The Immigrant’s Journal - Vol. 121

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The Immigrant’s Journal Vol. 121

Our leaders who stood for Unity & Justice

FREE

Protecting God’s Children From Distant Lands

www.ijlef.org

June 25, 2020

26 Court Street, Suite 701, Brooklyn, NY 11242 Tel: 718-243-9431 Fax: 718-222-3153 Email: immjournal @aol.com

The Government Said It Wouldn’t Separate Families at Ports of Entry. It Was Lying. BY KATE SHEPHERD

City Launches Immigrant COVID-19 Burial Assistance Program

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he Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently condemned U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for its role in separating families at the border in 2018. Like previous inspections, the government oversight agency said CBP repeatedly underreported the number of people it separated. This time, the OIG found that a component of CBP—the Office of Field Operations (OFO)—separated dozens of families at ports of entry along the U.S.Mexico border on the basis that they had prior, non-violent immigration violations. OFO carried out this horrific practice even though the government explicitly stated it would not separate families

Editorial credit: Stephanie Kenner / Shutterstock.com

for such offenses. The OIG released the report two years after the Trump administration’s highly controversial and illegal “Zero Tolerance” policy. This policy led to

thousands of children being separated from their parents at the U.S.- Mexico border. continued on page 2

Trump’s Proposal to Eliminate the US Asylum System ...7

VICTORY! SCOTUS Declares Trump’s Termination of DACA Illegal

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ashington, DC: In a 5-4 majority opinion the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Trump administration’s termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program violated the Administrative Procedure Act and was, thus, unlawful. More than 800,000 DACA recipients — and 50,000 New Yorkers — will no longer be at risk of being separated from their families, and communities. In New York, 9,200 DACA recipients are serving as front line workers. 1,200 of them are healthcare workers. DACA

recipients make up the backbone of this country, as nurses, teachers, EMT workers, small business owners, and much more. According to a Morning Consult/Politico poll released this month, more than three-quarters of American voters support these Dreamers and believe they should have a path to citizenship. This support extends to Trump voters, with 69% of Americans who voted for Trump in 2016, saying they support Dreamers. “Today’s Supreme Court ruling on Christopher Penler / Shutterstock.com

continued on page 12

US Refugee Program Faces Grim Milestone: Historically Low Admissions BY KATY MURDZA

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ach year on June 20, World Refugee Day celebrates the resiliency of refugees who have fled persecution in their home countries. It also honors the process that allows countries to take in refugees. This year, the occasion is more somber in the United States, where refugee admissions

are historically low. World Refugee Day was established in 2001 by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). This year’s theme, “#StepWithRefugees,” encourages people around the world to walk a mile in support of refugees, and to nominate friends on social media to do the same. The Refugee Act of 1980 created two

processes for persecuted people to seek protection in the United States. The first is the refugee admissions process, which is used for people outside the United States who have already been found to need protection. It also created the asylum process. This process lets people apply for protection after arriving to the United States. The president sets the continued on page 2

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he Immigrant COVID-19 Burial Assistance Program, created by the Mayor’s Fund with the support of the New York City Human Resources Administration and the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, will help the loved ones of undocumented immigrants who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic grieve with dignity. ·With $1.5 million in funding from SOMOS Community Care, Robin Hood, Trinity Church Wall Street, and Amalgamated Bank, the Immigrant COVID-19 Burial Assistance Program provides financial assistance to immigrants—regardless of legal status—who are unable to pay for the funeral expenses for relatives who died during the pandemic. ·HRA will screen all individuals who apply for burial assistance in the same manner that it currently does for its Burial Assistance program, and the Immigrant COVID-19 Burial Assistance Program will provide burial assistance funds to qualified immigrant New Yorkers in the form of pre-approval for the cost of a planned funeral or reimbursement for services that have already been paid. HRA, with support from New York State, provides some assistance for those who cannot afford funeral costs through its Burial Assistance program, which provides up to $1,700 toward burial expenses. This program is only available to families of low-income decedents without resources or assets available to pay for a funeral and who were eligible for HRA Cash Assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Social Security benefits including Supplemental Security Income. l For information, instructions online application, visit: shorturl.at/jnpuN

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