FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) – Republican Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is suing President Joe Biden, claiming the current administration’s immigration policies are becoming a drain on Hoosier taxpayers which will only worsen as more people cross the country’s southern border.
The suit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court of Northern Indiana, also claims a growing number of fentanyl overdoses throughout the state and a supposed influx of sex offenders in the country are both tied to a “record number” of immigrants entering the United States on a daily basis. Rokita said in the suit the policies have caused irreparable harm to Indiana and asks the court to order the Biden administration to enforce current immigration laws and pay the state costs as well as reasonable attorney fees. Of the 100,000 to 124,000 undocumented people in Indiana, roughly 53 percent of are uninsured while another 17 percent have incomes below the poverty line, the lawsuit claims. That costs the state roughly $549 million a year, an amount that will only grow as more find their way to Indiana, according to the lawsuit. “The Defendants have disregarded and ignored the plain language of (federal immigration law) by multiple means, including promulgating regulations contrary to congressionally enacted statutes and contriving the release of hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens from the border into the interior of the United States,” the lawsuit said. Rokita also named the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection as well as the United States as defendants in the suit. The administration is not detaining or questioning people found at ports of entry or at borders as it should, the suit said, and is instead releasing many into the country without proper review. Biden’s administration is also actively eliminating ways for agencies to detain more immigrants or build larger facilities, according to the lawsuit. More than 500 Ukrainian children who fled the war without their parents are stuck waiting in limbo across Europe after applying to the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sources working closely with the Home Office say. Most are teenagers who thought they would be eligible and have British families waiting to host them, but have heard nothing from the Home Office.
Many have been waiting for two months or more without an answer due to indecision about how to handle their cases. Some are alone in Europe having left home thinking they would soon be joining a British family that is ready to welcome them. Others are with adult siblings or family friends who have been made legal guardians but still have no permission to come. About 25 unaccompanied children were allowed into Britain during the first two weeks of the Homes For Ukraine scheme and ended up in care as a result, sources say. Though the policy now says children cannot travel without their parents unless they are with a legal guardian, the Home Office has not been offering a decision or solution to all those who applied before this was set out. Even teenagers travelling with adults who have been made legal guardians by their parents are among those caught up in the deadlock. Stephen Kinnock, the shadow immigration minister, said: “I have only this week raised concerns in a letter to the immigration minister regarding the government’s policy on unaccompanied minors, but this latest information reflects the potential scale of the problem. “We understand that the government needs to undertake comprehensive safeguarding checks but there is a particular question about why long delays are still happening in instances where a parent has already completed the relevant paperwork which grants permission for their child to be placed in the care of a relative.” Earlier this month, the Guardian told the story of Nazarii, 17, who was listening to war planes flying overhead in his village in western Ukraine while he waited for a decision from the Home Office. A teaching assistant and her family in Hampshire were ready to host him but he had heard nothing since submitting an application on 11 April. More than three weeks later, he is still in Ukraine with no refusal or update. “The Home Office hasn’t given me any information. I don’t know what to do,” he said. “If it’s a refusal, OK, but without any information it’s impossible.” Beth Gardiner-Smith, the chief executive of the child refugee charity Safe Passage, said: “We know of far too many children who are currently stuck in limbo, alone in Ukraine and neighbouring countries, who are desperate to join their sponsors here in the UK. Unacceptably, this is leaving lone children in dangerous and vulnerable positions, at risk of exploitation.” Mexican officials are concerned the repeal of a measure adopted under the Trump administration to tighten the U.S. border will encourage a spike in migration and more profits for criminal gangs unless Washington does more to help mitigate the impact. The United States has said it will on May 23 end the so-called Title 42 order issued during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 that has effectively shut down the U.S. asylum system at its shared 2,000-mile border with Mexico. read more Title 42 has allowed U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants to Mexico, and its removal risks pushing the record number of migrants attempting to enter the United States higher still, officials and politicians said.
"The flow of migrants we have now is already out of control," said Rosa Maria Gonzalez, a lawmaker from Mexico's center-right opposition National Action Party who represents the northern border state of Tamaulipas and heads the lower house of Congress migration committee. Gonzalez said she expected more people to try to get into the United States when Title 42 ends, and urged Washington to improve migrants' access to the U.S. labor market and speed up processing of asylum requests to ease pressure on the border. Mexico's government, which never favored the hardline immigration stance of former U.S. President Donald Trump, has looked on warily as his successor Joe Biden has sought to adopt more moderate policies, mindful that the changing signals could fire up more people to make the journey. To lure tech employees to Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) launched the new Tech Talent Pathway.
The Tech Talent Pathway aims to address Saskatchewan's acute labor shortages in the tech sector. Employers in Saskatchewan's technology and innovation sectors will be able to attract more talent to promote growth and boost Saskatchewan's global competitiveness thanks to this new road to permanent residence for tech professionals. In a press release, Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said, "As Saskatchewan recovers from the effects of the worldwide pandemic, our technology industry will be a vital engine of economic recovery." "The new Tech Personnel Pathway provides a dedicated stream for our Saskatchewan firms to attract highly competent talent to our growing technology sector." This new stream will make it easier and faster for IT professionals who are already employed in Saskatchewan, as well as those who have been recruited from outside the country, to enter the country. "Our ability to attract and retain highly talented immigrants, who constitute vital anchors of specialized talents in our communities and workforce, is critical to Saskatchewan's economy," said SaskTech President Dr. Aaron Genest in the announcement. "The Tech Talent Pathway is unique in Canada and provides a competitive advantage to Saskatchewan industry." It simplifies the immigration process and recognizes that we want our immigrants to stay in Saskatchewan and contribute to the creation of new solutions that Saskatchewan can export throughout the world." |