Berkeley

Trump Wants To Start Charging Migrants To Apply For Asylum

Published

7 years ago

May 2, 2019

It seems President Donald Trump is intensifying his anti-immigrant stance. On Monday evening, he sent a memo to acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan and Attorney General William Barr that calls for an array of sweeping changes to how the U.S. treats asylum-seekers.

“The purpose of this memorandum is to strengthen asylum procedures to safeguard our system against rampant abuse of our asylum process,” the memo reads.

In the memo, Trump ordered the attorney general and homeland security secretary to develop policies to settle asylum applications within 180 days of filing, despite immigration courts already being clogged with applicants, according to the New York Times. The president ordered officials to ensure asylum claims are resolved in immigration court within six months – despite a backlog of more than 800,000 cases, Reuters reported. Per the memo, Trump also seeks to charge asylum seekers a fee for applications and work permit applications.

In response, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi released a statement calling the president’s memo a “despicable attack on desperate families seeking asylum” adding that it is “cruel, unprecedented and fails to address the root causes of migration.”

The memo also comes at a time of massive unrest within the administration, and the Department of Homeland Security specifically. In April, Trump fired DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who infamously defended the separation of thousands of migrant children from their families and saw two Guatemalan children die in U.S. custody during her tenure.

As it turns out, part of the memo is entirely redundant. Ashley Tabaddor, president of the immigration judges’ union, told Reuters, “The provision to process cases in 180 days has been on the books for over two decades. The problem is that we have never been given adequate resources to adjudicate those claims in a timely fashion.”

The fee in particular would block many immigrants from even applying to be granted asylum, a process meant to protect people fleeing persecution and violence in their home country, since even small fees could be insurmountable, Victoria Neilson, a former official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, told the Guardian.

“The majority of people coming to the United States seeking asylum are coming with little more than the shirts on their backs,” she said.

If the memo goes into effect, it would also bar migrants who have entered or attempted to enter the country without documentation from receiving any work authorization before relief or protection is granted. Currently, according to Reuters, asylum seekers who enter with and without documentation can work until their claims make their way through the courts.

This memo gives the Justice and Homeland Security departments 90 days to develop the proposals, but it is unclear how long it would take before any of the rules take effect. Furthermore, it’s likely that immigration activists will challenge Trump’s proposals in federal court, the Texas Tribune reported.

Trump, however, said that the national emergency declaration, which allowed him to go around Congress to fund a border wall, was one of the reasons he thought the memo was necessary. “That emergency continues to grow increasingly severe,” the memo reads.

If the intent is to decrease migrants flowing into the country, it likely won’t work. The number of monthly apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border is at its highest since 2007; Customs and Border Patrol reported more than 92,000 arrests of migrants who crossed over the southern border without documentation in March, according to CNN.

Christianna Silva, MTV News Staff

Posts by Christianna Silva, MTV News Staff

Activism

Black Repertory Group Needs Volunteers to Help Shape the Next Generation of Artists and Leaders

Legendary performers such as Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover worked with and were inspired by BRG’s founders. More recently, Grammy award-winning artist Kehlani attended the Black Repertory Group Summer Day Camp for several years.

Published

3 months ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Courtesy image.

By Sean Vaughn Scott, Special to The Post

For more than 60 years, the Black Repertory Group (BRG) has changed lives through the arts.

Founded in 1964 by educators and visionaries Birel L. Vaughn and Nora Vaughn, BRG has become one of America’s oldest continuously operating Black theater institutions. For generations, it has preserved culture, developed talent, and provided opportunities for young people to discover their voices and their potential.

The results speak for themselves.

Long before international recognition, Kehlani performed on the BRG stage. During a summer day camp production of “Princess and da Frog,” she portrayed Ray, the lovable firefly whose light guided others through the darkness. Her journey is proof that today’s camper may become tomorrow’s artist, entrepreneur, educator, or leader.

Located at 3201 Adeline St. in Berkeley, BRG continues that mission through its Youth Summer Day Camp of the Arts.

BRG is currently accepting applications and maintains an open enrollment program. Students may enroll throughout the summer as space permits and immediately become part of the BRG family.

We are also proud to be a multicultural opportunity program, welcoming children and families from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities. Through theater, music, dance, public speaking, visual arts, technical theater, and leadership development, students gain confidence, discipline, creativity, and lifelong skills.

