The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria has sparked warnings of a looming migrant crisis. With President Bashar al-Assad fleeing to Russia over the weekend, European leaders welcomed the regime's fall, but the resulting instability may drive millions of Syrians toward Europe, echoing the 2015 migrant crisis.
A 29-year-old illegal migrant with a history of violent felonies, Ivan Lopez-Ramos of Mexico, has been arraigned on felony charges in Seattle for unlawfully re-entering the United States after being deported in 2022. Lopez-Ramos, a registered sex offender, pleaded not guilty on Thursday in the United States District Court of Western Washington.
President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed immigration policies are poised to significantly reduce illegal crossings at the U.S. southern border, according to experts and law enforcement officials.
Migrants enticed by lax border policies under President Joe Biden now find themselves stranded in dangerous conditions, unable to enter the U.S. and too burdened to return home. Promises of open borders have left millions in limbo as tighter policies take hold following the 2024 election.
The Trump-Vance transition team announced Tuesday that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Justice, allowing the FBI to conduct background checks and security clearances for cabinet nominees and incoming White House staff. The agreement follows a period of hesitation by the transition team, citing distrust of the FBI. Traditionally, the FBI is responsible for vetting cabinet nominees and managing security clearances, but the process had been delayed due to the lack of an agreement.
Although President-elect Donald Trump has yet to take office, the promise of stricter border enforcement is already deterring many would-be illegal immigrants from attempting to enter the United States. According to reports, a growing number of migrants stranded in Mexico are seeking to return to their home countries, disillusioned by the risks and dwindling opportunities to cross the border under Trump’s upcoming administration.
Mexican authorities detained over 5,200 migrants across the country on Tuesday, a significant enforcement action as the U.S. pressures Mexico to curb migration and drug trafficking at its border.
Judge Shelley M. Richmond Joseph, who previously faced felony charges for allegedly aiding an illegal migrant’s escape from federal immigration authorities, is once again under scrutiny. The Massachusetts Commission on Judicial Conduct filed formal charges Monday, accusing Joseph of “willful judicial misconduct” and actions “unbecoming” of a judicial officer. The charges are now before the state Supreme Judicial Court.
A caravan of over 1,500 migrants departed Tapachula, Mexico, near the Guatemalan border on Sunday, seeking to reach the U.S. before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. The group, composed of migrants from Venezuela, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras, is racing north amid fears of stricter immigration policies under Trump’s administration.
