The Daily Caller reports that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will propose a rule that stops illegal immigrants from using loopholes to obtain public housing. Millions of citizens waiting for assistance so the rule is expected to free up housing units they can use.
Attorney General William Barr yesterday ruled that asylum seekers who illegally cross the border between ports of entry are not eligible for bond and must remain in detention. The decision does not affect unaccompanied migrant children or “family units,” who are exempt from expedited removal.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) yesterday said it is “way past time” for Republicans and Democrats to negotiate a solution for the border crisis. Alluding to the recent DHS personnel shakeup, McConnell said, "It can't all be solved by changing personnel, some of it requires changing the law. That means we have to deal with the Democrats. They're in the majority in the House."
Three Senators reintroduced the RAISE Act today.
The bill was first introduced last Congress by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and David Perdue (R-Ga.). Freshman Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has signed on as a co-sponsor this Congress.
In a statement, Sen. Cotton said, “For decades, our immigration system has been completely divorced from the needs of our country and has harmed the livelihoods of working-class Americans,” as reported by The Hill.
Border Patrol officers apprehended 92,607 illegal border crossers during the month of March, marking the highest number of apprehensions in a single month since May 2006. In addition, more than 10,000 migrants presented themselves at ports of entry and were deemed to be inadmissible.
Kirstjen Nielsen stepped down as chief of the Department of Homeland Security on Sunday as the ongoing border crisis continues to worsen. Kevin McAleenan, who currently heads Customs and Border Protection, will take over in the interim.
Cardinal Robert Sarah, a top Vatican official who is sometimes at odds with Pope Francis' political pronouncements, told a French publication last week it is wrong to use Scripture to justify mass migration.
The Washington Examiner reports the federal government is utilizing a DNA testing system that would help Border Patrol Agents quickly check whether those crossing the border as a family are in fact related. Agents now rely on documents the individuals carry and interrogation to verify familial relationships. But workload pressures from the huge increase in family asylum seekers make this already problematic method unworkable.
ICE agents arrested nearly 300 unauthorized workers on at an electronics company in Allen, Texas north of Dallas on Wednesday. This is ICE's largest single worksite enforcement operation in a decade.
President Trump today tweeted that he will close the Mexican border or parts of it next week if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop all illegal immigration coming into the United States.” This is the latest in a series of closure threats over the last six months. The president has repeatedly asked Congress for help in stemming the border crisis, It has not been forthcoming so he is considering other options.