Immigration News Resources

The Biden administration followed through on its Day One promise to create a new regulation to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals initiative (DACA) on September 27. The new rule would codify the original DACA protections as announced in 2012 without expanding them to include new groups of undocumented youth. Why is […]

The post What You Need to Know About the New Proposed DACA Regulation appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, AILA member Spojmie Nasiri shares insights and information about the situation facing Afghan evacuees and how we can help. She was interviewed by Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee Chair Ban Al-Wardi.

Shocking images have emerged of Border Patrol officers on horseback charging toward Haitian immigrants in and around the border town of Del Rio, Texas. Thousands of Haitians have come to our southern border as conditions in their home country continue to deteriorate following a devastating earthquake in August and the assassination of President Jovenel Moise […]

The post US Policy Toward Haitian Immigrants Is Part of a Long, Troubled History appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee member Ruben Reyes shares his story and perspective on the discussion around National Hispanic Heritage Month and invites readers to learn from and listen to each other, writing “This is an American story, and it is ours to live.”

The Departments of State and Homeland Security announced recently that they will be accepting new applications for the Central American Minors (CAM) Program, created to process immigrant children into the United States in a humane and efficient manner. This announcement is part of the agencies’ plan to reopen and expand the CAM program, which the […]

The post Biden Administration Reopens Protection Program for At-Risk Central American Children appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Roughly 14,000 Haitians arrived at the border across from Del Rio, Texas in mid-September and walked across the Rio Grande to seek asylum. Many first left Haiti in 2010 following a devastating earthquake that killed over 100,000 people and have been pushed from country to country ever since. With Haiti in disarray following the assassination […]

The post Del Rio Migrant Camp Shows How Biden Administration Is Not Living Up to Its Promises appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough on September 19 rejected Democrats’ initial attempt to include immigration reform provisions in a $3.5 trillion spending bill currently making its way through Congress. Senate Democrats are already formulating alternative proposals for MacDonough to consider in the days ahead. Democrats had initially proposed that the spending bill provide a pathway to […]

The post Immigration Reform in Budget Reconciliation Is Off to a Rocky Start but Much Is Yet to Come appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed a significant part of an earlier decision by the Northern District of Texas that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute remain the purview of the […]

The post Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The September 11th terrorist attacks not only led to the tragic deaths of 2,977 people, they fundamentally changed the nature of immigration law and policy in the United States. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has viewed every non-U.S. citizen seeking to enter the country as a potential threat. Foreign tourists and students, temporary workers, permanent […]

The post Fear of Another 9/11 Continues to Drive US Immigration Policy 20 Years Later appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, expert litigator and past AILA president Ron Klasko gives a few examples of cases that could benefit from litigation, and highlights the upcoming Federal Court Conference as a chance to learn skills to help your clients.

House Democrats began to mark up a budget reconciliation bill on September 10 that would provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although the bill will likely go through multiple changes before a final vote, the text provides an important marker for understanding who might benefit from […]

The post The House Offers First Glimpse at Legalization for Millions of Immigrants Through Reconciliation appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody of people who are released from state or local custody. The bill passed the state assembly in June and is now […]

The post California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA pays tribute to the career and impact of Dale Schwartz, past president of AILA with two videos from Allen Orr and Greg Siskind who share insights as they reflect on his life and legacy.

A federal court concluded Thursday that the U.S. government’s turning back of asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border—primarily through a practice called metering—not only violates U.S. law, but also is unconstitutional. Before the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and Title 42, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers began the practice of […]

The post Turning back asylum seekers is against the law, court finds appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law in August that would allow the Cook County Public Defender to represent immigrants in the Chicago immigration court. The law is part of a movement to expand access to legal representation for people facing deportation. It comes on the heels of another pro-immigrant Illinois law that disallows immigration […]

The post New Illinois Law Allows Public Defenders to Represent Immigrants Facing Deportation appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have confirmed that 34 unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan currently in the United States were among the approximately 123,000 Afghan nationals evacuated from Afghanistan last month. With more Afghan children expected to arrive in the United States, their future and what awaits them is unclear. An […]

The post Unaccompanied Minors Among Thousands Evacuated from Afghanistan appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Biden administration predicts that it will fail to issue many of the legal permanent resident visas—also known as green cards—allotted this year for immigrants who have been sponsored by a U.S. employer or family member. The State Department estimates that roughly 100,000 visas for employment-based immigrants and 150,000 visas for family-based immigrants will go […]

The post President Biden is Overseeing a Historic Decline in Legal Immigration appeared first on Immigration Impact.

A federal judge ruled for the first time in U.S. history that a provision of U.S. immigration law which makes it a felony for someone to reenter the United States after having been deported is unconstitutional because of its racist origins. Since 1929, U.S. immigration law has made it a misdemeanor to “unlawfully enter” the […]

The post Felony Reentry Immigration Law Is Unconstitutional Due to Racist Origins, Judge Rules appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Supreme Court refused to block an order to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. The decision comes after a Texas judge halted the government’s recission of the controversial and illegal program. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that the government must make “best efforts” to reinstate the program […]

The post Supreme Court Refuses to Stop the Migrant Protection Protocols From Going Back Into Effect appeared first on Immigration Impact.

For the second year in a row, many winners of the diversity visa lottery face the prospect of losing their chance to come to the United States because the federal government can’t—or won’t—issue their visas in time. The 2020 lottery winners are still suffering the effects of restrictive Trump-era policies. Winners of the 2021 lottery […]

The post Diversity Visa Lottery Winners Might Lose Chance to Come to the U.S. Due to Delays, Trump Policies appeared first on Immigration Impact.