immigrants

Foreigners seeking visas to live in the U.S. might be rejected if they have certain medical conditions, including diabetes or obesity, under a Thursday directive from the Trump administration.

The guidance, issued in a cable the State Department sent to embassy and consular officials and examined by KFF Health News, directs visa officers to deem applicants ineligible to enter the U.S. for several new reasons, including age or the likelihood they might rely on public benefits. The guidance says that such people could become a “public charge” — a potential drain on U.S. resources — because of their health issues or age.

While assessing the health of potential immigrants has been part of the visa application process for years, including screening for communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and obtaining vaccine history, experts said the new guidelines greatly expand the list of medical conditions to be considered and give visa officers more power to make decisions about immigration based on an applicant’s health status.

The directive is part of the Trump administration’s divisive and aggressive campaign to deport immigrants living without authorization in the U.S. and dissuade others from immigrating into the country. The White House’s crusade to push out immigrants has included daily mass arrests, bans on refugees from certain countries, and plans to severely restrict the total number permitted into the U.S.

The new guidelines mandate that immigrants’ health be a focus in the application process. The guidance applies to nearly all visa applicants but is likely to be used only in cases in which people seek to permanently reside in the U.S., said Charles Wheeler, a senior attorney for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, a nonprofit legal aid group.

“You must consider an applicant’s health,” the cable reads. “Certain medical conditions — including, but not limited to, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, cancers, diabetes, metabolic diseases, neurological diseases, and mental health conditions — can require hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of care.”

About 10% of the world’s population have diabetes. Cardiovascular diseases are also common; they are the globe’s leading killer.

The cable also encourages visa officers to consider other conditions, such as obesity, which it notes can cause asthma, sleep apnea, and high blood pressure, in their assessment of whether an immigrant could become a public charge and therefore should be denied entry into the U.S.

“All of these can require expensive, long-term care,” the cable reads. Spokespeople for the State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the cable.

Visa officers were also directed to determine whether applicants have the means to pay for medical treatment without help from the U.S. government.

“Does the applicant have adequate financial resources to cover the costs of such care over his entire expected lifespan without seeking public cash assistance or long-term institutionalization at government expense?” the cable reads.

The cable’s language appears at odds with the Foreign Affairs Manual, the State Department’s own handbook, which says that visa officers cannot reject an application based on “what if” scenarios, Wheeler said.

The guidance directs visa officers to develop “their own thoughts about what could lead to some sort of medical emergency or sort of medical costs in the future,” he said. “That’s troubling because they’re not medically trained, they have no experience in this area, and they shouldn’t be making projections based on their own personal knowledge or bias.”

The guidance also directs visa officers to consider the health of family members, including children or older parents.

“Do any of the dependents have disabilities, chronic medical conditions, or other special needs and require care such that the applicant cannot maintain employment?” the cable asks.

Immigrants already undergo a medical exam by a physician who’s been approved by a U.S. embassy.

They are screened for communicable diseases, such as tuberculosis, and asked to fill out a form that asks them to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions, or violence. They’re also required to have a number of vaccinations to guard against infectious diseases such as measles, polio and hepatitis B.

But the new guidance goes further, emphasizing that chronic diseases should be considered, said Sophia Genovese, an immigration lawyer at Georgetown University. She also noted that the language of the directive encourages visa officers and the doctors who examine people seeking to immigrate to speculate on the cost of applicants’ medical care and their ability to get employment in the U.S. considering their medical history.

“Taking into consideration one’s diabetic history or heart health history — that’s quite expansive,” Genovese said. “There is a degree of this assessment already, just not quite expansive as opining over, ‘What if someone goes into diabetic shock?’ If this change is going to happen immediately, that’s obviously going to cause a myriad of issues when people are going into their consular interviews.”

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

BATON ROUGE, La. — The immigration detainees sent to a notorious Louisiana prison last month are being punished for crimes for which they have already served time, the American Civil Liberties Union said Monday in a lawsuit challenging the government’s decision to hold what it calls the “worst of the worst” there.

The lawsuit accuses President Trump’s administration of selecting the former slave plantation known as Angola for its “uniquely horrifying history” and intentionally subjecting immigrant detainees to inhumane conditions — including foul water and lacking basic necessities — in violation of the Double Jeopardy clause, which protects people from being punished twice for the same crime.

The ACLU also alleges some immigrants detained at the newly opened “Louisiana Lockup” should be released because the government failed to deport them within six months of a removal order. The lawsuit cites a 2001 Supreme Court ruling raised in several recent immigration cases, including that of the Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, that says immigration detention should be “nonpunitive.”

“The anti-immigrant campaign under the guise of ‘Making America Safe Again’ does not remotely outweigh or justify indefinite detention in ‘America’s Bloodiest Prison’ without any of the rights afforded to criminal defendants,” ACLU attorneys argue in a petition reviewed by The Associated Press.

The AP sent requests for comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry.

The lawsuit comes a month after state and federal authorities gathered at the sprawling Louisiana State Penitentiary to announce that the previously shuttered prison complex had been refurbished to house up to 400 immigrant detainees that officials said would include some of the most violent in ICE custody.

The complex had been nicknamed “the dungeon” because it previously held inmates in solitary cells for more than 23 hours a day.

ICE repurposed the facility amid an ongoing legal battle over an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” and as Trump continues his large-scale attempt to remove millions of people suspected of entering the country illegally. The federal government has been racing to to expand its deportation infrastructure and, with state allies, has announced other new facilities, including what it calls the “Speedway Slammer” in Indiana and the “Cornhusker Clink” in Nebraska. ICE is seeking to detain 100,000 people under a $45 billion expansion Trump signed into law in July.

At Angola last month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters the “legendary” maximum security prison, the largest in the nation, had been chosen to house a new ICE facility to encourage people in the U.S. illegally to self-deport. “This facility will hold the most dangerous of criminals,” she said.

Authorities said the immigration detainees would be isolated from Angola’s thousands of civil prisoners, many of whom are serving life sentences for violent offenses.

“I know you all in the media will attempt to have a field day with this facility, and you will try to find everything wrong with our operation in an effort to make those who broke the law in some of the most violent ways victims,” Landry, a Republican, said during a news conference last month.

“If you don’t think that they belong in somewhere like this, you’ve got a problem.”

The ACLU lawsuit says detainees at “Louisiana Lockup” already were “forced to go on hunger strike” to “demand basic necessities such as medical care, toilet paper, hygiene products and clean drinking water.” Detainees have described a long-neglected facility that was not yet prepared to house them, saying they are contending with mold, dust and ”black” water coming out of showers, court records show.

Federal and state officials have said those claims are part of a “false narrative” created by the media, and that the hunger strike only occurred after inaccurate reporting.

The lawsuit was filed in Baton Rouge federal court on behalf of Oscar Hernandez Amaya, a 34-year-old Honduran man who has been in ICE custody for two years. He was transferred to “Louisiana Lockup” last month from an ICE detention center in Pennsylvania.

Amaya fled Honduras two decades ago after refusing the violent MS-13 gang’s admonition “to torture and kill another human being,” the lawsuit alleges. The gang had recruited him at age 12, court documents say.

Amaya came to the United States, where he worked “without incident” until 2016. He was arrested that year and later convicted of attempted aggravated assault and sentenced to more than four years in prison. He was released on good-time credits after about two years and then transferred to ICE custody.

An immigration judge this year awarded Amaya “Convention Against Torture” protection from being returned to Honduras, the lawsuit says, but the U.S. government has failed to deport him to another country.

“The U.S. Supreme Court has been very clear that immigration detention cannot be used for punitive purposes,” Nora Ahmed, the ACLU of Louisiana’s legal director, told AP. “You cannot serve time for a crime in immigration detention.”

Mustian and Cline write for the Associated Press. Mustian reported from New York.

Of all the finger-pointing and recriminations that come with the current federal government shutdown, one of the most striking elements is that the Trump administration blames it on Democratic support for granting taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage to undocumented immigrants. The White House has called out California specifically, saying the state exploits a legal “loophole” to pay for that coverage with federal dollars, and other states have followed suit.

“California utilized an egregious loophole — since employed by several other states — to draw down federal matching funds used to provide Medicaid benefits for illegal immigrants,” the White House said in a policy memo released Wednesday as a budget stalemate forced a shutdown of the U.S. government.

The administration said that the Working Families Tax Cut Act, which goes into effect in October 2026, closes the loophole by prohibiting the use of taxpayer money to provide healthcare coverage to undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens.

In the memo, the White House accused congressional Democrats of wanting to repeal those policy reforms as a condition to keep the government running.

Izzy Gardon, a spokeswoman for Gov. Gavin Newsom, said there’s nothing to the administration’s underlying assertion that California and other states have found some sort of loophole that enables them to funnel Medicaid money to noncitizens.

“This is false — CA does not do this,” Gardon said in a one-line email to the L.A. Times.

Healthcare policy experts agree. California is not exploiting a “loophole,” said Adriana Ramos-Yamamoto, a senior policy analyst at the California Budget & Policy Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that studies inequality.

“The state is making lawful, transparent budget choices to invest in health coverage with its own dollars,” Ramos-Yamamoto said in a statement to The Times. “These investments improve health outcomes, strengthen communities, and lower health care costs in the long run.”

At issue is Section 71117 of the Republican-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” which imposes nearly $1 trillion in reductions to federal Medicaid healthcare spending for low-income Americans over the next 10 years. The provision allows states “to finance the non-federal share of Medicaid spending through multiple sources, including state general funds, healthcare related taxes (or ‘provider taxes’), and local government funds,” as long as taxes on healthcare providers are imposed uniformly so as not to unfairly burden providers of Medicaid services.

The bottom line, analysts said, is the administration is citing a problem with the law that doesn’t seem to exist, at least not in California.

“The so-called California loophole references a provision in the law that ends a waiver of the uniformity requirements for provider taxes — this provision has nothing to do with using federal funds to pay for care for undocumented immigrants,” said Jennifer Tolbert, a healthcare expert at the nonprofit healthcare research, polling and news organization KFF.

“But the White House makes the claim that California uses the money they get from the provider tax to pay for care for undocumented immigrants,” Tolbert said.

