"It essentially will shut down the immigration system — sort of the final nail in the coffin."The US agency that oversees and administers key facets of the immigration system, including the processing of citizenship, green cards, and asylum applications, has taken its first steps to dramatically roll back its capabilities by issuing furlough notices to more than 13,000 employees.If Congress does not provide US Citizenship and Immigration Services with emergency funding before Aug. 3, the employees, who make up more than 60% of all staffers, will be furloughed for up to three months due to...…"It essentially will shut down the immigration system — sort of the final nail in the coffin."The US agency that oversees and administers key facets of the immigration system, including the processing of citizenship, green cards, and asylum applications, has taken its first steps to dramatically roll back its capabilities by issuing furlough notices to more than 13,000 employees.If Congress does not provide US Citizenship and Immigration Services with emergency funding before Aug. 3, the employees, who make up more than 60% of all staffers, will be furloughed for up to three months due to...WW…

Attorneys are worried their clients won’t be able to complete the last step to obtain US citizenship in time to register to vote in October after the pandemic sidelined scheduled ceremonies.A pair of would-be US citizens have filed a lawsuit to force immigration officials to schedule the oath ceremony they need to become Americans in time to register to vote in the presidential election this fall.To become a US citizen, immigrants must go through a long and at times arduous process that includes an interview with an immigration officer and a test on American civics and the English language....…Attorneys are worried their clients won’t be able to complete the last step to obtain US citizenship in time to register to vote in October after the pandemic sidelined scheduled ceremonies.A pair of would-be US citizens have filed a lawsuit to force immigration officials to schedule the oath ceremony they need to become Americans in time to register to vote in the presidential election this fall.To become a US citizen, immigrants must go through a long and at times arduous process that includes an interview with an immigration officer and a test on American civics and the English language....WW…

All of the detainees are stable, asymptomatic, and remain housed in medical isolation rooms, an independent monitor reported.BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .Eleven immigrants held inside a detention facility for families in Texas have tested positive for , according to court documents made public Thursday.The immigrant families were being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Karnes City, Texas. The Karnes County Residential Center is one of ICE's three...…All of the detainees are stable, asymptomatic, and remain housed in medical isolation rooms, an independent monitor reported.BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .Eleven immigrants held inside a detention facility for families in Texas have tested positive for , according to court documents made public Thursday.The immigrant families were being detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Karnes City, Texas. The Karnes County Residential Center is one of ICE's three...WW…

Immigrant advocates said the government’s filing sets up a potential separation of children from their parents in ICE custody.BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .The US government told a federal judge late Thursday that immigrant families should not be released from custody more than a week after children were ordered released from ICE detention centers across the country, setting up scenarios in which they could be separated.The government’s position comes after a June 26 order by...…Immigrant advocates said the government’s filing sets up a potential separation of children from their parents in ICE custody.BuzzFeed News has reporters around the world bringing you trustworthy stories about the impact of the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, .The US government told a federal judge late Thursday that immigrant families should not be released from custody more than a week after children were ordered released from ICE detention centers across the country, setting up scenarios in which they could be separated.The government’s position comes after a June 26 order by...WW…

The policy announcement comes during a time when the immigration system has already slowed down significantly.The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, and sign up for our newsletter, .President Trump on Tuesday said his 60-day ban on immigration will only apply to people applying for permanent residency, claiming it was necessary in order to protect American jobs as the economy continues to struggle during the coronavirus pandemic.The need for any extension or modification of the ban will...…The policy announcement comes during a time when the immigration system has already slowed down significantly.The journalists at BuzzFeed News are proud to bring you trustworthy and relevant reporting about the coronavirus. To help keep this news free, and sign up for our newsletter, .President Trump on Tuesday said his 60-day ban on immigration will only apply to people applying for permanent residency, claiming it was necessary in order to protect American jobs as the economy continues to struggle during the coronavirus pandemic.The need for any extension or modification of the ban will...WW…

