The Supreme Court has just further complicated the lives of many immigrants, putting them at a disadvantage in the fight against deportation. Tuesday’s 5-to-3 ruling placed the burden of proof on undocumented immigrants seeking to challenge deportation orders. The ruling came in the case of Clemente Pereida, who used a fake Social Security card to get a job as a janitor. He pled no contest to the crime of “attempted Read More
The Fight For Family Reunification In the United States
This Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced a new policy regarding family reunification. Separated migrant families will now have the option to be reunified in either the United States or their home countries. Furthermore, the Biden administration plans to offer families reuniting within the United States more support and opportunities to stay in the country. The decision came from Read More
President Biden Ends Trump-Era Green Card Freeze
President Joe Biden lifted Trump’s temporary freeze on green cards this past Wednesday. Former president Trump had halted the issuance of green cards last spring in response to the pandemic. In his 2020 proclamation, Trump deemed immigrants a “risk to the U.S. labor market.” This original order applied to the entirety of 2020, and was later extended to the end of March. Trump’s freeze blocked the majority of legal Read More
Biden Scraps Trump-Era Changes to Citizen Test
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services confirmed their plan to scrap Trump’s citizenship test this past Monday. In early December 2020, Donald Trump made several changes to the U.S. Citizenship Test that complicated the exam. Its length was doubled, the number of possible questions increased, and some answers were altered with a conservative bias. Furthermore, very little notice was given in advance of Read More
ICE Announces New Deportation Priority Groups
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Tae Johnson announced new deportation priority groups in a memo released Thursday. The agency will now prioritize those who pose a threat to public safety or national security for deportation. National security threats are defined as noncitizens suspected of terrorism or espionage, while public safety threats refer to noncitizens convicted of aggravated felonies Read More
Department of Homeland Security Scraps Trump ICE Union Policy
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security scrapped a Trump-era contract that could have allowed a union of deportation officers to stall the implementation of Biden’s immigration policies. A whistleblower complained the contract would grant AFGE National ICE Council 118 “veto authority” over certain policy decisions at ICE. AFGE National ICE Council 118 has thousands of members and has repeatedly Read More
Move to End Privately Owned Immigrant Detention Centers in Congress
On February 11th, 2021, Arizona lawmaker Raul Grijalva reintroduced the “Justice Is Not For Sale Act.” This bill would phase out government contracts with private prisons and end immigrant family detention. It would also prevent companies from overcharging inmates and would “increase oversight of immigrant detention facilities to ensure humane treatment.” This bill addresses some of the shortcomings of President Read More
Biden Proclamation Ends Funding for Border Wall
In a letter to Congress released Thursday, February 11th, Biden reported his termination of Trump’s national emergency order regarding the southern border. Trump had used this order in 2019 to fund the border wall he had promised his supporters during his campaign. By declaring a national emergency, Trump was able to circumvent Congress and access military funds for the project. Biden referred to this order as Read More
The Lasting Effects of the Trump Era
Last week, President Biden signed three executive orders. The third order demanded a full review of the Trump administration immigration policies. It directed the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Secretary of Homeland Security to identify any policies that do not align with Biden’s ambition to create a fair and humane immigration system. Finally, it declared that the identified issues would begin Read More
Senator Bob Menendez and the Fight for the US Citizenship Act of 2021
Shortly after his inauguration, President Biden sent his progressive immigration bill to Congress. This bill, titled the US Citizenship Act of 2021, would offer millions of undocumented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. The following day, Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey held a virtual briefing on the act. The Senator is the highest ranking Latino in the United States Congress. He has a long history with Read More
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