X/@Sec_Noem via REUTERS
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wears an ICE vest during a briefing with law enforcement agents ahead of immigration raids in New York City, U.S., January 28, 2025 in this image obtained from social media.
January 28, 2025
A confrontational legislative hearing Monday — with a witness calling a state senator a fascist and lawmakers battling over whether the state should put a bounty on undocumented immigrants — set the tone for this year’s debate on immigration and the state’s role in border security.
The most aggressive approach, in a bill filed by state Sen. David Gregory, would award a $1,000 bounty for tips that result in the arrest of a person present in the United States without authorization. Gregory, a Republican from Chesterfield, wants to authorize bounty hunters, usually employed by bail bond businesses to catch absconders, to track down people identified in tips.
And if the tip proves accurate, the person arrested would be charged with “trespass by an illegal alien,” and subject to life in prison without parole if federal immigration authorities declined to take custody.
“This bill seeks to create an ICE program at the state level,” Gregory told the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee. “That’s essentially all it does. This is an ICE program inside the state of Missouri.”
State Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said it encourages people to make reports based on skin color or English proficiency.
“Don’t tell me it is not going to happen because it is happening now,” Washington said.
Gregory’s bill — and another heard Monday from state Sen. Jill Carter, a Joplin Republican — are among several introduced by Republicans this session seeking to make it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to remain in the state.
Carter’s bill would also create new crimes based on immigration status. For simply being undocumented, a person could be charged with “improper entry” and could be punished by a fine of up to $10,000 and removal to a U.S. port of entry for deportation
The crime of “aggravated illegal presence” would be a felony applying to undocumented people who violated any other Missouri law. The penalty would be increased if the violation was a felony law.
Immigration and border security have been a major issue for the GOP nationally, helping get President Donald Trump elected to a new term. Trump promised mass deportations, and roundups began almost immediately after he took office.
There were 956 arrests on Sunday, the BBC reported. Colombia, which initially refused to accept incoming flights of people being deported, relented after Trump threatened to impose a tariff of 25% on all imports from the South American country.
Federal courts have blocked attempts in Iowa, Texas and Georgia to make it a crime to be in those states if a person is in the U.S. illegally.
During Monday’s hearing, immigrants — with legal status and without — said the bills filed this year represent an escalation of oppression.
“It is inhumane to say people should be hunted like a sport,” said Aura Velasquez, who has been a citizen for five years. “It would turn neighbors against neighbors and friends against each other.”
Immigration advocates argued that a community already fearful about having documentation to remain in the U.S. revoked would become more fearful.
“This bill fosters a climate of fear, where people feel unsafe engaging in even the most basic activities beyond going to work or school,” said Gabriella Cepeda, representing the Hispanic Law Students Association at St. Louis University. “They are terrified of being profiled or targeted life in prison for simply existing in the state without documentation. It is not just extreme, it’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
The handful of supporters, representing law enforcement and a conservative Jewish group, said the state must protect itself from human trafficking and drug trafficking associated with lax border security.
“This legislation would simply give law enforcement another tool in the tool box to assist our federal partners,” Lewis County Sheriff David Parish said.
Last summer, a Missouri House interim committee studied the issue of crime associated with illegal immigration. The report, published Jan. 7, drew no conclusions and reported that many of the witnesses said they feared problems associated with border communities reaching Missouri.
The report did not estimate the number of undocumented immigrants in Missouri but said studies show a substantial economic impact.
Undocumented immigrants paid approximately $113 million in state taxes in 2022 but cannot use the public benefits those taxes support like Medicaid. Their economic activity supports 160,000 jobs and $19 billion in total economic activity, providing “real economic stability that benefits all Missourians,” the committee report stated.
Washington peppered Gregory and Carter with questions about whether the state should trade that economic support for a state free of undocumented immigrants.
“We have 77,000 illegal immigrants that we have here in Missouri,” Gregory said.
“So they should all be subject to this, because you’re saying that we should arrest them just because they’re here?” Washington asked.
“Yes,” Gregory replied.
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.
