Immigration Backlog
Attorney General Sessions’ First Orders of Business on Immigration
Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General this week by a vote of 52-47, following a very contentious confirmation process. As Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Sessions will oversee key immigration-related functions. The three recently issued executive orders on immigration give the Attorney… Read More
New Immigration Court Directive Could Weaken Due Process
The Trump administration released a memorandum this week–effective immediately–which orders the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (which manages the immigration courts) to prioritize deportation hearings for certain groups, including any non-citizens who are detained and unaccompanied children who do not have a sponsor. The memo rescinded preexisting… Read More
Immigrant Potential Is an Expensive Thing to Waste
High-skilled new Americans often face obstacles in obtaining jobs appropriate to their skill level. There are many reasons for this. Those who are educated outside the U.S. may fail to have their foreign training recognized by U.S. employers and licensing bureaus. Some lack proficiency in English and race and ethnicity… Read More
Ninth Circuit Decision Should Prompt End to Family Detention
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the Flores Settlement (a 1997 agreement that set legal standards for the detention and release of immigrant children) applies to both unaccompanied and accompanied minors. The Court also found that neither Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) detention and release policies at existing… Read More
College Director Has the Answer to Firms’ Worker Shortages: Let Undocumented Immigrants Go To School
When Julio Hernandez was growing up around gangs in San Antonio, his parents made it clear that college would be in his future. His peers seemed surprised. One even teased him: “How can you go to college? You rich or something?” As the son of Mexican immigrants who worked… Read More
DHS and Immigration Courts Sued Over One-Year Asylum Deadline
Immigration law imposes a one-year deadline, beginning upon arrival in the United States, within which an asylum seeker must apply for asylum. With very limited exceptions, an individual who misses this deadline becomes ineligible for asylum. Even though the clock is ticking for these asylum seekers, DHS agents and officers… Read More
Entrepreneur says Immigration Policy Makes It Harder for him to Grow His Business and Create American Jobs
The technology firm FreshAir Sensor recently won a New Hampshire pitch competition sponsored by AOL founder Steve Case that netted the small startup a $100,000 investment and a glowing compliment from the venture capitalist. “If they innovate successfully, they can build a great company, create a… Read More
Immigration Court Backlog Shows No Sign of Shrinking
The latest figures show that the number of cases pending in immigration court continue to grow. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), there were 486,206 cases in the backlog as of the end of March. This is almost 30,000 more pending cases than Executive Office of Immigration… Read More
Engineer Bears Witness to the U.S. Losing Many Talented STEM Workers Because of Immigration Policy
According to Jack O’Toole, the founder of a Dartmouth College-based company called FreshAir Sensor LLC, much of the product’s success is owed to Kwame Ohene-Adu, a Ghanaian immigrant. Ohene-Adu, came to the United States for college and earned two Dartmouth degrees in just five years: a bachelor’s degree in engineering… Read More
District Court Holds Hearing in Case About Kids’ Right to Attorneys in Immigration Court
A federal district court in Seattle heard arguments in a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to ensure that all children in immigration court have legal representation. The case received a flurry of attention when press reports revealed that an immigration judge deposed in the case said he had successfully… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
