refugees

Weekly Immigration News: Finding a Place for Migrant Children

As the migration crisis at the southern border continues and unaccompanied children from Trump-era family separations remain apart from their parents, the number of migrant children in the United States is increasing at an alarming rate, quickly outpacing the resources of the US government. According to new government data, almost 19,000 unaccompanied minors crossed the southern border in March. This record number of people has driven the Biden administration...

Weekly Immigration News: Border Politics and the Washington Immigration Agenda

The child migrant detention complex is once again gripping the nation. For decades, the United States has faced the prospect of unaccompanied minors and families coming to the border seeking asylum, and for decades, the government has struggled to balance law enforcement with humanitarian interests. Although the Biden administration says it is handling the matter differently from Trump, the jury is out. Meanwhile, Congress may hold the key to...

Weekly Immigration News: Slow Shifts to Change

President Biden is not acting quickly on immigration issues – will his slow shifts help move us towards change? Alejandro Mayorkas, a former Obama administration immigration official and a Cuban immigrant, has been officially nominated to become DHS (Department of Homeland Security) secretary in a Tuesday Senate vote. Although some Republicans opposed Mayorkas’ nomination due to a 2015 internal investigation on his actions during his role as head of...

Sessions Rescinds Memoranda Impacting Refugee and Asylee Right to Work

Continuing his assault on refugees and asylum seekers, Jeff Sessions rescinded Department of Justice (DOJ) guidance that dictated refugees and asylum seekers have the right to indefinitely work in the United States. The guidance is superseded by DOJ memoranda issued in 2014 and revised in 2016, which basically lays out the same rights for refugees and asylees, but without additional guidance for employers who hire refugees and asylees. Perhaps,...

U.S. To Start Accepting Some Central American Refugees

The Department of State is rolling out a new proposal to allow some Central American youth to claim refugee status. The caveat is that instead of embarking on a dangerous journey to the United States, these young people must attain refugee status within their own respective countries, and must have a qualifying lawfully present relative already present in the United States. Additionally, the number of youth eligible for the...