As we conclude this week, the Collaborative returns with another Stories of the Week recap. From a congresswoman’s home searched by ICE to a local business owner finding a way to support farmworkers, here are the top stories impacting im/migrant well-being this week.
– Mia Portillo, Communications and Policy Intern
TOP STORY OF THE WEEK
Representative Ilhan Omar, congresswoman for Minnesota’s 5th district, had her home searched by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents. Omar is a Somali immigrant who received U.S. citizenship in 2000, yet she has continued to face numerous allegations, primarily from the Trump administration, questioning her citizenship status.
Rep. Ilhan Omar’s D.C. home searched by Homeland Security investigators
NATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
Texas DA says ICE intentionally hit immigrant with a car and may have withheld evidence
Miguel Parra Hernandez, a man living in the U.S. for the past 34 years and no criminal record, has been left with with multiple breaks and fractures due to being struck by a vehicle operated by an ICE agent. An investigation led by Texas’ Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare is examining whether the agent intentionally struck Hernandez, as prosecutors consider potential charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Trump attacks Somali and Haitian immigrants while rallying for Ohio Republican candidates
Somali and Hatian immigrant groups continue to be the target of President Trump’s anti-immigration rhetoric. During a midterm rally held in Youngstown, Ohio, Trump linked Somali groups to crime, and reiterated false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets.
Sotomayor, Gorsuch condemn immigrant’s prosecution, citing ‘constitutional absurdity’
Joined by Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the federal government’s prosecution of Jesus Herrera-Salazar, a Mexican immigrant accused of illegaly re-entering the U.S. Both justices raised concerns that this second prosecution could potentially violate The Constitution’s Double Jeopardy clause outlined in the fifth amendment.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
109 Including 15 Children Dead, Over 116 Missing in Deadliest Shipwreck off Djibouti
Fatalities have spiked as a result of increasingly dangerous migration routes being taken by Ethiopian nationals to Yemen in search of safety and economic opportunities. Following a deadly shipwreck off the coast of Djibouti that has left at least 109 migrants dead, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called for safer migration pathways to prevent further disasters.
HEART-WARMERS OF THE WEEK
Thank you for reading the IWB Stories of the Week series! Stay tuned for next week’s edition.
Mia Portillo serves as the Communications and Policy Intern at the Im/migrant Well-Being Scholar Collaborative. She contributes by writing blog posts, translating materials, and assisting with research.