As we end the week, the Collaborative is back with another Stories of the Week recap. From the United States government shutdown to photos from Colombia documenting the birthplace of cumbia – here are the top stories impacting the well-being of im/migrants this week.
– Rick Tzompa Chimal
TOP STORY OF THE WEEK
President Trump, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune falsely argue Democrats created the government shutdown by wanting to give “illegal aliens” free healthcare. Democrats counter that they are trying to provide tax credits to keep healthcare more affordable. As Melissa Goldin writes in AP News, “Immigrants in the U.S. illegally are not eligible for insurance bought on the Affordable Care Act exchange or for Medicaid.”
FACT FOCUS: Democrats did not shut down the government to give health care to ‘illegal immigrants’
NATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow End of Birthright Citizenship
The Trump administration last Friday asked the Supreme Court to uphold President Trump’s executive order ending birthright citizenship, the long-held principle that children born on American soil are automatically citizens. This move targets the children of immigrants born in the U.S. and could cause harm to communities of children and adults who call America home.
U.S. Agent Pushes Woman to Floor in Immigration Courthouse Confrontation
A federal agent shoved a woman and pushed her to the floor in front of her two young children on Thursday during a confrontation at an immigration courthouse in Manhattan. Videos show the encounter in a hallway of 26 Federal Plaza in which the woman and a girl are desperately clinging to the woman’s husband, who is being detained. The officer was relieved of his duties, according to DHS.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
Pope Leo XIV says ‘inhuman treatment of immigrants’ in the U.S. isn’t ‘pro-life’
Pope Leo XIV says that the treatment of immigrants in the United States is “inhumane” under the Trump administration. In brief remarks to reporters, he weighed in on U.S. politics and policy as he said, “Someone who says I’m against abortion but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. And someone who says I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States, I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”
4.1 million migrants: Where they’re from, where they live in the U.S.
The Washington Post reports on where 4.1 million immigrants arrived in the U.S. and where they live now. The report analyzes data from immigration court from the past decade.
HEART-WARMERS OF THE WEEK
Colombia: The birthplace of cumbia
Thank you for reading the IWB Stories of the Week series! Stay tuned for next week’s edition.
Rick Tzompa Chimal is a Communications & Policy Intern at the Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative. He contributes by writing blog posts, translating materials, and assisting with research.