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Filipino Immigrant Uncovers Asian American History in Spokane
Charity BagatsingPublisher, event organizer and Asian immigrant historian In 1991, Charity Bagatsing came to Spokane from Manila, Philippines at age 21. “Everything I had to start a new life was in two suitcases,” she says. Yet she persevered in her adopted country, raising four children and developing a career as both a publisher of The […]
Read MoreCouncil Joins Coalition Letter Expressing Concern Over ICE Family Custody Programs
The Council joined over 120 organizations in a letter to DHS and ICE calling on the Biden administration to move away from using contractors to hold families in ICE custody, and asks the administration to replace the current custody programs with community-based post-release Border Reception and Welcome Centers.
Read MoreAttorney General Garland Brings Back Administrative Closure for Immigration Judges
Attorney General Merrick Garland vacated Matter of Castro-Tum on July 15, reviving a key tool to help judges prioritize cases in the overburdened immigration court system and allow people facing deportation to pursue all available paths to legal status. In Matter of Cruz-Valdez, the attorney general reversed a decision by prior Attorney General Jeff Sessions. […]
Read MoreThis Special Program Gives Refugee Athletes a Chance to Compete in the Olympics
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided to expand a unique venture for the upcoming 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo: The Refugee Olympic Team. The expansion is part of the IOC’s long-term effort to empower displaced athletes both before and after the Olympics. The Refugee Olympic Team will feature athletes from 13 countries around the world, including Afghanistan, South Sudan, Syria, and Venezuela. The success of the original refugee team—which featured just 10 people during the […]
Read MoreICE Will Stop Arresting and Detaining Most Pregnant and Nursing People
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer detain most people who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing, according to a new policy released on July 9. However, ICE did not commit to a total ban, saying that there will still be “very limited circumstances” that will allow the agency to detain pregnant people. The […]
Read More2021 Mid-Year Report
Dear Friends and Supporters, In the past six months, we have witnessed a sea change on immigration: The American Dream and Promise Act and Farm Workforce Modernization Act passed the House with bipartisan support; the Muslim ban, Public Charge rule, and major cuts to refugee resettlement have been reversed; and proposals to create a path […]
Read MoreSupreme Court Denies Bond Hearings to People Pursuing Protection Claims Who Have Prior Removal Orders
The Supreme Court issued a decision on June 29 in the Johnson v. Guzman Chavez case. The majority of the justices determined that people with prior removal orders are subject to mandatory detention, even while they pursue proceedings to stop their deportation to a country where they established they have a reasonable fear of persecution […]
Read MoreWill Immigrant Investors and Regional Centers Benefit From Court Win or Has Time Run Out?
A recent court win that restored lower minimum investment amounts was good news for regional centers and immigrant investors in the EB-5 program. But the bad news is the EB-5 regional center program will end on June 30, because Congress did not extend it. While Congress may restore the program, it’s uncertain how long immigrant […]
Read MoreBiden’s Unfulfilled Promise to End 287(g) Agreements with Local Law Enforcement
During the 2020 campaign, President Biden pledged to end all 287(g) agreements made by the Trump administration. More than 150 days into his presidency, the promise remains unfulfilled. The 287(g) program allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and state or local law enforcement agencies to enter into formal agreements to permit state and local […]
Read MoreOn World Refugee Day, A Call to Rebuild U.S. Refugee Resettlement
World Refugee Day is celebrated internationally on June 20 every year. It honors the struggle of refugees around the world who are fleeing violence and persecution and are unable to safely return to their home countries. Over this past year, in the middle of a devastating global pandemic, the number of refugees worldwide hit an […]
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