Editor’s note: Here are immigration-related news from across the U.S. this week. question? Tip? Comment? Email VOA’s immigration team at ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Officials deny claims Biden administration secretly brought 320,000 migrants to U.S.

The Biden administration’s plan to reduce the chaotic flow of migrants arriving at the U.S. southern border is being turned into a political issue by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and others, who see it as a plan to bring hundreds of thousands of migrants back covert operations into the United States. VOA immigration reporter Aline Barros has more.

Afghan student shot dead at university pleads with Taliban to let girls study

Breshna Musazai spent 19 harrowing months in Qatar, anxiously awaiting resettlement to the United States as a refugee. Just two days after the Taliban took over Kabul in 2021, Moussazai was wounded in a school shooting and forced to flee Afghanistan, where she found herself separated from her parents and her dreams shattered. VOA’s Akmal Dawi has more reporting.

Son of Korean immigrants takes over LAPD

Last week, the son of a Korean immigrant became the interim chief of the Los Angeles Police Department. He is the first Asian American to hold this position. Genia Dulot tells the story.

Asylum seekers seek refuge at Washington state church

Even though the number of immigrants entering the United States each day has dropped since December, local communities are still scrambling to provide them with resources. In the Pacific Northwest, Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tachira, Washington, has become a haven for hundreds of asylum seekers from Africa and Latin America. Produced by Natasha Mozgovaya.

Biden mentions Israel, immigration in State of the Union address

U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday attacked former President Donald Trump’s vision for America, criticized Israel and was criticized on immigration in his final State of the Union address before the two face off in the November U.S. election. challenge. Reuters reports.

immigrants around the world

Migrant children brave Darien Gap to reach U.S. border

The Darien Gorge is a dangerous jungle located on a narrow strip of land connecting Colombia in South America and Panama in Central America. Many migrants heading north to the U.S. border take this route, one in five of them children. Officials say the number of migrants crossing the dangerous route is increasing. VOA’s Austin Landis went to the starting point of their hike to hear some of their stories.

Young Ukrainian circus refugee finds new home in Hungary

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, hundreds of young Ukrainian circus performers have found a new home in Hungary. The Capital Circus of Budapest has been hosting shows in the Hungarian capital since 1889 and has attracted hundreds of young people aged 5 to 20 over the past two years, as well as several choreographers and trainers. They include 18-year-old Alesa Astapova, who fled her home in Kiev in March 2022 as Russian tanks approached the city. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London.

UNRWA chief: Israel launches campaign to eliminate Palestinian aid agency

The head of the embattled United Nations agency aiding Palestinian refugees accused Israel on Monday of launching a campaign to eliminate Palestinian refugees, while more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza rely on their services to survive. “UNRWA is facing a deliberate, coordinated campaign aimed at undermining and ultimately ending its operations,” Director-General Filippo Lazzarini told a special session of the UN General Assembly. UNRWA is the United Nations agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East. Abbreviation for Relief and Works Agency. VOA’s United Nations correspondent Margaret Beshear reports.

Newsletter

— TSA and DHS Science and Technology Directorate unveil prototype checkpoint technology — Self-service screening system — at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada.