U.S. releases 'Remain in Mexico' refugee after judge grants asylum

More than 24 hours after he became the first person granted refugee status under the “Migrant Protection Protocols” policy requiring asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their immigration claims are pending, a man was released to a sponsor in San Diego Wednesday after his attorney called for his release.... Read more»

At a Mexican safe house, migrants risk violence as they wait in the shadows

A couple in Ciudad Juárez has opened their home to shelter Central American migrants hoping to obtain asylum in the U.S. And the migrants risk their safety every time they leave the house.... Read more»

Immigration officials use secretive gang databases to deny asylum claims

With scant public notice, immigration officials are relying on databases run by foreign police and militaries to check whether migrants crossing the U.S. border have gang affiliations, which would allow officials to detain and eventually deport them.... Read more»

5 things Trump gets most wrong about MS-13

The gang is not invading the country. They’re not posing as fake families. They’re not growing. To stop them, the government needs to understand them.... Read more»

Guest opinion

What Martha McSally won't tell us about her border bill

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally showed last week how little she understands our southern border — and how well she understands her political campaign. She evidently hopes her hardline tack on immigration will make her look tough as she prepares for an uphill Senate primary.... Read more»

Analysis

MS-13 is a street gang, not a drug cartel – and the difference matters

The Trump administration is not the first to mischaracterize MS-13, which conducts vicious but rudimentary criminal activities like extortion, armed robbery and murder. But the group is hardly a lucrative network of criminal masterminds.... Read more»

Guest opinion

McSally: Asylum seekers 'enrich cartels'; vulnerable to MS-13 recruitment

Citing the same U.S. gang repeatedly referred to by the Trump administration, Rep. Martha McSally said Tuesday that "loopholes" in vetting asylum seekers must be ended, as the "daily border caravan" of migrants "enriches the cartel."... Read more»

Bordering on insecurity

Central American gang's tentacles reach deep into Texas, U.S.

Only about 800 of the estimated 20,000 gang members in the Houston area belong to the MS-13, but police consider them a top-level threat to public safety in Texas. The El Salvador-based criminal organization is thought to reach across Texas and into 44 other states. ... Read more»

Gang wars, poverty drive Central Americans over U.S. border

The challenge of securing the southern U.S. border is changing dramatically as fewer Mexicans cross illegally, but more Central Americans arrive seeking refuge from the terror and chaos of their home countries.... Read more»

Feds delay busing migrant kids to Oracle; rival groups demonstrate

Passions ran hot among two groups demonstrating near a new shelter for undocumented children in this small Arizona town, with both gearing up to display their fervor as the first buses of migrant kids were expected to arrive. Around noon, officials said that the children would not be driven to the shelter Tuesday.... Read more»3

Babeu tip prompts some to plan blockade of Oracle migrant kids' shelter

Some residents of Oracle are planning a blockade of a new shelter for unaccompanied undocumented children, called after Sheriff Babeu told organizers about the facility. Babeu raised questions about the children's possible affiliation with the notorious MS-13 gang, and the chance they might spread disease.... Read more»5