A confrontational legislative hearing Monday — with a witness calling a state senator a fascist and lawmakers battling over whether the state should put a bounty on undocumented immigrants — set the tone for this year’s debate on immigration and the state’s role in border security.
The most aggressive approach, in a bill filed by state Sen. David Gregory, would award a $1,000 bounty for tips that result in the arrest of a person present in the United States without authorization. Gregory, a Republican from Chesterfield, wants to authorize bounty hunters, usually employed by bail bond businesses to catch absconders, to track down people identified in tips.
And if the tip proves accurate, the person arrested would be charged with “trespass by an illegal alien,” and subject to life in prison without parole if federal immigration authorities declined to take custody.
“This bill seeks to create an ICE program at the state level,” Gregory told the Senate Transportation, Infrastructure and Public Safety Committee. “That’s essentially all it does. This is an ICE program inside the state of Missouri.”
State Sen. Barbara Washington, a Kansas City Democrat, said it encourages people to make reports based on skin color or English proficiency.
“Don’t tell me it is not going to happen because it is happening now,” Washington said.
Gregory’s bill — and another heard Monday from state Sen. Jill Carter, a Joplin Republican — are among several introduced by Republicans this session seeking to make it more difficult for undocumented immigrants to remain in the state.
Carter’s bill would also create new crimes based on immigration status. For simply being undocumented, a person could be charged with “improper entry” and could be punished by a fine of up to $10,000 and removal to a U.S. port of entry for deportation
The crime of “aggravated illegal presence” would be a felony applying to undocumented people who violated any other Missouri law. The penalty would be increased if the violation was a felony law.
Immigration and border security have been a major issue for the GOP nationally, helping get President Donald Trump elected to a new term. Trump promised mass deportations, and roundups began almost immediately after he took office.
There were 956 arrests on Sunday, the BBC reported. Colombia, which initially refused to accept incoming flights of people being deported, relented after Trump threatened to impose a tariff of 25% on all imports from the South American country.
Federal courts have blocked attempts in Iowa, Texas and Georgia to make it a crime to be in those states if a person is in the U.S. illegally.
During Monday’s hearing, immigrants — with legal status and without — said the bills filed this year represent an escalation of oppression.
“It is inhumane to say people should be hunted like a sport,” said Aura Velasquez, who has been a citizen for five years. “It would turn neighbors against neighbors and friends against each other.”
Immigration advocates argued that a community already fearful about having documentation to remain in the U.S. revoked would become more fearful.
“This bill fosters a climate of fear, where people feel unsafe engaging in even the most basic activities beyond going to work or school,” said Gabriella Cepeda, representing the Hispanic Law Students Association at St. Louis University. “They are terrified of being profiled or targeted life in prison for simply existing in the state without documentation. It is not just extreme, it’s cruel and unusual punishment.”
The handful of supporters, representing law enforcement and a conservative Jewish group, said the state must protect itself from human trafficking and drug trafficking associated with lax border security.
“This legislation would simply give law enforcement another tool in the tool box to assist our federal partners,” Lewis County Sheriff David Parish said.
Last summer, a Missouri House interim committee studied the issue of crime associated with illegal immigration. The report, published Jan. 7, drew no conclusions and reported that many of the witnesses said they feared problems associated with border communities reaching Missouri.
The report did not estimate the number of undocumented immigrants in Missouri but said studies show a substantial economic impact.
Undocumented immigrants paid approximately $113 million in state taxes in 2022 but cannot use the public benefits those taxes support like Medicaid. Their economic activity supports 160,000 jobs and $19 billion in total economic activity, providing “real economic stability that benefits all Missourians,” the committee report stated.
Washington peppered Gregory and Carter with questions about whether the state should trade that economic support for a state free of undocumented immigrants.
“We have 77,000 illegal immigrants that we have here in Missouri,” Gregory said.
“So they should all be subject to this, because you’re saying that we should arrest them just because they’re here?” Washington asked.
“Yes,” Gregory replied.
Missouri Independent is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Missouri Independent maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jason Hancock for questions: info@missouriindependent.com.
