Reuters

Yeganeh Torbati writes for Reuters.

Posts By This Author

Trump Administration Seeks to Detain Migrant Children Indefinitely

by Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters 09-06-2018

Immigrant women hold their children along the border wall as they await apprehension after illegally crossing into the U.S. from Mexico on Aug. 29, 2018. REUTERS/Adrees Latif

The Trump administration said on Thursday that it plans to withdraw from a federal court agreement that strictly limits the conditions under which authorities can detain migrant children, and proposed new rules that it said would enable it to detain minors during their immigration proceedings.

HHS Official Warned Trump Administration About 'Significant Risk of Harm to Children' Separated from Parents

Witness Commander Jonathan D. White  during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing July 31, 2018. REUTERS/Allison Shelley

A senior official at the U.S. agency charged with caring for migrant children believed separating them from their parents carried "significant risk" of harm and said on Tuesday concerns had been raised internally before the Trump administration made it official policy. 

U.S. Moving Some Detained Migrants to Sites Closer to Their Children: HHS Secretary

by Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters 07-05-2018

Immigrant children, many of whom have been separated from their parents under a new "zero tolerance" policy by the Trump administration, are being housed in tents next to the Mexican border in Tornillo, Texas, U.S., June 18, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo

U.S. Judge Dana Sabraw in San Diego last month ordered the government to stop separating children from immigrant parents entering the United States illegally and set deadlines for the government to reunite families.

Trump Administration May Target Immigrants Who Use Food Aid, Other Benefits

by Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters 02-09-2018

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, U.S. February 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

"Non-citizens who receive public benefits are not self-sufficient and are relying on the U.S. government and state and local entities for resources instead of their families, sponsors or private organizations," the document states. "An alien's receipt of public benefits comes at taxpayer expense and availability of public benefits may provide an incentive for aliens to immigrate to the United States."

U.S. Extends Protected Status to Syrians for 18 Months

by Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters 02-01-2018

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders Mohammad Alala, his wife Dania both from Syria and their two U.S. born children Taim and Amr walk near their home in Miramar, Florida, U.S., January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Saul Martinez

There is no end in sight to the Syria conflict. A peace conference in Russia ended on Tuesday with a call for democratic elections, but key opposition demands were ignored after squabbles and heckling of the Russian foreign minister.

U.S. Judge Blocks Trump Move to End DACA Program

DACA rally in front of the White House Sept. 5, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

A U.S. judge in San Francisco temporarily barred President Donald Trump's administration on Tuesday from ending a program shielding young people brought to the United States illegally by their parents from deportation.

Under Trump Plan, Refugees from 11 Countries Face Additional U.S. Barriers

Image via REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

The administration also will place on hold a program that allows for family reunification for some refugees resettled in the United States, according to a Trump administration memo seen by Reuters and sent to Congress on Tuesday. The resettling of so-called following-to-join refugees will resume, according to the memo, once screening "enhancements have been implemented."

State Department’s Science Envoy Resigns Over Trump’s Charlottesville Response

by Yeganeh Torbati, Reuters 08-23-2017

Image via Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com

Daniel Kammen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a letter posted on his Twitter account that Trump had failed to condemn white supremacists and neo-Nazis, part of "a broader pattern of behavior that enables sexism and racism, and disregards the welfare of all Americans, the global community and the planet."

U.S. Embassies Ordered to Identify Population Groups for Tougher Visa Screening

A U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officer interviews people entering the United States from Mexico at the border crossing in San Ysidro, California, U.S. on October 14, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has directed U.S. diplomatic missions to identify "populations warranting increased scrutiny" and toughen screening for visa applicants in those groups, according to diplomatic cables seen by Reuters.