Despite warnings from FEMA that offering aid to migrants might violate smuggling laws, shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border continue to receive individuals released by ICE, creating confusion and concern among nonprofits.
Nonprofit shelters operating near the U.S.-Mexico border say they are continuing to house migrants released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even after being warned by another federal agency that doing so could potentially be considered a criminal offense.
A letter sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in March raised alarm bells for organizations offering humanitarian support, including food, temporary shelter, and transportation. The letter warned of “significant concerns” that such assistance could fall under legal definitions used to prosecute human smugglers, prompting fears among shelter workers that their aid work could expose them to felony charges.
“It was pretty scary. I’m not going to lie,” said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Laredo. Despite the warning, ICE continued to direct migrants to the Laredo shelter until it was forced to close on April 25 due to financial strain.
Other shelters remain active. The Holding Institute Community in Laredo reports receiving around 20 families weekly from ICE’s family detention facilities in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas. Many of these individuals are arriving from countries far beyond Latin America, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Papua New Guinea, and China, according to Executive Director Michael Smith.
In El Paso, the Annunciation House is hosting five to ten migrants daily, many from Honduras and Venezuela, said Executive Director Ruben Garcia.
Meanwhile, in Phoenix, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) continues to accept migrants released by ICE, despite not receiving FEMA’s letter. A person with direct knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity, said the released individuals included some from ICE’s Krome Detention Center in Miami, known for overcrowding.
Both FEMA and ICE fall under the Department of Homeland Security, but their conflicting messages have left NGOs unsure how to proceed without risking legal consequences or abandoning their humanitarian mission.
The agencies have yet to clarify how shelters should navigate the conflicting directives, leaving frontline workers facing a difficult choice between compliance and compassion.
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Malaysia's Maritime Enforcement Agency has launched a search and rescue operation for 14 people missing at sea after a wooden boat, strongly believed to be illegally transporting undocumented Indonesian migrants, capsized and sank off the country's western coast on Monday morning.
At least four people died after a small dinghy carrying migrants to Britain sank in the English Channel, French authorities announced on Thursday.
At least 18 people were killed when an inflatable boat carrying migrants sank off Türkiye's western province of Mugla on Wednesday, the coastguard said in a statement, adding that search and rescue efforts continued in the area.
The UK will pay France £16.2 million to continue beach patrols for two months, as both sides race to agree a new deal to curb small boat crossings across the Channel amid rising migrant numbers and political pressure.
Counting is underway in Armenia's elections. The results of the vote are set to determine the political direction of the country of three million people for the next few years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to fend off challenges from several pro-Russia candidates to secure a third term.
Armenian authorities arrested six candidates from the pro-Russian Strong Armenia bloc on Saturday, one day before voters were due to take part in parliamentary elections.
More than 6,000 people gathered outside a vote-counting centre in Seoul on Friday night, demanding this week’s local elections be repeated after ballot shortages left some voters unable to cast their ballots.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The United Nations has warned that Afghanistan has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with around 600 mothers dying for every 100,000 live births.
In a workshop surrounded by the wreckage of war, workers in Gaza are giving a second life to small leisure boats once used for family outings and swimming trips.
A seven-month-old Palestinian baby has been killed and his parents injured after Israeli forces fired at a vehicle in Hebron, Palestinian health officials say.
The U.S. said it struck Iranian radar sites on Qeshm Island and in Goruk after intercepting four drones, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they launches retaliatory strikes on four tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. bases in the Gulf.
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