USCIS
Senate Confirms New DHS Director, Jeh Johnson
The Senate approved Jeh Johnson as the Department of Homeland Security Secretary 78 to 16 on Monday night. President Obama nominated Johnson to head the department in October following former Sec. Janet Napolitano’s resignation. At one point, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said he would hold up Johnson’s nomination until he… Read More
House Hearing Misses the Mark on Asylum Claims
The House Judiciary Committee held a hearing Thursday about whether or not abuse of the asylum system is “overwhelming our borders.” What the committee ended up focusing on, however, was the alleged abuse of the credible fear screening process, a preliminary step in the application process for some asylum seekers. Although credible fear is different from asylum, this distinction was lost at times during the hearing despite the best efforts of the witnesses. Read More
‘Fast 4 Families’ Moves to Next Phase as New Fasters Take the Mantle
On the National Mall today, the four core fasters leading the “Fast 4 Families” ordained new fasters and ended their 22-day, water-only fast. Members of Congress, the faith community and civil and immigrant rights groups turned out to witness the four fasters passing the baton over to others who will continue the fast until House Speaker John Boehner schedules a vote on immigration reform. Read More
Will New USCIS Memos Confuse House Judiciary Committee Again?
One of the significant lessons of 2013 is that good immigration policy matters to the American public. It’s unfortunate, then, that the House Judiciary Committee is choosing to end its year focusing not on immigration reform, but on how best to take the President to task for making use of executive authority. Read More
Report: ICE Officers Fail to Report Some Sex Abuse Claims
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers failed to report numerous allegations of sexual abuse over the last four years, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Between October 2009 to March 2013, ICE headquarters received reports of 215 allegations of sexual abuse and assault, but a GAO audit of 10 of those facilities found an additional 28 allegations—40 percent more than the 70 allegations reported by these facilities. Read More
Will Filipinos Be Granted Temporary Protected Status in the Wake of Typhoon Haiyan?
In the wake of the devastating Typhoon that hit the Philippines, the Department of Homeland Security should consider providing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Filipino nationals in the U.S. TPS is an immigration status for nationals of certain countries. The Secretary of Homeland Security designates a country for TPS due to ongoing armed conflict, an environmental disaster or epidemic, or for other “extraordinary and temporary conditions” within that country. TPS gives foreign nationals in the United States protection from deportation, travel authorization, and the ability to work legally while in the United States. As the name states, their status is temporary and does not lead to a green card. Among others, Haiti, Syria, and Somalia are some of the countries currently designated with temporary protected status. Only individuals who can demonstrate continuous physical presence during a period specified by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are eligible, as this program is designed for foreign nationals who were already in the United States. Read More
D.C. Follows 11 Other States Allowing Undocumented Immigrants to Drive Legally
As House leaders delay on passing immigration reform that would help millions of immigrants already in the U.S., Washington, D.C., officials are taking steps to improve the lives of undocumented immigrants who call the city home. Last week the D.C. Council passed a bill, written by Council member Mary Cheh, which allows undocumented residents to apply for Driver’s Licenses. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray signed the bill yesterday. The new policy, which goes into effect May 1, sets up a system where undocumented immigrants will receive licenses that are the same but for their being marked "not valid for official federal purposes." Driver’s licenses for legal residents and citizens will not change. Read More
Understanding DACA’s Education Requirement
When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was first announced, it was clear that individuals would have to meet some sort of education requirement in order to obtain the program’s many benefits, including a two-year renewable reprieve from deportation, work authorization, a social security number, and—in nearly every state—the chance to apply for a driver’s license. What was unknown was how the immigration agency would address the question of individuals who were unable to finish high school. Would they be categorically excluded from DACA? Or would the agency provide an incentive for those folks to re-enroll in school? Fortunately, the government chose the latter. In doing so, it gave an estimated 400,000 people who met the DACA guidelines but didn’t finish high school a shot at getting DACA. Many of these individuals are thought to be among the 1.2 million who haven’t yet taken advantage of the program. Read More
USCIS to Offer Stay of Deportation to Certain Military Family Members
Today, USCIS issued guidance that is intended to prevent current and former members of the U.S. armed forces from being separated from their noncitizen family members. The memo indicates that the noncitizen family members may be afforded “parole in place.” “Parole in place” is a discretionary tool that… Read More
Supreme Court to Interpret Child Status Protection Act
Last week, several groups, including the American Immigration Council, submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court describing the heartrending stories of young people who have been separated from their families due to government processing delays and the shortage of visas. The case, Mayorkas v. Cuellar de Osorio, concerns the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA), which provides relief for the longstanding problem of children included on a parent’s visa application who “age out” – that is, turn 21 and lose their status as a “child”– before a visa becomes available. Upon turning 21, these young adults are unable to immigrate with their parents and must begin the visa application process anew, starting at the back of a new visa line. They end up being separated from family for years, even decades. The stories in the amicus brief make the case for how important it is that the law provide a remedy broadly available to young adults who age-out. Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone
