resignation letter: McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well-respected by members of Congress and within the administration, according to CTV. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trump's priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks. Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department. I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside, Nielsen wrote in her resignation letter. Though Trump aides were eyeing a staff shake-up at Homeland Security and had already withdrawn the nomination for another key immigration post, the development Sunday was unexpected. I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ron vitiello: Trump, who campaigned on a promise to secure the border, has thrown virtually every option his aides have been able to think of at the problem, to little avail, according to CTV. He has sent out the military, signed an emergency declaration to fund a border wall and threatened to completely seal the southern border. Overwhelmed by an influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border that is taxing the immigration system, President Donald Trump is grasping for something -- anything -- to stem the tide. On Thursday he added a new threat, warning of hefty tariffs on cars made in Mexico if the country doesn't abide by his demands. The first move was made Thursday, when the White House unexpectedly pulled back the nomination of Ron Vitiello to permanently lead U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he had been acting director. Now, with the encouragement of an influential aide and with his re-election campaign on the horizon, Trump is looking at personnel changes as he tries to shift blame elsewhere. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

conservatives: The federal Conservatives and their provincial allies are crystal clear on that one, according to Rabble. They are opposed to the most effective, proven, market-based means of lowering greenhouse gas emissions a price on carbon. One of those is climate change. As for their own policies to combat what the latest scientific data describe as the rampaging global warming taking place in Canada -- Conservatives are in no hurry to share those with us. It's a tactic that worked for Ontario premier Doug Ford, after all. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer thinks all he has to do is mindlessly repeat the mantra that he will kill the carbon tax and lower prices at the pump. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ecuadorian embassy: No embassy official commented on the Wiki Leaks founder's status, while British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Assange is a free man and can leave the embassy whenever he chooses, according to CTV. Asked about the presence of armed officers outside the Ecuadorian Embassy, London's Metropolitan Police force said there had been no change in police procedure. The red-brick embassy building with white window frames and balconies was quiet, though a few protesters gathered outside. Police said in a statement there is an active warrant for Assange's arrest and that the police are obliged to execute that warrant should he leave the Embassy. Assange hasn't left the embassy since August 2012, fearing if he steps off Ecuador's diplomatic soil he will be arrested and extradited to the U.S. for publishing thousands of classified military and diplomatic cables through Wiki Leaks. Police withdrew the round-the-clock guard outside the embassy in October 2015 after more than three years in favour of what the service called a covert approach. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

american hearts: Precious supplies of avocados, so dear to American hearts, wiped out, while other fresh fruits and vegetables also rot in trucks, with supplies exhausted in as little as 48 hours, according to CTV. Fuming over migration, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday reiterated his threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border -- among the busiest in the world, across which US 1.7 billion in goods and hundreds of thousands of people travel in both directions every day. Auto plants darkened overnight. This has drawn a collective gasp from economists, Congress and industry, who fear a catastrophe that could tip the world's largest economy into recession as ties with Mexico, its third-largest trading partner, grind to a halt. It would be like erecting a wall in the middle of the factory floor. It comes close to being unthinkable, Daniel Griswold, director of the trade and immigration project at George Mason University's Mercatus Center, told AFP. He spoke of waves of joblessness, lost business and deepened suffering among farmers who have already been hurt during Trump's multi-front trade wars with China, Europe, Canada and Mexico. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

life goals: Experts recommend a number of steps to improve your credit score, whether you're struggling with debt or you're a new Canadian on the hunt for employment, according to Toronto Star. Scott Hannah, president and chief executive of the Vancouver-area-based Credit Counselling Society, holds cut up credit cards at his office in New Westminster, B.C., on January 11, 2012. Poor credit can hinder car loans, mortgages and school options, ratchet up interest rates and push life goals out of reach. Poor credit can hinder car loans, mortgages and favourable interest rates. Jonathan Hayward / THE CANADIAN PRESS In either case, step one is to check your credit report by contacting a credit bureau either Equifax Canada or Trans Union Canada identify any errors in your borrowing history and work to correct them, as they can drag down your score. Experts recommend a number of concrete steps to improve your credit score, whether your rating is in the dumps despite a good job or you're a new Canadian on the hunt for employment. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

