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STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden has intensified its crackdown on illegal immigrants after a failed asylum-seeker killed five people in Stockholm, but the move has raised concerns that more migrants will be driven underground to join a shadowy underclass.

In the past months, police have staged wider sweeps on workplaces to check papers, netting undocumented workers, sending a warning to employers and sparking heated debate in a nation that has been traditionally tolerant to migrants.

In May, police carried out their biggest raid so far when dozens of officers swooped on a constructions site in Stockholm. Nine were caught and sent to detention centers, while another 40 escaped by scrambling onto scaffolding and across roof tops.

Swedish authorities had already started to tighten up on illegal immigrants, but police stepped up their activities after Uzbek construction worker Rakhmat Akilov drove into Stockholm shoppers in April.

"We have an unlimited amount of work," said Jerk Wiberg, who leads the Stockholm police unit in charge of domestic border controls. A 22-year veteran who has caught thousands of illegal immigrants, Wiberg led the raid at the construction site in May.

After Akilov became another militant in Europe to use a truck as a weapon, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven made it clear that "no means no" for those whose asylum bids are rejected. Akilov, whose lawyer said he had admitted to committing the crime, had been in hiding after his asylum request was denied.

The Migration Agency estimated 10,000 asylum-seekers a year will choose to disappear rather than be deported. Up to 50,000 undocumented immigrants already work in hotels, transport, construction and restaurants, the agency said last year.

Migration Minister Morgan Johansson said that a "dual labor market ... where a growing group lives on the outside of society and remains in Sweden" after having been denied residency was unacceptable.

"It also increases the risk of them being exploited. We cannot have it that way," he said, adding: "One way is to go after the employers ... (using) expanded workplace checks."

While cheap migrant labor is welcomed by some small businesses, government officials and economists worry that the shadow economy undercuts Sweden's economic model, whose generous welfare provisions and high wages are built on high rates of productivity and one of the world's heaviest tax regimes.

Tough measures against immigrants go against the grain for many in Sweden, a country of 10 million which once called itself "a humanitarian superpower" that generously welcomed migrants fleeing conflict in the Middle East and Africa.

But attitudes appear to be changing and a 2017 study by Gothenburg University showed 52 percent favored taking fewer refugees into the country with 24 percent opposed. Two years ago 40 percent backed reducing refugee numbers with 37 opposed.

The anti-immigration Sweden Democrats are now the second biggest party in polls with support of around a fifth of Swedes.

The Social Democrats, the country's biggest party in every election since 1917 and leader of the governing coalition with the Greens, has been forced to balance its traditional left-wing credentials with the need to enforce immigration laws.

Despite political support for the crackdown and tougher rules on immigration, police struggle to enforce deportations. Between January and April police deported just under 600 people, a third fewer than in the same period last year.

Some of those caught were freed because detention centers were full, while others cannot be deported as they don't have passports to prove their country of origin or their home countries refuse to take them.

The government never discloses how many are held in detention centers, saying there are about 360 beds and deportees are normally repatriated within three weeks. The government has told the migration agency to add another 100 beds.

An extra 800 million crowns ($95 million) has been added to the police budget this year to bolster the clampdown, but senior officers say this is not enough.

In 2016, police made about 1,100 unannounced workplace checks, almost three times more than in 2015, and caught 232 illegal immigrants. A further increase is expected in 2017 as the net widens.Illegal immigrants are also detained through checks at transport hubs, on vehicles or after committing crime.

Deportations made up a small fraction of the 20,000 rejected asylum seekers who left Sweden last year.

"We have been able to increase the number of people who leave Sweden substantially. But we're listening to the police and we have paved the way for more resources and wider powers," Johansson said in an interview, adding:

"We will have to increase that number further."

Expanded police powers include workplace checks without concrete suspicion of a crime, to be allowed from next year, with sharply higher fines for employing illegal immigrants.

Immigrants themselves have been unnerved. When police burst into a pizzeria in the southern city of Malmo where Ehsanulla Kajfar, a 38-year-old Afghan refugee, was working in May he said he thought they were looking for "terrorists or drug dealers".

He was surprised to be handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a police vehicle as tax officials scrutinized the restaurant's employee ledger. He was told his papers were not in order and was taken to a detention center.

"Sweden used to be a nice country, even when I was living underground," he told Reuters. "Now although I have a residence permit from Italy and I am registered at the tax agency in Sweden, I'm still locked in a detention center."

Nicaraguan Hugo Eduardo Somarriba Quintero, 37, said he was wrongly detained in the big raid in Stockholm in May due to an error by authorities and then released. Migration Agency records confirmed the details of his case.

