On July 6, 2022, the US Department of Labor issued guidance, in the form of an FAQ (available in English and Spanish), for immigrant workers denouncing workplace abuse and unsafe work conditions.]
Sources
https://www.amnestyusa.org/press-releases/amnesty-international-usa-reac...
https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senator-markey-and-rep...
http://ramirez.house.gov/media/press-releases/ramirez-casar-kamlager-dov...
https://www.dhs.gov/enforcement-labor-and-employment-laws
https://ndlon.org/dale-campaign/
3 - Migration Impacts on Women
Under mounting pressure to migrate, an increasing number of women are dying at the US-Mexico border. Traditionally, men accounted for the majority of deaths in the border desert, but this trend is changing. In 2023, 51% of the documented deaths in the Border Patrol's El Paso sector were women, a stark contrast to previous years. This shift is attributed to more families and women from countries like Venezuela, Honduras, and Haiti making the perilous journey due to violence, political instability, and poverty. The deadly risks of crossing the desert are exacerbated by extreme heat, with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and a lack of reliable water sources. Migrants are often forced to traverse these dangerous areas due to restrictive asylum policies, which have become increasingly stringent under both the Trump and Biden administrations. As Brad Jones of Humane Borders warns, “the harder you make it, the greater the risks that they will take in the desert... risk-taking exponentially increases the likelihood you will die.”
Source:
https://19thnews.org/2024/07/women-migrants-deaths-us-mexico-border/
4 - At the Border: Recent Incidents at and around the US-Mexico Border
This is a space where we share current incidents from the US southern border to show that these issues that we write about do, in fact, immediately affect people at the border and in detention, and the horrible things many migrants have to experience while seeking refuge in the U.S.
22 JUL - A 38-year-old mother from Ecuador was found dead along the Mexican side of the border wall, south of Border Patrol’s El Centro Sector (southeast California), on July 22. Border Patrol agents found the victim’s 10-year-old daughter alive next to her body. The cause of death appeared to be heat exhaustion and/or dehydration.
26 JUL - Panamanian border police found the bodies of ten migrants, their nationalities not yet identified, who drowned in the Darién Gap while trying to cross a river swollen by seasonal rains. They had apparently sought to take a shorter route through the treacherous jungle region, involving more boat travel and less walking, for which smugglers charge a higher fee.
Panama’s border service counted 11,363 migrants crossing the Darién Gap during the first half of July, one of the lowest daily averages since late 2022. The country’s migration service has not yet reported June data.
26 JUL - Border Patrol has now found the remains of 140 migrants in its El Paso sector, a segment of the border stretching from the Arizona-New Mexico border to just east of El Paso, during fiscal year 2024. In all of fiscal 2023, the figure was 149 migrant deaths, a record for the sector that is certain to be broken, as the region’s scorching-hot summer is far from over. The organization No More Deaths announced a new update to its El Paso migrant death map for 2024.
Source:
https://www.wola.org/2024/08/weekly-u-s-mexico-border-update-tim-walz-as...
Want to find out more about the conditions at the southern US border? Sign up for the weekly Border Update from WOLA. https://www.wola.org/tag/weekly-border-update/
5- Beyond Borders: Health and Safety in the Age of Migration in Mexico
Migration in Mexico is a complex phenomenon that presents significant challenges and opportunities. Historically, various factors have driven people to move within and through the country, seeking better living conditions or escaping adverse situations. Today, Mexico is not only a country of origin for many migrants but also a transit and destination country, especially for those from Central America. This situation calls for a comprehensive and humanitarian approach to ensure respect and dignity for every individual on their journey. According to María Guadalupe Córdova Espinoza and Pedro Santiago Sánchez, "migration has been a fundamental part of Mexico's history, influenced by various economic, social, and political factors."