Trump crackdown spurs migrants to seek refuge in Mexico
Naucalpan de Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – After US President Donald Trump dashed her hopes of gaining asylum in the United States, Arianne Dominguez joined hundreds of other migrants seeking refuge in Mexico instead.
RFI
Issued on: 29/01/2025 -
Naucalpan de Juárez (Mexico) (AFP) – After US President Donald Trump dashed her hopes of gaining asylum in the United States, Arianne Dominguez joined hundreds of other migrants seeking refuge in Mexico instead.
RFI
Issued on: 29/01/2025 -
Migrants wait outside an office of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance near Mexico City
© ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
The 24-year-old Cuban arrived in Mexico less than two weeks before Trump took office on January 20 and almost immediately halted access to an app introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden to help process claims for entering the United States.
"I was in shock," Dominguez said.
"I thought about my family in Cuba who were hoping I could get to the United States. Then I had to think about plan B," she told AFP.
The alternative she decided on was to stay in Mexico and obtain refuge status.
She went to an office of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) in a Mexico City suburb that is busy dealing with migrants seeking asylum in the Latin American nation.
The 24-year-old Cuban arrived in Mexico less than two weeks before Trump took office on January 20 and almost immediately halted access to an app introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden to help process claims for entering the United States.
"I was in shock," Dominguez said.
"I thought about my family in Cuba who were hoping I could get to the United States. Then I had to think about plan B," she told AFP.
The alternative she decided on was to stay in Mexico and obtain refuge status.
She went to an office of the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) in a Mexico City suburb that is busy dealing with migrants seeking asylum in the Latin American nation.
Some migrants seeking assistance from the Mexican refugee agency have been waiting for days © ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
Venezuelans, Cubans and other foreigners fleeing poverty, violence and political persecution wait in line for days to begin the process.
Juan Carmona, a 50-year-old Venezuelan mechanic, decided to stay in Mexico with his wife because they were unable to reach the United States.
"We decided on Mexico. We liked it a lot and for now we want to do this in the best way possible, completely legally, not to become undocumented," he said.
In 2024, Mexico granted refuge to more than 26,800 foreigners, according to official figures.
Migrants seeking assistance from the Mexican refugee agency have been waiting for days, some outdoors or sleeping in tents.
Others are on waiting lists operated by the migrants themselves.
'Things are not good'
In the southern city of Tapachula, long queues have also formed outside the COMAR offices as migrants wait under the gaze of soldiers guarding the building.
Many of the migrants had -- or were requesting -- appointments with US authorities through the CBP One app.
But now they see seeking asylum in Mexico as their best option for the moment.
"We're here to see if we can work while we're here or to make a life here. Things are not good," says Jose Ricardo Moreno, a 60-year-old Cuban who is traveling with his wife and 22-year-old daughter.
Before Trump took office, Moreno was given an asylum appointment in the United States for February 2, but he lost it when CBP One was axed.
Venezuelans, Cubans and other foreigners fleeing poverty, violence and political persecution wait in line for days to begin the process.
Juan Carmona, a 50-year-old Venezuelan mechanic, decided to stay in Mexico with his wife because they were unable to reach the United States.
"We decided on Mexico. We liked it a lot and for now we want to do this in the best way possible, completely legally, not to become undocumented," he said.
In 2024, Mexico granted refuge to more than 26,800 foreigners, according to official figures.
Migrants seeking assistance from the Mexican refugee agency have been waiting for days, some outdoors or sleeping in tents.
Others are on waiting lists operated by the migrants themselves.
'Things are not good'
In the southern city of Tapachula, long queues have also formed outside the COMAR offices as migrants wait under the gaze of soldiers guarding the building.
Many of the migrants had -- or were requesting -- appointments with US authorities through the CBP One app.
But now they see seeking asylum in Mexico as their best option for the moment.
"We're here to see if we can work while we're here or to make a life here. Things are not good," says Jose Ricardo Moreno, a 60-year-old Cuban who is traveling with his wife and 22-year-old daughter.
Before Trump took office, Moreno was given an asylum appointment in the United States for February 2, but he lost it when CBP One was axed.
