As we conclude this week, the Collaborative returns with another Stories of the Week recap. From an asylum seeker shot and hospitalized to a Salvadoran priest preparing to become a standby guardian, here are the top stories impacting im/migrant well-being this week.
– Mia Portillo, Communications and Policy Intern
TOP STORY OF THE WEEK
28-year-old Wilber Rafael Perez was shot by immigration enforcement while making a DoorDash Delivery and was taken into custody at the South Texas ICE Processing Center with the bullet still in his back. Perez is in the United States legally as a Venezuelan asylum seeker with no criminal history.
Man shot by ICE in Austin held with a bullet still in his back, attorney says
NATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
ICE is looking into ‘mobile detention facilities’
In Pennsylvania, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has begun plans for mobile detention facilities. Private prison company ,GEO Group, is involved in the proposals, which would allow ICE to perform mass “immigration sweeps.”
Michigan Governor Orders Inquiry After ICE Pursuit Ends in Fatal Crash
Guatemalan immigrant, Mario David Coronado Juarez, has died in a car crash after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pursued him. Public figures are now calling for transparency, while Michigan’s governer has directed law enforcement to conduct an independent review of actions leading up to Juarez’ passing.
Trump administration says most refugees accepted in 2027 will be White South Africans
A new proposal from the Trump Administration may restrict refugee admitance into the United States to White South Africans. This change would be a vast change from decades of the U.S. accepting groups fleeing war, persecution or other dangers.
INTERNATIONAL STORIES OF THE WEEK
‘Hope’ rises in Berlin immigrant communities as Left wins amid AfD gains
Political left German party, Die Linke, has won a historic election victory despite rising support for the far-right AfD party in eastern Germany. Die Linke’s Berlin political leader, Elif Eralp has been likened to New York City major Zohran Mamdani in their similar focuses on the rights of immigrant communities.
‘It sent a message’: anti-migrant feeling pervades Hampshire town where hundreds protested
Anti-immigration sentiment has continued to grow in Gosport, England, as far-right protesters took to the streets. The demonstration was fueled by rumors on social media of asylum seekers disembarking in the town, despite local officials stating otherwise.
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.