Throughout history, Mexico has seen significant migration flows due to factors such as trade, war, and colonialism. In modern times, the country has evolved from being primarily a source of emigrants to a transit and destination country for migrants, particularly from Central America. In 2023, approximately 11.5 million Mexicans lived abroad, mainly in the United States, with remittances reaching a record $63.7 billion, vital for the Mexican economy.
The pandemic exacerbated the vulnerabilities of migrants, leaving many stranded without basic services or protection. Migrants in Mexico face numerous health challenges, including limited access to healthcare, exacerbated by cultural and linguistic barriers. Migrants are also at heightened risk of exploitation by organized crime, particularly in border areas. The government says its efforts to protect migrants include deploying the National Guard to secure migration routes and collaborating with international organizations to provide humanitarian assistance. Despite these efforts, significant challenges remain, requiring continued collaboration between governments, international organizations, and civil society to ensure a safer and more just environment for migrants.
By the way, in Guatemala, the migration route is fraught with danger, insecurity, and uncertainty. Migrants frequently experience violence, including sexual violence and extortion, with more families, children, and elderly people taking on the journey despite the risks. "The migration route is not easy," as stated by Carmen López, an MSF (Doctors Without Borders) doctor. The situation in Guatemala underscores the broader regional challenges faced by migrants in their pursuit of safety and better opportunities.
Sources:
6- Changing Demographics: Migrants to the US Come from Different Corners of the Globe
The U.S. unauthorized immigrant population has seen modest growth, driven by diverse migration flows and complex factors, not just by border arrivals. Contrary to exaggerated claims on social media that the population has surged by tens of millions, reliable estimates indicate that approximately 11.3 million unauthorized immigrants were in the U.S. as of mid-2022, a slight increase from previous years.
This population growth is attributed not only to increased arrivals at the U.S.-Mexico border but also to the overstaying of visas by migrants from countries like Venezuela, Colombia, Nicaragua, and some European and African nations. Meanwhile, the Mexican unauthorized immigrant population, which has been in decline for over 15 years, continued to decrease, offsetting some of the growth from other regions. The Migration Policy Institute (MPI) notes that the population has remained relatively stable over the past 15 years, with an influx of new arrivals balancing out exits due to deportations, voluntary departures, and legalizations.
A significant portion of this population now holds "twilight" statuses, such as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allow them to live and work in the U.S. temporarily without a clear path to permanent residency. The Biden administration has expanded these protections, potentially impacting up to 1.5 million immigrants. This trend reflects the increasingly complex legal landscape for unauthorized immigrants, where temporary protections coexist with the uncertainty of their future status.
In summary, the unauthorized immigrant population is shaped by a dynamic interplay of entries, exits, and legal adjustments, with the overall number remaining relatively stable, despite fluctuations in specific migrant groups. As the MPI explains, "The unauthorized immigrant population has never been static—it has always been marked by the churn of entries and exits."
Table 1. Top Ten Countries of Origin for the Unauthorized Immigrant Population in the United States, 2022
Latin Americans and Caribbeans combined accounted for 80 percent of all unauthorized immigrants in 2022. Ten percent were from Asia (see Table 2).
Table 2. Regions of Birth of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States, 2022
Sources:
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/news/us-unauthorized-population-diversifying
https://www.unhcr.org/global-trends-report-2023
7- Danger in the Darién Gap: Human rights abuses and the need for human pathways to safety
More than a half-million migrants crossed the Darién Gap last year. Migrants and local Panamanians have given details of extreme levels of sexual violence, extortion, robbery, and murder in this treacherous isthmus that connects Colombia to Panamá. They face poisonous snakes, sweltering heat, flash floods, hunger, dehydration, and deprivation. Children report seeing dead bodies.
The new president of Panamá, José Raúl Mulino , has vowed to close the Darién Gap. His new foreign minister has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the US to cover the costs of repatriating migrants who enter Panama illegally. US homeland security teams on the ground in Panama would help the government there train personnel and build up its own expertise and ability to determine which migrants, under Panama’s immigration laws, could be removed from the country. Then the US would pay for charter flights or commercial airplane tickets for them to return to their home countries.
But local residents say that Colombian cartels control the crossing, charging up to $1200 per migrant to cross the jungle. If migrants are able to pay, they can exit the jungle by foot or by boat. So will closing it down be feasible? If so, what other routes are available to migrants seeking asylum?
What are the causes of migration and experiences of the migrants?
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) conducts protection monitoring in the stretch of land that is about the size of New Jersey (approx. 7400 sq mi.). UNHCR recently released its findings of all monthly assessments conducted from July 2022 to April 2024.
Where are the migrants coming from?
UNHCR refers to those making the journey as “refugees and migrants.” Fewer than half came directly from their country of origin (47%); twenty-six percent were residing in Colombia when they started the trek, and 11% were in Chile. Venezuelans are now the top nationality coming through the Darién Gap. But migrants come from far away places across the globe like Afghanistan.
Why do migrants flee their homes?
When asked why they left their home country, the answers vary but generally fit into one of five primary categories. The UNHCR lists here the top five nationalities of migrants in the focus groups they interviewed. (Note: migrants might have answered affirmatively to more than one reason.)
1) Lack of employment/income
80% of Venezuelans
76% of Haitians
61% of Ecuadorians
57% of Colombians
41% of Afghans
2) General violence/insecurity
70% of Haitians
69% of Afghans
68% of Ecuadorians
52% of Colombians
42% of Venezuelans
3) Lack of food access
29% of Venezuelans
28% of Haitians
11% of Ecuadorians
10% of Colombians
3% of Afghans
4) Lack of medical access
21% of Haitians
19% of Venezuelans
12% of Ecuadorians
9% of Afghans
5% of Colombians
5) Was victim of specific targeted threats
75% of Afghans
33% of Colombians
30% of Ecuadorians
25% of Haitians
14% of Venezuelans
[Question number five is significant because it suggests grounds for political asylum.]
Where do the migrants start their journey?
Some are coming directly from their country of origin, but many others are already living in exile. Half of Venezuelans start from home, but the other half start from Colombia or Peru. Colombians and Ecuadorians typically begin from home. Chinese often travel first to Ecuador because that country is no longer requiring travel visa for them. Other “extra-continentals” like Afghans get humanitarian visas from Iran or Pakistan and then are admitted into Brazil. Many Haitians have been living as ex-pats for years in Chile, Brazil, and French Guiana.
What violence do they face?
Besides the physical dangers of crossing the jungle, migrants are subjected to human violence by assailants along the route. Here are the top forms of violence they report: theft (69% are victims), physical threat (34%), scam (31%), physical assault (8%), aduction/kidnapping (8%), sexual assault (6%), arbitrary arrest (2%), bribery from officials (2%), and homicide (1%).
Our response: humanitarian or political ?
The Darién Gap is the only land bridge from South America to Central America. Migrant justice advocates point to restrictive US policies that have forced hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers to trek this dangerous route of 60-100 miles through the jungle, which could take four days or more. The U.S. government’s stated policy is to reduce the number of migrants coming to the U.S., indifferent to what they are fleeing or why they have come. We see this as a humanitarian crisis, and it is! But Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, insists that the root of this migration crisis is political. Yes, we need a robust humanitarian response, but long-term solutions are only possible through policy decisions at the national and international levels.
Sources
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/02/panama-to-shut-dow...
https://mklm.org/justice-peace/the-most-dangerous-part-of-migrants-journey/
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/09/darien-gap-route-mi...
https://www.npr.org/2024/08/06/1197973168/caitlin-dickerson-migration
https://reliefweb.int/report/venezuela-bolivarian-republic/unhcr-darien-...
8 - Texas Gets Tough on Migrants
Texas governor, Greg Abbott, has taken increasing actions to deter migration at the Texas border. One of those actions was the creation of Operation Lone Star in 2021, which deployed the Texas National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety to conduct immigration enforcement actions at the border and in border communities. Abbott also signed a memorandum of understanding with Chihuahua Governor María Eugenia Campos in order to collectively work to stop migrant flow in Texas in April 2022.
