Reform

Reform

How Biden Can Reform Immigration Enforcement and Detention

How Biden Can Reform Immigration Enforcement and Detention

This article is part of the Moving Forward on Immigration series that explores the future of immigration in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.  When the Biden administration takes office on January 20, it will have both the opportunity and responsibility to begin the difficult work of reforming immigration… Read More

Congressional Democrats Announce One of the Most Progressive Immigration Reform Plans in History

Congressional Democrats Announce One of the Most Progressive Immigration Reform Plans in History

Progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives are gearing up to demand a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system when the Biden administration and a new Congress are in place early next year. This reform effort will go beyond reversing the Trump administration’s extreme anti-immigrant policies, with the… Read More

What to Expect for the J-1 Exchange Program Under Biden

What to Expect for the J-1 Exchange Program Under Biden

The Trump administration has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to curtail many immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs, including J-1 cultural exchange visitors. But with vaccines on the immediate horizon and a new Biden administration soon to take office, what should we expect for programs like the J-1… Read More

Who Is Alejandro Mayorkas? The New DHS Secretary Will Spearhead Biden’s Immigration Agenda

Who Is Alejandro Mayorkas? The New DHS Secretary Will Spearhead Biden’s Immigration Agenda

The incoming Biden-Harris administration has announced its choice for secretary of the Department of Homeland Security: Alejandro Mayorkas. If confirmed, Mayorkas will represent several historic firsts for the department—he will be the first Latino and immigrant to lead DHS. This is a significant departure from the… Read More

New US Citizenship Test Makes It Harder for Immigrants to Become Citizens

New US Citizenship Test Makes It Harder for Immigrants to Become Citizens

Lawful permanent residents seeking to become U.S. citizens will now be required to take a more difficult and longer citizenship test. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the change on November 13. The new test increases the total number of questions from 100 to 128. Applicants will be… Read More

Biden’s Immigration Plan Is a Promising Start in the Work Ahead

Biden’s Immigration Plan Is a Promising Start in the Work Ahead

This article is part of the Moving Forward on Immigration series that explores the future of immigration in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election.  President-elect Joe Biden’s plan on immigration stands in stark contrast to the xenophobic agenda the Trump administration has put forward the last four years. Much… Read More

Making the Case for Ending Immigration Detention

Making the Case for Ending Immigration Detention

Immigration detention was dangerous before President Trump took office four years ago. His policies—coupled with a deadly global pandemic—have only made the situation more dire. Immigration detention has expanded in the past decade, driven largely by large private prison companies such as CoreCivic and GEO Group. These companies’ sole motivation… Read More

Immigration Advocates Can Have a Role in Advancing National Unity

Immigration Advocates Can Have a Role in Advancing National Unity

President-elect of the United States Joseph Biden called for national unity in his victory speech on November 7. He said, “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. To lower the temperature. To see each other again. To listen to each other again. To make progress,… Read More

Proposed 15-Day Filing Rule for Asylum Seekers Is Designed to Be Impossible

Proposed 15-Day Filing Rule for Asylum Seekers Is Designed to Be Impossible

The Trump administration has spent most of the year trying to destroy asylum law—and the blows keep coming. On Sept. 23, the Department of Justice proposed yet another regulation aimed at certain asylum seekers that would stop all but the lucky few from receiving protections. How the Rule Would… Read More

The Demand for U.S. Visas Will Drop for Years to Come in the Aftermath of the Pandemic

The Demand for U.S. Visas Will Drop for Years to Come in the Aftermath of the Pandemic

The Trump administration continues to express belief that the coronavirus “will go away”—but the U.S. State Department does not seem to agree. In a recent memo signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the administration highlights a sharp decrease in the demand for U.S. visas due to the COVID-19… Read More

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