panamanian politicians: It's a country of just 4 million people but its canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans makes it one of the world's busiest trade arteries and strategically important both to Washington and Beijing, according to CTV. As American officials express alarm at Beijing's ambitions in the U.S.-dominated Western Hemisphere, China has launched a charm offensive, wooing Panamanian politicians, professionals and journalists. China is hardly a newcomer to the region, but now it's focusing on countries in Central America such as Panama. The Chinese ambassador, a Spanish-speaking Latin American veteran, has been talking up the benefits of Belt and Road on TV and Twitter. It seems to be paying off. Beijing has flown professionals and journalists on junkets to China. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

secretary: In this Jan.4, 2019 file photo, French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner, arrives at the Interior Ministry for the traditional New Year government breakfast in Paris, according to Toronto Star. Foreign and interior ministers from the Group of Seven are gathering in France this week to try to find ambitious solutions to world security challenges. The move raises questions about the G-7's effectiveness at solving some of the international issues it has deemed crucial, including fighting terrorism and human trafficking. Putting a dampener on that are two glaring American absences US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. Foreign and interior ministers from the Group of Seven are gathering in France this week to try to find ambitious solutions to world security challenges. Michel Euler, File / AP Photo Japan's Deputy Commissisioner General Mitsuhiro Matsumoto, left, is welcomed by French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner for a G7 meeting at ministerial level in Paris, Thursday April 4, 2019. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

twitter: Twitter user scottmurphy002, seen here in one of several photos posted to the account, which has since been deleted, according to Toronto Star. The account, which made anti-immigrant and racist remarks, appears to have been the personal account of Toronto parking enforcement officer Scott Murphy. comment posted to the Twitter account scottmurphy002. anti-immigrant comment posted to the Twitter account scottmurphy002. Toronto police confirm their professional standards unit which conducts internal investigations into the conduct of employees is examining the now-deleted Twitter account of a user named Scott Murphy. Toronto police spokesperson confirmed a Scott Murphy is employed as a parking enforcement officer. Kyle Ashley, a former Toronto police parking enforcement officer, said he worked in the same platoon as Scott Murphy and said he is the same person seen in photos posted by the Twitter account. Photos posted on the Twitter account show the same man pictured in a Linked In account belonging to a Scott Murphy who identifies as an officer with the Toronto Police Service. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

grocery store: I think you'd see the auto companies and auto parts makers try to get into court to get a temporary injunction, which would probably last, Warner told CTV's Your Morning Wednesday, according to CTV. But uncertainty will have an economic effect, he says. But Mark Warner doesn't think any closure would last long. Any closure would lead to delays in delivery of agricultural products, such as lettuce, berries and avocados. North America's auto market is heavily integrated, with parts and components crossing both borders multiple times. That would push up prices at the grocery store. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ucp: Below, a few reasons why the UCP can be uniquely braggadocious about their prospect of victory and how they could still manage to lose this thing anyway, according to CBC. The United Conservative Party has been leading the polls for its entire existence In July 2017, a week after the party was created, it opened a lead of 28 points over the incumbent NDP. There hasn't been a single poll since that didn't show the UCP with a commanding lead over the NDP. The typical Canadian election campaign is a horse race between two parties who each command about 40 per cent of the electorate. According to the CBC's official poll tracker, there is a 99 per cent chance Kenney's United Conservative Party will win the most seats on April 16. But the UCP has repeatedly been able to claim the rare prize of seeing more than half the electorate saying they'll vote for them. That lead has narrowed somewhat as the campaign has ground on, but the fact remains that throughout its entire time in government, the NDP has never once polled as the province's most popular party. When the election campaign started, they had an explosive lead of 56 per cent versus the NDP's 31 per cent. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