"But I've lost my job the company where I was working was dropped from the construction site (because of irregularities in not checking work papers properly). Now I am looking for work and there is no job for me," he tearfully told Reuters, adding:

"Before there was a lot of tolerance for migrants. Now the laws are harder."

Muhammad, a 22-year old Afghan who declined to give his family name, has been in hiding for three years in Malmo since his asylum application was rejected.

He has moved three times this year and never stays in a place longer than three months. All his belongings are packed in a suitcase and two plastic bags if he needs to leave in a hurry.

Muhammad relies on food stamps from the church and leftover food from restaurants and grocery stores.

He has learned to avoid the city center when there is an increase in policing and gets help from other immigrants and volunteers who work for asylum-seekers' rights. They warn each other of police checks and raids through text messages.

"Last time the police made a push to find immigrants, my friend stayed inside for 15 to 20 days," Muhammad said. "But I can't stay inside all the time, its too depressing."

Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Mansoor Yosufzai, additional reporting by Alister Doyle, editing by Peter Millership

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Sweden intensifies crackdown on illegal immigrants - Reuters - Reuters

Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told the Congressional Hispanic Caucus in a closed-door meeting Wednesday that an initiative that grants work permits to more than 800,000 undocumented immigrants may not survive a looming legal challenge.

Kelly declined to take questions after the meeting, but his spokesman said the secretary told the members that the Obama-era program, which shields immigrants brought to the United States as children, is at risk.

This is what hes being told by different attorneys, that if it goes to court it might not survive, DHS spokesman David Lapan said. If Congress does not pass a bill to protect the program, he added, theyre leaving it in the hands of the courts to make a decision.

Kellys meeting with the caucus came nearly two weeks after officials from Texas and 10 other states warned Attorney General Jeff Sessions that they would sue the federal government if it does not rescind Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program by Sept.5.

The officials also want Homeland Security to gradually phase out the program by refusing to renew the two-year permits or issue new ones.

Members of the Hispanic caucus said they urged Kelly to support bipartisan legislation known as the Bridge Act that would effectively preserve the DACA program. But they expressed skepticism that the Republican-controlled Congress would pass any law to spare undocumented immigrants from deportation or that the Trump administration would defend DACA in court.

Jeff Sessions is going to say, Deport them, a visibly shaken Rep. Luis V. Gutirrez (D-Ill.) said in English and Spanish, noting that the attorney general had been a fierce opponent of illegal immigration as a senator from Alabama. If youre going to count on Jeff Sessions to save DACA, then DACA is ended.

As a candidate, President Trump promised to revoke DACA, which was created in 2012, along with a 2014 executive order that also sought to shield undocumented immigrants from deportation.

Obama signed the orders after failing to persuade the House to pass an immigration bill that would create a path to citizenship for the countrys estimated 11million undocumented immigrants.

DACA flourished, but the 2014 order, which would have expanded DACA and protected the parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents from deportation, was blocked by a lawsuit filed by Texas and other states.

Last month, Kelly officially rescinded the 2014 order, saying the administration saw no legal path to implementing it. But he left DACA untouched, and his agency has continued to renew work permits and issue new ones through the program, angering Trumps base.

Texas and the other plaintiffs have said they would drop the lawsuit against the 2014 program if the government rescinds DACA; otherwise, they will amend the lawsuit to target the existing program as well.

(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

The Trump administration has moved to implement many of the presidents chief campaign promises on immigration, including curtailing refugee arrivals, temporarily banning certain travelers from six Muslim-majority countries and detaining and deporting illegal immigrants.

However, the Trump administration is still struggling to secure congressional support for one of his signature campaign promises, to erect a big, beautiful wall on the southern border.

Members of the Hispanic caucus said Kelly told them Wednesday that federal programs that grant Haitians, Salvadorans and Hondurans temporary protected status because of past disasters in their homelands are also at risk of being canceled, or not renewed, by the Trump administration. Haiti and Honduras are set to lose that status in January.

Lapan said Kelly has not made a decision about Haiti or the Central American nations, but he has signaled that the protections could end.

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DHS's Kelly: Program shielding 800000 illegal immigrants may be in jeopardy - Washington Post

For the first time in a while, we are witnessing a serious illegal immigration case here in Louisiana. Yesterday, a 37-year-old Honduran national who has been living in Zachary was indicted of possession and attempted production of child pornography. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office in Baton Rouge, Victor Zelaya-Funez will face a mandatory minimum prison sentence of 15 years if he is convicted of these crimes.

