TEXAS –  A federal judge in Texas has issued an order temporarily halting a new immigration programme from the Biden White House that officials say could protect hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens from deportation.

The 14-day stay issued comes in response to a lawsuit from 16 Republican-led states that sued the Biden administration over the programme.

The “Keeping Families Together” programme, which took effect last week, would apply to those who have been in the country for at least 10 years and allow them to work in the US legally.

Polls show that the immigration is a primary concern for many voters ahead of November’s presidential election.

When the White House announced the new programme in June, officials said that more than 500,000 spouses would be eligible.

They said the policy will also benefit 50,000 people under 21 whose parent is married to an American citizen.

The announcement marked the most significant relief programme for undocumented migrants already in the US since the Obama administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or Daca, in 2012.

Under the now-temporarily suspended programme, the undocumented spouses of US citizens would qualify if they had lived in the country for a decade and been married as of 17 June.

Those who qualify will have three years to apply for permanent residency and will be eligible for a three-year work permit.

Unlike the old system, in which applicants must leave the US to apply, the new plan would allow them to remain in the country as they seek legal status.

Judge J Campbell Barker’s order puts the plan on hold for two weeks as the court considers the case, but has the option to be extended.

The Department of Homeland Security can continue receiving applications in the meantime but cannot process them.

“The claims are substantial and warrant closer consideration than the court has been able to afford to date,” Judge Barker, who was appointed to the bench by former President Donald Trump, wrote in his order.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the order, writing on social media: “This is just the first step. We are going to keep fighting for Texas, our country, and the rule of law.”

Critics of the Biden plan argue that it offers amnesty for migrants who entered the country illegally.

Proponents argue that it will allow families to remain together, and that the old system “separates families”. (BBC)

Photo: President Biden. (Getty Images) …[+]

PARAMARIBO – “We are currently working towards a permanent solution for the dam at Alliance,” said Commewijne District Commissioner Mohamedsafiek Radjab in response to the fact that dozens of households suffered a lot of damage when a section of the dam collapsed last week.

The DC explained that he provided an emergency solution and that the Ministry of Agriculture, Stockbreeding and Fisheries (LVV) will provide a permanent solution. He pointed out that all of the material that is needed to repair the dam permanently has already been delivered. DC Radjab hopes that the dam will be given regular maintenance to prevent the flooding from happening again. He also added that “one can’t fight against nature.”

“The water broke our stuff when it came into our homes. Now we can no longer use our refrigerator, freezer, furniture, mattresses, closets and other household stuff. We hope that the government will lend a helping hand to cover the damages,” a resident from Alliance told Times of Suriname…[+]

PARAMARIBO – Sources told Times of Suriname that everybody is currently sad at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Academic Hospital Paramaribo (AZP), because doctors and nurses had to watch helplessly how newborns who needed urgent medical care passed away these past couple of days.

The people who are stationed at the NICU and the PICU described this situation as an all-time low and labelled it as a black page in the history of Suriname’s pediatric healthcare. Doctors are puzzled by the fact that the hospital allowed things to reach the stage where human lives and in particular that of babies can’t be saved. Last weekend more babies who needed special care were brought to the NICU but they did not make it.

Last Saturday government officials met with the management team of the AZP to discuss possible solutions aimed at guaranteeing optimal care at the NICU. The NICU and the PICU have been hit by a serious brain drain.

More than 60 percent of all of the employees who are highly skilled have reportedly left the nation’s biggest hospital in the past 3 years. De pediatricians have sounded the alarm repeatedly and have made it clear that the nation’s health sector is on the brink of collapse. In 2022 concerned parents presented their petitions to parliament after babies who did not get proper healthcare had died. But to this day the situation has not improved and has in fact only gotten worse…[+]

KENYA – Hundreds of Kenyan police officers leading an international policing force in Haiti have not received their full pay for two months, the latest complication in what has been a rocky start to the security mission in the gang-plagued Caribbean nation.

The first Kenyan officers deployed to Haiti arrived in June, the vanguard of a multinational security support mission (MSS) that is being funded largely by the United States. There are now around 400 Kenyan police in the country, many from specialized units. In an August 25 statement acknowledging delays to payments, the MSS announced that officers could expect the missing funds to hit their bank accounts this week.

“Therefore, there is nothing to worry about (regarding) welfare issues of the MSS officers, since mainstream processes have been finalized,” the MSS added. In a “progress report” released Monday, Kenya’s National Police Service (NPS) said that the officers were continuing “to draw their NPS salaries” while waiting for the supplemental pay for their MSS duties. Kenyan officers had expected to be paid a significant supplement for their Haiti deployment – a grueling assignment more typical of a military than of a police force. Officers are not allowed to leave their base in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince during non-working hours.

Speaking to CNN, some officers expressed frustration and concern about the missing supplemental payments. With schools reopening in Kenya this week, some say they need the money urgently to manage school fees and other expenses for their families back home. “The officers feel frustrated after not having been paid for two months. And we hear that the money has already been sent to Kenya but they haven’t paid us, so please help us out,” one officer in Haiti told CNN before the police statement was released, requesting anonymity. (CNN)…[+]

ST.VINCENT & GRENADINES – The Ministry of Education on Monday said school leaders should allow students to wear light-coloured long pants/tights and long-sleeved tops when classes resume amidst the dengue outbreak in St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).

School leaders were further advised to facilitate the reduction of the breeding of mosquitoes at school by discarding stagnant water collected in containers around the school compound and covering stored water properly.  In a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Education said it was working closely with the Ministry of Health to address the ongoing Dengue Fever outbreak in the country.

It said the Surveillance Committee of the Ministry of Health had reported that the current increase in Dengue Fever cases was noted in May 2024 and was declared an epidemic in July 2024.   There were 542 laboratory-confirmed cases of Dengue Fever in St. Vincent and the Grenadines as of Aug. 22.

The cases of Dengue Fever have been reported in all health districts, with the greatest number in Calliaqua, Kingstown and Pembroke. Most persons are in the age group of 0-33 years.  The Aedes Aegypti mosquito, which carries the Dengue Fever virus, typically bites during the daytime hours when persons are active. Therefore, bites can occur at home, work and school. In view of the current situation, the Ministry of Education is also recommending reduced rubbish and overgrown bush around the school.

The ministry is also encouraging the use of insect repellent with careful consideration for those with respiratory challenges.   Principals are also being asked to open schools to allow increased effectiveness of fogging by the Vector Control Unit.   They are also asked to encourage the health and family life education teachers to include Dengue Fever prevention in their lessons.  Schools are also to inform the health nursing supervisors of staff and students who have been diagnosed with Dengue Fever.  (iwsvg.com)…[+]