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How States Expand Access to Driver’s Licenses Ahead of Real ID Deadline
Beginning in December, all New Yorkers will be able to apply for a driver’s license—regardless of immigration status. The Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, or “Green Light” bill, passed the New York Senate in June. Oregon passed a similar bill, the Equal Access to Roads Act, that month. It will take effect in January 2021. At […]
Read MorePrivacy Concerns Grow as Federal Immigration Agencies Use More Surveillance Technology
Federal immigration officials are beginning to expand their use of surveillance technology to collect information on immigrants. As officials gather more tools in their arsenal—from DNA collection to cell phone tracking devices—the privacy concerns also grow. The Trump administration proposed a new regulation on Monday that intensified those concerns. The proposed regulation would authorize immigration […]
Read MoreCalifornia Bans Private Prisons, Eliminating Immigration Detention Centers That Incarcerate 4,000 People
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Friday that will phase out private prisons—including federal immigration detention centers—throughout the state. The new law, AB 32, prohibits the state government and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from creating, modifying, or renewing prison contracts with private companies beginning on January 1, 2020. The […]
Read MoreNew Data: Wayne County Immigrants Contributed More Than $10.5B to GDP
Detroit, MI – Immigrants contributed more than $10.5 billion to Wayne County’s GDP in 2017, according to new research from New American Economy (NAE) in partnership with the Office of the Wayne County Executive and Wayne United. In addition to their financial contributions, including $430.5 million to Social Security and $110.6 million to Medicare in […]
Read MoreNew American Economy and Center for Houston’s Future host the Houston New American Festival
Media are invited to attend an art exhibition and live painting performance at the Nina and Michael Zilkha Gallery at MATCH – Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston on Saturday, October 12. This event marks the Houston, Texas installment of New American Economy’s New American Festival, a first-of-its-kind celebration of immigrant contributions to American art, […]
Read MoreLawsuit Demands Information on the Expansion of CBP’s Role in the Screening of Asylum Seekers
The American Immigration Council and Tahirih Justice Center filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in federal court to compel the government to release records about the Trump administration’s troubling new practice of allowing U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to screen individuals seeking asylum in the United States. The lawsuit seeks these documents to shed light on changes to the asylum screening process, CBP’s role in conducting interviews and making determinations regarding an asylum seeker’s “credible fear” of persecution, and the measures taken by CBP, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Department of Homeland Security to implement this new practice.
Read MoreFederal Court Blocks Trump Fast-Track Deportation Policy
A federal court has blocked a Trump administration policy that sought to massively expand fast-track deportations without a fair legal process such as a court hearing or access to an attorney. The American Immigration Council, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP sought the preliminary injunction, which was granted close to midnight on Friday by U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.
Read MoreState Governments Should Step In to Provide Oversight of Detention Facilities
Immigration enforcement may be a federal responsibility, but state governments have a great deal of power over the conditions under which immigrants are detained. At a time when over-crowded detention facilities are failing to meet even the minimum standards of humane treatment, states must step up and exercise their authority to improve a situation that […]
Read MoreSeparated Family Members Seek Monetary Damages from United States
The Council is seeking monetary damages on behalf of six asylum-seeking mothers and their children for the trauma they suffered when torn apart under the Trump Administration’s family separation policy.
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 […]
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