Immigration news from North America
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> NYC Mayor reminds America of its immigration heritage
> US Supreme Court confirms birthright citizenship
> Haitians lose protection against deportation
> 99% of refugees to the US are white South Africans
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, seated at a desk once used by George Washington, used his 4th July speech to remind his fellow Americans that, thanks to waves after waves of immigrants, the country has become the richest nation on earth.
USA / NEW YORK CITY
New York Mayor uses America's 250th anniversary to praise immigrants' role in the nation's history
July 2026: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani delivered a 15-minute address at City Hall yesterday, 3 July 2026, on the eve of the United States' 250th anniversary, emphasising immigration as a central theme in American history and implicitly challenging the Trump administration's policies on undocumented migrants.
Mamdani delivered the speech seated behind a desk once used by George Washington, flanked by ten recently naturalised American citizens holding US flags. The setting was deliberate: City Hall stands yards from the site where the Declaration of Independence was first read aloud to the Continental Army in 1776.
Mamdani portrayed American history as a series of immigrant waves, each initially faced with hostility and later integrated into the national narrative. "For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best," he said, listing religious minorities, peasants, and economic migrants who have shaped the country. "The truth, my friends, is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place.”
He was pointed in his criticism of current immigration enforcement. "We see masked agents terrorising our streets, eating food cooked by our undocumented neighbours before spiriting them away in unmarked vans," he said, without naming the president or federal agencies directly.
Mamdani also referenced the history of New York's immigrant communities, including Irish, Chinese, Jewish, Italian, and Syrian newcomers from the 19th and early 20th centuries, noting that each generation faced legal exclusion, labour exploitation, and social hostility before becoming part of the city's fabric. "Despite laws enacted by the federal government to prevent their entry, despite sweatshop fires that killed hundreds of women, despite riots aimed at their very existence, immigrants made homes here in New York City, and they helped to make New York City," he said.
He concluded by framing dissent as a form of patriotism. "Patriotism has never been about pretending our nation is without flaws," he said. "Patriotism is every act of righteous dissent."
Mamdani, born in Kampala, Uganda, in 1991 to parents of Indian descent, moved to New York at the age of seven. He became a naturalised US citizen in 2018 and was elected Mayor of New York City in November 2025, making history as the first Muslim and the first African-born individual to hold the office. His parents are the scholar Mahmood Mamdani and the filmmaker Mira Nair. Before his mayoral campaign, he represented Astoria in the New York State Assembly, building a political base in Queens focused on policies of social housing, worker protection, and immigrant rights.
Under the US Constitution, Mamdani is ineligible for the presidency or vice-presidency as he is not a natural-born citizen. He has rejected proposals for a constitutional amendment to alter this, stating last week that the Constitution "looks good just the way it is."
The speech was timed to contrast with President Trump's planned address at Mount Rushmore later that day. Mamdani, who has met Trump twice at the White House, did not refer to the president by name.
Further reading from The Immigrant Times: Immigrant Zohran Mamdani elected NYC Mayor
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USA / BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP
US Supreme Court affirms birthright citizenship, dismissing Trump’s executive order
July 2026: The United States Supreme Court ruled on 29 June 2026 that the US Constitution guarantees automatic citizenship to children born on American soil, striking down an executive order signed by President Trump on his first day back in office in January 2025. The 6-3 decision is the third significant Supreme Court defeat for the Trump administration in recent months.
Trump's executive order aimed to limit citizenship to children born to parents who are either US citizens or lawful permanent residents with established domicile in the country. It would have abolished automatic citizenship for children born to parents who are undocumented or present in the US on temporary visas. According to the Migration Policy Institute, an estimated 255,000 children born each year to non-citizen parents would have lost legal status under the order. Some faced the prospect of statelessness, unable to acquire citizenship in any country. Every lower court that examined the order blocked it before it could take effect.
Birthright citizenship has been enshrined in the US Constitution since 1868, when the states ratified the Fourteenth Amendment following the Civil War. It reflects the principle of jus soli, the right of the soil, extending citizenship based on place of birth, regardless of the immigration status of the parents.
The Supreme Court affirmed this principle over a century ago in the 1898 case of United States v. Wong Kim Ark, ruling that a man born in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents was a US citizen. Chief Justice Roberts, writing for the majority, noted that the arguments advanced by Trump and the dissenting justices echo those made by the losing side in that case.
Five justices held that the executive order violated the Fourteenth Amendment. A sixth, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, held that it violated federal law but did not reach the constitutional question. Chief Justice Roberts wrote that the men who drafted the Fourteenth Amendment deliberately defined citizenship broadly, rejecting attempts to limit it. "Citizenship, then and now, was the right to have rights," he wrote. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the three dissenting conservatives, stated: "The Court has made a serious mistake."
Trump described the ruling as "too bad for our Country" and urged Congress to legislate an end to birthright citizenship, stating that no constitutional amendment would be needed. "Congress should start TODAY," he wrote on Truth Social.
