South Carolina, District 7
ICE Announces 1,000 New Workplace Audits
Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Assistant Secretary John Morton announced 1,000 new workplace audits for businesses suspected of hiring workers without proper employment documentation, which involves a comprehensive review of each employer’s hiring records and I-9 forms. Although ICE is withholding the businesses’ names and locations until the audit is complete, ICE cited “investigative leads and intelligence” as wells as the “business connection to public safety and national security” as reasons these businesses were targeted. Secretary Morton had this to say: Read More
New Report Shines Light on Detainee Rights Violations in Minnesota
Over the summer, three graduate students at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute interviewed immigration attorneys and public defenders to document their experiences working with detained immigrants. The result—a heartbreaking account of detainees locked away, without access to counsel or family, in a system where rights and the most minimal detention standards are routinely violated. Read More
Two Legal Immigrants Unjustly Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Over the past several months, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made concerted efforts to overhaul our flawed immigration detention system—aiming for more transparency and broadened federal oversight. Deserving of equal attention, however, is Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) loose enforcement policy, which also ensnares legal immigrants. Read More
Restrictionist “Experts” Get It Wrong Again with 287(g) Assessment
In October, the restrictionist group Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) released another report singing the praises of the 287(g) program. In The 287(g) Program: Protecting Home Towns and Homeland, the authors ignore the evidence and arguments put forward by law enforcement experts—such as the Police Foundation, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police—and dismisses them as “national advocacy organizations.” In doing so, CIS puts itself forward as apparent “law enforcement experts,” adding to their impressive resume that includes biblical scholar and environmental expert. Read More
Board of Immigration Appeals Rules Not to Reopen Old Deportation Cases
A decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) last week provides yet more evidence that broken laws create broken government. By refusing to protect eligible applicants for adjustment of status from deportation, the Board eased the way for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to deport someone whose legitimate green card application is pending with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Read More
New Report Details the Chilling Effects of Immigration Enforcement on Workers’ Rights
ICED OUT: How Immigration Enforcement Has Interfered with Workers' Rights, a new publication by the AFL-CIO, American Rights at Work Education Fund, and the National Employment Law Project (NELP), tells the often ignored story of our country's broken immigration system and the collateral damage immigrants and U.S. workers experience when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prioritize enforcement over workers' rights. Read More
Family Ties: A Closer Look at the Problem with Our Family-Based Immigration System
The U.S. immigration system has always promoted family unity by awarding the majority of visas to the families of current U.S. residents, which ensures that close family members are not kept apart. The principle of family unity has long been a central tenet of our immigration laws and has contributed to the economic and social prosperity of our country and immigrant populations. Read More
Immigration Gumbo in the Pelican State
The Pelican State is slowly stepping out as one of the most dynamic immigrant states in the nation. With a New American governor, an immigrant congressman and growing numbers of immigrants calling Louisiana home, the state is emerging as a model for what immigration can do for a state. One of Louisiana’s most famous faces is the state’s Governor Piyush “Bobby” Jindal who was born in Baton Rouge after his parents immigrated to the U.S. for graduate school and distinguished careers. He is the first American governor of Indian descent to serve in the U.S. Read More
Rep. Luis Gutierrez Lays Out Principles for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Today, more than 3,000 people from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C. to demand comprehensive immigration reform. Immigrants and their families, veterans and clergy met with Congressional offices and gathered for an afternoon vigil at the Church of Reformation on Capitol Hill to share stories about those facing deportation, family separation and personal struggles with our broken immigration system. Today’s rally culminated on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol where Rep. Luis Gutierrez, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, laid out core principles for a comprehensive reform bill he plans to introduce in the House in the months ahead. Read More
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