Fact-checking the administration’s claim is all the more difficult because there are no official data on how states spend money collected from provider taxes, Alice Burns, another KFF analyst, added. What’s more, California is among several states that offer some level of Medicaid coverage to all immigrants regardless of status. And because California cannot be federally reimbursed for healthcare spending on people who are not in the country legally, those expenses must be covered at the state level.

The White House memo goes on to claim that if Democrats were to succeed at repealing the provisions in the Working Families Tax Act, the federal government would have to spend an additional $34.6 billion in taxpayer money “that would continue to primarily be abused by California to fund healthcare for illegal immigrants.”

This assertion also misconstrues the facts, according to KFF.

“What we do know is that the $35 billion in savings that is referenced in the White House Fact Sheet refers to the federal government’s estimated savings … resulting from states making changes to their provider tax systems,” KFF spokesperson Tammie Smith said. That is, the projected savings aren’t connected to healthcare for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally.

Political squabbling aside, California’s approach to medical coverage for low-income, undocumented immigrants is set to undergo a major shift thanks to provisions in the 2025-26 state budget that the Democrat-led legislature and Newsom approved in June.

Starting on Jan. 1, adults “who do not have Satisfactory Immigration Status (SIS)” will no longer be able to enroll in Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, according to the state’s Department of Health Care Services webpage. Those who already have this coverage can keep it and continue to renew their enrollment. And starting on July 1, Medi-Cal enrollees who are age 19-59, undocumented and not pregnant will have to pay a $30 monthly premium to keep their coverage.

The changes, which Newsom called for in the spring to offset a ballooning Medi-Cal budget deficit, drew criticism from some immigrant rights groups, with the California Immigrant Policy Center describing the moves as “discriminatory.”

“In light of the militarized mass immigration raids and arrests causing fear and chaos across California, we are disappointed that the governor and the leadership in the Legislature chose to adopt a state budget that makes our communities even more vulnerable,” Masih Fouladi, the center’s executive director said at the time.

Everyone in California who qualifies for Medi-Cal will still be eligible to receive emergency medical and dental care, no matter their immigration status.

ORLANDO, Fla. — After Paola Freites was allowed into the U.S. in 2024, she and her husband settled in Florida, drawn by warm temperatures, a large Latino community and the ease of finding employment and housing.

They were among hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the state in recent years as immigration surged under former President Biden.

No state has been more affected by the increase in immigrants than Florida, according to internal government data obtained by the Associated Press. Florida had 1,271 migrants who arrived from May 2023 to January 2025 for every 100,000 residents, followed by New York, California, Texas and Illinois.

Freites and her husband fled violence in Colombia with their three children. After some months in Mexico they moved to Apopka, an agricultural city near Orlando, where immigrants could find cheaper housing than in Miami as they spread throughout a community that already had large populations of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. Her sister-in-law owned a mobile home that they could rent.

“She advised us to come to Orlando because Spanish is spoken here and the weather is good,” Freites, 37, said. “We felt good and welcomed.”

The data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which must verify addresses of everyone who is allowed to enter the U.S. and stay to pursue an immigration case, shows Miami was the most affected metropolitan area in the U.S. with 2,191 new migrants for every 100,000 residents. Orlando ranked 10th with 1,499 new migrants for every 100,000 residents.

The CBP data captured the stated U.S. destinations for 2.5 million migrants who crossed the border, including those like Freites who used the now-defunct CBP One app to make an appointment for entry.

Freites and her husband requested asylum and obtained work permits. She is now a housekeeper at a hotel in Orlando, a tourist destination with more than a dozen theme parks, including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando and SeaWorld. Her husband works at a plant nursery.

“We came here looking for freedom, to work. We don’t like to be given anything for free,” said Freites, who asked that the AP identify her by her middle and second last name for fear of her mother’s safety in Colombia.

Orlando absorbed new immigrants who came

Historically, Central Florida’s immigrant population was mainly from Mexico and Central America, with a handful of Venezuelans coming after socialist Hugo Chávez became president in 1999. In 2022, more Venezuelans began to arrive, encouraged by a program created by the Biden administration that offered them a temporary legal pathway. That same program was extended later to Haitians and Cubans, and their presence became increasingly visible. The state also has a large Colombian population.

Many immigrants came to Florida because they had friends and relatives.

In Orlando, they settled throughout the area. Businesses catering to newer arrivals opened in shopping areas with Mexican and Puerto Rican shops. Venezuelan restaurants selling empanadas and arepas opened in the same plaza as a Mexican supermarket that offers tacos and enchiladas. Churches began offering more Masses in Spanish and in Creole, which Haitians speak.

As the population increased, apartments, shopping centers, offices and warehouses replaced many of the orange groves and forests that once surrounded Orlando.

The economy grew as more people arrived

New immigrants found work in the booming construction industry, as well as in agriculture, transportation, utilities and manufacturing. Many work in restaurants and hotels and as taxi drivers. Some started their own businesses.

“It’s just like a very vibrant community,” said Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet, executive director at Hope CommUnity Center, a group that offers free services to immigrants in Central Florida. “It’s like, ‘I’m going to work hard and I’m going to fight for my American dream,’ that spirit.”

Immigrants’ contributions to Florida’s gross domestic product — all goods and services produced in the state — rose from 24.3% in 2019 to 25.5% in 2023, according to the pro-immigration American Immigration Council’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s annual surveys. The number of immigrants in the workforce increased from 2.8 million to 3.1 million, or 26.5% to 27.4% of the overall population. The figures include immigrants in the U.S. legally and illegally.

Immigrants looked for advice

Groups that help immigrants also increased in size.

“We got hundreds of calls a week,” said Gisselle Martinez, legal director at the Orlando Center for Justice. “So many calls of people saying ‘I just arrived, I don’t know anybody, I don’t have money yet, I don’t have a job yet. Can you help me?’”

The center created a program to welcome them. It grew from serving 40 people in 2022 to 269 in 2023 and 524 in 2024, Melissa Marantes, the executive director, said.

In 2021, about 500 immigrants attended a Hispanic Federation fair offering free dental, medical, and legal services. By 2024, there were 2,500 attendees.

Hope, meantime, went from serving 6,000 people in 2019, to more than 20,000 in 2023 and 2024.

Many now fear being detained

After President Trump returned to office in January, anxiety spread through many immigrant communities. Florida, a Republican-led state, has worked to help the Trump administration with its immigration crackdown and has enacted laws targeting illegal immigration.

Blanca, a 38-year-old single mother from Mexico who crossed the border with her three children in July 2024, said she came to Central Florida because four nephews who were living in the area told her it was a peaceful place where people speak Spanish. The math teacher, who has requested asylum, insisted on being identified by her first name only because she fears deportation.

In July 2025, immigration officials placed an electronic bracelet on her ankle to monitor her.

Because a friend of hers was deported after submitting a work permit request, she has not asked for one herself, she said.

“It’s scary,” she said. “Of course it is.”

Salomon writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — Use of solitary confinement in immigration detention is soaring under the Trump administration, according to a report published Wednesday by Physicians for Human Rights using federal data and records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed at least 10,588 people in solitary confinement from April 2024 to May 2025, the report found. Contributors also included experts from Harvard University’s Peeler Immigration Lab and Harvard Law School.

The use of solitary confinement during the first four months of the current Trump administration increased each month, on average, at twice the rate found between 2018 and 2023, researchers found, and more than six times the rate during the last several months of 2024.

“Every month from February through May, which are the full calendar months of the new administration, the number of people placed in solitary in ICE [custody] increased by 6.5%,” said Dr. Katherine Peeler, medical advisor for Physicians for Human Rights, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. “That was really dismaying.”

Solitary confinement, in which detainees are held alone for at least 22 hours a day, is used in ICE detention facilities as a form of punishment or to protect certain at-risk immigrants.

In a statement Thursday, assistant Homeland Security secretary Tricia McLaughlin said ICE prioritizes the safety and security of people in its custody.

Detainees are placed into disciplinary segregation “only after they are found guilty by a disciplinary hearing panel,” she said.

Any detainee scheduled for removal, release, or transfer is also placed into administrative segregation for 24 hours, she added. According to ICE’s National Detention Standards, “such segregation may be ordered for security reasons or for the orderly operation of the facility.”

The United Nations has called solitary confinement longer than 15 consecutive days a form of torture.

ICE defines vulnerable detainees as those with serious medical or mental health conditions, disabilities, and those who are elderly, pregnant or nursing, at risk of harm due to sexual orientation or gender identity, or victims of abuse.

Among those categorized as vulnerable, the report states that solitary confinement lasted twice as long, on average, during the first three months of 2025 compared with the first fiscal quarter of 2022, when the agency started reporting those statistics.

This year, vulnerable detainees spent an average of 38 consecutive days in isolation, compared with 14 days in late 2021, according to the report.

The report notes that use of solitary confinement in immigration detention has risen “at an alarming rate” over the last decade, and that billions of dollars authorized earlier this year by Congress to expand detention will likely exacerbate the issue. It calls on the federal government to end the practice against immigrants who are detained for civil deportation proceedings, and for states and members of Congress to exercise oversight.

Nearly 59,000 immigrants were held in ICE custody as of Sept. 7, according to TRAC, a nonpartisan data research organization.

The researchers at Physicians for Human Rights analyzed individual cases in New England and found “systemic use of solitary confinement for arbitrary and retaliatory purposes,” such as requesting showers, sharing food or reporting sexual assault.

In California, detainees were placed in solitary confinement 2,546 times from September 2018 to September 2023, said Arevik Avedian, a lecturer and director of empirical research services at Harvard Law School.

Last year, ICE changed the way it reports that data. Instead of placements, in which the same person could be counted multiple times for different stints in solitary confinement, ICE now reports the number of individuals.

In California, ICE reported that 596 people were placed in solitary confinement from April 2024 to May 2025, she said.

During the period of 2018-2023, two California facilities ranked in the top five with the highest number of solitary confinement placements, she said — the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in San Bernardino County, and the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego.

This year, the data reflect ICE’s investment in Republican-led states. According to the report, facilities with the most solitary confinement stints included Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, Montgomery Processing Center in Texas, Buffalo Service Processing Center in New York, South Texas ICE Processing Center, and Eloy Detention Center in Arizona tied with Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center.

A previous report by the same authors found that ICE had used solitary confinement more than 14,000 times between 2018 and 2023, including one Otay Mesa detainee who was held for 759 days.

