Filter
2013 Highlights from the Partnership for a New American Economy
After decades of frustration, 2013 was a year filled with success for the immigration reform movement. The year brought passage of a comprehensive immigration bill in the Senate, five separate immigration bills passed out of committee in the House of Representatives, new voices from across the political spectrum added in support of reform, and groundswells […]
Read MoreTop Five Immigration Stories from 2013
From the beginning, it was clear that 2013 was going to be a big year for immigration. The results of the 2012 Presidential Election were widely interpreted as a rebuke to Mitt Romney’s enforcement-only “self-deportation” policy, and President Obama’s huge victory among minority communities was seen as a mandate for reform. It seemed, at the […]
Read MoreNew Year, New Leadership and New Opportunities at DHS
The Department of Homeland Security enters 2014 with new leadership, following the confirmation this month of Jeh Johnson and Alejandro Mayorkas for Secretary and Deputy Secretary, respectively. Johnson and Mayorkas bring years of government service to their new jobs. Mayorkas’ tenure as Director of USCIS led to a […]
Read MoreNew ICE Deportation Statistics Are No Cause for Celebration
There is little to cheer in the new deportation statistics released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). While the numbers document a 10 percent decline in the total number of deportations compared to last year, they also reveal the extent to which immigration enforcement resources are still devoted to apprehending, detaining, and deporting individuals […]
Read MoreSenate Confirms Mayorkas as DHS Deputy Secretary
Following the confirmation of Jeh Johnson as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary on Monday, the Senate approved Alejandro Mayorkas as DHS deputy secretary on Friday by 54 to 41. Mayorkas has served as the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services since 2009. During his tenure at USCIS, Mayorkas was responsible for the […]
Read MoreICE Releases 2013 Deportation Data
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 368,644 immigrants during the 2013 fiscal year, according to the agency’s year-end removal numbers. ICE officials report that 235,093 of those removed were apprehend at the border, and 133,551 people were apprehended in the interior of the U.S. Of those removed from the interior, ICE’s data shows that […]
Read MoreClass Action Settlement Removes Obstacles Preventing Asylum Applicants from Working
A recent settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of thousands of asylum seekers is removing obstacles they faced in obtaining work documents while they pursue their asylum claims. The inability to work for lengthy periods of time has had crippling effects on asylum applicants. Without proper work authorization, they have been […]
Read MoreNew Legal Analysis Shows State Compliance with ICE Detainers May Violate the Constitution
Chicago, New York, and San Francisco now prevent local jails from honoring immigration detainers—requests from federal immigration officials for state and local jails to hold a person so that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can investigate the person’s immigration status—unless an arrestee has been charged with or convicted of certain criminal offenses. And California’s […]
Read MoreLicensing Barriers Leave Immigrant Doctors Driving Cabs Instead of Practicing Medicine
Instead of putting foreign medical and other advanced degrees to use in the United States, it is common among immigrant doctors and other professionals to work less skilled jobs, such as a taxi driver or waiter, because the complicated licensing process keeps them from applying their training in the U.S. market. According to a recent […]
Read MoreSenate Confirms New DHS Director, Jeh Johnson
The Senate approved Jeh Johnson as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary 78 to 16 on Monday night. President Obama nominated Johnson to head the department in October following former Sec. Janet Napolitano’s resignation. At one point, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he would hold up Johnson’s nomination until he recived more information about border security, according to Politico. McCain told reporters […]
Read MoreMake a contribution
Make a direct impact on the lives of immigrants.