housing: CMHC's corporate plan, released last month, set the ambitious goal of providing all Canadians with homes they can afford and meet their needs by 2030, according to CTV. An estimated 1.6 million Canadian households are considered in core housing need, meaning they live in places that are too expensive or aren't really suitable for them. Evan Siddall said the aim is to raise 100 million more for housing, quickly and likely from private sources, because the money pledged by federal and provincial governments over the next decade or so isn't enough to make housing affordable for everyone in the country. Siddall admitted the goal is a moon-shot, but it's designed to force his agency and others to achieve more than is already eyed in the long-term national housing strategy, whose price tag is over 40 billion. Siddall's agency has been at the centre of housing moves the federal Liberals have made since taking office in late 2015, putting CMHC in charge of major aspects of the national housing strategy unveiled in late 2017. As massive as those investments are by the government of Canada, and the investments similarly that provinces are making, they're not going to be enough, Siddall said in a telephone interview from Victoria, where he had just addressed an affordable-housing conference. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

parole board: Rick Snyder, an exceptional decision that made him eligible for release after 30 years in prison, according to Toronto Star. The parole board knew the 72-year-old wasn't a U.S. citizen and figured that federal authorities would take him off the state's hands. Prudencio Loyrafuls' life sentence for drug crimes was reduced in December by then-Gov. This undated photo provided by the Michigan Department of Corrections shows Prudencio Loyraful. AP / Michigan Department of Corrections But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said no. The state of Michigan is placing the frail paroled prisoner in an assisted-living center at taxpayer expense after the federal government declined to deport him to Cuba, officials said. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

chaparral border: At risk of falling on the chopping block are development programs that work to tackle the root causes driving migration poverty, inequality, violence and corruption, according to Toronto Star. These include outreach to at-risk youth to combat forced gang recruitment as well as programs to address gender-based violence and support education, workforce development and the uphill fight to root out endemic graft. Over time, they say, it will only worsen the problem. In this Nov. 25, 2018 file photo, a migrant woman helps carry a handmade U.S. flag up the riverbank at the Mexico-U.S. border after getting past Mexican police at the Chaparral border crossing in Tijuana, Mexico, as a group of migrants tries to reach the U.S. Activists, officials and social workers in Central America were staggered by the idea that U.S. President Donald Trump thinks he will help reduce immigration, by cutting off nearly 500 million in aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador; exactly the opposite will happen, they say. El Salvador had a homicide rate of 50.3 per 100,000 people in 2018. Ramon Espinosa, File / AP Photo In this June 16, 2016 file photo, inmates ride in a bus out of the Cojutepeque prison in El Salvador. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

ecuadorian embassy: In this Friday May 19, 2017 file photo, Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange greets supporters outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London, according to Toronto Star. Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno said on Tuesday, March 2, 2019, that he wants to reach an agreement for Assange to leave the Embassy in London as soon as possible, as long as his life is not in danger. In a speech to the Ecuadorian Broadcasting Association on Tuesday, Moreno accused Wiki Leaks of intercepting phone calls and private conversations as well as photos of my bedroom, what I eat, and how my wife and daughters and friends dance. Frank Augstein, File / AP Photo Moreno provided no evidence, but the speech reflected ongoing tension between Wiki Leaks founder Julian Assange and his hosts at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher's asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind, Wiki Leaks said in a statement. Wiki Leaks in a statement called Moreno's charges completely bogus, saying it reported on the accusations of corruption against the president only after Ecuador's legislature investigated the issue. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

leafs: That flight home from Uniondale had to feel good for that reason, and more, according to Toronto Star. The Leafs played so much better than they did in late February, when the Islanders and their fans took it to the visitors and John Tavares. Frank Franklin II / AP The Maple Leafs punched their ticket to the playoffs with a 2-1 road win over the New York Islanders on Monday night. Toronto admittedly shrunk from the challenge in that game, Tavares' first one back against his old team. There was a scare in the second period, when star centre Auston Matthews took a slapshot off his left ankle and limped off the ice. On Monday night, Tavares scored the winner and the Leafs defeated an Islanders club that is first in the NHL in goals-against average 2.38 and had allowed a goal or fewer in four of their previous five games. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