SACRAMENTO — Responding to the Trump administration’s aggressive and unceasing immigration raids in Southern California, state lawmakers this week began strengthening protections for immigrants in schools, hospitals and other areas targeted by federal agents.

The Democratic-led California Legislature is considering nearly a dozen bills aimed at shielding immigrants who are in the country illegally, including helping children of families being ripped apart in the enforcement actions.

“Californians want smart, sensible solutions and we want safe communities,” said Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego). “They do not want peaceful neighbors ripped out of schools, ripped out of hospitals, ripped out of their workplaces.”

Earlier this week, lawmakers passed two bills focused on protecting schoolchildren.

Senate Bill 98, authored by Sen. Sasha Renée Peréz (D-Alhambra), would require school administrators to notify families and students if federal agents conduct immigration operations on a K-12 or college campus.

Legislation introduced by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Rolling Hills Estates), AB 49, would bar immigration agents from nonpublic areas of a school unless they had a judicial warrant or court order. It also would bar school districts from providing information about pupils, their families, teachers and school employees to immigration authorities without a warrant.

A separate bill by Sen. Jesse Arreguín (D-Berkeley), SB 81, would bar healthcare officials from disclosing a patient’s immigration status or birthplace, or giving access to nonpublic spaces in hospitals and clinics, to immigration authorities without a search warrant or court order.

All three bills now head to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his consideration. If signed into law, the legislation would take effect immediately.

The school-related bills, said L.A. school board member Rocio Rivas, provide “critical protections for students, parents and families, helping ensure schools remain safe spaces where every student can learn and thrive without fear.”

Federal immigration agents have recently detained several 18-year-old high school students, including Benjamin Marcelo Guerrero-Cruz, who was picked up last month while walking his dog a few days before he started his senior year at Reseda Charter High School.

Most Republican legislators voted against the bills, but Peréz’s measure received support from two Republican lawmakers, Assemblymember Juan Alanis (R-Modesto) and state Sen. Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh (R-Yucaipa). Muratsuchi’s had support from six Republicans.

“No person should be able to go into a school and take possession of another person’s child without properly identifying themselves,” Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) said before voting to support the bill.

The healthcare bill follows a surge in cancellations for health appointments as immigrants stay home, fearing that if they go to a doctor or to a clinic, they could be swept up in an immigration raid.

California Nurses Assn. President Sandy Reding said that federal agents’ recent raids have disregarded “traditional safe havens” such as clinics and hospitals, and that Newsom’s approval would ensure that people who need medical treatment can “safely receive care without fear or intimidation.”

Some Republicans pushed back against the package of bills, including outspoken conservative Assemblymember Carl DeMaio (R-San Diego), who said that the raids that Democrats are “making such hay over” were triggered by the state’s “sanctuary” law passed in 2018.

The state law DeMaio attacked, SB 54, bars local law enforcement from helping enforce federal immigration laws, including arresting someone solely for having a deportation order, and from holding someone in jail for extra time so immigration agents can pick them up.

The law, criticized by President Trump and Republicans nationwide, does not prevent police from informing federal agents that someone who is in the country illegally is about to be released from custody.

“If you wanted a more orderly process for the enforcement of federal immigration rules, you’d back down from your utter failure of SB54,” DeMaio said.

Chino Valley Unified School Board President Sonja Shaw, a Trump supporter who is running for state superintendent of public instruction, said that the bills about school safety were “political theater that create fear where none is needed.”

“Schools already require proper judicial orders before allowing immigration enforcement on campus, so these bills don’t change anything,” Shaw said. “They are gaslighting families into believing that schools are unsafe, when in reality the system already protects students.”

But Muratsuchi, who is also running for superintendent, said the goal of the legislation is to ensure that districts everywhere, “including in more conservative areas,” protect their students against immigration enforcement.

A half-dozen other immigration bills are still pending in the Legislature. Lawmakers have until next Friday to send bills to Newsom’s desk before the 2025 session is adjourned.

Those include AB 495 by Assemblymember Celeste Rodriguez (D-San Fernando), which would make it easier for parents to designate caregivers who are not blood relatives — including godparents and teachers — as short-term guardians for their children. An increasing number of immigrant parents have made emergency arrangements in the event they are deported.

The bill would allow nonrelatives to make decisions such as enrolling a child in school and consenting to some medical care.

Conservatives have criticized the bill as an attack on parental rights and have said that the law could be misused by estranged family members or even sexual predators — and that current guidelines for establishing family emergency plans are adequate.

Also still pending is AB 1261, by Assemblymember Mia Bonta (D-Alameda), which would establish a right to legal representation for unaccompanied children in federal immigration court proceedings; and SB 841 by Sen. Susan Rubio (D-Baldwin Park), which would restrict access for immigration authorities at shelters for homeless people and survivors of rape, domestic violence and human trafficking.

Three London-born friends have been vlogging their travels to their parents homelands to represent their cultures authentically – now they plan to take their channel to the next level

A trio of British friends have been flipping the YouTube travel genre on its head by visiting their immigrant parents’ homelands – now, in a bid to make their travels their full time job, they’re planning to release “the best series yet” and it’s set to come out in early September.

While Bangladesh, Morocco and the self-declared republic of Somaliland are not the most frequented destinations for travel vloggers, for London-born, Abu Finiin, Kayum Miah and Zak Hajjaj, they saw an opportunity to learn about themselves and each other – as well as show their ancestral cultures through a non-Western lens.

The friends, who are looking to make the transition into full-time vloggers, spoke on their channel name’s origin: “Kids of the Colony”. As the child of Somali immigrants, Abu, who was studying at Oxford University, wanted to explore the ex-colonial countries he and his friends came from. Kayum is from Bangladesh and Zak is of English and Moroccan descent.

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Abu tells The Mirror: “I wanted a name like ‘children of immigrants’. Kids of the Colony had that ring to it.” He attempted to pitch the idea to several media production companies but it was ultimately rejected. They were told it was because their idea “only normally works with celebrities”.

So, with no major budget or studio behind them, the trio gathered some friends and set off to Bangladesh to begin the series. They travelled through the streets of Dhaka and met Kayum’s grandfather, who insists he’s 120 years old.

From there, their chatty vlog style, immersive film and core message captured over 100K viewers. Their channel now has almost 30K subscribers and their social media videos rack up hundreds of thousands of views.

‘The experience humbled me’

The trio have since visited Morocco, where Zak’s father is from, and Somaliland, involving themselves in everyday life: from getting local jobs to playing football with the local kids. Zak shares: “We gathered lots of locals kids in the football team each. I can’t speak the language and neither can Kayum, but we were still trying to teach the kids.”

One of Abu’s favourite experiences was when travelling to Somaliland and he, Kayum and Zak were working on top of a water truck delivering water to different houses – when they bumped into his grandmother. “We hadn’t seen her on this trip and the first thing she saw was just us three on top of a water truck in overalls and she was like, ‘what the hell?’” he jokes.

Their travels also gave them the chance to reflect on their own lives. A memory which stands out to Kayum was visiting one of Somaliland’s games cafes. “We went to one that was in not such a nice area and they had PS2s and the lights were barely working and there were power cuts,” he says.

“It [gave me] humility…I appreciate growing up [in the UK] gave me a lot of opportunities that a lot of people that don’t have from birth. Even things such as having a game console that I have at home that I barely play that these guys would love to.”

‘We’re helping people explore their identities’

Abu says these experiences stand out because they show how unscripted their videos are. The Somaliland series was mainly filmed in a one-mile radius to keep its “true and authentic” representation of the culture. He says: “For me, it was always about also creating a space for second generation immigrants to explore their identities.”

The impact of the series has been monumental with it gaining a large audience and positive reactions from viewers. Abu mentions how “touching” it was “because [he] never had that representation growing up.” And so was honoured to be able to provide that representation for others.

The Bangladesh series received “so much support from the Bengali community”, as did the Somaliland series with the Somali community. Abu says: “There were parents messaging me saying I’ve got something to show my kids, to show them where they’re from”.

‘We keep it super authentic –this is what life is like‘

Aside from exploring different cultures they also gained knowledge in film production and “that was a big learning curve as well in terms of producing a show.”

Their hope that viewers can get out of their videos is that they want “children of immigrants” like them to “be proud of [their] heritage” Abu highlights that they wanted “to create a show” where “kids can see their country in a positive light and be like, ‘Okay, yeah, that’s where I’m from'”.

He adds: “I hope people get that sense of pride from that, a sense of representation, a sense of belonging” understanding “the identity of your parents being from one place but you being from a completely different culture and just navigating that balance.”

Kayum agrees on their series showcasing “an unbiased opinion” on their countries as they do not have “a great media representation” so they want to show the objective view. Abu adds: “When we do our travels, we don’t go to fancy restaurants or we don’t stay in hotels. We keep it super authentic because we want people to see, this is what life is like.”

The outreach of their videos have reached the likes of NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving who follows them on Instagram. They mention Complex posting them and former footballer and media personality, Ian Wright liking one of their videos.

For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror’s Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.

‘We’re doing the craziest things that no one has ever done’

The group explains how they aim to expand their content but still keep it authentic. They share how they recently filmed their Albania series and claim that it is “the best series yet.” From their previous travels they improved what they learnt and made this series have it all: “the relatability, it was natural, free-flowing, spontaneous and [they] introduced some challenges as well.”

When asked whether there are more new elements they are incorporating into the series, Abu says: “We’re just doing the craziest things that no one has ever done. And I just don’t see other YouTubers doing it because I just think they’ve got too much money and too comfortable in their lives to take the risk.”

They provide little information about their next series which will follow the boys as they travel across the UK. “It’s a countdown series where we travel across the UK. And the way it will be different is that it will be extremely interactive.” People will be dictating their journey across the country,” Abu shares.

They will be posting everyday on their travels, “letting people know what city [they’re] in” and whoever they come across will have the chance to express what they’d like the trio to do. This is something original that they have never done and are due to set off on their travels later this month.

Finally, they were asked what one word or sentence they would use to describe their content. Abu says, for him it was “reimagining travel.” Kayum also keeps it short and sweet with, “action-packed” and finally Zak shares that their content is “authentic and chaotic at the same time, we go out there, nothing’s fake or planned…it’s all action-packed, but it’s all authentic from ourselves”

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From the outside, it appears that Ralph Barbosa has it all.

Aside from A-list comedian status hanging with superstars like Dave Chappelle, he’s known to show off his garage full of his favorite cars (even a few that actually run, he says), and he has a brand new comedy special on Hulu, “Planet Bosa,” that premiered earlier this month.

But following the release of his new hour, Barbosa claims he’s “broke.”

For comedians, specials aren’t just a celebration of your success, they’re also a funeral for your best material. Though he’s dubbed his latest trek across the country the Bean Without a Cause Tour, he’s also back to square one — a comic without new material, or at least not much of it. “I’ve got about 10 minutes [worth of jokes] to my name, I’m broke — comedy-wise, I’m broke,” he says with a sly grin. “It’s the funnest place to be.”

It’s a feeling most comics can relate to, though few in the last couple years have been on the ride Barbosa’s been on. Coming out of relative obscurity from the Dallas comedy scene, he garnered viral fame by being dissed and then apologized to by comedy legend George Lopez, who didn’t know who he was at the time despite Barbosa being at the forefront of the next wave of Latin comics, thanks in large part to a breakout set on Don’t Tell Comedy. Garnering nationwide buzz since his debut Netflix special “Cowabunga,” his latest hour on Hulu finds the 28-year-old reaching the top of his game.

Aside from getting more comfortable on stage, the spark of energy in this new phase of his career is a welcome surprise from a guy whose schedule barely leaves time for sleep. Yet somehow he’s still managed to squeeze in a second side career working on cars on his YouTube Channel Formula Bean. Recently, Barbosa spoke with The Times about finding his comfort zone in comedy and touring in honor of friend and fellow comedian Ken Flores, who was set to tour alongside Barbosa and comedian Rene Vaca before his tragic death earlier this year. He also discusses one of his more important challenges, writing cleverly authentic jokes about the shocking ICE raids that have led to widespread detention and deportation of immigrants. But it wasn’t just a laughing matter for Barbosa, who also helped people affected by the raids for a period of time by donating money to people who reached out to him directly through social media.

“I don’t like that people are getting separated from their families when they’re hardworking people,” the comedian said. “They’re people who go to a whole new country to learn the language and a whole new environment, in search of a better life, and it’s considered illegal.”

Usually when we do these interviews about comedy specials, they happen before the special is released. Now that “Planet Bosa” has been out on Hulu for almost two weeks, what’s it been like seeing the reaction to it and did it match what you were hoping for?

A lot of my fans have been watching it. There’s been a few people that reached out to me saying that they found me through [watching it], which feels really good — it’s what you want from a special. I feel like Spider-Man on “Spider-Man 3” when everybody’s cheering his name and he’s like, “They love me!” It feels good.

When I talked to you a couple years ago, it was right before your first special, “Cowabunga,” and I noticed with “Planet Bosa,” the energy just feels different. You’re more animated, you’re doing voices and stuff that I think people maybe weren’t used to seeing from you. How did you wanna change up your style or advance it this time around?

I think I just got more comfortable. When I did that first special with Netflix, I was really super nervous. I’d never shot a special before. Everything that’s been going on in my life, I feel like it came at me really fast. I feel I’m still very — especially compared to other comics — I’m very much like a rookie comic. Especially a rookie as in like a full-time comedian working in the industry. So like that first special, I was really nervous, I was very tense. I still had a lot of fun with it, don’t get me wrong, but I was really sticking to the script. By the time we taped this special, I’d been on the road so much, and my feet were a little more wet, so I was just more comfortable. So I think that one is me being myself more, this “Planet Bosa” is just like me being myself more.

What’s cool about what’s going on now in comedy with I feel is a very strong wave of Latin comedians like you, Rene Vaca, you had that obviously with the late comedian Ken Flores. What’s it like to be able to have that group around you of comedians?

I’ve always been a little introverted, though, especially with other comics, like I get kind of nervous. Rene helped me get out of that. Rene and Ken were always super close and they were always inviting me to stuff and I would always be too nervous to go. I used to be really intimidated by them. But once I met them and hung out with them a couple times, I realized that we’re a lot alike. Like we were the exact same age, the three of us. The three of us were all born in ‘96. I feel like we shared a lot of the same fears and anxieties, a lot the same stresses and family situations. I consider myself very lucky to be able to hang out with them. And I’m very lucky to still get to hang with Rene.That dude’s a fool, man — I love him.

“By the time we taped this special, I’d been on the road so much, and my feet were a little more wet, so I was just more comfortable,” Bosa says when talking about his latest hour on Hulu. “So I think that one is me being myself more, this ‘Planet Bosa’ is just like me being myself more.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Obviously, it was rough going on that tour with Rene because of the loss of Ken who was going on the road with you as well. But given what you guys had to go through emotionally and sort of mentally to press on, was it like looking back on completing that tour and doing things the way that Ken would have wanted?

I felt like that was our way of letting Ken get his proper rest. We found out Ken passed away on the day we were supposed to sign the paperwork to finalize all the tour details, which was heartbreaking. He passes away right before we’re supposed to start this tour together, the three of us. And now as we’re dealing with that within those same few days, we had to make a decision. They were pressuring us to make the decision do we still wanna do the tour or not. And so you don’t even wanna talk about that stuff. But I think me and Rene both knew that Ken would have wanted us to do it. Ken would’ve probably been really ashamed of us if we got all sad and just didn’t do it. Also I think it helped out his family a lot because we still gave his cut to his family. So I think we needed to do that for Ken. And I mean, it was still a fun tour. It was bittersweet, because every time we’d have a really fun night and we’re all laughing, we’d all have a moment where we knew it would be that much better if Ken was also here. But I know he was there in spirit, you know what I mean? I think Ken is anywhere Rene is. I think those two are inseparable. So anytime we’re with Rene, I still feel like Ken’s there too.

Why do you feel like the perspective you’re bringing along with Rene as the next generation of Latin comedians is important to be heard at a time in this country with so much going on politically with immigration?

I don’t necessarily think it’s important to get my voice out there but I do like making jokes about [ICE and immigration] because that’s like the only way I know how to bring attention to it. I’m not a big political dude or anything like that, but yeah, I’ve made jokes about things like immigration stuff, ICE stuff. But I guess that is my way of getting attention on that issue. I would like people to get attention on it. I feel like there’s certain topics, certain subjects that you can’t avoid after a certain point. We should talk about it, or we should at least put it in the faces of the people who aren’t gonna talk about it. Like if you’re not gonna talk about it that’s fine too, but you at least gotta hear about it.

“It was bittersweet, because every time we’d have a really fun night [on tour] and we’re all laughing, we’d all have a moment where we knew it would be that much better if Ken was also here,” Bosa says about missing his late friend and fellow comedian Ken Flores. “But I know he was there in spirit.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

One thing you mentioned that you were doing for a period of time was to help people affected by have family members detained during ICE raids by donating money to people who contacted you on Instagram asking for help to pay their bills. What inspired you to do that?

What I ended up doing is just sending hot dogs from Five Guys to all the families in need. I sent out over 180 hot dogs — I’m kidding. No, I sent out money. I hope it helped people out. I hope I wasn’t just getting scammed the whole time. I’m sure I got scammed by a good number of people. But I let people know that if they were affected by the ICE raids in any way and were behind on rent or groceries or if maybe the main provider in someone’s house was taken away or just going through something like that just to let me know and I’ll send what I can. I didn’t think I’d get as many messages as I got — I got a lot. I got to as many as I could and I sent out a lot of money before it started getting a little dangerously low on my end. Like, what’s the point of having money and having fans if like other people can’t enjoy it too? So I’m sorry for those of you that I wasn’t able to get to, and I hope the ones that I did get to were helped, even if it was just a bit. I don’t like that people are getting separated from their families when they’re hardworking people, they’re people who go to a whole new country to learn the language and a whole new environment, in search of a better life, and it’s considered illegal. Like I said, I don’t know about laws and government. I’m sure someone’s watching this thinking I’m just an ignorant idiot, but I don’t know, man. It just seems f—ed up to me.

“I don’t like that people are getting separated from their families when they’re hardworking people, they’re people who go to a whole new country to learn the language and a whole new environment, in search of a better life, and it’s considered illegal,” Barbosa says in regard to the recent ICE raids across the country.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

It’s also about being able to deal with the situation by laughing about it. And that even includes making jokes about not being considered “Mexican enough” by immigrants and getting fed up enough to say “Go home! Well, not to your home.”

I think I fall under that category, there’s a saying in Spanish — “ni de aquí, ni de allá.” It means “not from here or from there,” it’s like the middle ground… I feel like it’s given me perspective — I hope it has at least, I don’t know. Sometimes I don’t know when I’m being ignorant or not. That’s why I tell people don’t take me too serious, because I don’t really take myself too seriously.

I don’t know how you really can as a comedian. You gotta be able to laugh at yourself, right?

That’s what I’m saying. But people still get angry in my comments just cause I make stupid jokes — I don’t understand it.

Is there any key piece of advice you’ve gotten from a comedian that you’ve looked up to that has helped you in your career?

Yes and no. Because every comedian’s so different… So not everybody’s advice works. It could sometimes work for you. My favorite advice has probably been from [Dave] Chappelle, “You just gotta keep getting on stage. Just keep getting out on stage. Keep working on material.” You gotta get the reps. There’s no shortcuts to it.

Even though you’ve been doing it now so much, has there been a time on stage, more recently, where you’re nervous?

I’m always nervous, and I’m always messing up jokes. I don’t think the audience can always tell, but in my mind, I’m messing them up.

You’re very even keel on the surface, so the fact that you say that is also kind of surprising.

Nah, I’m up there freaking out, man. Well, in a good way, you know? It’s fun. I’m always nervous. But it’s part of what makes it fun.

And when you’re not on the road, I know you’re working a lot with cars. Can you talk about your YouTube channel Formula Bean that’s all about fixing up old cars?

