Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• New ICE Enforcement Priorities Represent an Important Shift, But More Change Is Needed
  
  For years, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken a harsh, punitive approach that has ripped families and communities apart. ICE’s new enforcement priorities hopefully signal an important turn from the hate-driven enforcement of previous administrations. Read More »
   
• In a Win for Transparency, Court Orders Board of Immigration Appeals to Make Immigration Court Decisions Public
  
  The Second Circuit pointed out that the Board of Immigration Appeals issues more than 30,000 unpublished decisions each year. Government attorneys, immigration judges, and even the BIA itself refer to these decisions even though they aren’t publicly available. Read More »
   
• DHS Strikes Down Trump Deal with ICE Union, Paving the Way for Biden’s Changes to Immigration Enforcement
  
  Just days before it was due to take effect, the Biden administration struck down a last-minute deal made between the Trump administration and the union for ICE. The agreement would have given ICE’s union the authority to veto President Biden’s immigration enforcement policies. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• The Trump administration failed to have meaningful immigration enforcement priorities, making all immigrants a target. This fact sheet provides an overview of how ICE has exercised discretion in the past and the human cost of blind enforcement.
  
  Read more: The End of Immigration Enforcement Priorities Under the Trump Administration
   
• Members of Congress introduced President Biden’s ambitious immigration bill this week, potentially setting the stage for much-needed immigration reform. 
  
  The U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021 includes an eight-year pathway to citizenship for most of the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the country. This bill is crucial for millions of people who have no way to apply for legal status.
  
  Read more: Why Don’t Immigrants Apply for Citizenship? There Is No Line for Many Unauthorized Immigrants

 ACROSS THE NATION 

• Why has immigration become such a hot button issue, where it seems there is little room for compromise?
  
  A new report by the American Immigration Council’s Center for Inclusion and Belonging and Over Zero gets at the heart of this question. It moves beyond the limitations of traditional polling to explain how immigration went from a mundane policy issue to the contentious topic it is today.
  
  Read more: What Immigration Issues Do Americans Hold Sacred? A Psychological Journey into American Attitudes Towards Immigrants

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“The President's proposal for immigration reform is a starting point for negotiations but it begins from a position of strength, as opposed to proposals that we've seen in prior years that condition legalization on massive increases to immigration enforcement, massive increases to personnel, and additional bars to legalization based on criminal conduct. This is a meaningful rethinking.”

– Jorge Loweree, policy director at the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• The Washington Post: Biden is still blocking people like me, with visas, from entering the US
   

• CNN: Biden administration rolls out new rules placing stricter enforcement parameters on ICE
   

• The Hill: Biden immigration bill reveals hardened battle lines in post-Trump era

 SAVE THE DATE  

• Join the American Immigration Council on May 6, 2021 for an exciting, free virtual evening where we will celebrate storytelling and its power to inspire change.

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