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The unauthorized immigrant population’s size and composition has ebbed and flowed significantly over the past 30 years.

The post Key facts about the changing U.S. unauthorized immigrant population appeared first on Pew Research Center.

In this piece, part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog post series, AILA member Leila Sayed-Taha shares insights about why "one must take a nuanced position when understanding the relationship between the term 'domestic terrorism' and the enactment of oppressive policies against communities of color..."

Only days after President Biden took office, some people were already declaring that the border was in a state of crisis. But recently released U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics reveal that the truth is more complicated. The Biden administration is dealing with two very different phenomena at the border right now. One is driving […]

The post How the Biden Administration Is Responding to Unaccompanied Children, Families, and Adults at the Border appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Since the start of the pandemic, many immigrants have been left out of federal COVID-19 relief packages. Both undocumented immigrants and some people in mixed-status households have been excluded from stimulus checks, rent assistance, and other financial aid. This has left some questioning whether they qualify for the most important relief yet: the COVID-19 vaccine. […]

The post Yes, All Immigrants Can Get the COVID-19 Vaccine—Even Those Who Are Undocumented appeared first on Immigration Impact.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers—which often suffer from cramped conditions and poor access to medical care—are highly conducive to the spread of COVID-19. But ICE officials at one detention center in Arizona made the situation exponentially worse by failing to implement social distancing measures, provide face masks, or implement other basic COVID-19 […]

The post Arizona ICE Detention Center Violated COVID-19 Safety Protocols by Refusing to Provide Masks or Enforce Social Distancing appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Over the last two months, the Biden administration has been pressured to carry out another crackdown at the border as the number of arriving families and children rise. But officials making these calls must grapple with one simple fact: immigration enforcement through deterrence doesn’t work. If we want to keep people from making the dangerous […]

The post Immigration Policies Based on Deterrence Don’t Work appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Jonathan Valdez, a member of AILA's Government Relations team, highlights the recent rejections and delays at USCIS that leave applicants in limbo and cause real hardship in what should be a seamless process., urging USCIS take action to get things right.

A group of Republican lawmakers recently introduced a slew of anti-immigration bills in the House of Representatives and Senate. The bills primarily target people’s rights to seek asylum in the United States, as well as re-up a laundry list of anti-immigration initiatives from the Trump administration. These measures are the latest response to the arrival […]

The post Republicans Introduced 11 New Anti-Immigration Bills. Here’s What’s at Stake If They Pass. appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA Policy Counsel Jen Whitlock describes why and how AILA members can use opportunities like the upcoming virtual National Day of Action to urge Congress toward curbing and eventually ending inhumane and wasteful immigration detention in favor of proven community-based systems.

A ban blocking certain employment-based visas implemented and extended by former President Trump is set to expire on March 31. The ban has likely prevented hundreds of thousands of people from participating in the American economy. In June 2020, the Trump administration blocked the entry of noncitizens on certain employment-based non-immigrant visas, using the COVID-19 […]

The post Ban on J-1 Exchange and Other Employment-Based Visas Set to Expire appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Olivia Lee, chair of AILA's Diversity & Inclusion Committee highlights an upcoming opportunity for AILA members to screen the HBO documentary "The Soul of America" and join the panel discussion on "Immigration Attorneys on the Frontlines in Defending Democracy" on April 7.

After almost two years in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, Martin Vargas Arellano was released to a hospital on March 5. ICE did not notify his family or attorney. Three days later, he died alone from complications of COVID-19. His death leads to questions about how many other people have died soon after […]

The post How Many ICE-Related COVID-19 Deaths Have Gone Unreported? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

By the end of the Trump presidency, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was all but destroyed. The former administration had attempted to end crucial protections for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who benefited from the status. Now, just a short time into the Biden administration, those protections are being restored or extended. Foreign nationals […]

The post Biden Begins to Restore Temporary Protected Status. Which Countries Could Get TPS Next? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border—including the rise in immigrant children in U.S. government custody—has captured the nation’s attention in recent weeks. Much of the conversation has focused on a supposed “surge” in arrivals under the Biden administration, but the current increase began well before President Biden took office and mirrors similar trends from […]

The post What’s Not Being Said About the Border appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Biden administration is acting on a number of fronts to reverse Trump-era restrictions on immigration to the United States.

The post Key facts about U.S. immigration policies and Biden’s proposed changes appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Deputy Director of the Immigration Justice Campaign Jennie Guilfoyle highlights a recent factsheet affirming the effectiveness and efficiency of alternatives to detention and why we need to phase out immigration detention.

Employers and workers are starting to see a shift from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on unlawful restrictions of the H-1B specialty occupation visa category. Over the past nine months, USCIS rescinded three policy memoranda after federal courts found the agency’s positions to be contrary to the law and regulations. Two were rescinded in […]

The post USCIS Begins to Reverse Course on H-1B Petitions appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA members Mark Prada and Michelle Canero share their insights into when work authorization isn't actually required and the impact that litigation can have on your client's efforts to adjust their status.

A pause on border wall construction is set to expire on March 20, without an indication of what will happen next. President Biden signed a proclamation ordering the 60-day pause on his first day in office. Any future construction would compound the cultural and environmental damage that has already been done across multiple administrations. Biden […]

The post The Environmental and Cultural Risks of Resuming Border Wall Construction appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two immigration bills on March 18, signaling that Congress might finally enact major immigration reform for the first time in over three decades. These bills—the Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act—both offer pathways to U.S. citizenship for many immigrants with longstanding ties to the United […]

The post The House Passes Historic Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act appeared first on Immigration Impact.