Relatives of Unaccompanied Minors Fear Deportation
Alexander Richey
Thousands of unaccompanied minors remain detained a week out from the deadline for the Trump administration to reunite children with their parents.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement says four hundred and fifty three children have been resettled in Alabama this year through April. It isn’t known how many since then. Children released from detention are placed into foster care shelters or with relatives who are approved as sponsors.
The problem is, many relatives are afraid to come forward to take in these children. That’s because they’re required to disclose their immigration status to private resettlement agencies and the Department of Homeland Security.
Isabel Rubio, director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, says relatives are still worried. “People are concerned that if their information is sent to the Department of Homeland Security that they are at higher risk for deportation because now immigration knows exactly who they are and where they live.”
The administration says collecting the information is a way to vet members of the household for criminal history or prior sex offenses. Officials say it also closes loopholes in child trafficking.
Rubio says if relatives of unaccompanied minors do not come forward, children are likely to be detained longer, or stay in foster care while they await immigration hearings.
Trump visits Federal Reserve and tussles with Jerome Powell in extraordinary moment
President Trump visited the Federal Reserve to inspect an ongoing renovation and disagreed with the Fed chair about the project's final cost in an extraordinary moment.
Trump signs an executive order making it easier to remove homeless people from streets
The White House directive calls for prioritizing money for programs that require sobriety and treatment, and for cities that enforce homeless camping bans.
Artist Amy Sherald has canceled her upcoming show at the Smithsonian
The artist, best known for her portrait of Michelle Obama, said the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery wanted to keep her portrait of a trans woman out of the exhibition American Sublime.
Questions about Epstein files follow lawmakers home
It's just the start of a summer recess for Congress, but already House Republicans are being asked questions back home about the push to release records related to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
Justin Bieber and Travis Scott bring some chaos to summer chart doldrums
The recently stagnant charts are flooded with new releases this week, led by Bieber and Scott. Plus, Ravyn Lenae's slow-burning hit "Love Me Not" makes a play for song of the summer status.
Supreme Court keeps a pause for now on a ruling that weakens the Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court has extended a pause, for now, on a lower court ruling that struck down a key tool for protecting minority voters under the Voting Rights Act in seven states.