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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
- Collecting DNA From Asylum Seekers at the Border Raises Privacy Concerns
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is collecting DNA from asylum seekers at the border as part of a program initiated under the Trump administration that targets nearly all immigrants in government custody. A growing number of noncitizens are being subjected to this invasive collection of sensitive personal information with little knowledge or understanding of how their information will be used or stored by the federal government. Read More »
- DHS Issues New Guidance for Government Attorneys in Immigration Court Proceedings
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) issued a new memorandum that provides guidance on how its attorneys can and should exercise prosecutorial discretion. The new memo elaborates on ways government attorneys can implement the February 18 interim guidance, and when government attorneys should consider moving on their own to have a case dismissed or administratively closed. Read More »
- Supreme Court Denies TPS Holders a Chance at Permanent Status
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court ruled this week that people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) who entered the United States unlawfully are ineligible to obtain a green card in most cases. The decision has a devastating effect on thousands of long-time TPS holders who are now left without the possibility of ever obtaining permanent status in the United States. Read More »
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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On June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a critical initiative that has offered deportation protection and work authorization to hundreds of thousands of young people who arrived in the United States as children. Nearly nine years later— and despite an overwhelming support to allow undocumented immigrants brought here as children to continue to live and work in the United States— Dreamers have not been granted a permanent solution to remain in the United States.
This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council provides an overview of the most recent version of the Dream Act and similar legislative proposal.
Read more: The Dream Act: An Overview
ACROSS THE NATION
- The Biden administration announced this week plans to initiate new asylum processing through an interim final rule, which would deprive the public of an opportunity for notice and comment. The plans raises concerns about vital due process protections.
The American Immigration Council, along with a coalition of organizations that provide pro bono legal representation, assistance, and advocacy for individuals seeking asylum in the United States, urged Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas to provide the public the requisite notice and comment period instead of implementing changes through an interim final rule.
Read more: Coalition Letter Expresses Concerns About Proposed Expedited Asylum Process
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“In fact, we know that detention of asylum seekers isn't necessary. Research from the American Immigration Council indicates most immigrants who are released show up for their hearings without being detained. Adults and families should be allowed to shelter in place in their new American communities while unaccompanied minors should enter Health and Human Services custody until being released to their US-based sponsors. The administration has indicated it is serious about taking on the prison-industrial complex, and immigration detention is a good place to start.”
– Michael Breen, president and CEO of Human Rights First, and Michele Heisler, medical director of Physicians for Human Rights in an opinion piece on CNN, "Biden's continuation of this cruel Trump policy is an outrage."
FURTHER READING
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