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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 MoreFor Victims of Gender-Based Violence, Getting Asylum Just Got Harder
A new decision by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) will make it harder for people fleeing gender-based violence to gain asylum in the United States. On July 18, the BIA published its decision in Matter of K-E-S-G-, finding that people persecuted solely on account of their sex are unlikely to qualify for asylum because […]
Read MoreTrump’s 2025 Travel Ban: Who Is Affected and What It Could Cost the U.S. Economy
On June 4, 2025, the Trump administration announced a new travel ban targeting 19 countries. Learn what countries this affects and the potential impacts.
Read MoreOffices of New Americans Visit New York and New Jersey to Learn, Connect, and Inspire
States across the country are facing tougher-than-ever challenges to advance immigrant integration, from a rapidly shifting federal immigration landscape to strained state budgets. The Office of New Americans (ONA) State Network, convened by the American Immigration Council and World Education Services, provides a forum for state policy leaders from 24 red, blue, and purple states […]
Read MoreIn Just Six Months, Trump’s Immigration Policy Has Built a Crueler World
The American Immigration Council’s new special report, Mass Deportation: Analyzing the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Immigrants, Democracy, and America, is a guide to the first six months of the second Trump administration, what might be coming, and who is being harmed. This is the second in a series of blog posts lifting up the cross-cutting […]
Read MoreSix Months of Trump’s Immigration Agenda: A State and Local Snapshot
The American Immigration Council’s new special report Mass Deportation: Analyzing the Trump Administration’s Attacks on Immigrants, Democracy, and America, focuses on immigration activity at the federal level during Trump’s first six months in office. But state and local governments have been making moves of their own. While much of the public’s attention has rightly focused […]
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