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“Baby Jails” Bills Die a Slow Death
As the legislative session in Texas drew to a close on Monday, immigration advocates around the country celebrated the death of the “baby jails” bill—a measure that would have licensed Texas family detention centers as “child-care facilities.” Senate Bill 1018 was the latest attempt to lower state standards so that private prisons could legally detain […]
Read MoreTrump Nominee for USCIS Director Testifies before Senate Committee
President Trump’s pick for the next director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lee Francis Cissna, recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was the first congressional body to publicly vet Cissna after his nomination. The content of this hearing, coupled with his work advising the Trump campaign, and cozy relationship with a […]
Read MoreChild of Immigrant Shopkeepers is a Powerful Force for Small Businesses
Ron Kim grew up working in his parents’ small grocery store in New York City. The family had immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1987, when Kim was 7 years old. “I saw my parents, both of them, work nonstop,” he says, noting that the store was open seven days a week, […]
Read MoreImmigrants’ Access to Counsel Topic of New Rulemaking Petition
AILA and the Council have petitioned the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to issue new regulations that will ensure all immigrants have access to legal counsel in secondary and deferred inspection, as well as overseas consular interviews.
Read MorePresident Trump Unveils Harsh Immigration Budget Proposals
President Trump released his formal budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 this week, which seeks to solidify the harsh proposals laid out in his immigration executive orders. The budget aims to fund the beginnings of a border wall, as well as increase immigration enforcement, detention, and deportations. If approved, these requests would […]
Read MoreThis Notorious Anti-Immigration Policy Architect Will Lead the U.S. Voting Commission
President Trump signed an executive order last week calling for an investigation into alleged voter fraud in the American electoral system, in another attempt to give credence to his continuous, unsubstantiated claims that “millions” cast their ballots illegally in the 2016 presidential election. He has named Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach to head the […]
Read MoreICE Wants to Deport Immigrants Congress is Trying to Protect Through Private Bills
Democratic and Republican Members of Congress alike introduce “private immigration bills” designed as a last-minute effort to protect some immigrants facing deportation. This week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it would no longer issue stays of removal (temporary protection from deportation) for many individuals named in these private immigration bills. The agency claims that these […]
Read MoreCongress Is Checking the Trump Administration on Their Immigration Agenda
After threats of a government shutdown echoed throughout Capitol Hill in early May, Congress finally passed a bill to fund the government through the remainder of the Fiscal Year. Though much of the attention centered on the lack of funding for a border wall and massive detention expansion—there was another aspect to the funding bill […]
Read MoreTexas Lawmakers Admit They Have No Sanctuary Policies, But Pass Bill to Stop Them Anyway
Texas Governor Greg Abbot is preparing to sign SB4, a fiercely-debated bill that will make it a crime for local law enforcement to refuse cooperation with federal immigration officials. Supporters of the new law say they intend to put an end to “sanctuary” cities in Texas, although the federal government and state legislators themselves admit […]
Read MoreMay Day 2017: Why immigrant labor is more important now than ever
On Monday, tens of thousands were expected to walk out of their jobs and take to the streets for a national Day Without Immigrants strike. The strike was predicted by organizers to be the largest single-day labor strike in over a decade. The message of Monday’s protest was simple: Immigrants power the U.S. economy, and […]
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