Immigrants stripped of belongings
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a complaint Wednesday that U.S. Border Patrol agents were stripping immigrants of their belongings, including IDs and money, reported the International Business Times. They were then sent back across the Mexican border to cities in which they knew no one.
A U.S. border patrol officer sits in his vehicle looking out over Tijuana, Mexico, from San Ysidro, California, Feb. 25, 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS/MIKE BLAKE
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said this was in direct violation of their policies. The ACLU added that taking these items puts immigrants in harm’s way, as personal IDs are required for many forms of transportation in Mexico as well as depositing checks and taking out money.
College fee to assist undocumented immigrants
Prescott College in Arizona is tacking a 30 dollar fee onto its annual tuition to fund a scholarship for undocumented immigrants to attend the school, reported Fox News.
However, students have the ability to opt out of the fee, but if they do nothing, the fee will automatically be applied. Many students see it as a way of combatting Arizona’s many discriminatory policies while others see it as unnecessary.
The health effects of immigration raids
A new study shows that immigration raids may affect the health of the surrounding community by marginalizing immigrants further and preventing them from seeking health services, reported Futurity.
The original study from the University of Michigan found that even those born in the U.S. were less likely to seek government services after raids and were also less likely to engage with their communities, putting them at further risk.
The lead researcher on the study, Daniel Kruger, said if immigrants “know how the system works and what would and would not put them at risk, hopefully people would be more likely to use those services.”