Immigration Policy

The request for help with federal immigration clerical, transportation and logistical tasks came from the Trump administration — notably the Departments of Homeland Security and Defense.

A Phelps County official said the $85 a night the federal government paid per detainee wasn’t covering the increased costs of transportation and additional paperwork.

Noem told reporters that Illinoisans should focus on the needs of “American citizens” and “make them the priority, because they’re the ones who invested in this country.”

Syrian refugee Nashat Aljerwan and his family were set to arrive in St. Louis in February. Then an executive order halted their plans.

They say returning to Guatemala isn’t an option — even if they are forced to.

Abide in Love is a group of 50 activists who help detainees contact their families and provide small acts of comfort and kindness, as the Phelps County Jail has become part ICE holding facility.

A “No Kings” demonstration is scheduled Saturday in downtown St. Louis, one of nearly 30 planned in Missouri and almost 2,000 across the country against Trump administration policies.

On Monday, attorneys said several immigrants in St. Louis were detained after they received text messages from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report to a local office for check-ins.

Carol Mayorga was detained in April during an immigration check-in at the ICE office in St. Louis. But on Wednesday, the beloved pancake house waitress is walking free from the Greene County Jail.

Immigrants in St. Louis with longstanding deportation orders were texted to report to the agency's office by the end of the day Wednesday. Attorneys say some who showed up have been detained on arrival.