Immigration News

Data from the Department of Homeland Security show that less than 10 percent of migrants claiming asylum and have a legitimate basis for that claim. In fiscal year 2018, almost 90 percent of Central American migrants asked for asylum when they arrived at the U.S. border. Only nine percent of those claims were deemed legitimate.  Read more at breitbart.com 

An article in American Thinker rebuts the idea that mass immigration can save retirement benefits for older Americans. The article notes that immigrants can make a contribution because they generally take more in public benefits than they pay in taxes. The article advocates technological development to make the economy more productive in order to fund retirement benefits. Read more at americanthinker.com  

The Center for Immigration Studies reports that "Newly released data show that 2016 tied with 1999 as the highest single year of immigration in U.S. history, with the arrival of 1.75 million new immigrants (both legal and illegal). The new numbers represent a continuation of the dramatic rebound in new arrivals since 2011, when annual immigration bottomed out after the Great Recession."  Read more at cis.org

In response to reports that members of the migrant caravan threw rocks at Mexican police, President Trump stated, "We will consider [rocks] a firearm.  .  .  . We're mot going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back. I told them to consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks, like they did at the Mexico military and police, I said, consider it a rifle." In further comments, the president stated, "If these caravans are allowed into our country, only bigger and more emboldened caravans will follow--and you see that's what's happening now." Read more at foxnews.com   

Members of the migrant caravan moving toward our Southern border have filed a lawsuit against the President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. District Court in Washington. The lawsuit claims that Trump's expressed intention to impede the caravan are a violation of their constitutional rights.  Read more at foxnews.com 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the migrant caravan coming up through Mexico will not be allowed to enter the U.S. He stated, “The United States also has a message for those who are currently part of this caravan or any caravan which follows: You will not be successful at getting into the United States illegally no matter what. “I repeat, the caravan will not cross our southern border under any circumstances."  Read more at breitbart,com 

President Trump says he will sign an executive order to end the policy of granting automatic citizenship to the children of illegal aliens born on U.S. soil. Supporters of this policy say it is mandated by the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Those who disagree say that the supporters are misinterpret the amendment. If the president does sign the executive order he proposes, it will face legal challenges which will probably go to the Supreme Court.   read more at usatoday.com 

Mexico offered migrants crossing its territory the opportunity to apply for asylum, as well as the opportunity to receive temporary employment, health care, and education for their children. Most of the migrants rejected the offer. "Our goal is not to remain in Mexico," one of them told am ABC News interviewer. "Our goal is to make it to the [U.S]. We want passage, that's all." Reportedly, the migrants plan to claim asylum when they reach the U.S., but that will be an obviously false claim following their rejection of asylum in Mexico.   Read more at dailymail.co.uk

Vice President Mike Pence said that the president of Honduras told him that the government of Venezuela is funding the caravan of migrants headed toward the United States. Many observers have wondered where the the logistics are coming from to assist the movement of thousands of people over such a long distance. Read more at breitbart.com

Supporters of the the migrant caravan headed to the U.S. border say that the migrants have a right to stay in the U.S. as seekers of asylum. Nevertheless, many of them--including a number previously deported as illegal aliens--have admitted to interviewers that finding jobs is their motivation for coming. A desire for better employment is not recognized as a legitimate ground for claiming asylum. Typically, asylum involves "a well founded fear" of persecution because of beliefs or ethnicity. Also, if people are truly seeking safety from persecution, they can apply for asylum in the first country they enter after leaving their homeland. Central Americans, who comprise the bulk of the caravan migrants, could apply for asylum in Mexico. The reason they don't, apparently, is that the economic benefits of the U.S. are their real objective. Read more at breitbart.com