Over a year ago, I started hanging out with an automotive content creator. His name’s Luis Cisneros, the dude’s crazy smart. He’s showing me how to work on my own cars and he would make car content about it. And I asked him if I could make content with him too. I feel like everybody’s a content creator nowadays. I feel content is key, whether it’s, whatever type it is. I have a lot of fun working on cars and recording us doing stupid things with cars. So we made a YouTube channel called the Formula Bean. And we named it that because Formula One is like the pinnacle of automotive racing, like top of the line cars, top of line drivers, top of the line engineers. But ours is more Formula Bean because it’s just a couple of Mexicans in a garage on some Facebook Marketplace projects. The stuff we do, I think it’s stuff that most people can watch and be like, “Oh, I can learn how to do that easy.” So I’m hoping that’s what is getting across.

Comedian Ralph Barbosa

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Do you feel like cars and comedy have some sort of correlation, like in terms of just working on them, or do you keep it like totally separate?

Nah, I keep it totally separate. I need something different than comedy so that I could continue to enjoy comedy. I get tired of stuff fast, man. If I’m really into one thing — I can hyper-focus on it. I’ll zone in on this one subject for a while, but I can’t keep it long-term. I need to do cars and zone in on cars for like a good month and a half, and then I need to go back into just straight up comedy mindset.

Never a combo? I was thinking like a Jerry Seinfeld like “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” type of thing?

I mean maybe if a comedian wants to come hang out, but I’m not gonna talk a whole lot of shop …

No “Comedians in Cars Getting Frustrated”?

Nah. I need cars to completely distract me from comedy so that I can come back to comedy with fresh eyes.

You mentioned that you only get about an hour and a half of sleep a night. When do you rest?

Whenever I just crash out, like randomly — and people get mad. Cuz they don’t know I guess but like I’ll be falling asleep at random events. I’ve never been the type of person like I can just put on my pajamas and lay down in the bed. I feel unproductive. I feel I need to go until I’m done thinking or until my brain just goes kaput. So even though we’re working on stuff, I feel like my mind is always thinking about other stuff when it can. I don’t really knock out until my body’s just like, “alright f— this, bro, I’m done.”

You’re on your second special on a major platform, you are selling out all over the country. Is there more that you feel like you still want to do?

I need a new hour, that’s all I know right now. I need a new hour of jokes. I got like 10 minutes to my name. Comedy-wise, I am broke. This is the funnest place to be, square one.

Aug. 21 (UPI) — Pew Research Center released on Thursday found that “unauthorized immigrants” in the United States hit a record high in 2023 of 14 million entering the country.

That 14 million included about 6 million who were protected from deportation via some other status, including victims of violent crime, Pew said in its report. These protections can be, and in some cases have been, removed by the federal government, sometimes with little notification.

The report only covers up to 2023, which is the latest year data were available.

The label “unauthorized immigrants” includes an array of statuses, including those who entered the United States illegally. The term groups together immigrants living in the country with impermanent, precarious statuses, Pew said.

The U.S. unauthorized immigrant population includes any immigrants who are not in these groups: Lawful permanent residents (green card holders), refugees formally admitted to the United States, people granted asylum, former unauthorized immigrants granted legal residence under the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, naturalized U.S. citizens who entered under the prior four categoires as well as temporary legal residents under specific visa categories, such as those for foreign students, guest workers and intracompany transfers.

The report said that the rise in immigration came after the COVID-19 pandemic when U.S. immigration policy changed. Lawful admissions rose, as well as encounters between migrants and U.S. authorities at the U.S.-Mexico border

The 14 million number came after two years of record growth, according to a Pew estimate. The increase of 3.5 million in two years is the largest on record.

The number with temporary protections from deportations increased after 2021, following policy changes made by the President Joe Biden administration that allowed many immigrants to arrive in the U.S. with protected status and others to gain protection soon after arrival.

In 2023, unauthorized immigrants accounted for 27% of all U.S. immigrants, up from 22% in 2021. The group’s share of the U.S. population increased from 3.1% to 4.1%.

The six states with the largest unauthorized immigrant populations in 2023 were California with 2.3 million, Texas at 2.1 million, Florida with 1.6 million, 825,000 in New York, New Jersey with 600,000 and Illinois at 550,000.

These states have consistently had the most unauthorized immigrants since at least 1980. But in 2007, California had 1.2 million more unauthorized immigrants than Texas. Today, it has only about 200,000 more.

These populations grew in 32 states from 2021 to 2023. Florida saw the largest growth with an increase of 700,000, followed by Texas at 450,000, California with 425,000 and New York with an increase of 230,000.

Eight more states saw their unauthorized immigrant populations increase by 75,000 or more: New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio.

The L.A. teachers union and its allies held a rally Saturday calling on the school district to more aggressively fight for immigrant families, including by demanding that the federal government return all detained and deported students to Los Angeles.

School district officials — in both a statement and at the rally — downplayed the union’s confrontational tone and said they are united, along with various constituent groups, in supporting immigrant families.

The Saturday rally was held outside school district headquarters and included a march through downtown. It drew about 500 raucous participants, many of them wearing the bright red shirts associated with United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents about 38,000 teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses and librarians.

“Education not deportation,” they chanted.

And: “Say it loud! Say it clear! Immigrants are welcome here!”

Speakers at the rally included rising senior Vanessa Guerrero, who attends the nearby Miguel Contreras Learning Complex. She spoke about a classmate who was seized and deported.

“She was going to be a senior this year,” Vanessa said. “She’s known for coming to school every day, working hard, and she was an honors student. She did contribute to the community of the school. And was a great person.”

Her classmate and the girl’s mother were seized when they attended an immigration appointment, said Vanessa and others.

“Honestly, everybody is terrified,” Vanessa said.

The union called for a directly confrontational approach with the Trump administration — including involvement in litigation to protect immigrant rights. The school system is not currently involved in litigation with the Trump administration, officials said, although district leaders have strongly criticized its actions.

Specific union demands include establishing a two-block perimeter around schools where immigration agents would not be allowed.

It’s not clear that district officials or staff would have jurisdiction beyond school grounds.

Kindergarten teacher Esther Calderon joins hundreds of other educators in a Saturday rally calling for better protections and support for immigrant students and families.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

The union also called for a “formal campaign” that would work with families to update emergency cards and add additional trusted adults to the list of a family’s contacts, in case, for example, a student’s parents are detained.

L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho has said outreach for this purpose is ongoing.

The union also is calling for counselors to be paid to return to work prior to the first day of school to make sure families affected or potentially affected by immigration enforcement are willing and prepared to have their children return to school.

It’s not clear how many students or family members of students have been taken into custody or deported. The school district does not collect information on immigration status. A few cases have become high profile and widely reported on. In other instances, however, both district policy and privacy protections limit what the school system discloses.

Union leaders said they also want the district to provide food and personal care items “to undocumented families who are sheltering in place in their homes,” as well as provide a virtual learning option for students “who are afraid to attend school in person because of immigration raids.”

And they called for the district to develop a “pathway” for students who have been deported to earn their LAUSD diplomas through virtual completion of all required high school units, and to be a “leader” in providing legal support for all those affected by the immigration raids — including school staff who stand up in defense of immigrants.

The superintendent’s office had no immediate response to the specific demands, but school board President Scott Schmerelson said the district would consider any steps to protect and support families.

Schmerelson attended the Saturday rally as a spectator.

“Some of these ideas seem very workable,” Schmerelson said. “The superintendent is working on the safe passageways,” he said, referring to the concept of a safety perimeter.

In their chants, union members vowed to shut the school system down if it did not meet their demands — even though their hostility was more clearly directed toward the federal government.

“This violence affects all of us,” said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz. “Immigrant students are Black, they’re brown and they’re Asian. And the trauma inflicted on these communities impacts every single one of them. When a student is torn from their family or lives in fear, their classmates feel it, too.”

She added: “The mental well-being of entire classrooms is at stake. That is why we demand LAUSD join educators in publicly calling our local and state leaders for the immediate return of all students who have been deported or detained so that they can resume their education.”

In a statement in response to the union rally, the school system emphasized shared goals.

“It is clear that Los Angeles Unified and our labor partners are united in our deep commitment to protect every student, including our immigrant children,” the statement said. “Together, we will continue to take every measure necessary to ensure that all children in Los Angeles are safe, supported, and educated — rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.”

At his traditional back-to-school address — classes begin Aug. 13 — Carvalho saluted two principals who, along with their staff, turned away immigration agents at two elementary school campuses.

The agents — who stopped at the schools on the same morning in April — said they were doing welfare checks on particular students but provided no documentation to support this claim.

The principals turned them away.

“You became shields, protecting the innocent lives of 7-, 8-, 10-year-olds from fear they should never, ever know,” Carvalho said in his remarks. “Yes, you followed protocol, but more importantly, you followed your conscience. Because of your conviction, … an unimaginable day did not become an unthinkable tragedy.”

School district officials have touted a list of measures taken to protect students and families and characterize campuses as a safe environment from which federal immigration agents will be excluded to the fullest extent of the law.

The union is involved in contract negotiations with Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school system. It’s standard practice for the union to rally members around its contract demands and put pressure on the school system at this stage of negotiations, but Saturday’s rally was almost entirely focused on supporting those affected by immigration sweeps targeting the L.A. area under the Trump administration.

California and a coalition of other liberal-led states sued the Trump administration Monday over new rules barring undocumented immigrants from accessing more than a dozen federally funded “public benefit” programs, arguing the restrictions target working mothers and their children in violation of federal law.

President Trump and others in his administration have defended the restrictions as necessary to protect services for American citizens — including veterans — and reduce incentives for illegal immigration into the country.

One of the programs facing new restrictions is Head Start, which provided some 800,000 low-income infants, toddlers and preschoolers with child care, nutrition and health assistance.

Others include short-term shelters for homeless people, survivors of domestic violence and at-risk youth; emergency shelters for people during extreme weather conditions; soup kitchens, community food banks and other food support services for the elderly, such as Meals on Wheels; healthcare services for those with mental illness and substance abuse issues; and other adult education programs.

California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta’s office said states have been allowed to extend such programs to undocumented immigrant families at least since 1997, and the Trump administration’s “abrupt reversal of nearly three decades of precedent” amounted to a “cruel” and costly attack on some of the nation’s most vulnerable residents.

“This latest salvo in the President’s inhumane anti-immigration campaign primarily goes after working moms and their young children,” Bonta said. “We’re not talking about waste, fraud, and abuse, we’re talking about programs that deliver essential childcare, healthcare, nutrition, and education assistance, programs that have for decades been open to all.”

