[[link removed]] Your weekly summary from the Council.
LATEST ANALYSIS
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The Laken Riley Act Would Give States Sweeping Power Over Immigration Policy [[link removed]]
Who runs the U.S. immigration system? If the Senate passes the Laken Riley Act this week, the answer might not be Congress or the president. The bill, already passed in the House, would hand state attorneys general, like Ken Paxton in Texas, veto power over large swaths of federal immigration policy.
The Supreme Court Cuts Off Judicial Review of USCIS Decisions Again [[link removed]]
The Supreme Court recently cut off another path for judicial review of decisions by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) adjudicators. In Bouarfa v. Mayorkas, the Court held that a decision to revoke the prior approval of an immigrant visa petition filed by a U.S. citizen on behalf of her noncitizen spouse could not be reviewed.
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
The H-1B visa program is back in the news as a subject of heated debate. The program allows employers to petition for highly educated foreign professionals to work in “specialty occupations” in the United States.
Foreign workers fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market—particularly in the STEM fields. But with a low limit of visa numbers available, demand for H-1B visa numbers has outstripped the supply in recent years. Research shows that H-1B workers complement U.S. workers, fill employment gaps in many STEM occupations, and expand job opportunities for all.
This updated fact sheet from the American Immigration Council provides an overview of the H-1B visa program, addresses some of the myths perpetuated about the H-1B visa category, and highlights the key contributions H-1B workers make to the U.S. economy.
Read more: The H-1B Visa Program and Its Impact on the U.S. Economy [[link removed]]
ACROSS THE NATION
People in immigration proceedings are not guaranteed legal assistance to help them get out of detention or pursue their immigration rights. We’re seeking more volunteer interpreters to help us change that.
Our Immigration Justice Campaign (IJC) works to fill critical gaps in legal representation. We connect volunteer attorneys who need interpreters for their clients.
You don’t need formal interpretation or special knowledge of legal terms to take a case with us. All you need is proficiency in both English and any other language.
Apply to Volunteer: Volunteer Application Form [[link removed]]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“More than 13 million people in this country live without legal status. Some of them arrived recently, but many have lived here for decades – long enough to build lives, raise children and contribute to their communities. They’re our classmates, coworkers and neighbors.
Then there are the children. Imagine worrying that your parents could be taken away, leaving you alone. Or imagine you were born here, an American by every measure, but one day the government decides you’re no longer “American enough” because your parents were born somewhere else. It sounds impossible. It sounds like a dystopian nightmare, but that’s exactly what’s being suggested.”
– Sophia Sexton in her column entitled “What is the cost of silence” for Inside NOVA [[link removed]]
FURTHER READING
MSNBC: The House GOP’s first bill of 2025 could enable a Ken Paxton power grab [[link removed]]
Washington Post: Immigrants will help Los Angeles rebuild [[link removed]]
New York Magazine: Why Trump’s Mass-Deportation Plans Depend on Mexico [[link removed]]
New Yorker: Why the MAGA Fight Over H-1B Visas Is Crossing Party Lines [[link removed]]
Newsweek: Map Shows Which Countries Refuse to Take Back Deported Migrants [[link removed]]
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