US Again Postpones Immigration Hearings Because of Coronavirus

Voice of America
02 Apr 2020, 07:05 GMT+10

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government said on Wednesday that because of the coronavirus outbreak it had postponed court hearings for non-Mexican migrants waiting in Mexico.

The Justice and Homeland Security departments said in a joint statement that the hearings would be postponed through May 1. The departments had previously announced a suspension through April 22.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has escalated its response to the pandemic in recent weeks as new infections have soared in hot spots across the country.

The emergency moves have included the cancellation of deportation hearings for immigrants not in detention and suspension of in-person interviews for legal immigration applicants.

The United States also closed its borders with Canada and Mexico to "nonessential" traffic last month and began a new practice of rapidly removing migrants caught trying to cross either border illegally.

Since 2019, roughly 60,000 non-Mexican migrants, many of them asylum-seekers, have been sent to Mexico to await their U.S. court hearings under a Trump administration program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols.

Thousands of those migrants have passed through makeshift encampments along the border where advocates say disease spreads easily, a situation that has alarmed some local Mexican authorities in light of the coronavirus outbreak.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Toronto Telegraph.

More Information

18 ℃

Fair in Toronto

Business

Section

European and Asian stocks rally, U.S. and UK markets closed

NEW YORK, New York - Stock markets in Europe and Asia made gains on Monday, while investors and traders in ...

California avocado producers to benefit from U.S.-China trade deal

LOS ANGELES, California - California avocados gained access to the Chinese market as a result of the China-U.S. phase-one economic ...

Nikkei 225 jumps 353 points, stocks in China struggle

SYDNEY, Australia - Tokyo and Sydney shares took off on Monday, and while stocks gained in Shanghai and Hong Kong, ...

Giant car rental operator bankrupt despite $1 billion in reserves

ESTERO, Florida - Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.and certain U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter ...

Coronavirus to impact economies of smaller Caibbean countries

How can the United Nations sustainable development goals improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth while the ...

Disadvantaged children engage in live video chat for Ramadan shopping

DUBAI, UAE - The world's largest themed mall which caters for more than 21 million visitors a year has had ...

Canada

Section