The lawsuit — which California filed along with 19 other states and the District of Columbia — contends the new restrictions were not only initiated in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner and without proper notice to the states, but will end up costing the states hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Bonta’s office said “requiring programs to expend resources to implement systems and train staff to verify citizenship or immigration status will impose a time and resource burden on programs already struggling to operate on narrow financial margins.”

It also said that the impact of the changes in California, which has a huge immigrant population compared to other states, would be “devastating — and immediate.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.

The states’ claims run counter to arguments from Trump, his administration and other anti-immigration advocates that extending benefits to undocumented immigrants encourages illegal immigration into the country, costs American taxpayers money and makes it harder for U.S. citizens to receive services.

About a month after taking office, Trump issued an executive order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” in which he said his administration would “uphold the rule of law, defend against the waste of hard-earned taxpayer resources, and protect benefits for American citizens in need, including individuals with disabilities and veterans.”

The order required the heads of federal agencies to conduct sweeping reviews of their benefits programs and move to restrict access for undocumented immigrants, in part to “prevent taxpayer resources from acting as a magnet and fueling illegal immigration to the United States.”

Trump cited the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 as providing clear restrictions against non-citizens participating in federally funded benefits programs, and accused past administrations of undermining “the principles and limitations” of that law.

Past administrations have provided exemptions to the law, namely by allowing immigrants to access certain “life or safety” programs — including those now being targeted for new restrictions.

In response to Trump’s order, various federal agencies — including Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and Agriculture — issued notices earlier this month announcing their reinterpretation of the 1996 law as excluding “noncitizens” from more programs, including previously exempted ones.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivize illegal immigration,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “Today’s action changes that — it restores integrity to federal social programs, enforces the rule of law, and protects vital resources for the American people.”

“Under President Trump’s leadership, hardworking American taxpayers will no longer foot the bill for illegal aliens to participate in our career, technical, or adult education programs or activities,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

“By ensuring these programs serve their intended purpose, we’re protecting good-paying jobs for American workers and reaffirming this Administration’s commitment to securing our borders and ending illegal immigration,” said Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

The Department of Agriculture also said it would apply new restrictions on benefits for undocumented immigrants, including under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. However, the states’ lawsuit does not challenge the Department of Agriculture, noting that “many USDA programs are subject to an independent statutory requirement to provide certain benefits programs to everyone regardless of citizenship,” which the department’s notice said would continue to apply.

Joining Bonta in filing the lawsuit were the attorneys general of the Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin, as well as the District of Columbia.

WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says bases in Indiana and New Jersey can house detained immigrants without affecting military readiness — a step toward potentially detaining thousands of people on bases on U.S. soil.

Hegseth notified members of Congress from both states this week of the proposal to temporarily house detained immigrants at Camp Atterbury in Indiana and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey.

President Trump has moved to aggressively detain and deport people in the country illegally, a push that has swept up large numbers of immigrants, including many with no prior criminal records, and forced federal authorities to find places to house them.

Hegseth said the presence of the detainees would not negatively affect the bases’ operations or training. Officials have not said when detainees could begin arriving at the facilities or if other military bases are under consideration.

Speaking to reporters outside the White House, Trump’s border chief, Tom Homan, said there are about 60,000 beds available for detained immigrants and the goal is to expand to 100,000.

“We’re looking for any available bed space we can get that meets the detention standards we’re accustomed to,” Homan said Friday. “The faster we get the beds, the more people we can take off the street.”

Democratic lawmakers from both states and civil rights advocates condemned the idea of housing immigrants at the bases, questioning the effect on military resources and the justification for so many detentions.

“Using our country’s military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants jeopardizes military preparedness and paves the way for [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] raids in every New Jersey community,” New Jersey’s Democratic delegation said in a statement.

Democratic Rep. Andre Carson of Indiana said his questions about detainee conditions have gone unanswered by the Trump administration.

He cited concerns raised about conditions at other facilities and said, “The fact that ICE has detained so many individuals that they now need to expand detention space in Indiana is disturbing.”

Amol Sinha, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, said in a statement that housing immigrants in military facilities sets a dangerous precedent “and is contrary to the values embedded in our Constitution.”

Both of the bases identified by Hegseth have housed Afghan or Ukrainian refugees in recent years.

During Trump’s first administration, he authorized the use of military bases to detain immigrant children — including Army installations at Ft. Bliss and Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas.

In 2014, President Obama temporarily relied on military bases to detain immigrant children while ramping up privately operated family detention centers to hold many of the tens of thousands of Central American families who crossed the border.

Klepper and Freking write for the Associated Press. AP writers Christine Fernando and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

The Trump administration is forging ahead with a plan that is sure to fuel alarm across California’s immigrant communities: handing over the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to federal immigration officials who seek to track down people living in the U.S. illegally.

The huge trove of private information, which includes home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, will allow officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement greater latitude to locate immigrants they suspect are undocumented, according to an agreement signed this week between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by the Associated Press.

“ICE will use the CMS data to allow ICE to receive identity and location information on aliens identified by ICE,” the agreement says.

The plan, which has not been announced publicly, is the latest step by the Trump administration to gather sensitive information about people living in the U.S. as it seeks to deliver on its pledge to crack down on illegal immigration and arrest 3,000 undocumented immigrants a day. It is certain to face legal challenges.

Critics have sounded the alarm ever since the Trump administration directed the CMS last month to send the DHS personal information on Medicaid enrollees, including non-U.S. citizens registered in state-funded programs in California, Illinois, Washington and Washington, D.C.

These states operate state-funded Medicaid programs for immigrants who are otherwise ineligible for federal Medicaid and had committed not to bill the federal government.

California Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff warned last month of potential violations of federal privacy laws as Trump officials made plans to share personal health data.

“These actions not only raise ethical issues but are contrary to longstanding HHS policy and raise significant concerns about possible violations of federal law,” the Senators wrote in a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz.

“We are deeply troubled that this administration intends to use individuals’ private health information for the unrelated purpose of possible enforcement actions targeting lawful noncitizens and mixed status families,” Padilla and Schiff said in a statement. “The decision by HHS to share confidential health information with DHS is a remarkable departure from established federal privacy protections that should alarm all Americans.”

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin declined to answer questions about whether immigration officials are now accessing the personal Medicaid data or how they plan to use it.

“President Trump consistently promised to protect Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “To keep that promise after Joe Biden flooded our country with tens of millions of illegal aliens CMS and DHS are exploring an initiative to ensure that illegal aliens are not receiving Medicaid benefits that are meant for law-abiding Americans.”

Undocumented immigrants are not permitted to enroll in Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps cover medical costs for low-income individuals. The program also limits benefits for other lawfully present immigrants, with some required to undergo waiting periods before they can receive coverage.

However, federal law requires states to offer emergency Medicaid, coverage that pays for lifesaving services in emergency rooms to everyone, including non-U.S. citizens.

A 2024 Congressional Budget Office report found that a total of $27 billion was spent on emergency Medicaid for non-citizens between 2017 and 2023. That number represents less than 1% of overall spending on Medicaid during that time period. Nevertheless, Trump and other federal leaders have pushed to reduce spending on Medicaid, alleging that undocumented immigrants have been taking advantage of the program.

Hannah Katch, a CMS advisor during the Biden administration who previously worked for California Medicaid, told The Times that the Trump administration’s plan to turn over Medicaid data represented “an incredible violation of trust.”

The data that states send to CMS has certain protections and requirements in statute and also by custom, Katch said. For CMS to share the information of Medicaid enrollees outside the agency, she said, would have a devastating impact on people who depend on emergency Medicaid to access critical care.

“Making people afraid to seek care when they are experiencing a medical emergency, or when their child is experiencing a medical emergency, it is an incredibly cruel action to take,” Katch said.

Elizabeth Laird, the director of equity in civic technology at the Center for Democracy & Technology, said the sharing of such data would further erode people’s trust in government.

“By turning over some of our most sensitive healthcare data to ICE, Health and Human Services has fundamentally betrayed the trust of almost 80 million people,” she said in a statement to The Times.

“This jaw-dropping development proves that the Administration’s claim of using this information to prevent fraud is a Trojan horse that instead will primarily advance their goal of deporting millions of people,” she said. “Over 90 percent of entitlement fraud is committed by U.S. citizens, underscoring the false pretense of sharing this information with ICE.”

The plan to share Medicaid data is not the first time the Trump administration has sought to share personal information across departments. In May, the Department of Agriculture told states they had to turn over data on the recipients of SNAP food benefits.

Last month, the California Medical Assn. warned that the Trump administration’s sharing of personal Medicaid data would put nearly 15 million patients and their families at risk statewide.

Dr. René Bravo, CMA’s president elect, said that sending sensitive patient information to deportation officials “will have a devastating impact on communities and access to care that all people need.”

“Our job is not protecting the borders, it’s protecting our patients and providing the best health care possible, “ Bravo said in a statement. “When patients come to us it’s often the most vulnerable times in their lives, and we offer a safe space for their care.”

Orange County’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs notified the public last month that the CMS had been directed to send DHS personal information of Medicaid enrollees, including non-citizens.

“This data, provided for the purpose of administering healthcare, may now be used to locate individuals for immigration enforcement or to challenge their future immigration applications,” the statement read.

The agency wrote that it had already heard of increased anxiety among clients who are fearful that their personal information could be used against them if they seek health care services.

“We are concerned this will further erode trust in public institutions and care providers,” the agency wrote.

Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento, who represents a large Latino population that includes Santa Ana and portions of Anaheim, said the families enrolled in Medi-Cal did so with the reasonable expectation their information would be kept private.

He called the action a “cruel breach” that erodes people’s trust in government.

“These actions discourage participation in healthcare and mean that some individuals may not seek needed medical services,” he said in a statement. “This hurts the overall community, creates serious public health concerns, and increases costs for our healthcare system.”

Jose Serrano, director of Orange County’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, said certain information about those who sign up for benefits has long been shared with the state, which passes it along to the federal government for research, funding and eligibility purposes.

“The one thing that is different during this time is that the information is being used against people, especially those who are immigrants,” he said.

The situation has already caused anxiety among immigrant populations in Orange County, Serrano said. Some have reached out to the agency asking whether they can un-enroll from programs or change their addresses for fear that they or their families may be targeted by immigration officials.

