Immigration News Resources

Many of the country’s top immigration agencies operate in secret. This lack of transparency in how immigration laws are implemented, administered, and enforced has the potential to devastate the lives of millions of immigrants and their families. Fortunately, there is a powerful tool—the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)—that ensures government agencies comply with their obligations […]

The post Immigration Groups Are Using This Tool to Expose Government Secrets appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, committee member Caroline Ostrom explains how "incorporating ways to include those with disabilities into your practice as colleagues, employees, and clients, makes business sense and is the right thing to do."

Majorities in top migrant destination countries say immigrants strengthen their countries. Yet publics are divided on immigrants' willingness to adopt their host country's customs.

The post Around the World, More Say Immigrants Are a Strength Than a Burden appeared first on Pew Research Center.

In recent weeks, alarming stories have surfaced indicating that thousands more children were forcibly separated from their parents at the southern border than originally thought. In response to this and earlier reports that the government had begun separating parents as early as 2017, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) asked a federal judge to expand […]

The post Federal Judge Rules Government Must Reunite Thousands More Separated Families appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Recent Dilley Pro Bono Project volunteers and AILA law student members Alex George and Carolina Solano share their experience helping mothers and children incarcerated in Texas, the impact of recent policies and decisions, and why we need to #EndFamilyDetention.

After weeks of tense negotiations, Congress averted a second government shutdown last month by reaching a bipartisan agreement on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget—a budget which gave President Trump very little of his border demands. Undeterred, the president made a budget request for the next fiscal year on Monday. He called for $8.6 billion […]

The post After Shutdown Loss, Trump Doubles Down on Immigration in His New Budget appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Many asylum seekers who travel to the United States seeking protection often receive something much less—they are arrested by immigration officials and provided no meaningful way to challenge their deportation in federal court. Last week, in Thuraissigiam v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals became the first federal appeals court […]

The post Appeals Court Says Asylum Seekers May Now Challenge Their Deportation in Federal Court appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In 2016, the 20 U.S. metro areas with the most unauthorized immigrants were home to 6.5 million of them, or 61% of the estimated total.

The post 20 metro areas are home to six-in-ten unauthorized immigrants in U.S. appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Explore estimates of unauthorized immigrant populations in 182 U.S. metropolitan areas.

The post Estimates of U.S. unauthorized immigrant population, by metro area, 2016 and 2007 appeared first on Pew Research Center.

A group of drag queens—clad in feathered boas and wigs—gathered at a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas last week to protest construction of President Trump’s border wall. Lip-syncing to the tunes of Lady Gaga, they hoped to raise money in support of LGBTQ asylum seekers. Though the performance was meant to be lighthearted, […]

The post America’s Asylum System Must Ensure the Protection of LGBTQ People appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA First VP Jennifer Minear explains the impact of new policies USCIS Director Cissna recently highlighted in a CNN op-ed, noting that "We don't need to reconfigure the logistical administration of the outdated and ill-equipped H-1B system that we have. We need to re-imagine that system..."

Roughly 318,000 immigrants have this status after fleeing dangerous conditions in their countries. Learn more on the status for the largest origin groups now protected under TPS.

The post Many immigrants with Temporary Protected Status face uncertain future in U.S. appeared first on Pew Research Center.

In a combative hearing before Congress on Wednesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen testified for the first time since Democrats became the majority in the House of Representatives. During the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, Nielsen refused to admit culpability in family separation, denied reports that asylum seekers are being turned away […]

The post DHS Secretary Denies Responsibility for Family Separation, Asks Congress to Limit Asylum Protections appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The overall gain in income among Latino workers is driven by a rise in the share of higher-income immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for more years. Yet the incomes of U.S.-born Latinos are still less than since the recession began.

The post Latinos’ Incomes Higher Than Before Great Recession, but U.S.-Born Latinos Yet to Recover appeared first on Pew Research Center.

Family reunification has long been the cornerstone of U.S. immigration policies. Yet, last year when the administration made changes to guidance around “public charge”—a term that many consider an economic litmus test for who can come to or stay in the U.S.—advocates decried the impact it would have on families. These fateful predictions are ringing […]

The post Families Hit Hardest by State Department Visa Denial Uptick appeared first on Immigration Impact.

There is little doubt that highly skilled natives and immigrants have worked together for years to drive innovation in a broad range of fields and to build America’s private sector. However, despite ample evidence of the complementary nature of the work done by highly skilled foreign-born professionals, the anti-immigration community in the United States is […]

The post The Demand for Highly-Skilled Foreign Workers Is Undeniable appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Katie Shepherd, National Advocacy Counsel for the Immigration Justice Campaign, writes about the immense harm and due process obstacles asylum seekers will face in light of the “Migrant Protection Protocols” or “Remain in Mexico” policy, and why Secretary Nielsen must immediately halt it.

Nothing is more delicate or worthy of comprehensive care than a newborn. Yet, over the past several weeks, detention watchdogs and public health experts have noticed an alarming uptick in the number of infants—some as young as five months old—being held in prison-like detention facilities run by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). On-the-ground staff in these facilities report mothers complaining […]

The post ICE Releases Infants in Its Custody Following Civil Rights Complaint appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA Policy Counsel Jason Boyd highlights newly released USCIS data and shows how the new information "has cast an even harsher glare on the agency’s well-documented failure to process its caseload in a timely fashion."

  Contrary to President Trump’s claim that “large-scale unlawful migration” across the southern border constitutes a “national emergency” that requires building a wall, research suggests that undocumented immigration across the U.S.-Mexico border is actually the lowest it’s ever been in the past 25 years. The Center for Migration Studies (CMS) has issued a report with […]

The post Number of Undocumented Immigrants in US at a 25-Year Low appeared first on Immigration Impact.