Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• Biden’s Commitment to Refugees in Question After Flip-Flopping on Admissions Cap
  
  President Biden signed a new refugee determination keeping in place Trump’s 15,000 cap on refugees for the rest of the fiscal year, the lowest level in the history of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. Read More »
   
• Border Patrol’s New Coordinators Are Meant to Help Process Children, But Concerns Linger
  
  A record number of migrant children are arriving to the U.S.-Mexico border alone. In March 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) encountered nearly 19,000 unaccompanied minors—the most to ever arrive in a single month. But for the first time, Border Patrol processing coordinators—not law enforcement agents—will be stationed at CBP facilities to help care for the children. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• The hesitancy to welcome families fleeing warzones and religious persecution leaves hundreds of refugees stranded in camps around the world. It also breaks with the president’s promise to restore America’s reputation as a beacon of hope for those seeking protection.

  This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council explains explains how the U.S. refugee program works.

  Read more: An Overview of U.S. Refugee Law and Policy

 ACROSS THE NATION 

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains hundreds of thousands of people each year across hundreds of jails and jail-like facilities. Increasingly, individuals in ICE detention are Black or come from majority-Black countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

  The American Immigration Council and Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI) are filing Freedom of Information Act requests for records about the conditions, treatment, and outcomes in eight facilities throughout the U.S. South. The information requested will help the public understand what happens inside detention facilities and how Black immigrants are treated by ICE in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. 

  Read more: Scrutinizing the Treatment and Conditions Black Immigrants Face in Detention

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“We have to look at the arrival of families and unaccompanied children always with the lens of who we are talking about. We're talking about children fleeing persecution and harm in their home countries, and we're talking about families who only want to come here to ensure that they are safe, and that the lives of their children are safe and secure.

"We are a nation of immigrants, and that means opening our arms to those fleeing harm.”

– Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy counsel at the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• Reuters: Biden seeks funding to probe white supremacist beliefs at immigration agencies
   
• The Immigration Conversation Podcast (LISTEN): Belonging Begins With Us: A Conversation with Wendy Feliz
   
• Arizona Public Media (NPR): New border apprehension numbers need context, advocates say

 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

  JOIN OUR RECURRING DONON PROGRAM 

• Become a Council Catalyst today and join us as we create a more fair, just, and welcoming immigration system.
  
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