Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• USCIS Begins to Reverse Course on H-1B Petitions
  
  Employers and workers are starting to see a shift from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on unlawful restrictions of the H-1B specialty occupation visa category. Read More »
   
• The Environmental and Cultural Risks of Resuming Border Wall Construction
  
  President Biden’s pause on border wall construction expired on March 20, without an indication of what will happen next. Any future construction would compound the damage that has already been done across multiple administrations. Read More »
   
• The House Passes Historic Dream and Promise Act and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act
  
  The bills will soon make their way to the Senate with real bipartisan momentum. If passed, millions of immigrants living in the United States may soon be eligible for permanent status, including young undocumented immigrants and farmworkers. Read More »
   
• Why We Must Improve Immigration Agency Transparency – And How to Do It
  
  Immigration enforcement agencies—such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—have expanded their mission to track and record noncitizens and U.S. citizens alike. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• The Biden administration sent the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the U.S.-Mexico border this week to assist with removing unaccompanied children from CBP custody and placing them with sponsors.
  
  Removing children from government custody is not only important for their welfare, but also improves their chances of successfully navigating the immigration court system. Migrants—even children who arrive to the U.S. alone—are not given guaranteed access to an attorney in immigration court.
  
  This policy brief from the American Immigration Council explains why all immigrants, including children, must be given access to guaranteed legal representation. 
  
  Read more: The Biden Administration and Congress Must Guarantee Legal Representation for People Facing Removal

 ACROSS THE NATION 

• The Dream and Promise Act passed in the House of Representatives this week. If it becomes law, it will provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for Dreamers as well as hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders with longstanding ties to the country. 
  
  This fact sheet discusses what TPS is and who currently benefits from it. 
  
  Read more: Temporary Protected Status: An Overview

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“At a historic moment where immigration detention levels are at their lowest in a generation, now is the time to act to rein in a system of detention built on a disproven myth that immigrants fail to appear in court.”

– U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar in letter urging executive action on ICE detention cites American Immigration Council special report on in absentia removals and court appearances

 FURTHER READING 

• The Intercept: Biden's Justice Department Is Defending a Trump Rule That Restricts Options for Immigration Relief 
   

• The Hill: Biden struggles to unravel web of Trump immigration rules
   

• CNN: Fact-checking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas' claims about the border situation

 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.

Register for the 2021 American Heritage Awards

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