Franco Ordoñez
Franco Ordoñez is a White House Correspondent for NPR's Washington Desk. Before he came to NPR in 2019, Ordoñez covered the White House for McClatchy. He has also written about diplomatic affairs, foreign policy and immigration, and has been a correspondent in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and Haiti.
Ordoñez has received several state and national awards for his work, including the Casey Medal, the Gerald Loeb Award and the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Excellence in Journalism. He is a two-time reporting fellow with the International Center for Journalists, and is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and the University of Georgia.
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The president rolled out a plan to overhaul the immigration system on his first day in office. Last week he shifted to talk about a narrower approach. Some advocates feel abandoned.
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A lack of computer parts known as semiconductors threatens many industries, hitting automakers especially hard. The White House brought together executives from 19 companies to confront the issue.
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U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents encountered nearly 172,000 migrants at the border in March, up 71% from February. The increase included a record number of unaccompanied minors.
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Officials are trying to shrink the timetable for many asylum cases from "years to months." That could benefit people with legitimate asylum claims and discourage some unauthorized migration.
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As Biden stated, crossings often rise during the early months of the year as the weather improves. But the number of unaccompanied children arriving is considerably higher than in the recent years.
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As of Wednesday, more than 5,000 unaccompanied migrant children are in Customs and Border Protection custody, according to Department of Homeland Security data reviewed by NPR.
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John Sanders led U.S. Customs and Border Protection under the Trump administration. At least five children died after being detained during the last surge, and he fears "history is repeating itself."
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The unaccompanied minors are spending an average of 117 hours in detention facilities, beyond the 72 hours allowed, according to a Department of Homeland Security document.
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The House takes up immigration legislation while some GOP lawmakers will travel to the southern border to highlight a surge in migrants. The Biden administration asked FEMA to help with the surge.
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The Biden administration's decision represents a major policy shift from the Trump team, which withstood bipartisan calls to grant the protections to Venezuelans fleeing life-threatening crises.