Immigration News Resources

The cost of filing an application for citizenship—usually a hefty $725—has long been a barrier for some immigrants. Now, a change to the naturalization process may leave even more people priced out of becoming a U.S. citizen. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently announced a new policy that will change how the agency determines […]

The post USCIS Changes Policy on Fee Waivers, Potentially Deterring Thousands of Citizenship Applications appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Better known as “Remain in Mexico,” the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), which went into effect January 2019, is a duplicitous non-entrée policy masquerading as a humanitarian solution meant to address the thousands of Central American asylum seekers at the U.

Following an agreement between the governments of the United States and El Salvador, Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) will be able to extend their status for another year into early 2021. At the same time, many Liberians with special protections from deportation are suddenly facing a much different fate. The U.S. and Salvadoran governments […]

The post Temporary Protected Status for Salvadorans Extended, While Liberians Face Looming Deadline for Departure appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Trump administration began a secretive new asylum process in El Paso, Texas that came to light late last week. It seeks to deter asylum seekers from coming to the United States and to remove them as quickly as possible once they’re here. The process—dubbed the “Prompt Asylum Claim Review” or “PACR”—condenses the asylum process […]

The post New Process in El Paso Seeks to Deport Asylum Seekers in Less Than 10 Days appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Beginning in December, all New Yorkers will be able to apply for a driver’s license—regardless of immigration status. The Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, or “Green Light” bill, passed the New York Senate in June. Oregon passed a similar bill, the Equal Access to Roads Act, that month. It will take effect in January 2021. At […]

The post How States Expand Access to Driver’s Licenses Ahead of Real ID Deadline appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, committee member Dahlia French uses Canadian PM Trudeau as an example of how "gotcha" moments occur and urges a proactive alternative, "Frank and civil conversations about meaningful diversity and inclusion efforts..."

Federal immigration officials are beginning to expand their use of surveillance technology to collect information on immigrants. As officials gather more tools in their arsenal—from DNA collection to cell phone tracking devices—the privacy concerns also grow. The Trump administration proposed a new regulation on Monday that intensified those concerns. The proposed regulation would authorize immigration […]

The post Privacy Concerns Grow as Federal Immigration Agencies Use More Surveillance Technology appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Rape, violence, kidnapping, and lack of basic health care is, unfortunately, a reality for hundreds of asylum seekers subjected to the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) or “Remain in Mexico” program. Multiple recent accounts, including a report by Human Rights First (HRF), have documented the cruel and inhumane consequences asylum seekers suffer when they are sent […]

The post The Perils of the Migrant Protection Protocols appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, AILA Policy Counsel Jason Boyd highlights ten measures undertaken by USCIS's Acting Director which "constitute an abandonment of USCIS’s duty to fairly and efficiently facilitate legal immigration" and urges Congress to hold the agency fully accountable.

The consequences of record-breaking workplace immigration raids are still overwhelming the legal system in southern Mississippi. After the Trump administration repeatedly threatened mass raids last summer, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) entered seven Mississippi food processing plants in August, detaining 687 workers. In the following days, about half of those detained were released on […]

The post Prosecutions from Workplace Immigration Raids Overwhelm Mississippi Legal System appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The ideology of President Trump is about more than limiting how many immigrants enter the United States each year; it’s about turning back the clock on U.S. social history. A recent analysis by law professor Robert Tsai explores how President Trump’s ideology—labeled “Trumpism”—is the latest installment in a long-standing conservative movement to dismantle the legacy […]

The post The Trump Administration Wants to Return to a Pre-Civil Rights Immigration System appeared first on Immigration Impact.

On September 26th, 2019 – students, faculty and community members gathered in the Rosen Family Screening Room within the USC Tutor Campus Center for a timely discussion about refugees at the U.

On September 26th, 2019 – students, faculty and community members gathered in the Rosen Family Screening Room within the USC Tutor Campus Center for a timely discussion about refugees at the U.

President Trump has made the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a cornerstone of his presidency. To date, not a single mile of new barriers has been erected. But the Trump administration continues to aggressively pursue new avenues to fund this project outside of the traditional federal appropriations process, including the president’s declaration […]

The post What Is Happening with Trump’s Border Wall? Here’s Everything You Need to Know So Far appeared first on Immigration Impact.

A federal court in San Francisco certified two nationwide classes of immigrants and attorneys challenging extreme agency delays in producing immigration case files. Plaintiffs allege that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a system-wide practice of failing to provide access to immigration case records—called A-Files—within deadlines set […]

The post In Historic Ruling, Thousands of Immigrants Waiting for Their Immigration Records Can Now Challenge Agency Delay appeared first on Immigration Impact.

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law on Friday that will phase out private prisons—including federal immigration detention centers—throughout the state. The new law, AB 32, prohibits the state government and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from creating, modifying, or renewing prison contracts with private companies beginning on January 1, 2020. The […]

The post California Bans Private Prisons, Eliminating Immigration Detention Centers That Incarcerate 4,000 People appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Supreme Court began a new session this October, and in the coming months, the justices will hear several high-profile immigration cases. These cases involve the attempted termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, the highly-criticized killing of a young boy in Mexico by a Border Patrol agent, and the criminal prosecution […]

The post Which Immigration Cases Will the Supreme Court Rule on This Session? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Trump administration suffered another immigration blow in court last Friday. The new “public charge” rule set to go into effect Tuesday, October 15, was blocked in three separate rulings by judges around the country. Courts in New York, San Francisco, and Seattle all issued rulings halting the implementation of the rule. This was largely […]

The post “Public Charge” Rule Blocked Days Before Going Into Effect appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, AILA Media Advocacy Committee member Fiona McEntee describes her plans to use the new 2020 presidential election guide from AILA now, and during the upcoming debates; she also highlights some specific responses garnered from candidates regarding USCIS accountability.

People in immigration detention who are represented by an attorney are more likely to receive a positive outcome in immigration court than those that face judges alone. Unfortunately, people who arrive in the U.S. from other countries are not guaranteed representation even though having one can be the difference between being allowed to stay or […]

The post Pennsylvania Should Widen Access to Justice for People in Immigration Detention appeared first on Immigration Impact.