Donald Trump
Administration Unveils Legislation That Cuts Legal Immigration in Half and Abandons Family Values
The administration revealed legislation this week that seeks to drastically reshape American immigration, moving away from the family based immigration tradition that has both shaped our immigration policies for centuries and promoted family reunification, towards one that reduces people to numbers and rankings through a narrow and rigid point system. Read More
Rule Delay Threatens New Program for International Entrepreneurs
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has abruptly delayed the effective date of an important new program which would have allowed international entrepreneurs to develop their start-up companies in the United States. In the last days of the Obama administration, DHS issued the international entrepreneur rule (IER). The… Read More
House Commits 1.6 Billion Taxpayer Dollars to Elusive Border Wall
The House of Representatives passed a spending bill last week which included $1.6 billion for expansion of a southern border wall. The bill, which passed largely along party lines, will now move to the Senate where Democrats have emphatically said they oppose any border wall funding. In May, the… Read More
Massachusetts’ Highest Court Declares Immigration Detainers Are Unenforceable
The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a unanimous decision on Monday holding that Massachusetts court officers may not arrest and detain immigrants based solely on a detainer. Although other courts have struck down detainers on the grounds that they violate the Constitution, the Supreme Judicial Court concluded that… Read More
Data Shows Prosecutorial Discretion Grinds to a Halt in Immigration Courts
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month that it now has hired 326 immigration judges, 53 more judges than July 2016, yet during that time the immigration court backlog has grown. According to new data released by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) the reason for… Read More
Six Months of Immigration Enforcement Under the New Administration
Now that we have passed the six-month mile marker of the new administration, the wheels of immigration enforcement have had a chance to settle into their new rhythms. Enforcement targets have expanded, enforcement tools have been sharpened, and enforcement locations have been widened, triggering pervasive fear of deportation and separation… Read More
House Committee Funds Administration’s Super-Sized Immigration Enforcement
In the first week of his presidency, through executive orders, the president laid out harsh proposals for immigration enforcement and border security. However, much of what the president proposes to do requires generous amounts of taxpayer dollars allocated by Congress. In May, the president submitted a proposed budget which provides… Read More
Leaks Reveal Administration’s Plans to Expand Expedited Removal
The Trump administration has threatened to expand its use of a fast-track removal process, which could lead to the deportation of thousands of immigrants with valid claims for humanitarian relief or who have family members in the United States. The Washington Post recently reported obtaining a 13-page draft memorandum from… Read More
Hawaii Judge Rules That Grandparents and Other Close Relatives Are Excluded from the Travel Ban
U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson ruled last week that “grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins of persons in the United States,” as well as refugees connected to resettlement agencies should be exempt from the Trump administration’s travel ban. This ruling came as a result of a… Read More
Private Land Is Being Seized in Texas to Build the Border Wall
The House of Representatives unveiled their Fiscal Year 2018 budget for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) this week, which allocates $1.6 billion to begin construction of a border wall along the entire Southern border with Mexico. However, being provided the funds is not enough to complete the project. To… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
