[[link removed]] Your weekly summary from the Council.
LATEST ANALYSIS
[link removed] [[link removed]]
Department of State Pauses Visa Interview for J, F, and M Visitors [[link removed]]
The international exchange and education community has been dealt yet another blow. The Trump administration has temporarily paused scheduling new F, M, and J visa appointments, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling for consular sections to “not add any additional student or exchange visitor (F, M and J) visa appointment capacity until further guidance is issued.”
'I was sad, scared, and in a state of disbelief:' Immigration Attorney Shares Testimony on Trump's Third Country Disappearances [[link removed]]
“It’s clear that the Trump administration is out to get many Venezuelan people living in the U.S.–to strip them of status, deny them due process. We are a target despite the love we have for this country–the only place we can call home.”
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Last Wednesday evening, President Trump issued a proclamation restricting or limiting the entry of nationals from 19 countries, set to go into effect this Monday. The 12 countries with near-complete visa restrictions are Afghanistan; Burma; Chad; Republic of the Congo; Equatorial Guinea; Eritrea; Haiti; Iran; Libya; Somalia; Sudan; and Yemen.
The ban has massive implications. In total, the 19 countries impacted have a combined population of 475 million people. All told, the proclamation has the potential to block tens of thousands of people annually from reuniting with family, coming to the U.S. to work, or simply visiting for pleasure.
This rapid analysis from the American Immigration Council explains the new ban, the Trump administration’s reasoning behind it, which countries are affected, and its potential ramifications.
Learn more: Analysis of Trump's New Travel Ban [[link removed]]
ACROSS THE NATION
Last week, a federal judge in Texas blocked the Texas Dream Act, a law that has given certain undocumented college students access to in-state tuition since 2001.
The order came just hours after the Trump administration sued to block the tuition policy. Rather than fighting it, Texas agreed to settle the litigation by terminating the policy.
The latest development comes just days after the 89th Texas Legislature failed to repeal the law, despite nine separate bills filed this session seeking to do so.
Without the Dream Act, students who are undocumented now face significantly higher educational costs. This limits their access to higher education and affects their future opportunities, which will impact economic growth and prosperity for all Texans.
This Immigration Impact post explores the long-term benefits the Texas Dream Act has had on its recipients.
Read more: In-State Tuition Policies for Undocumented Students Change Lives. I Should Know—Mine Changed for the Better [[link removed]]
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“President Trump’s decision to reimpose and expand the blanket and discriminatory nationality-based travel bans of his first term will have massive costs for all Americans. These travel bans do nothing to make us safer or more prosperous: they harm our economy and indiscriminately punish immigrants who otherwise qualify to come to the United States legally."
– Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council, for USA Today [[link removed]]
FURTHER READING
U.S. News and World Report: ‘Horrifying’: Immigration Advocates Slam Trump’s Travel Ban [[link removed]]
Washington Post: Migrants criminally charged after failing to register with U.S. government [[link removed]]
Talking Points Memo: This Russian Dissident Won Political Asylum. ICE Refuses To Release Him. [[link removed]]
[LISTEN] Crooked Media: Migrants’ Legal Limbo [[link removed]]
Wired: ICE Quietly Scales Back Rules for Courthouse Raids [[link removed]]
New York Times: Trump Pushes to Restrict Harvard’s International Students From Entering U.S. [[link removed]]
Slate: Republicans Talk a Big Game About Shrinking Government. But Their Bill Massively Increases Spending on One Thing. [[link removed]]
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
Give $10 [[link removed]] Give $25 [[link removed]]
Give $50 [[link removed]] Give $100 [[link removed]]
Give $250 [[link removed]] Other Amount [[link removed]]
Blog [[link removed]] | www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org [[link removed]] | unsubscribe: [link removed]
1331 G St. NW, Suite 200, Washington, D.C., xxxxxx