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Living the Legacy: MLK Day in 2011
Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, is a day that provides Americans with the opportunity to reflect on our ongoing struggle for social justice and equality and a chance to renew our vision of what kind of country and people we want to be. This year, MLK Day falls in the middle of a profound […]
Read MoreEssential to the Fight: Immigrants in the Military Eight Years After 9/11
From the Revolutionary War to the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, immigrants have made significant contributions to the United States by serving in our military forces. Today, immigrants voluntarily serve in all branches of the U.S. military and are a vital asset to the Department of Defense. To recognize their unique contribution, immigrants serving honorably in the military who are not yet U.S. citizens are granted significant advantages in the naturalization process. Over the past eight years, Congress has amended military-related enlistment and naturalization rules to allow expanded benefits for immigrants and their families and encourage recruitment of immigrants into the U.S. Armed Forces. Without the contributions of immigrants, the military could not meet its recruiting goals and could not fill its need for foreign-language translators, interpreters, and cultural experts. This latest Special Report reflects on the vital role immigrants have and continue to play in keeping our nation safe.
Read MoreImmigration Scare-Tactics: Exaggerated Estimates of New Immigration Under S.2611
The debate over S. 2611, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act, has been clouded by grossly exaggerated estimates of the likely scale of future immigration under the bill.
Read MoreTargets of Suspicion: The Impact of Post-9/11 Policies on Muslims, Arabs and South Asians in the US
In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. government began a campaign of aggressive immigration enforcement targeted at Muslims, Arabs and South Asians. Rather than first seeking to identify suspected terrorists, the government initiated harsh law enforcement actions against whole communities with the hope that some of those caught might be terrorist suspects.
Read MoreThe Lessons of 9/11: A Failure of Intelligence, Not Immigration Law
In the hours following the deadly terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States government took the extraordinary step of sealing U.S. borders to traffic and trade by grounding all aircraft flying into or out of the country and imposing a lock-down on the networks of transportation and commerce that are the lifeblood of our economy and society. Given the uncertainty over what might happen next, these emergency procedures were a necessary and appropriate short-term response to the attacks.
Read MoreImpugnando el Cierre del Acceso al Asilo en los Puertos de Entrada
El 20 de enero de 2025, la Administración Trump canceló el acceso al proceso de asilo estadounidense en los puertos de entrada de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México. Ese mismo día, canceló aproximadamente 30,000 citas de inspección en los puertos, programadas a través de la aplicación móvil CBP One, que estaban programadas para […]
Read MoreTrump Creates New System to Impose Millions in Fines on Undocumented Immigrants
Under a new system put in place by the Trump administration on June 27, immigration officers may be able to impose penalties of millions of dollars on certain undocumented immigrants, putting them at risk not only of deportation but of crushing financial debt. Under this new procedure, designed to reduce the due process available to […]
Read MoreSenate Approves Unprecedented Spending for Mass Deportation, Ignoring What’s Broken in our Immigration System
Washington DC, July 1, 2025 — On July 1, the U.S. Senate passed a budget reconciliation bill that includes an unprecedented allocation of funds for immigration detention and enforcement while simultaneously stripping healthcare from millions of Americans. The bill, passed today with Vice President JD Vance contributing the tie-breaking vote, earmarks some $170 billion for […]
Read MoreWhere Do Refugees Settle in the United States? FOIA Documents Reveal Where Refugees Arrive and Their Demographic Data
Where do refugees settle upon arrival in the United States? As the global displacement crisis evolves, the factors driving individuals from their homes—violence, conflict, and even climate change—continue to change along with it. On June 26, the American Immigration Council released a tool based on demographic data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) […]
Read MoreYoung Poet Wins 2025 Creative Writing Award, Paying Tribute to Refugees
WASHINGTON, DC, June 24, 2025—The American Immigration Council honored Luu Ly, an 11-year-old attending the Chapin School in New York City, with its 28th annual Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest award, which honors the immigrant experience. Luu’s poem, “American Poem,” narrates her grandparents’ escape from Vietnam during the war, describing how they settled down as […]
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