Federal and Alameda County arson investigators were among those trying to determine the cause of a huge blaze that destroyed a seven-story building under construction in Oakland on Friday, displacing 700 nearby residents and leading one City Council member to suggest the fire was deliberately set.No one was injured in the predawn inferno that sent flames and smoke high above the area of downtown Oakland previously known as Auto Row.A tall construction crane that had apparently been damaged in the fire and was swiveling out of control and in danger of collapsing caused fire officials to...…Federal and Alameda County arson investigators were among those trying to determine the cause of a huge blaze that destroyed a seven-story building under construction in Oakland on Friday, displacing 700 nearby residents and leading one City Council member to suggest the fire was deliberately set.No one was injured in the predawn inferno that sent flames and smoke high above the area of downtown Oakland previously known as Auto Row.A tall construction crane that had apparently been damaged in the fire and was swiveling out of control and in danger of collapsing caused fire officials to...WW…

An email from Homeland Security investigators to ICE leadership revealed poor health care conditions at a remote jail in New Mexico. ICE officials waited months to move people from the facility.A transgender immigrant locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a private, remote New Mexico jail told staff she was bleeding from her rectum — and then had to wait 13 days for urgent medical care, according to a secret memo sent by a top Department of Homeland Security official to ICE leadership and obtained by BuzzFeed News. When the woman was finally tested, the memo said, “it was...…An email from Homeland Security investigators to ICE leadership revealed poor health care conditions at a remote jail in New Mexico. ICE officials waited months to move people from the facility.A transgender immigrant locked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a private, remote New Mexico jail told staff she was bleeding from her rectum — and then had to wait 13 days for urgent medical care, according to a secret memo sent by a top Department of Homeland Security official to ICE leadership and obtained by BuzzFeed News. When the woman was finally tested, the memo said, “it was...WW…

The changes to how immigrant families are being processed appear to only be happening in some parts of the border.Border Patrol agents in parts of Texas have started to release some undocumented immigrant families after Mexican authorities refused to take them back under a Trump-era policy that has expelled thousands of people who have illegally crossed into the US.It marks a significant shift from recent years, when former president Donald Trump ordered all immigrants and asylum-seekers who were caught trying to enter the US illegally to be sent back to Mexico. Since March 2020, US Customs...…The changes to how immigrant families are being processed appear to only be happening in some parts of the border.Border Patrol agents in parts of Texas have started to release some undocumented immigrant families after Mexican authorities refused to take them back under a Trump-era policy that has expelled thousands of people who have illegally crossed into the US.It marks a significant shift from recent years, when former president Donald Trump ordered all immigrants and asylum-seekers who were caught trying to enter the US illegally to be sent back to Mexico. Since March 2020, US Customs...WW…

“It’s disturbing and disheartening," one agency official told BuzzFeed News.An official at the agency that oversees US immigration and naturalization services told employees not to communicate with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team until a Trump appointee “deems the results ‘clear’” and recognizes the winner, according to an internal email obtained by BuzzFeed News.The message was sent Thursday to a group of policy staffers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nearly a week after the presidential election was called in favor of Biden.USCIS has undergone a stark...…“It’s disturbing and disheartening," one agency official told BuzzFeed News.An official at the agency that oversees US immigration and naturalization services told employees not to communicate with President-elect Joe Biden's transition team until a Trump appointee “deems the results ‘clear’” and recognizes the winner, according to an internal email obtained by BuzzFeed News.The message was sent Thursday to a group of policy staffers at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) nearly a week after the presidential election was called in favor of Biden.USCIS has undergone a stark...WW…

"We need much more transparency and not less."A government watchdog agency responsible for overseeing the conditions that federal agencies hold immigrants in said it will not be visiting facilities because of the coronavirus, which observers worry will diminish independent inspections.In an email reviewed by BuzzFeed News, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said for the time being, they will only visit facilities when they determine they can do so safely. In the meantime, inspectors will continue to conduct their work virtually.The DHS OIG didn’t...…"We need much more transparency and not less."A government watchdog agency responsible for overseeing the conditions that federal agencies hold immigrants in said it will not be visiting facilities because of the coronavirus, which observers worry will diminish independent inspections.In an email reviewed by BuzzFeed News, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) said for the time being, they will only visit facilities when they determine they can do so safely. In the meantime, inspectors will continue to conduct their work virtually.The DHS OIG didn’t...WW…