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USCIS Changes Policy on Fee Waivers, Potentially Deterring Thousands of Citizenship Applications
The cost of filing an application for citizenship—usually a hefty $725—has long been a barrier for some immigrants. Now, a change to the naturalization process may leave even more people priced out of becoming a U.S. citizen. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a new policy that will change how the agency determines […]
Read MoreThe Perils of the Migrant Protection Protocols
Rape, violence, kidnapping, and lack of basic health care is, unfortunately, a reality for hundreds of asylum seekers subjected to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or “Remain in Mexico” program. Multiple recent accounts, including a report by Human Rights First (HRF), have documented the cruel and inhumane consequences asylum seekers suffer when they are sent […]
Read MoreProsecutions from Workplace Immigration Raids Overwhelm Mississippi Legal System
The consequences of record-breaking workplace immigration raids are still overwhelming the legal system in southern Mississippi. After the Trump administration repeatedly threatened mass raids last summer, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered seven Mississippi food processing plants in August, detaining 687 workers. In the following days, about half of those detained were released on […]
Read MoreThe Cost of Removing Optional Practical Training for STEM Graduates
Workers who possess training or skills in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) are some of the most sought after segments of the labor market. Chronic shortages of specialized, high-skilled workers have been making headlines in the United States for nearly a decade, even during the Great Recession. To attempt to address this, in 2016, […]
Read MoreCalifornia Bans Private Prisons, Eliminating Immigration Detention Centers That Incarcerate 4,000 People
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Friday that will phase out private prisons—including federal immigration detention centers—throughout the state. The new law, AB 32, prohibits the state government and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from creating, modifying, or renewing prison contracts with private companies beginning on January 1, 2020. The […]
Read More“Public Charge” Rule Blocked Days Before Going Into Effect
The Trump administration suffered another immigration blow in court last Friday. The new “public charge” rule set to go into effect Tuesday, October 15, was blocked in three separate rulings by judges around the country.
Read MoreThe New “Public Charge” Rule and Its Negative Impact on the U.S. Economy
Updated on February 2, 2021 In July 2019, the Trump Administration enacted a new “public charge” rule that effectively barred millions of working-age, aspiring immigrants from being able to come to America and gain permanent residency, as well as millions more immigrants already working legally in key industries in the United States from being able […]
Read MoreHow Trump’s New Healthcare Ban Threatens the Legal Immigration System
President Trump invoked the same legal authority used for the Travel Ban to impose a sweeping new ban on legal immigration last week. Under the new ban, which analysis suggests could block as much as two thirds of all immigrants from coming to the United States, immigrants will be banned from entering unless they can […]
Read MoreNew American Economy and Center for Houston’s Future host the Houston New American Festival
Media are invited to attend an art exhibition and live painting performance at the Nina and Michael Zilkha Gallery at MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston on Saturday, October 12. This event marks the Houston, Texas installment of New American Economy’s New American Festival, a first-of-its-kind celebration of immigrant contributions to American art, […]
Read MoreUSCIS Implemented New H-1B Wage Level Policy Without Providing Sufficient Guidance to Its Staff
Newly released documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rolled out a major policy change impacting petitions for H-1B workers without sufficient training to officers deciding the petitions. The records reveal troubling insights into what likely contributed to substantial increases in requests for evidence (RFEs) […]
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