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Calls for Independent Immigration Court Grow Louder at Congressional Hearing
A congressional oversight committee held a hearing this week on the need for immigration court reform and the systemic due process challenges within the immigration court system. The House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship heard from several experts on the issue. Most experts made the case that the immigration court should transfer from […]
Read MoreDemographic Change Is Hard, Especially When Our Leaders Stoke Our Worst Fears
After more than 20 years in the immigrant justice movement, I confess that I missed the mark. In my drive to improve the lives of immigrants and refugees, I was blind to some key realities taking root in America. I failed to see the surge of cultural anxiety driven by demographic, economic, and social change […]
Read MoreWhat’s Happening to Trump’s Travel Ban?
Monday marks the third anniversary of the Trump administration’s travel ban—a presidential proclamation that needlessly divides families on the basis of their religion and nationality. The proclamation restricts travel to the United States by nationals of five majority-Muslim nations (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen). Venezuela and North Korea are also included in the ban. […]
Read MoreLawmakers Call for Release of All Transgender Migrants From ICE Custody
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill sent a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this month demanding the release of all transgender people in ICE’s custody. At least two transgender women have died in the last two years. Both died following multiple, ignored requests for medical attention in ICE custody. Advocates and lawmakers fear more […]
Read MorePrivacy Concerns Over Trump’s Demand to Collect the DNA of Hundreds of Thousands of People
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began collecting DNA from people held at the border earlier this month. This is part of a pilot program that DHS plans to expand nationwide. The program is currently operating at the port of entry in Eagle Pass, Texas and within the Border Patrol’s Detroit Sector. When fully implemented, […]
Read MoreTrial Challenging Unconstitutional Conditions in Customs and Border Protection’s Facilities in Arizona Ends
During the course of the trial, a federal judge heard from qualified experts who testified on the inadequate medical care and severe conditions inside CBP detention centers.
Read MoreStudent’s Deportation Shows a Pattern of US Government Targeting Iranians
Iranian students coming to the United States are being stopped at airports, having their visas revoked, and are being deported. Advocates warn this trend is emerging less than a month after hundreds of Iranian Americans were stopped and interrogated at a port of entry between Washington State and Vancouver, Canada. Shahab Dehghani, an Iranian student […]
Read MoreTent Immigration Courts Are Still Not Fully Open to the Public
Asylum seekers subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols—or the “Remain in Mexico” program—in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas attend their court hearings in tents known as “port courts.” The government announced these secretive courts would finally be opened last week, but the public still does not have full access. For the past year, this program has […]
Read MoreWhat We Know About USCIS’ New H-1B Cap Registration System
The new process for petitioning for highly educated H-1B workers will officially begin on March 1, 2020. For the first time, a U.S. employer who wants to file a petition that is subject to the annual limits must first register with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The agency then must select the registration before […]
Read MoreEconomic Cost of Kentucky Senate Bill 1
Kentucky State Senator Danny Carroll recently introduced Senate Bill 1, which has been identified as a top priority for the chamber in 2020. The bill, which would effectively force local law enforcement agents to become federal immigration agents, would also punish local government entities and public colleges and universities that limit cooperation and information sharing […]
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