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DHS’ New Work Permit Measures Are Welcome Change with Potential to Address USCIS Challenges
On September 20, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced measures to accelerate the processing of some work permits and to extend their validity period for particular categories of individuals. These changes are substantial and are likely to have a meaningful impact on the large work permit backlog in the long run. For the […]
Read MoreSpotlight on the Changing Demographics of Hispanic Americans
By Karen Aho and Robin Lundh of the American Immigration Council Today, Hispanic Americans form the largest ethnic group in the United States. The value of Hispanic Americans to the makeup of the United States—demographically, culturally, and economically—has grown every year. This Hispanic Heritage Month, we look at the most recent data to highlight the […]
Read MoreNew Board of Immigration Appeals Decision Sets Roadblock for Cubans, Others Seeking Green Cards
A recent Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision bars certain recently arrived noncitizens from becoming lawful permanent residents. In Matter of Cabrera-Fernandez, the BIA held that the petitioner had not been paroled into the United States when the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released him from immigration detention. Without parole he could not apply for […]
Read MoreNew Report Uncovers CBP’s Role in Policing Racial Justice Protests in Summer 2020
Co-Authors: Emily Creighton and Tsion Gurmu In the summer of 2020, after George Floyd’s murder, racial justice protests took hold in cities throughout the country. The massive mobilization reflected a nationwide groundswell of opposition to abusive and deadly policing. The importance of the movement and the need for change in the country was clear. […]
Read MoreThe Contributions of Temporary Protected Status Holders to the U.S. Economy
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a program that allows certain individuals from designated countries that are facing severe temporary conditions, such as ongoing armed conflicts or natural disasters, to stay in the United States until it is deemed safe to return home. More than 354,000 immigrants lived and worked in the United States under TPS in 2021 alone. […]
Read MoreNew Report Shows Immigrants in Kent County Paid Over $408 Million in Taxes and held $1.3 Billion in Spending Power in 2019
A new report, Economic Impact Report of New Americans in Kent County, released by the American Immigration Council—in partnership with the Grand Rapids Chamber- underscores immigrants’ crucial role in the region’s labor force, business creation, and consumer spending power.
Read MoreFifth Circuit Allows Texas to Keep Its Controversial ‘Buoy Barrier’ in Place for Now
Since President Biden took office, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been escalating both rhetoric and action in response to a rise in migration across the Rio Grande. Right now, challenges to his latest maneuver—installing 1,000 feet of “marine barrier” in the middle of the Rio Grande—are making their way through the courts. As of September […]
Read MoreNew Immigration Court Rule Would Protect Critical Docket Management Tools and Rescind Trump-Era Changes
The Department of Justice has proposed a new rule to protect immigration judges’ ability to administratively close removal proceedings and control their ever-expanding dockets. The proposed rule, published on September 8, would also rescind most of the changes introduced by a 2020 Trump-era regulation, including shortened Board of Immigration Appeals briefing schedules and limits on […]
Read MoreMexican Immigrant Brothers Launch Mechanical Services company in Grand Rapids, Hiring Dozens
Although Ruben Ramos was born in the United States, he moved with his family to their village in the Sierra Madre Mountains in Mexico when he was a baby. When the family moved to Grand Rapids in 1990, the Hispanic population was small. Ramos was 10 years old. “I consider myself an immigrant because I […]
Read MoreFilipino Immigrant Finds Grand Rapids as Best Home for His Atelier
Romel “RC” Caylan is an internationally celebrated fashion designer who has dressed more than 100 celebrities and has a showroom in Beverly Hills. Yet he proudly runs his business out of Grand Rapids, at a studio in the Breton Village Shopping Center alongside Lululemon, Anthropologie, and other big-name retailers. “I’m always asked ‘Why Grand Rapids?’ I […]
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