32 Chinese nationals were found recently in two shipping containers at the Port of Los Angeles after a crane operator spotted several stowaways emerging from a hole in one of the containers. The incident marked the first case of container stowaways at the port in nearly a year. The apprehended individuals will have a chance to meet with a U.S. immigration services official and may ask for asylum. If asylum is denied or if they choose not to seek it, they could be returned to China.

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The Minnesota office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement disclosed last week that 293 Somali refugees living in Minnesota or the Dakotas are under final orders of removal and therefore could be deported to their homeland. Another 143 are in the process of removal proceedings but have not been ruled deportable by an immigration judge. The fate of these refugees had been awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether U.S. law permits deportations to a country that has no government able to receive deportees. In reacting to the Supreme Court decision, Somalis and their advocates have expressed a hope that the U.S. government will take into account the dangerous circumstances in Somalia and deport only those who represent a threat to U.S. security.