Corey Amundson, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, said in a written release: The aggressive prosecution of illegal aliens engaged in the sexual exploitation of children is a top priority of the US Department of Justice generally and this office in particular I greatly appreciate the outstanding efforts of our federal, state, and local partners in addressing this important criminal justice priority.

These charges are awful enough, but could they have been avoided? As it turns out, Zelaya-Funez had once already been removed from the country and awaits pending prosecution on a previous indictment of illegal re-entry into the U.S.

It truly is a shame that such heinous crimes are so often committed, especially when its potentially avoidable in situations like this. Not even a year ago, another illegal alien from Honduras crashed a bus on I-10 in St. John the Baptist Parish, which injured about 40 people and took the lives of two more. And in recent years weve seen numerous violent crimes, sometimes resulting in death, committed by immigrants who have been deported and somehow made their way back to America. Illegally.

The problem is not immigration. Its illegal immigration. Weve acknowledged that there are plenty of families and individuals across the United States who were born outside of this country, but who have followed the rules upon their resettlement here and who now contribute to society in positive ways. Thats what the American Dream is all about, and its a large part of what makes our country so exceptional.

We just hope that with the current administration and the strides Congress is taking with Kates Law, criminals like Zelaya-Funez will not be allowed a second chance to commit such unspeakable crimes.

Link:
Illegal Immigrant In Zachary Indicted For Possessing And Trying To Make Child Porn - The Hayride

The residents of Baltimore and their representatives on the City Council are celebrating a big win this week. But its nothing to do with curbing their record setting murder rate or fixing their imploding budget. The festivities center around a court order resulting in the release of Serbando Rodriguez and Segundo Paucar from detention. A team of pro bono lawyers had worked to convince a judge to spring the two men, despite the fact that ICE had determined they were in the country illegally and scheduled them for deportation. (Baltimore Sun)

The immigration arrests of a barber and a small business owner in February galvanized many in Baltimores Highlandtown neighborhood.

Neither man had a criminal record. Protesters hit the streets. Lawyers snapped into action. Nervous friends and family took to prayer.

Today, after advocacy lawyers succeeded in arguing their cases before immigration judges, both men have been released from the Frederick County Detention Center and reunited with their friends and family.

They could have easily been removed from the country, but they have viable cases, said Michelle N. Mendez, a senior attorney at the Catholic Legal Immigration Network who represented both men. This is why we shouldnt be doing these fast-tracked deportations. If the person has access to competent counsel, it makes a big difference.

This doesnt mean that either of the men are off the hook entirely. Theyve simply been released on their own recognizance while the appeals are heard in court and they will be required to check in regularly with ICE in the meantime. But is this really a reason to celebrate?

As we so often see with media coverage of these stories, the Baltimore Sun goes to great lengths to paint a sympathetic picture. One of the detainees is described as the hard working guy who cuts hair and repairs bicycles while just wanting to help others in the community. The other is a small business owner. Whats not to love, right? You have to dig down a number of paragraphs before you find out something else about them. Rodriguez wasnt just caught up by accident as part of some Trump-fueled, cruel hearted raid. Hed already been deported once and was wanted for illegally reentering the country. Paucar had been caught by ICE more than a decade ago and had a standing order for deportation but had simply disappeared off their radar.

The reason given for the fresh look at these cases was rather odd as well. Rodriguez claims that he was fleeing gang violence in Honduras when he left. Not that he was specifically a target as a public official or something, but just that theres a lot of that sort of violence in Honduras. Okay, so let me get this straight. You were fleeing a problem of gang violence in your home country and you fled to Baltimore?

But even if thats the case, people fleeing persecution and immediate danger in their home countries can apply for refugee status or any number of other available programs. He didnt follow any of those steps but rather chose to continue living here as an illegal alien. If the courts are starting to buy stories such as this were in a lot of trouble.

Of course, were still talking about Baltimore here, so its all in keeping with the public mood and climate in the municipal government. Keep in mind that back in March the City Council was issuing a request for ICE to stop arresting illegal aliens who werent wanted for serious crimes. But thats not how it works, folks. The only reason we havent been regularly arresting those who dont commit other crimes in addition to violating our federal immigration laws was that a lack of resources forced us to prioritize the cases we pursue. That doesnt mean that the rest of the illegal aliens had permission to be here. We just didnt have the manpower to pursue them and they knew it. But when we do happen to catch them, theyre still eligible to be ejected. And thats how its supposed to remain.

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Baltimore celebrates victory in release of illegal aliens - Hot Air

Homeland Security officials reject the idea that the agency is too focused on immigration. Officials noted that Mr. Trump signed an executive order on cybersecurity and has proposed adding money and staff to the agencys cybersecurity efforts.

