Humanitarian Protection
Central American Violence Pushes More Children North in Search of Protection
Earlier this month, Customs and Border Protection released statistics showing an increase in the number of unaccompanied children arriving at the southwest border in October and November 2015. In those two months alone, over 10,000 unaccompanied children arrived, a 106 percent increase from the same time the prior year. Read More
Giving the Immigration Facts a Fighting Chance
As we move through the 2016 presidential election cycle, the issue of immigration will continue to be a central topic of the debate. The United States is at a tipping point after more than two decades without meaningful upgrades to its immigration system. Current U.S. law does not provide sufficient… Read More
Efforts to Pass Anti-Refugee Legislation Slows
In the days after the Paris attacks, fear took hold of many across the United States, and some politicians proposed shutting our doors to refugees, particularly those from Syria and Iraq. This knee jerk reaction resulted in the House of Representatives hastily passing a misguided bill, which, if signed… Read More
Texas Sues Federal Government Again, This Time Over Refugees
This week, Texas filed a lawsuit against the federal government and International Rescue Committee (IRC) to prevent the resettlement of a Syrian refugee family in the state. The family was originally scheduled to arrive in Texas today. The state is the first to take legal action to block refugees… Read More
Talking Turkey on Immigration 2015
Today, I have the pleasure of following in the footsteps of Mary Giovagnoli, who, during her five years at the American Immigration Council, entertained and enlightened us with her annual blog about how to survive and thrive when the topic turns to immigration at the Thanksgiving Day table. With… Read More
Transfers of Detained Families Traumatizes Mothers and Children and Interferes with Access to Lawyers
The government recently began transferring families who have been held in Texas to the Berks County Family Residential Facility in Pennsylvania. Not only have these sudden transfers traumatized many mothers and children, but they are interfering with the families’ access to their lawyers and are jeopardizing their right to a… Read More
Congress Continues its Knee-Jerk Reaction to Paris Attacks
Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4038, the “American Safe Act of 2015” by a vote of 289 to 137, with 47 Democrats and all but two Republicans supporting the bill. This comes less than one week after the horrific attacks in Paris, which have left many feeling… Read More
Refugees Should Not Pay the Price for Paris Attack
The attacks that took place in Paris just days ago sadly reflect the volatile times in which we live. The horror we witnessed was quickly followed by national mourning and an outpouring of compassion and humanity from the international community. But, fear is a powerful force, and in the aftermath… Read More
DHS Secretary Johnson Discusses Border Security, Executive Action, Refugees and PEP
On Thursday, Secretary Jeh Johnson of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) addressed the 12th Annual Immigration Law and Policy Conference, covering a wide-range of topics, from border security to the new Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) to executive action and refugees. Secretary Johnson began his remarks calling attention to… Read More
UN Report Highlights Worsening Refugee Crisis in the Americas
The Northern Triangle of Central America—comprising El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras—is now one of the most dangerous places on the planet. The United Nations estimates that Honduras has the highest homicide rate in the world, while El Salvador comes in fifth and Guatemala sixth. It is for this reason that so many Central American families have made the very difficult decision to send their children out of their home countries, bound primarily to the United States, in the care of often violent and abusive smugglers. However, the refugee crisis currently gripping the Northern Triangle encompasses not only unaccompanied children, but mothers with children, as well as entire families. And it shows no signs of ending anytime soon. Read More
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