“The truth is immigrants spend more and invest more in our communities and the economy then they take away,” Serrano said, adding that it’s unfortunate that this medical information is “going to be used against the same families that are already investing in our communities through the taxes they pay on a yearly basis.”

A cash fund for families financially reeling from ongoing federal immigration raids will be up and running within a month, according to Los Angeles County officials.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 Tuesday to create the fund, fueled by philanthropy, focused on workers and their families in small L.A. County cities and unincorporated areas.

Details on the fund were sparse. It was not clear who will be eligible or how much a family could expect to collect.

For almost two months, the Trump administration’s sweeping raids have petrified residents across the region, with immigration agents snatching people from swap meets, car washes, Home Depot stores and street corners. Church pews, hospitals and whole neighborhoods have been emptier than usual. Many say they’re scared to go to work, as they weigh the necessity of collecting a paycheck against the risk that they might be arrested and deported.

“We are sending a clear message: Los Angeles County stands with our immigrant communities, and we will continue to fight to ensure that every resident, regardless of immigration status, has the dignity and support they need to survive and thrive,” said Supervisor Hilda Solis, who spearheaded the fund, in a statement.

The county also wants to expand a fund for small businesses who are affected financially by the raids, according to the motion approved by the supervisors.

Supervisor Kathryn Barger was absent from the vote, which comes on the heels of L.A. Mayor Karen Bass’ announcement last week that the city will provide cash to people affected by the sweeping immigration raids. Bass said the aid, also funded by philanthropy, will be distributed using cash cards with a “couple hundred” dollars on them.

The federal agents conducting the immigration raids are often in plainclothes, with their faces shielded by sunglasses and masks. Supervisor Janice Hahn said Tuesday that she plans to introduce an ordinance barring law enforcement from concealing their identities in unincorporated areas, where the county government is the local authority.

“Law enforcement officers should never wear personal disguises or conceal their identities while interacting with the public in the course of their duties,” said Hahn.

The county is also considering a program to safeguard belongings left behind in unincorporated areas by people detained by ICE agents, as well as starting a hotline for deported workers to retrieve unpaid wages.

Rampant immigration sweeps have left a trail of belongings — cars, lawn mowers, ice cream carts — across the region with no clear way to reunite the items with their owners.

“Most people don’t know how to get their last paycheck when they are deported, how to reconcile with their equipment or anything that relates to the life that they held here,” said Rosa Soto, head of the LA General Medical Center Foundation, at the meeting. “It is imperative we have the support they need.

The government of the tiny, landlocked African country of Eswatini has confirmed that it received five individuals deported from the United States under President Donald Trump.

In a statement on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Eswatini government said the deportations were “the result of months of robust high-level engagements”.

“The five prisoners are in the country and are housed in Correctional facilities within isolated units, ‘where similar offenders are kept’,” spokesperson Thabile Mdluli wrote.

But she appeared to concede there were human rights concerns about accepting deported individuals whose countries of origin were not Eswatini.

“As a responsible member of the global community, the Kingdom of Eswatini adheres to international agreements and diplomatic protocols regarding the repatriation of individuals, ensuring that due process and respect for human rights is followed,” Mdluli said.

Her statement also indicated that Eswatini would work with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) “to facilitate the transit of the inmates to their countries of origin”.

The deportations are part of a wider trend under the Trump administration of deporting foreign nationals to countries outside of their own.

The White House has argued that these third-country deportations are necessary for individuals whose home countries will not accept them. But critics have maintained that the Trump administration is relying on countries with documented histories of human rights abuses to accept deportees, thereby subjecting them to the risk of inhumane treatment.

There is also concern that deportations under Trump are happening so swiftly that those facing deportation are unable to challenge their removal in court, violating their rights to due process.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson from the US Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, revealed the recent deportations to Eswatini, identifying the affected individuals as citizens of Laos, Vietnam, Jamaica, Cuba and Yemen.

“A safe third country deportation flight to Eswatini in Southern Africa has landed,” McLaughlin wrote on social media. “This flight took individuals so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back.”

She asserted that the deportees had been convicted of crimes like murder, child rape and assault, calling them “depraved monsters” who had “been terrorizing American communities”.

The Trump administration has likened immigration into the US to an “invasion”, and Trump himself has repeatedly tied undocumented people to criminality, though studies indicate they commit fewer crimes than US-born citizens.

Since taking office for a second term in January, Trump has embarked on a campaign of mass deportation. As part of that push, his government has deported alleged criminals to third-party countries like El Salvador and South Sudan.

In March, for instance, the Trump administration deported an estimated 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, where their heads were shaved and they were incarcerated in the country’s Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), a maximum-security prison where conditions have been likened to torture.

The Trump administration reportedly paid nearly $6m for El Salvador to imprison the men.

Then, in May, reports emerged that the Trump administration planned to deport immigrants to Libya.

A federal court quickly blocked the deportation, and government officials in Libya denied the reports. But lawyers for the immigrants involved told US media that a flight nearly took off and was instead stalled on an airport tarmac as a result of the court order.

Later that same month, a flight did leave the US with eight deportees destined for South Sudan, a country that the US State Department itself concedes has “significant human rights issues”.

Those concerns include credible reports of extrajudicial killings, torture and “life-threatening prison conditions”. The State Department discourages travel to the country.

The flight to South Sudan was ultimately diverted to Djibouti after a federal court in Massachusetts determined that the eight men on board were not given an adequate opportunity to contest their deportations. The men were from countries including Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Cuba and Vietnam.

But on June 23, the US Supreme Court issued a brief, unsigned order lifting the lower court’s ruling and allowing the deportation to South Sudan to proceed.

The Supreme Court’s three left-leaning justices, however, issued a blistering, 19-page dissent, calling the majority’s decision a “gross” abuse of the court’s power and denouncing the president’s actions as overreach.

“The Government has made clear in word and deed that it feels itself unconstrained by law, free to deport anyone anywhere without notice or an opportunity to be heard,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote.

“There is no evidence in this case that the Government ever did determine that the countries it designated (Libya, El Salvador, and South Sudan) ‘w[ould] not torture’ the plaintiffs.”

Critics have voiced similar concerns for the immigrants sent to Eswatini, a country of 1.23 million people located northeast of South Africa.

Eswatini is considered an absolute monarchy, and its leader, King Mswati III, has been accused of stamping out dissent through violence.

In 2021, for instance, security forces allegedly killed dozens of protesters involved in pro-democracy demonstrations. In the aftermath, several politicians were sentenced to decades in prison for inciting violence, a charge critics say was trumped up to silence opposition voices.

Still, on Wednesday, the government of Eswatini defended its commitment to human rights in its statement to the public.

It also said that the decision to accept the five deportees from the US was made for the benefit of both countries.

“The Kingdom of Eswatini and the United States of America have enjoyed fruitful bilateral relations spanning over five decades,” the statement said.

“As such, every agreement entered into is done with meticulous care and consideration, putting the interests of both nations at the forefront.”

A memo obtained by The Washington Post earlier this week signalled that Trump administration officials may knowingly be deporting individuals to countries where their human rights are not guaranteed.

That memo, dated July 9, acknowledged that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may remove non-citizens to third-party countries even when officials have not received credible diplomatic assurances against the use of torture or persecution, so long as certain other conditions were met.

Those deportations, the memo added, could take place with as little as six hours’ notice under “exigent circumstances”.

Mayor Karen Bass announced a plan Friday to provide direct cash assistance to people who have been affected by the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration raids.

The aid will be distributed using cash cards with a “couple hundred” dollars on them, which should be available in about a week, Bass said at a news conference.

“You have people who don’t want to leave their homes, who are not going to work, and they are in need of cash,” she said.

Bass spoke about a family she met who needed two incomes to afford their rent. After one of the breadwinners was detained in an immigration raid, she said, the family is concerned they may face eviction.

It was not immediately clear what the qualifications will be needed to receive the cards.

The mayor emphasized that the money will not come from city coffers but from philanthropic partners. The cards will be distributed by immigrants rights groups such as the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

The city will coordinate between philanthropists and organizations distributing the cards, according to the mayor’s office.

The mayor compared the program to “Angeleno Cards,” created by Mayor Eric Garcetti in 2020 to give financial assistance to people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The announcement came during a Bass news conference about an executive order she signed Friday directing all city departments to “bolster protocols” and training on how to comply with the city’s sanctuary policy, which states that city employees and city property may not be used to “investigate, cite, arrest, hold, transfer or detain any person” for the purpose of immigration enforcement, except for serious crimes. Departments will have to come up with their plans within two weeks.

The Trump administration sued the city over the sanctuary policy last month, arguing that it discriminates against organizations like ICE.

The executive order also creates a working group that will examine — and possibly update — the LAPD’s policy on responding to immigration enforcement. Since 1979, the LAPD has taken a strong stance against enforcing federal immigration law, prohibiting its officers from initiating contact with anyone for the sole purpose of learning their immigration status.

The executive order also includes a directive to file Freedom of Information Act requests for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to turn over records with the dates and locations of every raid in the city since June 6, as well as the identities of the people detained and the reason for their detention.

The cash cards are one of a slew of announcements — including the executive order — this week by the mayor in response to the federal immigration crackdown in Los Angeles that has entered its second month.

Earlier this week, Bass and the city attorney announced the city’s intention to join a lawsuit calling for an end to the Trump administration’s “unlawful” raids in the city.

Health Department says immigrants will lose access to 13 more federal programmes, including an educational project for low-income children.

United States officials are cutting down further on undocumented immigrants’ access to healthcare programmes and benefits as part of President Donald Trump’s widening immigration crackdown.

On Thursday, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it was broadening its interpretation of a 1996 law that prohibits most immigrants from receiving federal public benefits.

The decision means that undocumented immigrants will no longer be eligible for an additional 13 programmes.

They include Head Start, a pre-school educational programme, and projects that address family planning, mental health, substance abuse and efforts to reduce homelessness.

“For too long, the government has diverted hardworking Americans’ tax dollars to incentivise illegal immigration,” HHS Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr said on Thursday.

“Today’s action changes that – it restores integrity to federal social programmes, enforces the rule of law and protects vital resources for the American people.”

Critics fear the added restrictions will further marginalise a vulnerable group of immigrants who often have scarce resources, exacerbating public health crises in the US.

