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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
- On World Refugee Day, A Call to Rebuild U.S. Refugee Resettlement
World Refugee Day is celebrated internationally on June 20 every year. This year’s World Refugee Day brings hope that the United States will reassert itself as a humanitarian leader under the Biden administration. But it also serves as a reminder – more actions are needed to undo the damage of the Trump-era and rebuild the capacity of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Read More »
- Biden Will Use Border Wall Funding for Safety and Environmental Protections
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on June 11 its plan for funds the Trump administration had planned to use to construct a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border. Unspent funds will address safety and environmental issues, while funds diverted from the Department of Defense will be returned for their original purposes. Read More »
- Attorney General Rescinds Two Trump Decisions, Restoring Protection to Many Asylum Seekers
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced on June 16 that he is restoring a vital lifeline to survivors of gender-based violence, gang violence, and violence on account of family relationships. Garland issued two decisions overruling Trump-era Attorneys General Jeff Sessions and William Barr’s rulings disqualify many such individuals from asylum in the United States. Read More »
- Biden Signals Big Changes to Legal Immigration and Asylum Law with Spring Regulatory Agenda
Twice each year, the federal government publishes a “regulatory agenda,” a preview of all the proposals that are in the pipeline to become federal regulations. Last week, the Biden administration used the 2021 Spring Regulatory Agenda to indicate the many ways that it intends to move away from the Trump era, in everything from legal immigration to asylum and the border. Read More »
- DACA Has Allowed Me to Pursue Education, But We Need A Permanent Solution Now
Hali Calzadillas-Andujo, originally from Chihuahua, Mexico, came to the United States with her mother and siblings when she was eight years old. She didn’t know what that transition meant, except that she was rejoining with her father. Now a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient, she calls Santa Fe, New Mexico her home. Read More »
- The Supreme Court Limits the Crimes That Can Lead to Near-Automatic Deportation
The Supreme Court issued a decision last Thursday in a criminal case that will have an immediate impact on immigration law. The new decision set a limit on the types of crime that can be considered an “aggravated felony” ground for deportation. Read More »
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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The Biden administration announced this week that it is expanding the Central American Minors (CAM) Parole Program, which allows certain at-risk children in Central America to enter the United States and be reunited with their legally residing parents. The Trump administration terminated the program in 2017.
With CAM program reinstated and expanded, the Biden administration estimates some 100,000 parents may soon be able to petition for and reunite with their children.
This special report from the American Immigration Council explains the origins of the rise in Central American refugees, including the increase in children over the years.
Read more: Understanding the Central American Refugee Crisis
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“In Rescinding these cruel decisions is the first critical step to returning to our humanitarian obligations. We urge the Biden administration to adopt rules that reflect the purpose of our asylum laws—to protect refugees fleeing persecution.
“Amid four years of harmful, discriminatory, and racist asylum policies, Matter of A-B- and L-E-A- were among the most egregious policies in terms of their harmful impact. The Trump administration’s attempt to curtail asylum claims based on gender-based violence, gang violence, and family membership reflected the administration’s focus on demonizing Central American asylum seekers and shutting our nation’s doors to those in need of protection.”
– Michael Kate Melloy Goettel, legal director of litigation at the American Immigration Council
FURTHER READING
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