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 Streamlining Visa Process for At-Risk Afghans
"This is jail [now]. … We were so happy. I was doing my duty at the border. We used to have picnics and go to weddings. We were happy.”
VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros interviewed a man hiding from the Taliban in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his family and still hoping to reach to the U.S. - a process Washington is working to expedite.
Pentagon Rejects DC Request for National Guard Migrant Help
The Pentagon on Monday once again denied a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in dealing with thousands of migrants being bused to the city from Texas and Arizona. Reported by The Associated Press.
Immigration Around the World
Taliban Make Millions From Passports Issued to Fleeing Afghans
Since taking power last year, the Taliban have issued more than 700,000 passports to Afghan nationals inside the country, earning about $50 million in revenue, according to officials. Shirshah Quraishi, deputy director of Afghanistan’s passport department, told reporters Tuesday in Kabul that the country is issuing up to 4,000 passports daily. Reported by VOA’s Akmal Dawi.
This Week Marks 5 Years Since 700,000 Rohingya Refugees Fled Persecution in Myanmar
This week marks five years since more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled violence and persecution in Myanmar, joining hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya who sought refuge in Bangladesh in previous years. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
Many Still Seeking Food, Shelter a Year After Haiti Quake
On the anniversary of an earthquake that hit southern Haiti in 2021, destroying more than 130,000 houses and killing more than 2,200 people, The Associated Press reports the country is facing double-digit inflation that has deepened poverty, families must walk to get well water, and more than 250,000 children still lack access to adequate schooling.
News in Brief
The Biden administration announced a regulation to shield from legal challenges a decade-old program that protects some immigrants, brought to the U.S. as children, from deportation. The rule is expected to take effect Oct. 31, but its fate is tied to a lawsuit by Texas and other Republican-led states.