With these systems in place the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border has turned into an area of systemic human abuses and death. The Hope Border Institute, during medical interventions, treated dozens of individuals who suffered from physical and psychological abuse at the hands of Texas agents. When families cross the Rio Grande bank from Ciudad Juarez, they encounter an illegally installed wall of razor and concertina wire put up by the Texas National Guard. This is also where agents yell at families to go back to Mexico or to move to another part of the border wall. Forcing families to walk miles along the border wall and often cross the razor wire in order to exercise their legitimate right to seek asylum.
The number of Border Patrol agents is disproportionally outweighed by the Texas Guard and DPS. At the El Paso-Ciudad Juárez border the border patrol does not apprehend nor process families and other individuals until they have touched the federal border wall or texas agents refer them to them. The Texas National Guard creates an illegal and physical obstacle to accessing protection to these immigrants. This causes people having to cam before crossing the razor wire. These informal camps lack access to running water, sanitation, or food. The people in these camps are exposed to the weather’s inclemencies and often present serious symptoms of dehydration. The Texas National Guard frequently fires pepper spray canisters as well as rubber bullets at families present in these encampments. Operation LoneStar arrests are overcrowding the El Paso county jail system and burdening tax payers. The U.S. Department of Justice has taken no actions to stop this veritable parallel immigration regime in El Paso.
Source:
https://www.hopeborder.org/_files/ugd/e07ba9_1ef77e8068b24ab7bf55ff6236c...
9 - Economic Benefits of Immigration
Immigrants continue to power the United States’ economy, they have the most impact in 5 different aspects of the economy. The first of those is agriculture. Undocumented workers make up about 25% of all farm workers in the US. These workers work about 10 hours per day in difficult and tiring conditions. The second, Building, grounds-keeping, and maintenance, where the laborers work for low wages for 12 hour shifts, often 7 days a week. Undocumented workers make up 19% of maintenance workers. The third would be construction, where 17% of US construction workers are undocumented. The fourth, food preparations & serving, which has 12% of undocumented workers. The last would be taxes, where undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes annually. All immigrants are barred from most social services, meaning that they pay to support benefits they cannot receive.
In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. For every 1 million undocumented immigrants who reside in the country, public services receive $8.9 billion in additional tax revenue. More than ⅓ of the tax dollars paid by undocumented immigrants go toward payroll taxes dedicated to funding programs that these workers cannot access. Undocumented immigrants paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, and $1.8 billion in unemployment insurance taxes in 2022. In six states undocumented immigrants raised more than $1 billion each in tax revenue.
California – $8.5 billion
Texas – $4.9 billion
New York – $3.1 billion
Florida – $1.8 billion
Illinois – $1.5 billion
New Jersey – $1.3 billion
The total tax contribution of undocumented immigrants amounted to 26.1% of their incomes in 2022. This figure is very close to the percent rate for the median income group of the overall US population, 26.4%. Most of these taxes are collected through levies applied to their incomes including broad income taxes as well as narrower payroll taxes levied on workers earnings. This graphic from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy shows the state and local tax contributions by undocumented immigrants.
Most state and local tax payments by undocumented immigrants occur through sales and excise taxes on their purchases. In 2022, the total tax contributions of these families included:
$15.1 billion in sales and excise taxes
$10.4 billion in property taxes
$7 billion in personal and business income taxes
$0.5 billion in other taxes to the states where they live
Undocumented immigrants also paid another $4.2 billion in taxes to states other than where they live, mostly by making taxable purchases when traveling across state lines or by purchasing items from businesses located in other states that have passed some of their tax expense to their customers.
There is even a scenario where undocumented immigrants can increase their tax contributions. For this scenario to happen, work authorization access would need to be provided to undocumented immigrants. Under this scenario, their tax contributions would rise by $40.2 billion per year to $136.9 billion. About $33.1 billion of the new revenue would go towards the federal government and the remainder $7.1 billion would go to states and localities.
