Center for Immigration Studies

Expedited Removal Explainer
Expedited removal is a process by which low-level immigration officers can quickly deport certain noncitizens who are undocumented or have committed fraud or misrepresentation. Read More

Temporary Protected Status: What’s Up With That?
On October 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Secretary Mayorkas was designating the country of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Through this designation, DHS expects that as many as 11,000 Lebanese individuals currently in the country will be eligible to apply for a potentially renewable… Read More

The Current State of the Border: Crossings Remain Low While Pressure Builds in Southern Mexico
It was only 10 months ago when the U.S. set record highs at the border, with roughly 250,000 migrants taken into Border Patrol custody in December 2023. But today, border apprehensions are running steady at their lowest level in four years, with just 54,000 Border Patrol migrant encounters in… Read More

“We’re All In!” Localities Celebrate and Commit to Making Their Communities Welcoming to All
By: The Center for Inclusion and Belonging, State and Local Initiatives Over the last week, communities in 49 U.S. states across eight countries and three continents declared “We’re ALL In!” as a part of Welcoming America’s 12th Annual Welcoming Week. More than… Read More

Lawsuits Reveal Labor Abuses Faced by Some Migrant Workers on TN Visas
Written by Andrea Solis Canto, 2024 Legal Intern Allegations of mistreatment of high-skilled Mexican workers have sparked several important class action lawsuits against large automotive and logistics companies located in the United States. These companies are facing legal challenges for labor abuse, fraud, and exploitation through the TN visa… Read More

STEM-Related Petitions Increase Following USCIS’ Updated Policy Guidance
A recent analysis by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) found that the number of petitions by, or on behalf of, foreign-born workers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) increased following a pair of guidance clarifications the agency made in January 2022. One outlines how foreign-born… Read More

Border Patrol and Ohio Law Enforcement Engage in Racial Profiling in Northern Ohio, New Report Finds
By Gwen Short, Staff Attorney at Advocates for Basic Legal Equality and Raul Pinto, Deputy Director of Transparency at the American Immigration Council ABLE and the American Immigration Council published a report on March 19 analyzing data suggesting that the collusion between U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Sandusky… Read More

Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Judicial Review of Mixed Questions, Even Those That Are Fact Intensive
The Supreme Court issued an important victory for noncitizens seeking cancellation of removal and the principle of judicial review of agency action on March 19. And despite the current court’s tenuous regard for stare decisis – the idea that “today’s Court should stand by yesterday’s decisions” – in Wilkinson… Read More

New Americans in Houston Report Launched at Regional Event: Houston: Poised to Lead
A new research report, New Americans in Houston: A Snapshot of the Demographic and Economic Contributions of Immigrants in the Houston Metro Area, released by the American Immigration Council, underscores the crucial role immigrants play in the Houston metro area’s economy. The report… Read More

USCIS Reduces Its Backlog for the First Time in Years
On February 9, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released data about its progress toward meeting its strategic goals in fiscal year (FY) 2023. For the first time in years, the agency reduced its net backlog, despite having received a record 10.9 million filings. This represents welcome news for… Read More
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