Many migrants see seeking asylum in Mexico as their best option, at least for now © ALFREDO ESTRELLA / AFP
Janqui Martin, a 43-year-old Cuban doctor, said he was tired of moving between countries and decided to stay in Mexico.
"Mexico has welcomed us, opened the door to us and we have the possibility of working," said Martin, who left his wife and 12-year-old daughter in Cuba.
On his first day back in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the US southern border and vowed to deport "millions and millions" of migrants.
His administration said it would also reinstate a "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevailed during Trump's first term, under which people who apply to enter the United States from Mexico must remain there until their application has been decided.
The White House has also halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
Trump's office additionally said he had ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border.
Shakira Chaparro, a 29-year-old Venezuelan waiting in the border city of Tijuana, said that crossing over illegally was now too risky.
"The best option is to stay here, find a way to get a permit to stay for a while or return to our country," she said.
© 2025 AFP
Janqui Martin, a 43-year-old Cuban doctor, said he was tired of moving between countries and decided to stay in Mexico.
"Mexico has welcomed us, opened the door to us and we have the possibility of working," said Martin, who left his wife and 12-year-old daughter in Cuba.
On his first day back in office, Trump declared a national emergency at the US southern border and vowed to deport "millions and millions" of migrants.
His administration said it would also reinstate a "Remain in Mexico" policy that prevailed during Trump's first term, under which people who apply to enter the United States from Mexico must remain there until their application has been decided.
The White House has also halted an asylum program for people fleeing authoritarian regimes in Central and South America, leaving thousands of people stranded on the Mexican side of the border.
Trump's office additionally said he had ordered 1,500 more military personnel to the border.
Shakira Chaparro, a 29-year-old Venezuelan waiting in the border city of Tijuana, said that crossing over illegally was now too risky.
"The best option is to stay here, find a way to get a permit to stay for a while or return to our country," she said.
© 2025 AFP
What to make of Trump’s Guantanamo plan for migrants
By AFP
January 31, 2025
The United States leases the site holding the Guantanamo Bay prison from Cuba under a treaty dating back to 1903 - Copyright AFP PEDRO UGARTE
President Donald Trump has said he wants to send 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” to the notorious Guantanamo Bay US military base in Cuba.
The site houses the prison where hundreds of terror suspects labelled “enemy combatants” were held — many for years without charge — after the 9/11 attacks. Some were tortured.
Trump said this week he had ordered the construction of a detention center there to “double our capacity immediately” to hold undocumented migrants.
The plan has raised questions and concerns.
– Is it new? –
Guantanamo Bay has for decades been used to hold Caribbean asylum seekers and refugees caught at sea. Migrants are held in a different part of the base than that used for terror suspects.
In the 1990s, it was used to house tens of thousands of Haitians and Cubans who fled crises in their homelands.
They were accommodated in tent cities, many eventually sent home after being held at Guantanamo for years.
Trump’s move would entail a significant expansion of what is known as the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC).
But Deepa Alagesan of the New York-based International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) says migrants are already being held “in inhuman conditions, and expanding the facility will be nothing short of disastrous.”
In a report last September, the IRAP reported conditions at the GMOC including “undrinkable water and exposure to open sewage, inadequate schooling and medical care for children, and collective punishment of detained Cuban and Haitian refugees.”
– Is it legal? –
“Some of them are so bad that we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said of the migrants he plans to ship off to Guantanamo — adding it is “a tough place to get out of.”
Bill Frelick, refugee and migrants director at Human Rights Watch told AFP that Trump’s intention appears to be “to detain people indefinitely.”
He explained there was leeway under domestic and international law to detain migrants administratively for short periods of time until they can be sent back to their home countries.
If they cannot be returned, “there is no longer a legitimate reason for the detention, and it becomes arbitrary,” said Frelick.
Making matters worse, Guantanamo is a remote, closed military base “which the US government has used to evade legal protections and public scrutiny” in the past.
“When detention becomes prolonged and indefinite and untethered from proper oversight, it violates human rights and may amount to torture,” said Frelick.
The UN human rights office said Friday that migrants should only be detained “as a last resort. And only in exceptional circumstances.”