Sources:
https://research.newamericaneconomy.org/report/contributions-of-undocume...
https://itep.org/undocumented-immigrants-taxes-2024/?emci=4d7a5175-3c50-...
https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/mobilizing-against-inequality/post/five-ways...
10 - Biden Can Claim Record Numbers of Removals
Biden immediately started his migrant removals as soon as he took office. According to Tom Cartwright, a researcher from Witness at the Border, there were more ICE flights during the start of Biden’s presidency than ever before. This is mostly due to the most radical shift in immigration policy in 50 years, Title 42. Title 42 gave the president the power to quickly expel migrants without the normal court process, using the pandemic as pretext. Comparatively, while Trump removed 2 million people during his presidency the Biden administration removed over 2.8 million migrants just within his first two years of office.
Even with the astounding number of migrants that got expelled during Biden’s first couple years in office, the number of deportations decreased. They are both a form of removal but expulsion and deportations are different. Deportations only come after an immigration judge officially orders someone removed, and they often involve people arrested before they go before a judge. During Biden’s first two years in office, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported under 200,000 people total — less than any single year during the Trump administration. As soon as Title 42 ended in May 2023, the number of deportations skyrocketed to historic numbers. According to the Migration Policy Institute Biden “removed or returned” 775,000 unauthorized immigrants from May 2023 to May 2024. That's higher than any previous year since 2020 and higher than the max of deportations under the Trump administration in one year of 612,000, which was with Title 42 in place.
There are indications that with the current manpower and equipment it may not be possible to deport more people. Deporting one person costs thousands of dollars. First, you need to locate people and arrest them. There isn’t a master list of where undocumented immigrants live throughout the US and ICE only has a tiny fraction of the total undocumented population under supervision. There’s also only a finite number of agents. Under the Biden administration, agents were advised to arrest the “worst of the worst,” while under the Trump administration people in ICE custody shot up because agents were advised to arrest anyone, not just known criminals.
Congress has only funded ICE to jail an average population of 34,000 migrants per day. This creates the problem of detaining them because even with more funding ICE doesn’t have more physical jail space to detain more immigrants than that. Detentions can last months if not years because the legal process can be lengthy and there's a court backlog of over 3 million people. There are also problems of actually getting undocumented immigrants out of the country and for those that do actually leave the country, landing the deportation flights in the foreign country.
Source:
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/07/28/trump-biden-immigratio...
TAKE ACTION NOW
Here is what you can do to take action this week and act in solidarity with migrants and their families.
A) Join a Solidarity Delegation to Southern Mexico: November 11-16, 2024
The Washington, DC-based Quixote Center and the Franciscan Network on Migration is leading a solidarity travel delegation to examine first-hand the impact of U.S. policies on Mexico's southern border. Meet with immigration rights advocates providing shelter and other services to migrants.
TAKE ACTION
Click on the Learn More button for more information on how you can participate.
B) Stop Criminalizing Migrants Traveling through the Darién Gap
On July 1 the Department of Homeland Security announced a new State-Department funded program to deport migrants arriving at the border between Panama and Colombia. This new policy only serves to punish already vulnerable and traumatized migrants fleeing violence, human rights abuse, and lack of economic opportunity in their home countries. Migrants don’t abandon their homeland by choice, but by necessity.
TAKE ACTION
Click here to reach out to the Biden administration to ask that they: 1) Take meaningful steps to address the root causes of migration, such as funding improved enforcement to deter the trafficking of guns and ammunition to the cartels terrorizing communities in Latin America and the Caribbean; 2) Fund humanitarian efforts at the Panama border and at the U.S. border with Mexico, to prevent violence and abuse against migrants; and 3) Continue to expand legal pathways for asylum seekers, and encourage other countries in the region to do the same
C) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: Catholic Charities
The Refugee Resource Center assists refugees and other displaced people, including the Ukrainians and Afghans resettled by Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services. It operates in the basement of St. Colman’s Parish (W. 65th St) and opens up on Saturdays from 9-12 for new arrivals to come get necessities that are not provided by other assistance. Currently the Resource Center sees 45+ families per week, many of whom are very large. Currently there is a great need for diapers, feminine napkins, toilet paper and laundry detergent. Other things that they always need: Shampoo, body soap, deodorant, dish soap and general household cleaner.
