Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.
US Immigration Family Sponsorship
For decades, sponsorship through immediate families has been significantly backlogged, which immigration advocates say presents barriers to family reunification. An immigration researcher told VOA that it would take “some pretty ambitious legislators to change the status quo.” Story by VOA's immigration reporter Aline Barros.
US Appeals Court Sends DACA Case Back to Lower Court
A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that a program that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation was unlawful but said current enrollees could renew their status and sent the case back to a lower court to consider a new Biden administration regulation. The court allowed for the current 594,000 DACA enrollees to maintain their status but continues to block new applications. Reuters reports.
2 Russians Seek Asylum in US After Reaching Remote Alaska Island
Two Russians who said they fled their country to avoid military service have requested asylum in the U.S. after landing in a small boat on a remote Alaska island in the Bering Sea, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski's office said Thursday. Karina Borger, a spokesperson for the Alaska Republican senator, said in an email that the office has been in communication with the U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection and that "the Russian nationals reported that they fled one of the coastal communities on the east coast of Russia to avoid compulsory military service." The Associated Press reports.
Blinken Announces Aid for Migrants, Refugees
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced new humanitarian aid to migrants and refugees in the Americas, on a visit to Peru. Blinken was on a regional tour that has taken him to Colombia, Chile and Peru, where he was attending the annual meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly, which closed Friday. Agence France-Presse reports.
Migration around the world
Kyiv-Sofia-Hollywood: The Unexpected Journey of Ukrainian Refugees
Fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, two mothers find themselves in an unusual place, Nu Boyana Film Studios, in Sofia, Bulgaria. Eastern Europe’s largest film company has participated in the production of more than 400 Hollywood films. This moving work, Kyiv-Sofia-Hollywood, follows these two women as they rebuild their lives in a new country and find their way in the film industry. On their journey, they overcome challenges and find success, and consider whether they will ever return to their homeland, Ukraine. Tatiana Vorozhko, a journalist and editor with VOA’s Ukrainian Service, reports.
At Least 17 Migrants Killed, Dozens Missing in Twin Shipwrecks in Greece
At least 17 migrants died and dozens more remain missing after two boats packed with more than 140 refugees capsized in separate incidents in Greece. The sinkings are the deadliest in recent years and the tragedies add to rising tensions between NATO allies Greece and Turkey. For VOA, Anthee Carassave reports.
Refugees in Malawi Protest Food Ration Delays
In Malawi, hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers held protests Tuesday over delays for promised cash assistance to buy food. Protesters told VOA they have waited almost four months for promised handouts and are struggling to feed their families. For VOA, Lameck Masina reports from Blantyre, Malawi.
Angela Merkel Wins UNHCR Nansen Award for Protecting Syrian Refugees
Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won the prestigious Nansen Award from the U.N. refugee agency for providing a haven for more than 1.2 million refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution in Syria. Merkel welcomed the desperate people at the height of the Syrian conflict in 2015 and 2016, when other countries were turning their backs on them. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
DRC Refugees to Uganda Expected to Double as Conflict Rages
The government of Uganda and the U.N. Refugee Agency say a surge of refugees fleeing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is tearing apart families and stretching aid resources. The UNHCR says officials were prepared to help some 68,000 Congolese refugees expected in Uganda, but now 150,000 are predicted to arrive by year's end. Congolese refugees are streaming across Uganda's western border with the DRC to escape nearly a year of fighting between M23 rebels and DRC government troops. Halima Athumani reports for VOA from Kampala, Uganda.
News Brief
— In light of a recent federal appeals court ruling calling unlawful the program that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation, U.S. Immigration Citizenship and Services Director Ur M. Jaddou said in a statement the agency will follow the court order and continue to accept and process DACA renewal requests.
— News outlets reported days after Hurricane Ian, significant numbers of immigrants are traveling to Florida to work on the cleanup process. According to TIME, CNN, and USATODAY, thousands of disaster response workers have crossed the country to rebuild after disaster strikes.