minister: Her speech from Downing Street shows a prime minister shrunken by defeat, according to Rabble. It stood in stark contrast to last month's defiant rabble-rousing statement delivered from the same lectern. She has only done so because she has run out of road. All this sours the idea that Mrs May is approaching discussions with Jeremy Corbyn in good faith. The question remains whether her mind is as open as the door to No 10. It speaks volumes that it is only with her back to the wall that the prime minister has bowed to sense and accepted that the longstanding arguments of her opponents must be taken on board. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

police: Public Security Minister Genevieve Guilbault said citizens will need to respect the law and suggested the authorities could get involved, according to CTV. People will notify the police. One cabinet minister said the police could be called in and another said injunctions could be sought, while Premier Francois Legault said he prefers not to specify what measures would be used. It's like any other law, she said, declining to elaborate. A grandfather clause protects people already hired in those positions. Bill 21, which was tabled last week, would prohibit public servants in positions of authority -- including teachers, police officers, Crown prosecutors and prison guards -- from wearing religious symbols on the job. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

u.s.-mexico border: Kobach and Cuccinelli are far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration, according to CTV. Cuccinelli was seen at the White House on Monday. Trump is weighing at least two potential candidates for the post former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations publicly. The planning comes as Trump is threatening anew to close the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration into the U.S. And it serves as the latest sign that the president plans to continue to hammer his hardline immigration rhetoric and policies as he moves past the special counsel's Russia investigation and works to rally his base heading into his 2020 re-election campaign. White House press aides, Kobach and Cuccinelli did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment. Aides hope the potential appointment, which they caution is still in the planning stages, would serve as the face of the administration on immigration issues and would placate both the president and his supporters, showing he is serious and taking action. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

york times: The New York Times, bless their investigative hearts, found a pro-Trumper in Houston who took a bottle of Russian vodka and poultry to a dinner party of his liberal, Trump-hating friends, according to Rabble. The chicken was in lieu of crow, which already speaks well for his fellowfeelingness. . I get one day where I can gloat about it, and you all get upset, he sighed.I don't begrudge it. Take the Mueller Report, one of history's great anticlimaxes though Brexit is the mother of them all I am an Indian, tweeted one observer, and I can tell you that Brits take forever to leave . But think of Mueller's nonbarrage from the POV of Trump devotees. He's had to endure the U.S. mainstream media's boundless effervescing over Mueller. He gets a small respite. Perhaps he clung to Fox but even they're now wavering. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

golf course: From pulling a fast one on Tiger Woods to exaggerating his handicap, Donald Trump's alleged misdeeds on and around the golf course are the subject of a new book by former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly, Commander in Cheat How Golf Explains Trump, according to CTV. Reilly documents dozens of examples of underhanded golf behaviour by the president, cheating he says has become legendary among golfers. Cheating at golf Well, that's something else. In golf, he's definitely not exonerated, Reilly told The Associated Press. One infamous instance came in a 2017 round with Tiger Woods and Dustin Johnson, who is the current No. 1 player in the world. There's been dozens and dozens of people that can declare him guilty of cheating. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

houston: David J. Phillip / AP Photo Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during his presidential campaign kickoff rally in Houston, Saturday, March 30, 2019, according to Toronto Star. David J. Phillip / AP Photo Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during his presidential campaign kickoff rally in Houston, Saturday, March 30, 2019. O'Rourke is not a native Spanish speaker.A corrected version of the story is below Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during his presidential campaign kickoff rally in Houston, Saturday, March 30, 2019. David J. Phillip / AP Photo A supporter holds up a sign as he waits for Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke to take the stage for his presidential campaign kickoff rally in Houston, Saturday, March 30, 2019. Clarice Silber / AP Photo Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during his presidential campaign rally kickoff in Austin, Texas, in front of the pink-granite state Capitol, Saturday, March 30, 2019. David J. Phillip / AP Photo Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke speaks during his presidential campaign rally kickoff in Austin, Texas, Saturday, March 30, 2019. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

