Sanctuary Cities
Local Policies That Protect Immigrants, Outlined
Since the election, states and localities have begun to think creatively about how to push back against President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to undermine current enforcement priorities and increase deportations. His party’s efforts to deny federal funding to so-called “sanctuary cities” has mayors across the country proudly declaring themselves… Read More
How the Immigration Court Backlog Would Skyrocket Under Donald Trump’s Plan
For more than a decade, the immigration court system has struggled with an enormous backlog. The latest figures from (TRAC) record the backlog at an all-time high of 521,676 as of the end of October, the first month in Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The data release coincides with… Read More
Immigrant Service Members to be Naturalized and Remembered on Veterans Day
This year on Veterans Day, over 40 naturalization ceremonies will take place and 7,500 veterans, service members, and military spouses will become the newest Americans. While that may seems like a large number of people, it should come as no surprise as immigrant participation in the U.S. armed services is… Read More
Florida House Punishes Sanctuary Cities, Bill Authorizing Military Force Against Refugees Passes Committee
The Florida House of Representatives passed a sweeping “anti-sanctuary city” bill this week that would penalize Florida counties who do not aggressively target undocumented immigrants or who fail to honor every federal request to detain immigrants, regardless of the requests’ constitutionality. A House committee also passed a bill that targets… Read More
Deportation of Central American Refugees Is Inhumane
At one level, it should come as no surprise that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has taken into custody and intends to deport 121 unauthorized immigrants who fled violence in Central America and arrived here over the past year and a half. After all, DHS deports people all… Read More
Sanctuary Cities vs. Community Policing: A Resurging Debate
From Washington, D.C. to San Francisco to Raleigh, the debate over whether local law enforcement officers should be involved in enforcing federal immigration law is back at the fore. Read More
Senate to Vote on “Sanctuary Cities” Legislation
The Senate will vote Tuesday on whether to begin debate on Senator David Vitter’s (R-LA) “Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act” (S. 2146). The bill is an enforcement-only approach to immigration and fails to address our outdated immigration laws and the need to enact comprehensive reforms. S. 2146 attempts… Read More
Four Immigration Issues Covered at the First Democratic Primary Debate
The first Democratic debate of the 2016 presidential campaign was held Tuesday in Nevada, which is home to 529,164 immigrants and the highest percentage of undocumented immigrants of any state. Yet the topic of immigration was not a major topic of discussion, receiving only a few minutes of… 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
DHS Secretary Johnson Testifies to House Judiciary Committee About Detainers
On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson testified to the House Judiciary Committee—his first appearance in Congress since the tragic killing of Kate Steinle in San Francisco. Secretary Johnson faced Congressional representatives who repeatedly supported making immigration detainer requests mandatory. Johnson responded by repeatedly emphasizing “cooperation” with local authorities, rather than mandated detention. Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone