Page 4 - aruba-today-20230117

A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 17 January 2023
DHS policy protects migrant workers in labor investigations

By REBECCA SANTANA news as a way to protect
Associated Press migrant workers from em-
WASHINGTON (AP) — The ployers who might use their
Department of Home- immigration status as a way
land Security on Friday to retaliate against them
announced a process by for coming forward about
which migrant workers who things like wage or work-
witness or are victims of place violations.
workplace labor violations “As immigration lawyers,
can apply for protection we have seen too many
from deportation, in a de- of our clients suffer work-
velopment applauded by place abuses they were
labor and rights advocates too afraid to report for fear
who say it will protect mi- of retribution by unscrupu-
grant workers who expose lous employers,” said Ann
abusive working conditions. Garcia, staff attorney at
Friday’s announcement the National Immigration
sets up guidelines on the Project.
agency’s website so ap- In an October 2021 memo,
plicants know what docu- DHS Secretary Alejandro
mentation they need to ap- Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks during a news conference in Washington, Mayorkas said the agency
ply and how to go about it. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, on new border enforcement measures to limit unlawful migration, expand would consider requests for
“Workers are often afraid pathways for legal immigration, and increase border security. deferred action protection
to report violations of law Associated Press for migrants helping in labor
by exploitative employers past it has been able to ing protection from depor- reviewed by U.S. Citizenship investigations but didn’t
or to cooperate in employ- use “discretionary author- tation if they’re taking part and Immigration Services, set out a detailed policy
ment and labor standards ity” to consider requests to in an investigation of work- an arm of Homeland Secu- for how it would be done.
investigations because protect workers from de- place labor violations. rity that handles immigra- Since then, Garcia said,
they fear removal or other portation who are assisting As part of the application tion and citizenship-related some lawyers have applied
immigration-related retali- in labor investigations on they’d have to show proof requests. on behalf of their clients but
ation by an abusive em- a case-by-case basis. But from a labor or employment If approved, migrant work- it was case by case. “It was
ployer,” the agency said in the new guidelines create agency describing the in- ers cooperating with a la- a process of guesswork,”
a news release. “Agencies a “streamlined and expe- vestigation and why they bor investigation can stay she said. Garcia, who trains
tasked with enforcing labor dited” process and a cen- need DHS support. They’d in the country for two years. other lawyers in aspects of
and employment laws de- tralized location where re- also have to show proof They can also apply for au- immigration law, said now
pend on the cooperation quests can be submitted. they were working at the thorization to work legally the formal process will al-
of these workers in their in- The new process allows mi- company as well as docu- in the country during that low her to more easily help
vestigations.” grant workers to apply for ments like proof of identity. time. Labor and immigra- other lawyers navigate for
The agency said that in the “deferred action,” mean- The applications would be tion groups applauded the their clients.q

Ninth in series of California storms dumps more rain, snow

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER sures,” the weather service cm) of new snow since Fri- rain and snow on California Up to 2 more inches (5 cm)
Associated Press office in Sacramento said day. since late December, cut- of rain fell Sunday in the
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The on Twitter. A backcountry avalanche ting power to thousands, soaked Sacramento Val-
ninth atmospheric river in a The University of Califor- warning was issued for the swamping roads, toppling ley, where residents of Wil-
three-week series of major nia Berkeley Central Sierra central Sierra, including the trees, unleashing debris ton and surrounding com-
winter storms was churning Snow Lab tweeted Mon- greater Tahoe area. flows and triggering land- munities were warned to
through California on Mon- day morning that it had A barrage of atmospheric slides. Monday’s system prepare to leave if the Co-
day, leaving mountain driv- recorded 49.6 inches (126 river storms has dumped was relatively weak com- sumnes River rose further.
ing dangerous and flood- pared with earlier storms, The swollen Salinas River
ing risk high near swollen but flooding and mudslide swamped farmland in Mon-
rivers even as the sun came risks remained because terey County. To the east,
out in some areas. the state was so saturated, flood warnings were still in
Heavy snow fell across the forecasters said. effect for Merced County
Sierra Nevada and the Na- The sun came out in San in the agricultural Central
tional Weather Service dis- Francisco, where 20.3 inch- Valley, where Gov. Gavin
couraged travel. Interstate es (51.5 cm) of rain has Newsom visited Saturday.
80, a key highway from the fallen at the city’s airport Newsom on Monday
San Francisco Bay Area to since Oct. 1, when Califor- signed an executive order
Lake Tahoe ski resorts, re- nia typically begins record- to further bolster the state’s
opened with chain require- ing rainfall for the year. emergency storm response
ments after periodic week- The yearly average for the and help communities that
end closures because of “water year” is 19.6 inches suffered damage. Presi-
whiteout conditions. (49.8 cm), “so we’ve sur- dent Joe Biden declared a
“If you must travel, be pre- passed the yearly total with major disaster in the state
pared for dangerous travel Ryan Orosco, of Brentwood, carries his wife Amanda Orosco, 8 more months to go,” the and ordered federal aid to
conditions, significant trav- from their flooded home on Bixler Road in Brentwood, Calif., on San Francisco weather ser- supplement local recovery
Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.
el delays and road clo- Associated Press vice office tweeted. efforts.q