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President Obama’s Very Legal Move on Immigration
DHS’s recent announcement on enforcement priorities suggests that the agency, along with the Department of Justice, is serious about trying to target those persons who pose a threat to public safety. Unfortunately, there has been little official communication from either agency about the initiatives underway to review current immigration court cases or to issue broader […]
Read MorePresident Obama’s Very Legal Move on Immigration
DHS’s recent announcement on enforcement priorities suggests that the agency, along with the Department of Justice, is serious about trying to target those persons who pose a threat to public safety. Unfortunately, there has been little official communication from either agency about the initiatives underway to review current immigration court cases or to issue broader […]
Read MoreCalifornia Passes Other Half of DREAM Act Package
While many applauded Governor Jerry Brown’s recent efforts to make college more affordable for all of California’s students, others insisted the state didn’t go far enough. Back in July, Gov. Brown signed AB 130—a bill that allows undocumented students enrolled in California’s public colleges and universities to receive privately-funded university scholarships from non-state funds. At […]
Read MoreImmigrant Laborers Continue to Strengthen American Workforce, Economy
This Labor Day, we reflect on the many contributions workers make to the U.S.—including those of immigrant workers. While immigration restrictionists have long tried to demonize immigrant workers and blame them for high unemployment rates and other economic woes, the facts make it clear that immigrants actually create jobs and businesses and boost the […]
Read MoreLike Previous Administrations, Obama is Using Existing Laws to Improve our Immigration System
The attacks on the Obama Administration from some immigration restrictionists are likely to escalate when Congress returns from its August recess, given the recent announcement that DHS intends to put muscle behind its prosecutorial discretion guidelines. The plan to review 300,000 immigration cases to assess whether they fall within the Administration’s enforcement priorities has already […]
Read MoreWhat the New Budget Law Could Mean for Immigrant and Refugee Programs
BY ERIC SIGMON, LUTHERAN IMMIGRATION AND REFUGEE SERVICE* On August 2, after a number of press conferences and late-night negotiation sessions, President Obama signed into law the Budget Control of Act of 2011, legislation that prevented the U.S. government from defaulting on its debt and requires deep cuts into future federal spending. While deficit cutting […]
Read MoreRunaway Costs for Immigration Detention Do Not Add Up to Sensible Policies
BY JOSH BREISBLATT, IMMIGRATION POLICY FELLOW AT THE NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM At a time when we should be looking for ways to curb costs, some in Congress are actually attempting to spend more by expanding immigration enforcement programs. In May, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee Lamar Smith (R-TX) introduced H.R. 1932 titled, “Keep Our Communities […]
Read MoreFederal Judge Temporarily Blocks Alabama’s Immigration Law
Today, the federal judge hearing the case against Alabama’s harsh anti-immigrant law HB 56 issued a temporary order preventing the law from going into effect on September 1, 2011. The judge made no ruling on the merits of the pending motions but rather temporary blocked it to buy herself more time to consider the numerous […]
Read MoreImmigration Lawyers Clarify What DHS’s Announcement on Prosecutorial Discretion IS and IS NOT
There has been much confusion in the wake of DHS’s recent announcement about how immigration agencies will use prosecutorial discretion in determining low and high priority immigration cases. What is considered a low priority case? Who is eligible for employment authorization? How should those with pending removal cases proceed? In an effort to protect immigrants […]
Read MoreDHS Detains Unauthorized Immigrants as They Attempt to Leave the U.S.
It is tempting to imagine that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has adopted a kinder and more just approach to its immigration enforcement mission. After all, the department announced in recent days that it will henceforth focus its enforcement efforts on “high priority” immigration cases; that is, those cases involving serious criminals and individuals […]
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