[[link removed]] Your weekly summary from the Council.
LATEST ANALYSIS
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Kamala Harris Has an Opportunity to Reframe the Immigration Conversation as the Democratic Nominee for President [[link removed]] [[link removed]]
It seems likely that Kamala Harris will be the new Democratic nominee for president. This change in nominee has re-invigorated the Democratic base. Harris received $81 million in donations in the 24-hour period after the announcement—the highest single-day total for any presidential candidate. This newfound energy also opens an opportunity for the Democratic nominee to change the narrative around immigration.
Lawsuits Reveal Labor Abuses Faced by Some Migrant Workers on TN Visas [[link removed]]
Allegations of mistreatment of high-skilled Mexican workers have sparked several important class action lawsuits against large automotive and logistics companies located in the U.S. These companies are facing legal challenges for labor abuse, fraud, and exploitation through the TN visa program—a program that lacks oversight and has fostered predatory employment practices targeting Mexican migrant workers.
Strengthening America’s Workforce of Immigrant STEM Workers by Expanding the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program [[link removed]]
Despite the ongoing heatwave and widespread power loss outages due to Hurricane Beryl, Texans made a special effort to move forward with a historic naturalization ceremony, where 2,286 immigrants from 121 countries—including several members of the armed forces—swore their oath of allegiance to the United States before a Federal Judge and became new U.S. citizens.
Houston Celebrates Over 2,200 New Citizens in Historic Naturalization Ceremony [[link removed]]
The United States faces a critical imperative: keeping some of the brightest minds in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the country to secure our workforce advantage in these fields and fuel economic growth and global competitiveness.
The Republican National Convention was held in Milwaukee last week. One popular talking point among Republicans was that migrants are responsible for bringing in fentanyl into the United States across the southern border.
But that isn’t true—the majority of fentanyl present in the United States is smuggled by U.S. citizens through legal ports of entry.
Read more: Fact Check: Migrants Aren’t the Ones Smuggling Fentanyl Into the United States [[link removed]]
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Each year, the United States welcomes thousands of refugees who have undergone extensive vetting and assessment of their fears of persecution. The U.S. Department of State resettles these refugees to cities throughout the country where they contribute their skills to local communities while working to rebuild their lives.
The American Immigration Council filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) with the Department of State to obtain locational and demographic data on refugees admitted to the U.S., which was previously publicly available.
Having received no response, we filed a lawsuit this July to compel the agency to release the data.
Read more: The Council Sues the Department of State for Data on Where the Agency Resettles Refugees [[link removed]]
WATCH NOW
Angela Du, a fifth-grade student from New York City, is the 2024 winner of our Celebrate America Creative Writing Contest. Watch her talk about what inspired her to write her poem “Stories of Us” on her interview on Good Morning America:
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Read Angela’s poem: Stories of Us [[link removed]]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Border policy focuses on individuals who have already made the decision to leave home and have made it to the U.S.-Mexico border and aims to either prevent them or to quickly process them for humanitarian relief or deportation once they cross. By contrast, ‘root causes’ policy focuses on individuals who have not left their homes yet, and aims to convince them to stay in their home countries either through economic development… or through reduction of violence and persecution that forces people to seek protection elsewhere.”
[[link removed]] [[link removed]] – Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Director of Policy at the American Immigration Council [[link removed]]
FURTHER READING
Forbes: Kamala Harris Isn't The ‘Border Czar’—Her Immigration Record Explained [[link removed]]
Los Angeles Times: Kamala Harris was tapped to fix the immigration crisis. Then the problem shifted [[link removed]]
Documented NY: At the Democratic National Convention, How Will Democrats Respond to Republicans’ Inaccurate Message on Immigration? [[link removed]]
Maine Sun Journal: Lewiston shop owner helps immigrants through her food delivery service [[link removed]]
Times of San Diego: "Opinion: America’s Afghan Allies Were Promised Help But Remain in Danger or with No Status" [[link removed]]
Iowa Starting Line: Immigrant Iowans, major ag workforce, wonder if they should stay here [[link removed]]
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