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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
- How Many ICE-Related COVID-19 Deaths Have Gone Unreported?
After two years in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, Martin Vargas Arellano was released to a hospital on March 5. ICE did not notify his family or attorney. Three days later, he died from complications of COVID-19. His death leads to questions about how many people have died soon after release from detention. Read More »
- Biden Begins to Restore Temporary Protected Status. Which Countries Could Get TPS Next?
By the end of the Trump presidency, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was all but destroyed. The former administration had attempted to end crucial protections for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who benefited from the status. Read More »
- What’s Not Being Said About the Border
The current situation at the U.S.-Mexico border—including the rise in children in government custody—has captured the nation’s attention in recent weeks. Much of the conversation has focused on a supposed “surge” in arrivals under the Biden administration, but the current increase began well before President Biden took office. Read More »
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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The Biden administration announced this week that Vice President Harris will oversee federal efforts to address migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, including a rise in unaccompanied children and family arrivals.
The vice president’s job may be complicated further by practices that expanded throughout the Trump administration. This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council explains two of the practices that continue to impact the situation at the border today.
Read more: Metering and Asylum Turnbacks
ACROSS THE NATION
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is required to adjudicate initial work permit applications for asylum seekers within 30 days. But USCIS often fails to comply within the time frame—and asylum seekers wait for months without notice. As a result, already vulnerable people are left without a means to support themselves and their families.
The American Immigration Council filed a motion on behalf of asylum seekers this week that asks the court to find USCIS in contempt of the 30-day order.
Read more: Employment Authorization Documents Adjudication Delays
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Children seeking our protection are not a security crisis, but they do present a logistical challenge to ensure they don’t become stuck in appalling conditions in Border Patrol custody. Thankfully, the Biden administration appears to be working night and day to solve that challenge.
“At the same time, we must not forget that seeking asylum is legal and turning families away is not. But most importantly, we must remember that we’ve been here before. The last seven years have shown us that deterrence doesn’t work, and the only way forward is to actually fix the humanitarian protection systems which the previous administration left in tatters.”
– Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel at the American Immigration Council
FURTHER READING
SAVE THE DATE
- Join the 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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