This Week in Immigration - American Immigration Council

State and local communities are at the forefront of shaping the lives of immigrants. While some have advanced harmful policies, other state and local governments championed efforts to protect newcomers and enable their full participation in their communities. As we look ahead to 2025 and the uncertainty around federal immigration policy, it will be increasingly […]

The post Policy Options: Protecting Immigrant Communities at the State and Local Level appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In less than two months, President-elect Donald Trump will begin his second term. We expect a flurry of immigration-related executive actions within days, including a dramatic shift in immigration enforcement in the interior of the United States. On the campaign trail, Trump promised that on “day one” he would “launch the largest deportation program of […]

The post What Will Mass Deportations Look Like? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Thanksgiving is a relatively new tradition in my life, but one that has marked the start of one of my favorite love stories. Even though I’ve lived in the U.S. for 22 years, the holiday always marked an opportunity for my mother to take a break from the demands of single parenthood and her role […]

The post Embracing Two Cultures: Our Thanksgiving Story appeared first on Immigration Impact.

On Election Day, voters gathered in various cities and states across the country to cast ballots on immigrant-related issues, like immigration protections, integration, and noncitizen voting. Here are the results of some key ballot measures. Arizona’s Proposition 314 In Arizona, the passage of Proposition 314, also known as the Secure the Border Act, has raised significant […]

The post Immigration Was on the Ballot in Multiple States on Election Day – Here’s What Happened appeared first on Immigration Impact.

With the approach of Thanksgiving, when many families will be celebrating with food and gratitude, it’s worth taking a moment to reflect on the people who help make Thanksgiving celebrations possible. Many of the fruits, vegetables, and other staples of our Thanksgiving celebrations are harvested by immigrant farm workers. In fruit and vegetable crop production, […]

The post Giving Thanks to the Hands That Feed America: Immigrant Farmworkers appeared first on Immigration Impact.

After initially blocking the Biden administration’s recent move to promote family unity for some U.S. citizens with undocumented spouses in August, a federal judge in Texas issued a final judgment last week ending the parole process altogether. Judge J. Campbell Barker found that the whole concept of “parole in place” – the practice of granting […]

The post Judge Strikes Down ‘Keeping Families Together’ Parole Process appeared first on Immigration Impact.

President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport millions of immigrants in his successful bid for a second term at the White House. This week, we gained a clearer picture about how he aims to fulfill this promise. Tom Homan, former acting chief for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), will oversee border policy and work to fulfill […]

The post Biden Should Use His Authority to Protect Vulnerable Immigrants Before He Leaves Office appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Ports of entry along our borders are supposed to be where people in need of protection can come to seek humanitarian relief. But since 2016, every presidential administration has used different tactics to turn people away from ports of entry (POEs) along the U.S.-Mexico border before they even get there. Finally, in October, the Ninth […]

The post Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of Asylum Seekers’ Rights to Present at POEs appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The “bipartisan border bill” has been front and center in the presidential election, but it is often presented to the public without clarity on what the bill would actually do. In May, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) introduced S. 4361, the Border Act of 2024. This bill includes nearly identical provisions to a bipartisan immigration […]

The post What Is the ‘Bipartisan Border Bill’ and How Would It Change the US Immigration System? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Foreign workers have long provided critical support to American businesses in the busy seasons—filling temporary, seasonal jobs when domestic workers were not available. This support—almost always of manual labor—is possible due to the H-2 visa program, which Congress created in 1952 with the aim of “alleviating labor shortages … particularly in periods of intense production.” […]

The post Seasonal Immigrant Workers Are in High Demand. America’s H-2B Visa Program Isn’t Keeping Up. appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Torrance County Detention Facility, located in the remote deserts of New Mexico, is notorious for its mistreatment of migrants. The facility’s issues are compounded by the fact that Torrance has largely operated in secrecy. However, documents and data uncovered through a FOIA request have provided a glimpse into ICE detention practices into the facility. […]

The post FOIA Documents Show Troubling Gaps in Transparency at Torrance County Detention Facility appeared first on Immigration Impact.

On October 17, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that Secretary Mayorkas was designating the country of Lebanon for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Through this designation, DHS expects that as many as 11,000 Lebanese individuals currently in the country will be eligible to apply for a potentially renewable 18-month protection to remain in the […]

The post Temporary Protected Status: What’s Up With That? appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In April, the Department of Labor (DOL) published an expansive regulation aimed at increasing protections for the growing number of temporary agricultural workers entering the United States on H-2A nonimmigrant visas. A key component of the regulation establishes new protections for H-2A workers to engage in collective action to advocate for themselves or others regarding […]

The post Collective Action Protections for H-2A Workers Face Uphill Legal Battles appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Are you an attorney looking for a way to provide pro bono legal support to people working on their immigration cases? Or someone who could volunteer as an interpreter for those attorneys?  Consider joining the Immigration Justice Campaign. We give volunteer attorneys all the help they need to take on immigration cases—whether or not they’ve […]

The post Volunteer to Support Immigrants: Pro Bono Attorneys and Interpreters Needed appeared first on Immigration Impact.

At a time when anti-immigrant rhetoric is splashed across the news, it can be easy to get lost in the whirlwind of misplaced fear politicians continue to foster. But this year’s eighth annual Global Talent Chamber Network (GTCN) Convening: Business Leadership on Immigration During an Election Year served as a critical reminder that business leaders […]

The post Business Leadership on Immigration During an Election Year appeared first on Immigration Impact.

For over a century, the United States has applied the principle of jus soli, or birthplace-based citizenship, to grant American citizenship to anyone born on U.S. territory regardless of their parent’s immigration status. But over the past few decades, anti-immigrant politicians have advocated for the restriction of birthplace-based citizenship to deny birthright citizenship, primarily to […]

The post The Origins of Birthright Citizenship in the United States, Explained appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Written by Yared Avalos Iniguez, Communications Intern and Hannah Boyke, Research Intern Across the globe, immigrants are increasingly being blamed for committing crimes, with right-wing groups often leading the charge. In the United States, this rhetoric has intensified as politicians aim to demonize immigrants during the election season. However, a wealth of research has discredited […]

The post Immigrants Do Not Commit More Crimes in the US, Despite Fearmongering appeared first on Immigration Impact.

It was only 10 months ago when the U.S. set record highs at the border, with roughly 250,000 migrants taken into Border Patrol custody in December 2023. But today, border apprehensions are running steady at their lowest level in four years, with just 54,000 Border Patrol migrant encounters in September. This fragile equilibrium has held […]

The post The Current State of the Border: Crossings Remain Low While Pressure Builds in Southern Mexico appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In the last two years, nearly 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have arrived in the United States to live and work here legally. They have come under a program known as “CHNV,” named for the nationalities of its beneficiaries. The CHNV program allows people in the United States to petition to sponsor […]

The post CHNV Parole Won’t Last Forever – But There Are Options for Its Beneficiaries to Stay in the US appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Written by Ilse Ramirez, Paralegal, and Andrea Rathbone Ramos, Digital Communications Specialist The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana, heard oral arguments on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative on October 10. The court is deciding whether DACA is unlawful, potentially paving the way for another Supreme Court fight. Meanwhile, […]

The post The 5th Circuit Fight for DACA Is a Personal One appeared first on Immigration Impact.