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AGING OUT — On Thursday, the House passed the bipartisan America’s CHILDREN Act. Introduced by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), Deborah Ross (D-North Carolina), Young Kim (R-California), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois), the bill would protect Documented Dreamers — dependents of long-term non-immigrant visa holders — from aging out of legal status and having to self-deport. The Migration Policy Institute estimates that 190,000 kids and young adults currently have no path to legal status once they turn 21, NBC’s Sakshi Venkatraman reports. "We've lived here all of our lives," said Dip Patel, founder of Improve the Dream. "For me personally, [the legislation is] really exciting … I’ve had something that’s never made sense growing up. It’s an idea that I’ve always had: Why don’t they just create this? It’s great to see." BORDER — As both a farmer in Iowa and Christian missionary in Guatemala, Marianne Abel-Lipschutz listened to people in both places describe their "quest for the border" — and ultimately felt called to serve there. For Comment, she shares her experiences as a bilingual chaplain in Del Rio, Texas. "[D]ivine intervention can bring justice to the Rio Grande: not because of new legislation or a cultural awakening but because, over time and one by one, God changes people’s hearts," she writes. "God is always inviting us to cross the borders of our own imaginations into a gloriously better day." Of course, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has a slightly different take, claiming migrants are driving a dramatic increase in violence in the Rio Grande Valley. But as Police Chief Andy Harvey of Pharr, Texas, told CBS4 News, "we haven’t seen an increase in crime. In fact, we’ve seen decreases in crime." ICE LAWSUIT — The ACLU sued the Biden administration Wednesday "seeking to block the transfer of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees at a New Jersey jail," reports Harper Neidig of The Hill. Attempting to "prevent detainees from being transferred to remote locations across the country away from their families and attorneys," this is the first legal challenge against this administration’s immigration policy, notes Neidig. The ACLU points out that transferring ICE detainees long distances disrupts their legal right to counsel for court proceedings. "True to form, we will sue any administration — Democrat or Republican — and hold them accountable when they take positions that violate civil liberties and civil rights," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero.
REUNIFICATION UPDATE — According to a federal court filing Wednesday, parents of 368 migrant children separated at the U.S.-Mexico border under Trump’s "zero tolerance" policy have yet to be located, Priscilla Alvarez reports for CNN. The number is down from 391 last month, with the Biden administration’s family reunification task force continuing to engage with families. "We chose intentionally to start slow, so we can go fast later," a senior DHS official said of the reunification process. "We need to make sure that families have a place to go when they get here." SUMMER GAP — Hoping for a summer business boom, employers in tourist areas say travel restrictions, closed consulates, and a limited number of H-2B seasonal visas for immigrant workers are making it more challenging to resume operations as normal, Rebecca Rainey reports for Politico Pro [paywall]. "There simply are not enough workers to fill those slots," said Lynn Minges, president and CEO of the North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, who estimated the state’s hospitality industry has about 70,000 openings. A bipartisan group of House members introduced a bill in June to reform the H-2B program, but legislation still needs to move in the Senate. As Loews Corp. executive Andrew Tisch writes in an op-ed for Forbes, the case for immigration reform is one of both heart strings and purse strings. Thanks for reading, Ali |
