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May Day Protests Remind Legislators Immigration Reform is Workers Issue
On Thursday, protesters expressed their mounting frustration over Congress’ failure to pass immigration reform in May Day demonstrations across the nation. From New York to California, thousands of labor, faith, and immigrant rights activists took to the streets to lift up the positive impact immigrant workers have on our economy and the detrimental impact our […]
Read MoreCincinnati Start-up Community Talks Immigration
Panel touts Cincinnati’s successes, but cautions D.C. inaction will hinder continued growth CINCINNATI, OHIO – Influential members of Cincinnati’s vibrant start-up and tech scene joined together this morning at one of the country’s hottest seed accelerators, The Brandery in Over-the-Rhine for a fast-paced roundtable discussion on global talent attraction and the need for immigration reform. […]
Read MoreFWD.us and New American Economy Host #iCodeImmigration in Chicago
Leading Entrepreneurs, Investors, Technologists, and Policy Experts Will Discuss the Critical Need for Immigration Reform in Chicago and Across the Country Chicago, IL – FWD.us will join with New American Economy (NAE) to host an #iCodeImmigration event in Chicago, IL on Tuesday, April 29, 2014 at 7:00 PM (CT). Leading entrepreneurs, investors, technologists, and policy […]
Read MoreVirginia Allows DACA Recipients to Pay In-State Tuition
Young immigrants in Virginia who receive temporary legal status through the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now qualify for in-state tuition at state colleges and universities. Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring made the announcement Tuesday at the Northern Virginia Community College. “We should welcome these smart, talented, hard-working young people into our economy […]
Read MoreRemoval Without Recourse: The Growth of Summary Deportations from the United States
The deportation process has been transformed drastically over the last two decades. Today, two-thirds of individuals deported are subject to what are known as “summary removal procedures,” which deprive them of both the right to appear before a judge and the right to apply for status in the United States. In 1996, as part of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), Congress established streamlined deportation procedures that allow the government to deport (or “remove”) certain noncitizens from the United States without a hearing before an immigration judge. Two of these procedures, “expedited removal” and “reinstatement of removal,” allow immigration officers to serve as both prosecutor and judge—often investigating, charging, and making a decision all within the course of one day. These rapid deportation decisions often fail to take into account many critical factors, including whether the individual is eligible to apply for lawful status in the United States, whether he or she has long-standing ties here, or whether he or she has U.S.-citizen family members.
In recent years, summary procedures have eclipsed traditional immigration court proceedings, accounting for the dramatic increase in removals overall. As the chart below demonstrates, since 1996, the number of deportations executed under summary removal procedures—including expedited removal, reinstatement of removal, and stipulated removal (all described below)—has dramatically increased.
In Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, more than 70 percent of all people Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported were subject to summary removal procedures.
Expedited Removal (INA § 235(b))
Immigration Letter from 22 Senators Decries Common-Sense Reforms
Twenty-two Senate Republicans have made some political waves recently by sending a letter to President Obama expressing their “grave concerns” over the review of immigration enforcement policies now underway in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The aim of that review is to determine ways in which enforcement priorities might be revised to avoid the […]
Read MoreLiving in Car Culture Without a License
Community leaders in the United States increasingly recognize the contributions of immigrants to the growth of state and local economies, in both traditional and new immigrant destinations, as immigrants help revitalize declining communities and ailing economies. In recognition of these contributions, states and cities across the country are creating welcoming initiatives that seek to integrate and maximize the contributions of immigrant workers and entrepreneurs of all backgrounds, without an emphasis on legal status. On a parallel track in terms of initiatives that facilitate the integration of foreign-born arrivals, some states offer driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants. Many more states are considering it. This makes sense given that the United States is among the top motor-vehicle dependent countries in the world. States that do not offer driver’s licenses to unauthorized immigrants will limit the contributions that immigrant communities as a whole can potentially make, are likely to face negative economic and public safety consequences, and tend to fail in attempts to use such restrictive state-level policies to reduce the presence of unauthorized immigrants.
Read MoreMy view: Utah’s agriculture industry needs immigration reform
The need for immigration reform has united individuals from various sectors, including business, education and religion. But one group — our nation’s farmers — feels particularly strongly about this issue, and with good reason. On our farm, we use the H2A program exclusively because we don’t have a choice if we want to stay in […]
Read MoreAmerican Boston Marathon Winner Came to U.S. as Refugee
For the first time in more than 30 years, an American man won the Boston marathon yesterday. Meb Keflezighi, a naturalized American citizen who came to the United States at age 12, finished the 26-mile race with a time of 2:08:37, his personal best. The 38-year-old Keflezighi is a three-time Olympian who won the 2009 New […]
Read MoreMy view: Immigration reform just makes sense, it’s time to get it done
While Utah may not be widely known as a manufacturing state, that industry is actually one of the backbones of our state’s economy. The manufacturing sector generates 13 percent of our annual gross domestic product at $14.5 billion. In a United States Chamber of Commerce study of the most enterprising states in the nation, Utah […]
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