Observers say migrants in Guantanamo would find it hard to access legal counsel.
Many would be legitimate asylum seekers who have the right under US and international law to live and work in America while their applications are considered.
– Is it necessary? –
Thousands of undocumented migrants have been arrested since Trump’s January 20 inauguration, including some accused of crimes.
An unknown number have been repatriated to Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and other countries. Trump has vowed to expel “millions.”
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency currently has funding for 41,500 detainee beds, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.
In a report this week, it said US military facilities such as Guantanamo “can play a central role in management of detention and deportation” — and already have been used for this purpose under previous administrations including that of Joe Biden.
The United States leases the site holding the prison from Cuba under a treaty dating back to 1903.
The communist government in Havana considers it an illegal occupation, but the US Department of State website states the lease was the product of “international agreement and treaty” and can only be ended by mutual agreement.
By AFP
January 31, 2025
The United States leases the site holding the Guantanamo Bay prison from Cuba under a treaty dating back to 1903 - Copyright AFP PEDRO UGARTE
President Donald Trump has said he wants to send 30,000 “criminal illegal aliens” to the notorious Guantanamo Bay US military base in Cuba.
The site houses the prison where hundreds of terror suspects labelled “enemy combatants” were held — many for years without charge — after the 9/11 attacks. Some were tortured.
Trump said this week he had ordered the construction of a detention center there to “double our capacity immediately” to hold undocumented migrants.
The plan has raised questions and concerns.
– Is it new? –
Guantanamo Bay has for decades been used to hold Caribbean asylum seekers and refugees caught at sea. Migrants are held in a different part of the base than that used for terror suspects.
In the 1990s, it was used to house tens of thousands of Haitians and Cubans who fled crises in their homelands.
They were accommodated in tent cities, many eventually sent home after being held at Guantanamo for years.
Trump’s move would entail a significant expansion of what is known as the Guantanamo Migrant Operations Center (GMOC).
But Deepa Alagesan of the New York-based International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) says migrants are already being held “in inhuman conditions, and expanding the facility will be nothing short of disastrous.”
In a report last September, the IRAP reported conditions at the GMOC including “undrinkable water and exposure to open sewage, inadequate schooling and medical care for children, and collective punishment of detained Cuban and Haitian refugees.”
– Is it legal? –
“Some of them are so bad that we don’t even trust the countries to hold them because we don’t want them coming back,” Trump said of the migrants he plans to ship off to Guantanamo — adding it is “a tough place to get out of.”
Bill Frelick, refugee and migrants director at Human Rights Watch told AFP that Trump’s intention appears to be “to detain people indefinitely.”
He explained there was leeway under domestic and international law to detain migrants administratively for short periods of time until they can be sent back to their home countries.
If they cannot be returned, “there is no longer a legitimate reason for the detention, and it becomes arbitrary,” said Frelick.
Making matters worse, Guantanamo is a remote, closed military base “which the US government has used to evade legal protections and public scrutiny” in the past.
“When detention becomes prolonged and indefinite and untethered from proper oversight, it violates human rights and may amount to torture,” said Frelick.
The UN human rights office said Friday that migrants should only be detained “as a last resort. And only in exceptional circumstances.”
Observers say migrants in Guantanamo would find it hard to access legal counsel.
Many would be legitimate asylum seekers who have the right under US and international law to live and work in America while their applications are considered.
– Is it necessary? –
Thousands of undocumented migrants have been arrested since Trump’s January 20 inauguration, including some accused of crimes.
An unknown number have been repatriated to Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and other countries. Trump has vowed to expel “millions.”
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency currently has funding for 41,500 detainee beds, according to the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington.
In a report this week, it said US military facilities such as Guantanamo “can play a central role in management of detention and deportation” — and already have been used for this purpose under previous administrations including that of Joe Biden.
The United States leases the site holding the prison from Cuba under a treaty dating back to 1903.
The communist government in Havana considers it an illegal occupation, but the US Department of State website states the lease was the product of “international agreement and treaty” and can only be ended by mutual agreement.
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