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Immigration Court Backlog Shows No Sign of Shrinking
The latest figures show that the number of cases pending in immigration court continue to grow. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), there were 486,206 cases in the backlog as of the end of March. This is almost 30,000 more pending cases than Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) Director Juan Osuna reported […]
Read MoreWhat Are the Next Steps at the Supreme Court in U.S. v. Texas?
The oral arguments in U.S. v. Texas are now complete and dozens of news articles and analyses have attempted to predict what the Court will decide. However, all that truly matters is the final decision rendered by the eight sitting Justices. This begs the questions of when and how do the Justices render a decision […]
Read MoreMexican-Born Immigrant Has a Ninth Grade Education—and a Highly Successful Restaurant in Waco
For Cesar Leal, life in the United States “is like having a big table full of food and you’re just allowed to eat until you’re full.” It’s fitting then, that Leal’s livelihood in Waco, Texas, revolves around food. Originally from Mexico and now a U.S. citizen, the entrepreneur opened Leal’s Restaurant 23 years ago, and […]
Read MorePastor Peter Matthews Says Congressional Republicans Are Out of Step with Their Evangelical Constituents
In 2015, when Pastor Peter Matthews went to Washington, DC, to urge Congress to pass immigration reform, he and his fellow evangelical leaders realized just how disconnected congressional leaders had become from their evangelical base. In one meeting with then-Speaker John Boehner’s advisors, Matthews and the other pastors made a passionate plea for reform. They […]
Read MoreUnderstanding Justice Kennedy’s “Upside Down” Argument in U.S. v. Texas
On April 18, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas, a case brought by 26 states to challenge President Obama’s frozen deferred action programs, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Plus (expanded DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA). While the oral […]
Read MoreDigesting the Argument in U.S. v. Texas: What Is Lawful Presence and Why Does It Not Mean What It Sounds Like?
The oral argument in United States v. Texas shined a light on the confusion between the term “lawful presence” and what it means to have a legal immigration status in the United States. Early in the argument, Chief Justice Roberts noted that in its brief, the United States asserted that individuals covered by DAPA are […]
Read More“Gateways for Growth Challenge” to Highlight, Enhance Immigrants’ Economic Contributions
In December 2015, the Partnership for a New American Economy (PNAE) and Welcoming America put out an open call for applications from chambers of commerce, local governments, and civil society organizations across the United States to participate in the Gateways for Growth Challenge. Through this Challenge, communities were offered economic research, technical assistance, and/or matching […]
Read MoreTax Day: Tax Contributions of Immigrants in the United States
Today is Tax Day—the widely dreaded annual deadline for filing federal income taxes. This year, it falls on the same day that the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the U.S. v Texas immigration case about President Obama’s executive actions to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) and the Deferred Action […]
Read MoreSupreme Court Considers President’s Executive Actions on Immigration While Thousands Rally Outside
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas. While lawyers presented their arguments before the eight Justices inside, on the outside families, advocates, immigrants, faith groups, and a wide range of civil rights and community organizations gathered to demonstrate support for the President’s initiatives. The thousands of supporters in attendance overshadowed the […]
Read MoreBerks Detention Center Employee Convicted of Sexual Assault of Young Honduran Mother
A judge in Pennsylvania this week sentenced Daniel Sharkey, a 41-year-old former counselor at the Berks County Residential Center, to six to twenty three months of jail time. Sharkey previously worked at the county-run detention center for children and their parents. His sentence came down after he pled guilty to three counts of institutional sexual […]
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