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How the Coronavirus Is Disrupting USCIS Processing of Immigration Applications
The coronavirus outbreak has significantly disrupted the operations of government agencies around the country, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). USCIS is the agency that processes applications for various types of immigration benefits. USCIS Changes Office Operations During Coronavirus Outbreak The USCIS Seattle office was the first to temporarily close in early March when […]
Read MoreImmigrant Health Care Workers Play a Vital Role in the United States’ COVID-19 Response
As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, the U.S. health care system will likely be pushed to its limits. During this time, it is important to remember the role that immigrant health care workers play alongside their native-born colleagues on the front lines of this fight—and how strongly our health care capacity depends on the expertise of […]
Read MoreHow Coronavirus is Changing US Asylum Policy at the Border
The Trump administration detailed its plans to begin rapidly deporting to Mexico people encountered at or near the southern border—without any due process—as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the globe. The plans were released in a new order issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Director on March 21. The order instructs border officials to turn away anyone who crosses the border without […]
Read MoreCiting Coronavirus Risks and a New Irresponsible Policy for the Immigration Courts, Groups Urge Protecting the Health and Safety of Government Employees, Lawyers, and Immigrants
In a letter calling for prioritizing the health and safety of government employees, detained individuals, and their legal representatives amid the COVID-19 outbreak, the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, together with the National Immigrant Justice Center, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and more than 100 other organizations, urged the U.S. Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to immediately authorize the robust and automatic use of remote options for immigration court appearances and attorney-client meetings.
Read More3 Actions ICE Should Take Now During the Coronavirus Pandemic
As the global death toll from coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to mount and communities take steps to stem the further spread of the virus, immigration advocates and lawyers have sounded the alarm bells for the thousands of immigrants held in civil detention facilities. Responses from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been mixed. U.S. Citizenship […]
Read MoreLawsuit Seeks to Uncover Problematic Board of Immigration Appeals’ Hiring Procedures
The American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court to compel the Department of Justice’s Office of Information Policy to release records about the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s hiring procedures for appellate immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals Members. The lawsuit seeks to understand current hiring procedures for the BIA—the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying immigration laws—after reports came to light of anti-immigrant bias in the hiring process.
Read MoreCBP CFI Production
In the Spring of 2019, media outlets reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had begun to allow U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) agents to screen individuals seeking asylum in the United States. These screenings—called “credible fear” interviews—mark the first step in the lengthy asylum process and serve as a threshold screening during […]
Read MorePower of the Purse: The Contributions of Black Immigrants in the United States
As part of our Power of the Purse research brief series, we take a look at how Black immigrants in the United States are making their mark today as workers, consumers, taxpayers, and voters. Compared to larger immigrant groups like Hispanics or Asians, there has been little research on Black immigrants’ socioeconomic characteristics. Building on […]
Read MoreHelp keep these immigrant-serving organizations operating during COVID-19
There is critical work being done around the country to ensure that immigrants, refugees, and other vulnerable groups have access to information and resources they need, from health care to economic stability. To support this work, we have compiled a list of organizations coordinating direct services that could use your support to ensure that they […]
Read MoreCBP Hides Itself from Public View and Lacks Accountability
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has historically conducted immigration enforcement along our borders. In this role, the agency has developed a reputation for overuse and abuse of its authority. Government transparency efforts have been critical in uncovering CBP’s misconduct. Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits have revealed, for example, shocking evidence of sexual, physical, […]
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