The new restrictions relate to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) of 1996.

That law — passed under Democratic President Bill Clinton — barred those living in the country without valid immigration documents and those on temporary visas, like students or foreign workers, from receiving major benefits from the federal government.

However, the scope of the restrictions was not spelled out, as the law did not define what counted as “federal public benefits”.

To make things clearer, the HHS issued a legal interpretation in 1998, which prevented access to 31 programmes. Medicaid — an insurance programme for low-income households — and Social Security were among them, as was the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

In a statement released on Thursday, the HHS claimed “the 1998 policy improperly narrowed the scope of PRWORA”, allowing undocumented immigrants to access programmes which “Congress intended only for the American people”.

With Thursday’s additions, the total number of restricted programmes rises to 44.

The HHS’s new policy, which is subject to a 30-day public comment period, will take effect when it is published in the Federal Register.

Since starting his second presidential term in January, Donald Trump has made it a priority to tackle undocumented immigration.

Critics have accused his administration of violating human rights and the US Constitution, as well as exceeding his presidential authority.

As part of Trump’s campaign of mass deportation, for example, the president invoked a controversial wartime legislation to deport hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador in March. Opponents argue that Trump falsely declared undocumented immigration to be an “invasion” in order to justify denying the immigrants their right to due process.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the deportation of several immigrants who were put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan, a war-ravaged country where they have no ties.

The decision comes after the court’s conservative majority found that immigration officials can quickly deport people to third countries. The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger.

The court’s latest order makes clear that the South Sudan flight detoured to a naval base in Djibouti weeks ago can now complete the trip. It reverses findings from federal Judge Brian Murphy in Massachusetts, who said his order on those migrants still stands even after the high court lifted his broader decision.

The majority wrote that their decision on June 23 completely halted Murphy’s ruling and also rendered his decision on the South Sudan flight “unenforceable.” The court did not fully detail its legal reasoning on the underlying case, as is common on its emergency docket.

Two liberal justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented, saying the ruling gives the government special treatment. “Other litigants must follow the rules, but the administration has the Supreme Court on speed dial,” Sotomayor wrote.

Attorneys for the eight migrants have said they could face “imprisonment, torture and even death” if sent to South Sudan, where escalating political tensions have threatened to devolve into another civil war.

“We know they’ll face perilous conditions, and potentially immediate detention, upon arrival,” Trina Realmuto, executive director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, said Thursday.

The push comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown by Trump’s Republican administration, which has pledged to deport millions of people who are living in the United States illegally. The Trump administration has called Murphy’s finding “a lawless act of defiance.”

The White House and Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Authorities have reached agreements with other countries to house immigrants if authorities can’t quickly send them back to their homelands. The eight men sent to South Sudan in May had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S.

Murphy, who was nominated by Democratic President Biden, didn’t prohibit deportations to third countries. But he found migrants must have a real chance to argue they could be in danger of torture if sent to another country.

The men have been held in a converted shipping container on the naval base in Djibouti since Murphy found the administration had violated his order by failing to allow them a chance to challenge the removal to South Sudan. They have since expressed a fear of being sent there, Realmuto said.

Whitehurst writes for the Associated Press.

SACRAMENTO — California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Friday a budget that pares back a number of progressive priorities, including a landmark healthcare expansion for low-income adult immigrants without legal status, to close a $12-billion deficit.

It’s the third year in a row the nation’s most populous state has been forced to slash funding or stop some of the programs championed by Democratic leaders. Lawmakers passed the budget earlier in the day following an agreement of a $321-billion spending plan between Newsom and Democratic leaders.

But the whole budget will be void if lawmakers don’t send him legislation to make it easier to build housing by Monday.

The budget avoids some of the most devastating cuts to essential safety net programs, state leaders said. They mostly relied on using state savings, borrowing from special funds and delaying payments to plug the budget hole.

“It’s balanced, it maintains substantial reserves, and it’s focused on supporting Californians,” Newsom said in a statement about the budget.

California also faces potential federal cuts to healthcare programs and broad economic uncertainty that could force even deeper cuts. Newsom in May estimated that federal policies — including on tariffs and immigration enforcement — could reduce state tax revenue by $16 billion.

“We’ve had to make some tough decisions,” Senate President Pro Tempore Mike McGuire said Friday. “I know we’re not going to please everyone, but we’re doing this without any new taxes on everyday Californians.”

Republican lawmakers said they were left out of budget negotiations. They also criticized Democrats for not doing enough to address future deficits, which could range between $17 billion to $24 billion annually.

“We’re increasing borrowing, we’re taking away from the rainy day fund, and we’re not reducing our spending,” said Republican state Sen. Tony Strickland prior to the vote. “And this budget also does nothing about affordability in California.”

Here’s a look at spending in key areas:

Healthcare

Under the budget deal, California will stop enrolling new adult patients without legal status in its state-funded healthcare program for low-income people starting 2026. The state will also implement a $30 monthly premium July 2027 for immigrants remaining on the program, including some with legal status. The premiums would apply to adults under 60 years old.

The changes to the program, known as Medi-Cal, are a scaled-back version of Newsom’s proposal in May. Still, it’s a major blow to an ambitious program started last year to help the state inch closer to a goal of universal healthcare.

Democratic state Sen. María Elena Durazo broke with her party and voted “no” on the healthcare changes, calling them a betrayal of immigrant communities.

The deal also removes $78 million in funding for mental health phone lines, including a program that served 100,000 people annually. It will eliminate funding that helps pay for dental services for low-income people in 2026 and delay implementation of legislation requiring health insurance to cover fertility services by six months to 2026.

But lawmakers also successfully pushed back on several proposed cuts from Newsom that they called “draconian.”

The deal secures funding for a program providing in-home domestic and personal care services for some low-income residents and Californians with disabilities. It also avoids cuts to Planned Parenthood.

Environment

Lawmakers agreed to let the state tap $1 billion from its cap-and-trade program to fund state firefighting efforts. The cap-and-trade program is a market-based system aimed at reducing carbon emissions. Companies have to buy credits to pollute, and that money goes into a fund lawmakers are supposed to tap for climate-related spending.

Newsom wanted to reauthorize the program through 2045, with a guarantee that $1 billion would annually go to the state’s long-delayed high-speed rail project. The budget doesn’t make that commitment, as lawmakers wanted to hash out spending plans outside of the budget process. The rail project currently receives 25% of the cap-and-trade proceeds, which is roughly $1 billion annually depending on the year.

Legislative leaders also approved funding to help transition part-time firefighters into full-time positions. Many state firefighters only work nine months each year, which lawmakers said harms the state’s ability to prevent and fight wildfires. The deal includes $10 million to increase the daily wage for incarcerated firefighters, who earn $5.80 to $10.24 a day currently.

Public safety

The budget agreement will provide $80 million to help implement a tough-on-crime initiative voters overwhelmingly approved last year. The measure makes shoplifting a felony for repeat offenders, increases penalties for some drug charges and gives judges the authority to order people with multiple drug charges into treatment.

Most of the fund, $50 million, will help counties build more behavioral health beds. Probation officers will get $15 million for pretrial services and courts will receive $20 million to support increased caseloads.

Advocates of the measure — including sheriffs, district attorneys and probation officers — said that’s not enough money. Some have estimated it would take around $400 million for the first year of the program.

Other priorities

Newsom and lawmakers agreed to raise the state’s film tax credit from $330 million to $750 million annually to boost Hollywood. The program, a priority for Newsom, will start this year and expire in 2030.

The budget provides $10 million to help support immigration legal services, including deportation defense.

But cities and counties won’t see new funding to help them address homelessness next year, which local leaders said could lead to the loss of thousands of shelter beds.

The budget also doesn’t act on Newsom’s proposal to streamline a project to create a massive underground tunnel to reroute a big part of the state’s water supply.

Nguyễn writes for the Associated Press.

The Department of Homeland Security says the gang-riddled Caribbean country is safe enough for Haitians to return.

The United States government has announced it will terminate special protections for Haitian immigrants.

In a statement issued Friday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that, starting on September 2, Haitians would no longer be able to remain in the country under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation.

TPS allows nationals from countries facing conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary circumstances to temporarily remain in the US. It also gives them the right to work and travel.

The designation is typically made for periods of six, 12 or 18 months, but that can be extended by the DHS secretary.

But under the administration of President Donald Trump, temporary protections like TPS have been pared back, as part of a broader push to limit immigration to the US.

“This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary,” a DHS spokesperson said in Friday’s statement.

Haiti first received the TPS designation in 2010, when a devastating earthquake killed more than 200,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless – more than a 10th of the population. The designation has been routinely extended and expanded, particularly as gang violence and political instability worsened in recent years.

Since his first term in office, from 2017 to 2021, President Trump has sought to strip TPS for Haitians, even as conditions have deteriorated in the Caribbean island nation.

Today, Haiti faces a protracted humanitarian crisis, with more than 5,600 people killed by gangs last year and 1.3 million displaced. Armed groups now control up to 90 percent of the capital, and food, water and medical services are extremely difficult to come by.

The US Department of State has placed a travel advisory on Haiti, listing it as a Level 4 country, the highest warning level.

Level 4 signifies “do not travel”, as there are life-threatening conditions in the designated area. The State Department advises Americans to avoid Haiti “due to kidnapping, crime, civil unrest, and limited health care”.

The DHS statement, however, notes that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem “determined that, overall, country conditions have improved to the point where Haitians can return home in safety”.

“She further determined that permitting Haitian nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is contrary to the national interest of the United States,” the statement adds.

An estimated 260,000 Haitians have TPS. The statement advises that those affected can either pursue another immigration status or return home.

But Haitians are not the only group to face the revocation of their temporary immigration status.

In early May, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to revoke TPS for 350,000 Venezuelans living in the US.

Later in the month, the high court also ruled that Trump can revoke the two-year “humanitarian parole” that allowed 530,000 people to legally remain and work in the US. The affected humanitarian parole recipients included Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans and Nicaraguans, all of whom face instability and political repression in their home countries.

Trump officials have also moved to end TPS for 7,600 Cameroonians and 14,600 Afghans. But critics note that fighting continues to rage in Cameroon, and in Afghanistan, the Taliban government is accused of perpetrating widespread human rights abuses.