192 Arrested on Immigrant Smuggling Charges in South Texas
Homeland Security arrested 192 people at the Texas-Mexican border on charges of immigrant smuggling. 501 undocumented immigrants were taken into USCIS custody and over $625,000 was seized from human and drug smuggling groups during “Operation Coyote”, part of a 90-day endeavor to crack down on smuggling groups crossing the border. The immigrants involved in the case have been detained. Some may quality for visas or other protection as victims or witnesses of crime, but those found ineligible will eventually be forced to return home.
Smugglers have been exploiting U.S. policies that often allow undocumented Central American children to stay in the U.S. indefinitely once they arrive. Crackdowns like “Operation Coyote” are part of the Obama administration’s efforts to stop illegal border crossing and immigrant smuggling. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson hopes that these operations will send a clear message to potential border crossers that the U.S. does not welcome illegal immigration.
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Congress Recesses With No Action on Border Children
As noted in Openers, Congress has recessed for its annual month-long August vacation without passing a border bill to deal with the tens of thousands of children from Central America who have presented themselves at ports of entry along the US-Mexico border after fleeing serious violence and poverty in their home countries of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The Administration has begun moving the children to locations around the country and reunited many with their families. The House of Representatives passed a border bill with a “poison pill” provision that would take away due process rights for children and the President has promised a veto in the unlikely event the Senate took up the bill.
In the meantime, President Obama has promised a major series of executive actions to address the broken immigration system.
NOTE: Siskind Susser will be publishing a special newsletter on the executive order or orders as soon as it is released.
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