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Trump Administration Justifies Lowest Refugee Admission Target Ever, Arguing That America’s Generosity Remains Boundless
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Monday evening that the Trump administration intends to limit refugee admissions to no more than 30,000 people in Fiscal Year 2019. In an effort to soften the blow, Pompeo noted the United States also intends to process 280,000 asylum cases, arguing that refugee admissions and asylum grants must be […]
Read MoreThis Citizenship Day Marred by Government’s Focus on Stripping People of Their Citizenship
Each year on September 17, America marks Citizenship Day, an annual opportunity to reflect on the benefits and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship. In years past, it was used as a day to celebrate new Americans and encourage others who are eligible to become U.S. citizens. However, this year is different, as the security associated with […]
Read MoreGovernment Agrees to Give Some Separated Families A Second Chance to Seek Asylum
In a tentative partial settlement agreement reached with lawyers representing parents and children who were separated as a result of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, the government has agreed to give thousands of parents and children a second chance to seek asylum. Organizations have argued that parents were so traumatized by the separation from […]
Read MoreFor $182 Million a Year, the Military Is Being Used at the Border to Shovel Manure and Conduct Other Menial Labor
The Pentagon recently announced that up to 4,000 National Guard troops will remain deployed on the U.S.-Mexico border through September 2019, following a 12-month extension authorized by Defense Secretary James Mattis. But the nature of the military service members’ work at the border—which is mostly menial labor—will still cost millions. The original deployment order, set […]
Read MoreLegal Orientation Program Overview
The Legal Orientation Program (LOP) offers legal education, as well as referrals for free and low-cost legal counsel, to noncitizens in immigration detention.
Read MoreChicago Business Leader, Grandson of Italian Immigrant, Advocates for Restaurant Workers Across Illinois
Sam Toia, a third-generation Italian-American, whose grandfather emigrated from Sicily in the 1920’s, is deeply embedded in Chicago’s culinary world. As President & CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA), he advocates on behalf of the industry and its workers. In the state of Illinois alone, there are more than 27,000 restaurants, with total sales […]
Read MoreUSCIS’ Wait Times for Citizenship Have Doubled
The average wait time on a U.S. citizenship application was about five months in 2014. Today, the average time a green card holder will wait for their citizenship application to be processed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is 10 months. With the increased wait time, the backlog of pending applications has also grown […]
Read MoreJudge Orders A Full Restart of DACA, but Its Future Remains Uncertain
A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to restart the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative by August 23. This ruling in the D.C. District Court comes just days ahead of another hearing before a hardline conservative federal judge in Texas, where seven states have challenged the constitutionality of DACA. When President […]
Read MoreWhy Rescinding the International Entrepreneur Rule Is Bad for the American Economy
To build America’s competitive edge over other nations attempting to attract global talent, the Obama administration issued the International Entrepreneur Rule (IER) in 2014. This regulation allows international entrepreneurs to temporarily enter the United States to grow businesses—yet the Trump administration wants to end it. The rationale behind the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) intention […]
Read MoreImmigration Courts Are Rolling out an Electronic Filing Pilot Program in July
The immigration court system will begin to roll out an electronic filing pilot program in six immigration courts on July 16 this year, representing an important advancement for these courts that still heavily rely on paper documentation. Currently, immigration courts generally do not permit any electronic filing. Instead, immigrants and their attorneys must submit documents […]
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