Department of Homeland Security
Complexity of Central American Migration Explored at Senate Hearing
This week, the Senate’s Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee held yet another hearing to examine the causes and implications of the high rate of migration from Central America, mainly from the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) opened the hearing by… Read More
Report Highlights Uncertain Futures of Unaccompanied Child Migrants
Although their numbers have declined this year, unaccompanied children (UACs) from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico continue to arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border by the thousands. Many—particularly those from Central America—are refugees fleeing horrific levels of violence in their home countries. Others might more properly be termed… Read More
Visa Bulletin Change Fails to Deliver
A grave error was made last month by the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) when they dashed the hopes of thousands of would-be permanent resident applicants who had expected to apply to adjust their status in October, but became ineligible after DOS reissued the monthly Visa Bulletin. Read More
How North Carolina’s Anti-Immigrant Bill Would Impact All State Residents
At a time when many states are adopting policies that harness immigrant’s social and economic contributions, elected officials in North Carolina are advancing anti-immigrant legislation that could have sweeping implications for all state residents. The state legislature recently passed H.B. 318, misleadingly titled as the “Protect North Carolina Workers… Read More
Will the Guidance on Extreme Hardship Waivers Allow More Individuals to Become Permanent Residents?
This week, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued draft guidance on what constitutes “extreme hardship” for purposes of an immigration waiver. The much anticipated guidance is a component of the Administration’s executive actions on immigration announced in November 2014. Many had hoped that the guidance, and its potential… Read More
New Deportation Numbers May Signal More Targeted Enforcement
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may finally be devoting more of its immigration enforcement resources to deporting people who represent a real threat to public safety. According to a recent media report, DHS deported 231,000 people over the past 12 months, which is the lowest number since 2006. Read More
Fifty Years Later, the Immigration Act That Transformed America
Fifty years ago this past Saturday, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) into law. This Act is best known for having dismantled an earlier immigrant admission system that was based on national origin quotas. Instead, the INA established a new immigration system that prioritized… Read More
Refugee Security Process is Already Robust, Senate Hearing Shows
The United States plays an important role in protecting thousands of the world’s most vulnerable people fleeing persecution in their home countries. At no point in U.S. history has this role been more crucial—the violence and devastation in Syria has led to the largest number of refugees since World War… Read More
How Should the U.S. Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
As the Syrian refugee crisis mounts, the United States is being pressured both internally and externally to take in more of the nearly 4 million refugees that have been displaced due to ongoing conflict in Syria. To date, the United States. has taken in 1,500, or less than 0.03… Read More
Five Families Released After Prolonged Detention
On Friday evening, just before the Labor Day weekend, the government released five mothers and their five children, ranging in age from three to seventeen years old, from the South Texas Residential Family Detention Facility in Dilley, Texas. These families, who sought refuge in the United States after fleeing violence… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