As our programs grow, so does our need for volunteers.

We are seeking community members to assist with youth mentoring, registration, costumes, set construction, painting, props, ushering, photography, social media, marketing, technical theater, and fundraising activities. Whether you volunteer for a few hours or throughout the season, your support directly impacts the lives of young people.

BRG also partners with churches, civic organizations, alumni associations, fraternities, sororities, and community groups through theater party fundraisers, group sales, and buy-out performances. These partnerships have helped organizations raise funds while supporting arts and cultural programming.

The theater also serves as the home of the Berkeley NAACP Chapter, which meets every second Saturday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m.

For more than six decades, the Black Repertory Group has remained committed to one belief: every child deserves an opportunity to shine.

The next great artist may already be among us.

The next Kehlani may already be walking through our doors.

We invite you to volunteer, enroll, participate, and become part of the legacy.

For more information please go to www.blackrepertorygroup.com, call (510) 652-2120, or email info@blackrepertorygroup.com

Sean Vaughn Scott is the director of the Black Repertory Group.

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

UC Berkeley Named Top Public University in the U.S. and No. 7 in the World by ‘U.S. News’

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014. “A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

Published

3 months ago

June 24, 2026

Oakland Post

Photo by Keegan Houser/UC Berkeley.

The 2026 Best Global Universities rankings evaluated 2,250 research institutions from more than 100 countries

By Lila Thulin

U.S. News & World Report has ranked UC Berkeley No. 7 in its 2026 list of the best global universities, which assesses more than 2,250 research institutions worldwide.

Berkeley also claimed the honor of top public university in the U.S.

Released on Monday, the list evaluates universities from more than 100 countries on 13 metrics such as global and research reputation (as reported by academics and peers) and number of highly cited scholarly papers.

Berkeley has been consistently awarded the distinction of the U.S.’s top public university since the Best Global Universities list was first published in 2014.

“A strong position in the Best Global Universities rankings recognizes a school’s profound commitment to world-class research and cross-border academic excellence,” said LaMont Jones, managing editor for education at U.S. News.

The rankings also assess a university’s strength in various subject areas; these assessments are separate from U.S. News’ 2026 Best Graduate Programs rankings released in April.

This year, Berkeley was named in the top three nationally in seven subject areas – environment/ecology, ecology, water resources, physics, computer science, chemistry, and engineering – and in the top five for a total of 17 subjects. Subject rankings are based heavily on scholarly publications and citations as well as reputation.

In September, U.S. News also released its 2026 Best Colleges list, in which Berkeley was also named the No. 1 public institution among American universities.

That honor joins other accolades judging campus to be the best public university in the country, such as those from Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education.

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Farwest Region Deltas Celebrate Centennial With “September Breakfast” Honoring Vivian Osborne Marsh

The region was established in 1925 under the leadership of Vivian Osborne Marsh, who became its first Regional Director. Marsh was a pioneering scholar and civic leader, earning recognition as the first Black woman to receive both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in anthropology from UC Berkeley.

Published

1 year ago

September 14, 2025

Oakland Post

Farwest Regional Director, Kimberly Usher, Mayor Barbara Lee, US Representative Lateefah Simon, and Farwest Regional Representative, Radiya Ajibade. Photo courtesy of Farwest Regional Photographer Vicki P. Love.

By Antoinette Porter

Hundreds of members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and their guests gathered at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union at the University of California, Berkeley, to mark the 100th anniversary of the sorority’s Farwest Region.

Marsh went on to serve as Delta Sigma Theta’s 7th National President, where she launched the sorority’s National Library Project to expand access to books in underserved Black communities in the South. During her presidency, the organization also became a prominent voice in the civil rights movement, lobbying Congress to pass anti-lynching legislation.

Bak in the Bay Area, Marsh devoted her career to advancing educational opportunities, mentoring young people, and strengthening community life. That commitment continues to shape the region, which supports initiatives in education, social justice, and economic development. Current projects include raising scholarship funds for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, voter education campaigns, and health and wellness programs.

A century after its founding, the Farwest Region of Delta Sigma Theta remains active across California and other western states, carrying forward Marsh’s vision of service and advocacy.