The officials add that the president appointed Brock Long, an experienced emergency management official, to head FEMA. Mr. Long was confirmed, 95 to 4, by the Senate.

They also point out that John F. Kelly, the Homeland Security secretary, has taken a number of steps to protect air travel, including a temporary ban on portable electronics from some countries and implementing new screening measures to thwart attacks.

No one is going to tell you that immigration and border security arent priorities; they are the priorities that the president ran on, said Jonathan Hoffman, assistant secretary for public affairs at the department. But the focus on these issues isnt so much that we have neglected any part of the Department of Homeland Security.

But so far the Trump administration has focused on illegal immigration: building a wall along the border with Mexico, hiring thousands of new Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and deporting tens of thousands of people in the country illegally.

Illegal immigration was the centerpiece of Mr. Trumps presidential campaign, drawing large crowds as he promised to build a border wall and deport millions in the country illegally. But security experts said the country faces a number of continuing threats ranging from domestic terrorists to attacks from political extremists and cyberattacks against the nations election systems that demand the full attention of the Department of Homeland Security.

John Kelly and his staff have a wide portfolio, said Tom Ridge, who served as the first Homeland Security secretary, under President George W. Bush. I hope the White House realizes that they have an enormous job in protecting the border and the nations infrastructure from cyberattacks. They cant be used just to keep campaign promises.

The budget proposal Mr. Trump submitted to Congress prioritizes agencies and programs that target illegal immigration.

Under the plan, funding would increase just over 21 percent for Customs and Border Protection, the parent agency of the Border Patrol. Much of the increase would be used to build a border wall. But the agency would also be charged with hiring 5,000 new Border Patrol agents, even as the number of people crossing the border illegally has declined. Last month, 21,659 border crossers were caught, compared with 45,722 in June 2016, a 53 percent decrease.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcements budget would increase even more, nearly 30 percent. The new funding would pay for more deportation officers, detention centers and money to fly or bus unauthorized immigrants back to their home countries.

But other services and programs within Homeland Security would have their funding cut. The proposed budget includes cuts to the Coast Guard, elimination of the Transportation Security Administrations teams of uniformed armed officers that sweep public facilities and shutdowns of several of the departments national labs, including one in New York City that helps detect nuclear radiation. Several grant programs that pay for local police officers in airports or those that fight extremism would be cut or reprogrammed.

For example, Life After Hate, a group that works to deradicalize neo-Nazis and members of white supremacist groups, was slated to get $400,000 in the final days of the Obama administration. But Homeland Security canceled funding to the group in favor of groups and law enforcement agencies that target Muslim extremists.

Cutting grant programs that combat domestic extremism is a mistake when attacks by white supremacist and other hate groups are on the rise, said Erroll Southers, a former F.B.I. agent who is the director of a program at the University of Southern California that studies homegrown extremism.

You cant just focus on threats by ISIS or other groups, although its important, he said, referring to the Islamic State. But there are real threats here at home that have to be addressed.

Mr. Hoffman, the Homeland Security spokesman, said that the agencys critics were misguided and that their criticism did not reflect the day-to-day operation of the department.

We're not out there talking about cybersecurity, T.S.A., FEMA and other issues every day, but the focus is on it every day, he said. All the components and agencies are sufficiently funded to do their jobs.

Senator Kamala Harris, Democrat of California, a frequent critic of the department, said the White House bore a large share of the blame for what she considered the agencys overemphasis on targeting immigrants who were in the country illegally but posed little threat.

But she said Mr. Kelly should also be held accountable for the agencys immigration priorities. Ms. Harris was one of nearly a dozen Democratic senators who did not vote to confirm him.

During his confirmation hearing, Mr. Kelly came across as this person who would be a moderating voice in the Trump administration, someone who would speak truth to power, said Ms. Harris, a member of the Homeland Security Committee. But thats not what were seeing from him as secretary of Homeland Security. Under him, this agency has seemed eager to carry out the destructive immigration policies of this administration.

Leon E. Panetta, a former director of the C.I.A. and secretary of defense, said Mr. Kelly was simply following orders.

John Kelly is being a good Marine, Mr. Panetta said. He was loyal to me, and hes loyal to his commander in chief. I dont think some of the things the department is doing reflect the views of John Kelly.

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A version of this article appears in print on July 14, 2017, on Page A13 of the New York edition with the headline: Single-Minded at Homeland Security.

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Job One at Homeland Security Under Trump: Immigration - New York Times