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New TRAC Reports Show a Staggering Immigration Caseload and an Unrelated Drop in Federal Prosecutions
The Transactional Records Clearinghouse (TRAC) reports that the backlog in U.S. Immigration Courts reached an all-time high of 228,421 cases in the first months of fiscal year (FY) 2010. However, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) is taking important steps to alleviate this backlog by attempting to hire more immigration judges. The number of […]
Read MoreSenators Introduce the Refugee Protection Act of 2010
Thirty years ago, the 1980 Refugee Act was signed into law, fulfilling the United States’ obligations under the international 1951 Refugee Convention. Since 1980, more than 2.6 million refugees and asylum seekers have been granted protections in the United States because of persecution of their race, religion, or national origin, social, or political group. Today, […]
Read MoreIs Senator Graham Sending Mixed Signals on Immigration Reform?
Two days after President Obama met with Senators Schumer (D-NY) and Graham (R-SC) to discuss moving forward on immigration reform, Senator Graham appeared on a Sunday morning talk show where he criticized President Obama and his “unwavering commitment” to immigration reform as “political spin” in response to plans for a large immigration rally next week. […]
Read MoreAfter White House Meetings, What’s Next for Immigration Reform?
In the midst of trying to wrap up health care, President Obama carved time out of his schedule yesterday to meet with reformers and key Senators on comprehensive immigration reform (CIR). After yesterday’s meetings, some are reporting that the President is again committed to moving CIR this year. Supporters of immigration reform are wary, but […]
Read MorePresident Obama’s Statement on Fixing our Broken Immigration System
Today, President Obama met with a variety of immigration advocates, including Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who are working together on a bipartisan bill to fix our broken immigration system. Following the meeting, the President issued this statement: “Today I met with Senators Schumer and Graham and was pleased to learn […]
Read MoreRestrictionist Front Group Still Pushing Green Xenophobia
In a new report, Progressives for Immigration Reform (PFIR)—a front group for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)—regurgitates an argument as tired as it is flawed: that immigration hastens the destruction of the environment in the United States. Specifically, the report claims that immigration-driven population growth is increasing the nation’s “ecological footprint” and exceeding […]
Read MoreIs President Obama Doing Enough to Move Immigration Reform?
This week, President Obama is scheduled to meet with two key congressional players in the movement for immigration reform—Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC)—who are working together behind the scenes to draft a bipartisan immigration bill. The President is expected to ask Sens. Graham and Schumer to produce a reform bill blueprint […]
Read MoreCourt of Appeals Finds USCIS Acted Outside the Law
Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a simple but clear reminder to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that it must act within the bounds of the law. The issue before the court was whether USCIS could properly deny an employment-based, “extraordinary ability” visa because the petitioner had not demonstrated “the […]
Read MoreThe Economic and Political Stakes of an Accurate Census Count
This week, the U.S. Census Bureau began distribution of the questionnaires for the 2010 Census. The results of the Census will form the basis for the apportionment of congressional districts and the distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds, as well as serving to guide community-planning decisions across the country. However, Census […]
Read MoreProposed “Start-Up Visa Act” Would Help Create American Jobs
With the passage of the $15 billion jobs bill in the Senate last week, job creation is certainly at the top of the Congressional priority list. As a way to further stimulate the economy, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), introduced the Start-Up […]
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