immigration: President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk along the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday, March 31, 2019, according to Toronto Star. Trump has threatened to close the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration into the U.S. Andrew Harnik / AP Photo Kobach and Cuccinelli are far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration. Trump is weighing at least two potential candidates for the post former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations publicly. Cuccinelli was seen at the White House on Monday. Aides hope the potential appointment, which they caution is still in the planning stages, would serve as the face of the administration on immigration issues and would placate both the president and his supporters, showing he is serious and taking action. The planning comes as Trump is threatening anew to close the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration into the U.S. And it serves as the latest sign that the president plans to continue to hammer his hardline immigration rhetoric and policies as he moves past the special counsel's Russia investigation and works to rally his base heading into his 2020 re-election campaign. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

life sentence: A spokeswoman for Maryland's attorney general confirmed the offer on Sunday, according to CTV. Syed, who has maintained his innocence, is serving a life sentence for strangling his ex-girlfriend and burying her body in a Baltimore park in 1999. The Baltimore Sun reports that the finale of HBO's The Case Against Adnan Syed reveals that a deal offered four months ago would have brought Syed's release in 2022. He turned down the deal, since he'd have to admit to Hae Min Lee's murder. An appeals court ordered his conviction thrown out, but it was reinstated last month when Maryland's highest court ruled Syed didn't deserve a new trial. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

palace intrigues: The former investment banker and executive chairman of far-right Breitbart News became one of the leading ideologues of Trumpism building a creed that allied American nativism with the language of European far-right nationalism and helped push Trump toward his improbable electoral victory in 2016, according to Rabble. In the months after palace intrigues forced him out of the West Wing, Bannon remained close to figures within the administration and even closer to the world of journalists who report on it. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post Though Stephen K. Bannon left his White House post as President Trump's chief strategist more than a year and a half ago, the shadow he casts over Western politics has hardly faded. Bannon extended his brand as both populist soothsayer and rabble-rouser across the Atlantic, offering support to a constellation of far-right, ultranationalist and anti-immigrant parties across Europe. This populist-nationalist revolt is a worldwide phenomenon,'' Bannon told Bloomberg News last December, adding that the upcoming elections were a historic moment. His listening tours and speeches last year in Britain, France, Italy, Hungary and elsewhere attracted large numbers of mainstream journalists, whose stories placed Bannon at the heart of a far-right insurgency that seeks to blow up the status quo in European parliamentary elections this May. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.

passerelle: Leonie Tchatat and Guy Taffo run the non-profit La Passerelle I.D.E. In promotional material, the agency says it specializes in building bridges between forward thinking companies and talented Francophone newcomers, according to Toronto Star. La Passerelle I.D.E. Low-income kids Well, Leonie and Guy have used the tickets, and their family, and many of us in the office, said one insider at the non-profit the couple runs, called La Passerelle I.D.E. Toronto Raptors and Blue Jay games, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift concerts are among the tickets that have been misused. The couple, Leonie Tchatat and Guy Taffo, run a government-funded agency that receives thousands of dollars worth of tickets from a Toronto charity on the condition they will be used to give low-income youth under the age of 18 a special night out. The charity that donated the tickets, Kids Up Front, is investigating and said no tickets have gone to La Passerelle since the Star began making inquiries in February. Seven insiders at La Passerelle all staff, former staff or people who worked on projects for the non-profit say the donated tickets were often in rows close to the action or in a corporate box. You just go and ask, are there any good tickets today said another insider at La Passerelle, who described to the Star a free-for-all atmosphere over the last two years at the non-profit's office at Yonge and Carlton Sts. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.