Catholic Leaders Meet To Discuss Immigration
Catholic leaders with over 20 bishops met with Vatican representatives and prelates from Central America at an emergency meeting held in Chicago from June 1st to June 2nd to discuss immigration. The meeting, held by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, planned to set forth a welcoming response to immigrants from the Catholic Church. El Paso Bishop Mark J. Seitz saw the meeting as a counter to recent political decisions against immigrant rights, and the bishop hoped to “raise anew the moral voice of the church with decision makers at this critical time in defense of the rights and dignity of those who are forced to flee.” Attendees also wanted to understand the underlying causes of migration from the region, in order to become better advocates for them. They worked closely with bishops from Central America and Mexico, and stressed the importance of collaboration. Shortly after the meeting, an archbishop affiliated with the organization criticized Congress for “kicking the can down the road” when it comes to immigration reform. This involvement of the Catholic Church on matters of immigration reform reflects the important moral concerns the entire fight for immigrant justice rests on.
his Monday, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously against the thousands of immigrants living in the United States for humanitarian reasons, ruling them ineligible for permanent residency if they entered the country unlawfully. Justice Elena Kagan wrote the opinion, declaring that permanent residency and TPS designation are separate immigration tracks that can only merge if the TPS recipient entered the United States legally. 
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, announced a new Temporary Protected Status designation for Haiti for eighteen months, beginning May 22nd. This new designation allows Haitian nationals, as well individuals without nationality who last resided in Haiti, to apply for TPS, provided they are already residing in the United States as of May 21st, 2021 and meet certain eligibility requirements. To determine eligibility, all individuals will undergo security and background checks. Current Haitian TPS beneficiaries will also need to file a new TPS application to ensure they do not lose coverage.
The 2020 United States Census has raised alarms for economists. Population growth is slowing, and projections do not see the trend changing anytime soon. Economists agree that population growth fuels economies, and some parts of the country are already experiencing negative effects. Shrinking tax bases in rural areas has made it harder to fund public services like infrastructure and education. In addition, the aging population poses a serious dependency problem, placing a major economic strain on the working population. 
President Biden announced last Monday his intent to revive an Obama-era Entrepreneurship Program that allowed immigrant entrepreneurs to work in the United States. The International Entrepreneur Rule, it allowed foreign entrepreneurs to work in the country up to five years, given they met certain criteria, including the ownership of at least 10% of a startup and the attraction of at least $250,000 in United States venture capital. 
President Biden has upset many immigrant advocates this past weekend by hiring several immigration judges previously selected by former President Trump. Many of these judges are former prosecutors and counselors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Almost none have experience representing migrants in court. This move by the Biden administration has puzzled many voters, as it stands at odds with Biden’s stated commitment to reverse the harm the previous administration inflicted upon the immigration system. There should be far more immigration advocates within the court system, which would provide an important counter to the influx of deportation advocates that began filling the benches during the Trump presidency. Biden’s budget allows for a total of 100 immigration judge hires. Now that seventeen with questionable motivations have already been appointed, it is time to place pressure on the administration to ensure that court selections uphold the values Biden promised.
The United States government withdrew a Trump-era Biometrics proposal last Friday. The measure sought to collect biometric details from all individuals applying for immigration or naturalization benefits, an expansion of previous biometric policy. While supporters of the rule argued it would improve security vetting and reduce fraud, many critics saw it as another unnecessary step in an already inefficient immigration process. The withdrawal is part of a wider effort to “restore faith” in the immigration system in the wake of the Trump presidency, an initiative set into motion through President Biden’s February Executive Order “Restoring Faith in Our Legal Immigration System.”
A 40-foot cruiser boat of migrants carrying about 30 people capsizes near San Diego early Sunday morning. Passengers were met with a powerful current. Three died, and of the 29 rescued, five were taken to the hospital. After one day, the U.S. Coast Guard suspended the search. 
The State Department announced the winners of the 2022 Diversity Immigration Visa Program this Saturday. The program, also known as “The Green Card Lottery,” allows winners to apply for visas, opening up a pathway to citizenship. The program is limited to individuals from countries where less than 50,000 natives migrated to the United States within the previous five years. It benefits about 55,000 people each year.