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USA / TPS
Supreme Court strips legal protection from 350,000 Haitians and Syrians in the US
June 2026: The United States Supreme Court ruled on 25 June that the Trump administration may revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitian and 6,000 Syrian nationals living legally in the country, in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines that significantly limits judicial oversight of immigration policy.
TPS was established by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries experiencing natural disasters, civil unrest, and other instabilities. It permits individuals already in the country to stay with work permits valid for up to 18 months, but it does not offer a pathway to citizenship. As of March 2025, around 1.3 million people from 17 countries held TPS status.
Writing for the conservative majority, Justice Samuel Alito stated that the TPS statute prevents courts from reviewing decisions made by the president and the Department of Homeland Security to end the programme. The court also dismissed a separate claim by Haitian plaintiffs that the decision to revoke their status was motivated by racial discrimination. The majority concluded that statements made by the president about Haiti were not enough to prove that the termination was based on race.
Writing for the three dissenting justices, Justice Elena Kagan stated that without the protection of lower court orders, hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians living in the United States would lose their legal status and work authorisation, and that most would have no legal option except to leave the country. She also noted that both Haiti and Syria remain on the State Department's "do not travel" list.
Background
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem moved to terminate TPS for Haiti and Syria, certifying that conditions in both countries had sufficiently improved for immigrants to return. Lower courts had blocked those terminations, with one federal judge finding that Noem had failed to follow correct procedures and that there was evidence the decision was based on anti-Haitian bias. Plaintiffs also alleged in a court filing that the government had relied on a knowingly false statement that Noem had consulted the State Department, when in fact she had not.
The State Department currently advises Americans not to travel to Haiti, noting that crimes involving firearms, including robbery, carjacking, sexual assault, and kidnapping for ransom, are common. Regarding Syria, it states that no part of the country is safe from violence.
Wider implications
The Trump administration has already revoked TPS for nationals from 13 of the 17 countries that held the designation when it took office in January 2025, including Afghanistan and Cameroon. The ruling effectively grants the administration the authority to carry out similar terminations for the remaining designations. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned that the decision has devastating consequences beyond the Haiti and Syria cases, severely restricting relief options in other ongoing cases.
The White House called the ruling a significant victory. Spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said that it confirmed the administration's stance that TPS was never meant as a route to permanent status or legal residency.
Separately, the Supreme Court yesterday (25 June 2026) also cleared the way for the Trump administration to revive its "metering" policy, which limits the number of asylum seekers that border officials must process at the southern border.
Sources: NPR; NBC News; ABC News; CNN; PBS NewsHour; NBC News (via AP).
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USA / SOUTH AFRICA
Some 99% of refugees admitted to the US in 2026 were white South Africans
June 2026: More than 99 per cent of refugees admitted to the United States during the first seven months of Fiscal Year 2026 came from South Africa, according to official refugee admissions data. The figures have attracted attention because the Trump administration has largely paused refugee admissions from other parts of the world while creating a pathway for white South Africans, particularly Afrikaners, who it claims face discrimination and violence in their home country.
Official figures from the US Refugee Admissions Program show that 6,069 refugees were admitted to the United States between 1 October 2025 and 30 April 2026, the first seven months of Fiscal Year 2026. Of those, 6,066 were South Africans. The remaining three refugees were from Afghanistan.
The figures show a significant change from previous years, when refugees admitted to the United States came from many countries, including those affected by war, political turmoil, and humanitarian crises.
The policy reflects the Trump administration's decision to prioritise refugee admissions from South Africa. President Donald Trump and senior administration officials have argued that Afrikaners and other racial minorities face discrimination, violence, and threats to property rights under South Africa’s current policies.
In October 2025, the administration set the annual refugee admissions cap for Fiscal Year 2026 at 7,500 places, the lowest level since the modern refugee programme was established. The statement indicated that admissions would mainly target South Africans eligible under the new policy.
The administration later expanded the programme. In May 2026, Trump raised the refugee admissions ceiling by 10,000 places, increasing the total fiscal-year quota to 17,500. Most of the new places were primarily for South African applicants.
The South African government has firmly rejected claims that white South Africans face systematic persecution. Officials in Pretoria have criticised the refugee programme and maintained that South Africa remains a constitutional democracy where all citizens enjoy equal legal protections.
The programme has also faced criticism from refugee advocates in the United States and elsewhere. They point out that refugee admissions from countries such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, and Syria have declined sharply, despite ongoing conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Supporters of the administration’s policy argue that refugee protection should be based on individual circumstances rather than nationality, and that South Africans facing persecution should be eligible for protection in the same way as refugees from other countries.
The admissions figures have nevertheless highlighted how dramatically US refugee policy has changed. During the first seven months of Fiscal Year 2026, virtually every refugee admitted to the United States had European ancestry and came from a single country.
Reuters reported in May 2026 that the administration was considering events around World Refugee Day on 20 June to highlight the programme, although no official announcement had been made at the time of writing.
Sources: US Refugee Processing Center (Refugee Admissions Data); Reuters; Associated Press; The Washington Post.
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USA / WHITE HOUSE
The White House uses ‘aliens’ to promote its immigration agenda
June 2026: The Trump administration faces criticism after launching aliens.gov, an official White House immigration website that employs science-fiction imagery and language typically associated with extraterrestrials to describe undocumented immigrants.
Visitors to the website are welcomed by the slogan “They walk among us” and a presentation styled like a government disclosure project about alien life. The site initially implies that the US government has hidden the presence of ‘aliens’ living among ordinary Americans before revealing that it is actually referring to undocumented immigrants.
“For 60 years, the US government has kept a closely guarded secret,” the website states. It continues by claiming that “aliens have been walking among us” and living in American neighbourhoods before adding that they “they do not belong here”.
The website features a live map displaying immigration arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with statistics on arrests and encounters involving undocumented migrants. Users can also access an ICE tip line via a link that invites them to “report suspicious aliens”.
The site forms part of a broader White House communications campaign that has drawn on public interest in UFOs and recently released government files relating to unidentified aerial phenomena. Earlier this year, the federal government registered the domains alien.gov and aliens.gov, prompting speculation that they would be used for disclosures relating to extra-terrestrial life.
Instead, the website is being used to promote the administration’s immigration policies. It describes undocumented migration as an “invasion” and credits President Donald Trump with exposing what it refers to as the “real danger” posed by undocumented immigrants.
Immigrant rights advocates and civil liberties groups have criticised the language used on the site, arguing that it dehumanises migrants by comparing them to alien beings and presenting immigration enforcement through the imagery of an extra-terrestrial threat. Critics have also questioned whether such rhetoric is appropriate for an official government website.
Supporters of the administration, however, argue that the website emphasises immigration enforcement and public safety issues. The White House has repeatedly defended its tougher approach to immigration, stating that it is focused on enforcing immigration laws and removing people who are in the country unlawfully.
The launch occurs as immigration remains one of the most politically divisive issues in the United States. While supporters see the website as an unconventional way of promoting enforcement policies, opponents argue that its language risks further inflaming tensions around migrants and asylum seekers.
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CANADA / BILL C-12
Canada’s new asylum law is described as the most significant reduction in refugee protection in ten years
April 2026: Canada has enacted major legislation overhauling its asylum system, triggering a sharp backlash from refugee organisations, immigration lawyers, and the United Nations, who warn that the new law will place thousands of vulnerable people at risk of deportation without a fair hearing.
The Strengthening Canada's Immigration System and Borders Act, known as Bill C-12, received royal assent on 26 March 2026 under Prime Minister Mark Carney's Liberal government. The bill passed with support from both the opposition Conservatives and the Bloc Québécois, giving it a broad parliamentary majority despite fierce opposition from civil society.
The most debated aspect of the law is a new one-year deadline for asylum claims. Asylum seekers who do not submit a claim within one year of first arriving in Canada after June 2020 will no longer be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board for a full hearing, regardless of whether they have since left and returned.
The law applies retrospectively. Within days of royal assent, Canada's immigration department began sending procedural fairness notices to about 30,000 asylum seekers whose claims could now be denied, including an estimated 9,000 Punjabi students who arrived on study permits and later sought asylum when their post-graduation prospects diminished.
The government has justified the changes as necessary to alleviate pressure on a system struggling with a significant backlog. Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab stated the law would make the system ‘fair, efficient and functioning as intended’. The government contends that someone who has resided in Canada for a year without claiming asylum has shown they are not in immediate need of protection.
Rights groups have expressed concern. Adam Sadinsky, vice-president of the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers, described Bill C-12 as "the most significant rollback of refugee rights in more than a decade" and stated he had no doubt it would be challenged in court on constitutional grounds. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association cautioned that the one-year rule is arbitrary, noting that survivors of trauma, torture, and gender-based violence may take years before feeling able to disclose their experiences and submit a claim.
The UN Human Rights Committee warned, before the bill was passed, that it could weaken refugee protection and urged Canada to ensure that all individuals seeking international protection have unrestricted access to fair procedures with essential safeguards. A broad coalition of more than twenty organisations involved in human rights, civil liberties, refugees, and data privacy condemned the law, stating that it "will put thousands of individuals at risk of persecution, violence and precarity."
The legislation also introduces other important changes. The government now has the power to cancel, suspend, or alter large groups of immigration documents when it considers it in the public interest, a provision critics say grants far-reaching executive authority with inadequate safeguards. From May 2026, co-payments will be introduced for medicines and additional health services under the refugee health programme, a change that doctors working with newly arrived asylum seekers say will delay treatment and cause vulnerable patients to seek care only when their condition has worsened.
Canada has long presented itself internationally as one of the world's most welcoming countries for refugees. The 2026 immigration levels plan also reduces the quota for privately sponsored refugees by 30 per cent, from 23,000 in 2025 to 16,000, leaving over 90,000 people currently awaiting private sponsorship facing a wait of nearly six years. For refugee advocates, these combined measures signify a fundamental shift of a country that has built much of its international identity on openness to those fleeing persecution.
Sources: CBC News; Al Jazeera; Canadian Council for Refugees; Canadian Civil Liberties Association; Radio-Canada; JURIST; Government of Canada (canada.ca).
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