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The Government Knew It Didn’t Have the Technology to Track Separated Families. It Did So Anyway.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—the agency responsible for systematically separating thousands of migrant families in the summer of 2018—lacked the technology or mechanisms to record and track the separations, a government watchdog group recently found. Family separations—done under the Trump administration’s “Zero Tolerance policy”—started before the policy was even announced. The policy was first […]
Read MoreVolunteer Found Not Guilty After Providing Humanitarian Aid to Migrants
Over the last decade, the remains of more than 1,600 people have been found in the Arizona desert. Groups like No More Deaths, whose mission is “ending death and suffering in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands,” work to decrease that number. Their volunteer-based work is motivated by the slogan “Humanitarian aid is never a crime.” Last week, […]
Read MoreVeterans Day: The Contributions of Immigrant Service People
Today is Veterans Day, a day that began as Armistice Day on Nov. 11, 1919, the one-year anniversary of the end of World War I, and that was set aside every year thereafter to observe peace. After the Korean War, the date officially became a day to honor all military veterans. America isn’t the only […]
Read MoreUSCIS 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 MoreWhat the Safe Third Country Deals Mean for The Future of Asylum in the United States
The Trump administration announced last week that it had signed an “Asylum Cooperative Agreement” with Honduras, following two similar agreements signed with El Salvador and Guatemala. If any of these agreements go into effect, the United States could rapidly deport asylum seekers to a third country, without ever permitting them to apply for protections in […]
Read MoreUSCIS Wants to Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Work Permits
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently proposed a rule that will further delay asylum seekers’ ability to receive work authorization. Under current law, USCIS must grant or deny an initial asylum applicant’s employment authorization application within 30 days. Under the proposed rule, USCIS would have no time frame in which it must decide the […]
Read MoreTent Immigration Courthouses Are Being Built at the Texas Border
Immigration judges from across the country will soon be reassigned from their normal caseload to preside over thousands of immigration cases along the U.S.-Mexico border, reportedly in an effort to speed up hearings under the controversial “Remain in Mexico” program. To handle the cases faster, the Trump administration is in the process of building makeshift […]
Read More2019 Mid-Year Report
Dear Friends, In 2019, we are committed to both creating better immigration policies at the local, state, and federal levels, and changing the way people think about immigration in America. Despite the challenging environment, we are heartened by the progress that we’ve made in places as diverse as Arkansas, Kentucky, and North Carolina. We’re excited […]
Read MoreFederal Court Rules Detained Immigrant Children Must Receive Clean Water, Edible Food, and Soap
A federal appeals court in California ruled on Thursday that immigrant children must receive edible food, clean water, soap, and toothpaste while being detained by U.S. immigration authorities. The decision came from a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The panel dismissed the Trump administration’s challenge of a lower […]
Read MoreDallas Morning News Opinion: Unfair immigration policies are hurting economic growth in Texas
I often hear from business owners that current immigration policies are affecting their bottom line. And as head of the North Texas Commission, an organization dedicated to advancing the region, that’s the last thing I want to hear. North Texas has one of the most diverse economies in the state with trade, transportation, utilities, hospitality […]
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