USCIS
USCIS Wants to Make it Harder for Asylum Seekers to Get Work Permits
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently proposed a rule that will further delay asylum seekers’ ability to receive work authorization. Under current law, USCIS must grant or deny an initial asylum applicant’s employment authorization application within 30 days. Under the proposed rule, USCIS would have… Read More
Chaos and Dysfunction at the Border: The Remain in Mexico Program Firsthand
The first thing many people forcibly returned to Mexico tell you is that they’re afraid. Afraid of the cartels, afraid of Mexican immigration officials, and afraid of the months of uncertainty. This is what they’ve faced since the Trump administration sent them back to Mexico as part of the “Remain… Read More
Iraqi Interpreters Who Risked Their Lives Working With US Military Shut Out by Trump Administration
Iraqi interpreters who risked their lives to work with the American military have been effectively shut out from obtaining the special U.S. visa they were promised. The Trump administration issued only two visas to former Iraqi interpreters last year, according to Department of State data provided… Read More
ICE Continues to Manipulate the Appropriations Process to Increase the Mass Incarceration of Immigrants
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently notified Congress of its intent to pull $271 million dollars from FEMA, the Coast Guard, and TSA for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). DHS will use this money to increase immigration detention capacity and construct tent courthouses along the Texas border. Read More
Immigrant Children With Cancer, HIV, Cerebral Palsy Threatened With Deportation
Without so much as a formal announcement, the Trump administration sent letters to families of sick children containing a dire warning: leave the country in 33 days or face deportation and a years-long ban on returning. Many of those who received a letter last week are Boston-based immigrants whose children… Read More
DOJ Moves to Further Politicize Immigration Court System
The Trump administration implemented more drastic changes to the U.S. immigration court system on Monday. A new rule gives the director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)—a Trump political appointee—the power to adjudicate cases and appeals. Described as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the rule turns the immigration… Read More
US Government May Be Illegally Transporting Would-Be Asylum Seekers Back to Danger
Over 2,000 people from Central American who were seeking to live in the United States have reportedly given up and accepted a “free ride” home under a new, controversial program funded by the U.S. government and a United Nations agency. The “Assisted Voluntary Return” (AVR) program… Read More
Foreign Student Visa Issuance Is Down Over 40 Percent
Recent government statistics indicate that the United States is becoming a less welcoming destination for foreign students. According to data from the State Department, the number of student visas issued annually for education in the United States fell from 677,928 in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 to 389,579 in FY… Read More
Federal Court Rules Detained Immigrant Children Must Receive Clean Water, Edible Food, and Soap
A federal appeals court in California ruled on Thursday that immigrant children must receive edible food, clean water, soap, and toothpaste while being detained by U.S. immigration authorities. The decision came from a three-judge panel for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. The panel dismissed the Trump… Read More
USCIS Visa Petition Denials on the Rise
Legal immigration channels to the United States are continuing to suffer under the Trump administration. These restrictions are having an effect on employment-based immigration—particularly petitions for temporary foreign workers. American businesses file such petitions in order to hire and retain foreign-born workers who make vital contributions to companies, industries, and… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.