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Michael Burtov
In 1989, when Michael Burtov was nine, his family fled anti-Jewish persecution in the Soviet Union and resettled as refugees in Lynn, Massachusetts. “There was a lot of anti-Soviet, anti-Russian sentiment at the time, and I was bullied,” he recalls. But he was determined to seize American opportunity. After graduating from Brandeis University in Waltham, […]
Read MoreICE’s New Guidance to Government Attorneys Aims to Reduce Immigration Court Backlog
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a long-awaited memo on Sunday to guide ICE attorneys on exercising their prosecutorial discretion in immigration court. Authored by ICE’s Principal Legal Advisor Kerry Doyle, the memo’s stated goal is to ensure that ICE focuses its limited resources effectively and pursues just outcomes. By encouraging prosecutors to seek […]
Read MoreThe US Response to Ukraine Shows We Have the Capacity for Humanitarian Relief
At the beginning of March 2022, as millions of Ukrainians were being displaced by Russian invasion, the U.S. government announced a series of policy changes to assist some of the people impacted by the war. Using many of the United States’ humanitarian protection authorities, the government acted quickly to help ensure the safety of tens […]
Read MoreArts & Culture Initiatives
Culture Club The Council’s Culture Club is a membership striving to build empathy through the language of art. The goal is to introduce participants to a new and wide range of immigrant stories, exploring a variety of lived experiences. Get access to film screenings focused on immigrant filmmakers, our extensive list of books shedding light […]
Read MoreBiden Administration Announces End to Horrific Title 42 Border Policy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that it will be terminating the Title 42 border policy. The U.S. government has used this policy to turn away asylum seekers and migrants over 1.7 million times since March 2020. The policy will end on May 23 to give the U.S. Department of Homeland […]
Read MoreNew Census Data Highlights Important Role of Immigration in Countering US Population Decline
More than two-thirds of U.S. counties saw natural decreases in population between 2020 and 2021, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. This means that almost 2,300 counties across the country had more deaths than births, providing further evidence that the United States is growing at its slowest pace in its history. […]
Read MoreCongress Ends Months of Uncertainty for Immigrant Investors in Regional Centers
For more than 8 months, noncitizens with approved immigrant petitions for investments in regional centers have been in limbo. Congress has now ended that limbo, by reauthorizing the EB-5 regional center program. At midnight on June 30, 2021, the congressional authorization for the EB-5 regional center program investor category expired. U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Services […]
Read MoreThe Growing Demand for Healthcare Workers in Illinois
This research brief highlights the growing demand for healthcare workers in the state and the need to reduce barriers for internationally trained professionals.
Read MoreDHS Watchdog Recommends Immediate Action to Address Horrific Conditions in ICE Detention
In an unprecedented move, the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’) watchdog agency—the Office of the Inspector General (OIG)—just recommended that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) relocate all noncitizens currently held in its Torrance County Detention Facility in Estancia, New Mexico. According to OIG, its unannounced inspection in early February revealed critical staffing shortages, poor […]
Read MoreIndividual Change or Societal Change. Which Ensures Durable Shifts in Attitudes and Behaviors?
America is experiencing an important awakening around racial justice. Many are coming to understand that silence and inaction around racism make us complicit in its effects on our neighbors, friends, and colleagues. This awakening is driving some people to begin correcting individual biases and attitudes that drive othering, exclusion, and oppression of people of color. […]
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