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What’s Happened to the People Returned to Mexico Under the Migrant Protection Protocols?
It’s been nearly a year since the Trump administration announced the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or the “Remain in Mexico” program. This program forces vulnerable asylum seekers to return to Mexico to await their U.S. immigration court dates. It has since been expanded to six cities along the border. The U.S. Immigration Policy Center (USIPC) […]
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 MoreNew Americans in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
New research from New American Economy shows that immigrants accounted for 47.1 percent of total population growth in Cedar Rapids between 2012 and 2017. The report, New Americans in Cedar Rapids, was prepared in partnership with the City of Cedar Rapids and the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. In addition to their financial contributions, which […]
Read MoreTemporary Protected Status for Salvadorans Extended, While Liberians Face Looming Deadline for Departure
Following an agreement between the governments of the United States and El Salvador, Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be able to extend their status for another year into early 2021. At the same time, many Liberians with special protections from deportation are suddenly facing a much different fate. The U.S. and Salvadoran governments […]
Read MoreThe Perils of the Migrant Protection Protocols
Rape, violence, kidnapping, and lack of basic health care is, unfortunately, a reality for hundreds of asylum seekers subjected to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or “Remain in Mexico” program. Multiple recent accounts, including a report by Human Rights First (HRF), have documented the cruel and inhumane consequences asylum seekers suffer when they are sent […]
Read MoreThe Trump Administration Wants to Return to a Pre-Civil Rights Immigration System
The ideology of President Trump is about more than limiting how many immigrants enter the United States each year; it’s about turning back the clock on U.S. social history. A recent analysis by law professor Robert Tsai explores how President Trump’s ideology—labeled “Trumpism”—is the latest installment in a long-standing conservative movement to dismantle the legacy […]
Read MoreThe Cost of Removing Optional Practical Training for STEM Graduates
Workers who possess training or skills in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) are some of the most sought after segments of the labor market. Chronic shortages of specialized, high-skilled workers have been making headlines in the United States for nearly a decade, even during the Great Recession. To attempt to address this, in 2016, […]
Read MoreWhat Is Happening with Trump’s Border Wall? Here’s Everything You Need to Know So Far
President Trump has made the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a cornerstone of his presidency. To date, not a single mile of new barriers has been erected. But the Trump administration continues to aggressively pursue new avenues to fund this project outside of the traditional federal appropriations process, including the president’s declaration […]
Read MoreImmigrant Engineer Driven By a Call to Serve His Country and Community
Kamal AlSawafy was 9 years old when he arrived in Dearborn in 1997. Three years earlier, his family had fled Iraq, where his father, a construction worker, risked imprisonment and torture for his failure to support then-President Saddam Hussein. Now they had been granted refugee status and joined family in Michigan, and AlSawafy was headed […]
Read MorePeruvian American Helps New Orleans Rebuild, Mentors Young Construction Workers
There was no shortage of construction work in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. But as thousands of migrant workers — many from Spanish-speaking countries — poured into the city, reputable local contractors who could maintain high standards amid the dizzying pace were at a premium. Among those who came through in the chaos: Rufino Saavedra, […]
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