Lauren Villagran
@laurenvillagran.bsky.social
National reporter for USA TODAY. Human migration. Borders. Preguntona. Fronteriza.
The birthright EO would deny citizenship papers to US-born people whose parents were in temporary or illegal status, giving no thought at all to the fact that numerous people born in that situation would end up in a position to naturalize, but the EO denies them even that.
CBP may have downed a balloon with a laser. Is a 'cartel drone' next? Reporting from my home base in El Paso >> www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
CBP may have downed a balloon with a laser. Is a 'cartel drone' next?
Feds apparently shot down a balloon - not a drone - near the border. But concern over cartel drones persists.
usatoday.com
Four months after the raid, federal prosecutors have not filed criminal charges against anyone who was arrested. Nearly all of the immigrants have already been deported. We’ve interviewed 15 immigrants detained that night; all denied gang membership.
The Real Story Behind the Midnight Immigration Raid on a Chicago Apartment Building
The Trump administration has claimed the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had taken over the building. But new documents make no mention of the gang and reveal federal agents had information about “ille...
propublica.org
‘Like (Amazon) Prime but with human beings’: Trump’s plan to warehouse detained immigrants is running into local anger 👉 Read @christophercann.bsky.social in USA TODAY👇 www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Will that warehouse become an ICE detention center? Locals push back.
ICE has expressed interest in purchasing at least a dozen commercial warehouses since December as it seeks to rapidly expand its detention space.
usatoday.com
Exclusive from @USATODAY: Immigrant families described the conditions in ICE detention… where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos is being held, too. www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Life for immigrant families in detention: sick children, no doctors
A public outcry over family immigration detention is growing. 'No child that is 5 years old should be in detention like that.'
usatoday.com
"We were saying: The border will become the nation," said Fernando Garcia, executive director of the Border Network for Human Rights. "And then it happened." www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
Immigration agents have clashed with the public before. What to know.
Border Patrol has a history of tough law enforcement near the US-Mexico border. Now they're using the same tactics in cities nationwide.
usatoday.com
"days after U.S. forces captured Nicolás #Maduro, sobering realities are setting in...And inside #Venezuela, Maduro may be gone, but the regime's repression was swift and iron-fisted", write @laurenvillagran.bsky.social and @cuevasreports.bsky.social in a fine piece for @usatoday.com #BrokenPromise
For Venezuelan migrants stripped of legal status, hope turns to unease
Trump ousted the controversial leader of their country. But Venezuelans in the US said recent immigrants don't feel safe enough to go home.
usatoday.com
A powerful report from @laurenvillagran.bsky.social, cuts through misconceptions about detention, who is detained, sheds important light on how awful food and care are in detention: eu.usatoday.com/story/news/n...
ICE says it provides 'proper meals.' Detainees see crystalized jelly, rancid beans and iced bologna
In the business of immigration detention, researchers say 'bad food is the business model.'
eu.usatoday.com
He won asylum & US citizenship. He voted for Trump. Now his family may lose their legal status. @usatoday.com #immigration www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
He won asylum and voted for Trump. Now his family may have to leave.
Biden offered humanitarian protections during a period of record migration. Now Trump is revoking their status.
usatoday.com
Trump's mass deportation effort has rapidly expanded to include immigrants whose application for legal status in the country is under review. Even those married or engaged to U.S. citizens are being detained by ICE, USA TODAY has learned. @laurenvillagran.bsky.social
He voted for Trump. Now his wife sits in an ICE detention center.
ICE's deportation actions signal that anyone who isn't a U.S. citizen is 'at risk – period,' immigration attorney says.
usatoday.com
Mexico's president #ClaudiaSheinbaum had sharp words for #Trump after he threatened her country w/ tariffs. Hear more on today's The Excerpt from @usatoday.com art19.com/shows/5-thin...
Israel and Hezbollah reach cease-fire
Israel and Hezbollah have reached a cease-fire agreement. USA TODAY National Immigration Reporter Lauren Villagran discusses the response in Mexico after President-elect Donald Trump's tariff threats...
art19.com
Stephen Miller: On day one, “the occupation ends and liberation day begins.” More on the man behind Trump’s immigration agenda: www.usatoday.com/story/news/p...
Who is Stephen Miller, architect of Donald Trump's mass deportation plans?
He helped design Trump's Muslim ban. Now, he will help the president-elect carry out his signature campaign promise: mass deportation.
usatoday.com
Here, there and everywhere as @laurenvillagran ✍🏻
