VOA News | Sunday, February 16, 2025 
VOA immigration weekly recap, Feb. 9-15, 2025  

Trump administration moves quickly with mass deportation plans  – Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has declared illegal immigration a national emergency. The Trump administration ramped up its mass deportation efforts, expanding the use of expedited removal and using Guantanamo Bay as a detention site for certain migrants. The moves have raised concerns among immigration advocates, who argue that the policies lack transparency and could violate due process rights. VOA’s immigration reporter, Aline Barros, reports. – US fires 20 immigration judges from backlogged courts – The administration of President Donald Trump has fired 20 immigration judges without explanation, a union official said Saturday amid sweeping moves to shrink the size of the federal government. On Friday, 13 judges who had yet to be sworn in and five assistant chief immigration judges were dismissed without notice, said Matthew Biggs, president of the International Federation of Professional & Technical Engineers, which represents federal workers. Two other judges were fired under similar circumstances last week. The Associated Press reports. – With doors closed to US, asylum-seekers turn to a new life in Mexico – When Angelica Delgado took a one-way flight to Mexico as she fled Cuba in December, she was set on seeking asylum in the United States. But…Read more