Department of Homeland Security
The Government Is Filing Charges Against More Migrants Than Ever Before
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it filed criminal charges on Tuesday to prosecute some migrants who recently crossed the border and were reportedly once a part of the caravan. The vast majority of the migrants from the caravan are asylum seekers fleeing persecution, grave violence,… Read More
Homeland Security Ends Temporary Protected Status for Earthquake-Ravaged Nepal
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Nepal. Designated in 2015 based on a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, Nielsen found that conditions in Nepal “have decreased to a degree that they should no longer be regarded as substantial.” Thursday’s announcement… Read More
Largest Worksite Raid in a Decade Signals a Dark Turn in Immigration Enforcement
The largest employment crackdown in a decade was launched on April 5 at a meat-processing plant in Bean Station, a rural community outside of Knoxville, Tennessee. Nearly 100 immigrants were detained during the raid, most believed to be from Mexico. According to reports: “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] summarily closed… Read More
New Border Policies Could Have a Big Impact on Families, Children, and Asylum Seekers
Undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border increasingly consist of asylum seekers fleeing record levels of violence in Central America. But the Trump administration’s response to this humanitarian crisis has been unforgiving. In fact, the administration has recently made two policy announcements with the goal of further criminalizing immigrants apprehended… Read More
Trumps Calls in the Troops to the Border—But No One Knows What For
President Trump first announced via tweet—and later a signed proclamation—that he plans to send the National Guard to the nation’s southern border. And yet, at the same time, he acknowledged that border apprehensions (which are used to gauge how many people are attempting to cross the border) are at… Read More
H-1B Cap Has Been Reached in First Week for Sixth Consecutive Year, USCIS Announces
Demonstrating a critical demand for educated foreign workers in the United States, the annual H-1B cap has been reached within 5 business days. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services began accepting H-1B petitions on April 2, and on April 6, USCIS announced that it had… Read More
Court Ensures That Asylum Seekers Will Receive a Fair Opportunity to Apply for Asylum
A federal court judge in Seattle ordered the government to notify asylum seekers that they are required by law to file their asylum applications within one year of their entry, and to adopt and implement a procedure that will ensure that applicants are able to file their asylum applications… Read More
What Are the Risks of Adding a Citizenship Question to the Decennial Census?
The U.S. Department of Commerce announced Monday night that a question on citizenship status will be added to the 2020 decennial census questionnaire. This decision, which was adopted in response to a request from the Department of Justice, has raised deep concern within both the immigrant rights and academic… Read More
USCIS Is Withholding Records Showing That Border Agents Are Abusing Asylum Seekers
As thousands of Central American families arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border asking for asylum in 2014, human rights organizations raised alarms about asylum seekers’ treatment by Customs and Border Protection officials. But these organizations were not the only ones expressing concern—asylum officers within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services… Read More
Lawsuit Challenges the Government’s Policy of Indefinitely Detaining Asylum Seekers
A class action lawsuit was filed on March 15, 2018 challenging the U.S. government’s practice of detaining asylum seekers indefinitely and argues the practice is an attempt to deter future asylum seekers from seeking safety in the United States. The suit claims that the Department of Homeland Security has… Read More
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