TAKE ACTION
If you or your parish could collect some of these items, or if you would like to make a donation in support of this ministry, please let Kelly Bon know at kabon@ccdocle.org , and she will help you arrange drop off at the site.
D) Volunteer to Assistant Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland: NEO Friends of Immigrants
RIDES and JOBS needed for folks served by AMIS and NEO Friends of Immigrants
TAKE ACTION
1) JOBS. The biggest need that our families have is for "pick-up" jobs before they get their work permits and Social Security #'s. Yard work, house cleaning, garage cleaning, help with moving, etc. If you have any such needs, please email Anne at anne.hill2@gmail.com for suggestions on who might do them.
2) SEWING. Ilda from Angola is a very skilled seamstress. She has two small children so it's difficult to work outside the home, and her English is limited. But she won't disappoint you with her sewing, whether it be repair work, hemming, or making a custom-made dress, shirt, curtains, or just about anything. If you would like to engage Ilda, please contact Rachel DeGolia at degolias@gmail.com.
3) RIDES TO SCHOOL. Estefany is a senior in high school this year and attends Beaumont School for Girls on North Park Blvd. in Cleveland Hts. This is her third year there and is doing very well academically. A group of women have been taking her to school and home from school each day in order for her to avoid very long bus rides each way. Each woman does one shift once a week. We pick her up at 7:45 a.m. to take her to school and pick her up at 3:00 pm, M-F, to take her home. We also substitute for each other when someone is out of town or has an important conflict. We need one more slot filled - Thursday afternoons at 3:00 p.m. And we need substitutes who will drive once in a while when the regular driver has a conflict or is out of town. If you are willing to make this commitment, please email Anne at anne.hill2@gmail.com. Thank you!
E) Get Paid to Assist Migrants and Refugees in Cleveland
AMIS is a migrant/refugee assistance organization closely affiliated with Friends of Immigrants NEO. AMIS is seeking a part-time contract employee (program administrator) to assist with volunteer recruitment and management and work with the newcomers served by AMIS. The growth of AMIS’s work has made it unsustainable to operate efficiently with only volunteers.
TAKE ACTION
For a job description, please contact anne.hill2@gmail.com. AMIS hopes to fill the position sometime in September 2024.
F) Act Now for Welcoming, Dignified, and Just Immigration
Everyone deserves a chance to build a good life, regardless of where they were born – or when or how they came to this country. But right now, our immigration system is causing unnecessary harm and suffering. It doesn't have to be this way. We can demand our lawmakers create a just and equitable approach to immigration that ensures all people have access to a humane pathway to citizenship. Join us in telling Congress to create a welcoming and accessible system that allows people to come to the U.S., build new lives, and be part of our communities.
TAKE ACTION
1) Click here to send a message to your US rep and your US senators, urging that they support policies that 1) keep families together, 2) offer paths to citizenship, 3) protect the right to seek asylum, 4) ensure basic needs for everyone, 5) value immigrant leadership, 6) change US foreign policy so that people can stay in their home countries and not feel the need to emigrate because they can’t meet basic needs or because of violence, inequitable economic policies, climate degradation, or other injustices.
2) Call the White House public comment line. Urge the Biden administration to take immediate steps to make our immigration system more welcoming, dignified, and just. This starts with rescinding the executive order closing the U.S.-Mexico border. Tell them we need humane immigration policies that uphold our values and help all people thrive, no matter where someone was born. Call (202) 456-1111
Topic:
