Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• Government Watchdog Finds Hundreds of Parents Separated by Trump Never Given Opportunity to Reunify
  
  The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) recently found that the Trump administration deported as many as 348 parents that had been separated from their children without ever giving them an opportunity to reunify. Read More »
   
• Lawsuits Challenge Change to H-1B Lottery Selection That Would Hurt Small Businesses, Start-ups
  
  Businesses and industry organizations are among those pushing back against a rule that would change eligibility for filing an H-1B petition. The new rule would require the H-1B lottery selection to be conducted by salary level. Read More »
   
• Haitian Nationals Win a Reprieve in the Form of TPS
  
  The Biden administration announced that eligible Haitians currently living in the United States can once again apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Those individuals who qualify for TPS can live and work in the United States for a period of 18 months. Read More »
   
• ICE Spread COVID-19 Across the Country, Not Just in Immigration Detention Centers
  
  With the number of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody increasing, DHS still has no plan to widely vaccinate people in detention. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas testified in front of the House and Senate this week to lay out President Biden's proposed budget on border infrastructure, visa backlogs, and immigration enforcement. 
  
  The United States spends more on immigration enforcement than all other federal law enforcement combined, with billions going toward immigration detention annually. 
  
  This special report from the American Immigration Council gives recommendations on how that funding could be better spent, including on alternatives to detention. 

  Read more: Tracking the Biden Agenda on Immigration Enforcement

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

“The Biden administration’s budget request seeking to largely maintain Trump-era funding levels for immigration enforcement— including immigration detention— is deeply disappointing and a missed opportunity for meaningful change. The president’s first budget represented a unique opportunity to set immigration enforcement in the United States on a new path that is efficient but also reduces the harm to immigrants, families, and our communities.

“The government’s own data confirms that immigration detention is unnecessary, and that far less harmful means exist to help ensure that immigrants attend their hearings in immigration court. Congress can and must consider reducing funding for detention and instead investing in appointed counsel and community-based support services for immigrants navigating our immigration system.”

– Jorge Loweree, director of policy with the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• The Marshall Project: Strict Border Enforcement Policies Put Migrants in Harm’s Way. Title 42 Is No Exception
   

• The Associated Press: US to expedite immigration cases of families on border
   

• The Hill: : Trump visa restrictions live on under COVID-19 backlog

 SAVE THE DATE  

• Are you an Immigration Lawyer? Don't miss the American Immigration Lawyers Association's Annual Conference June 9-12.

Learn more here about the AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law

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