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FAST-TRACKED CASES — Per new data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, more than 11,000 asylum seekers were added to an expedited federal immigration court process in August, reports Sandra Sanchez for Border Report. This brings the total number of cases to nearly 17,000. Dubbed the Dedicated Docket, it is designed to process cases under 300 days. Among those who qualify are "[f]amilies apprehended between legal U.S. ports of entry and placed in removal proceedings and approved for alternatives to detention," notes Sanchez. The data also reveal that six immigration judges have a total of two-thirds of these cases. "So, it does raise questions about how those immigration judges are going to be able to manage that high volume of cases," said TRAC researcher Austin Kocher. ILLINOIS FARMWORKERS — According to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, farming generates $19 billion annually in the state. Yet farmers say they are struggling to find local workers. In a feature for The Counter, Amanda Pérez Pintado of Investigate Midwest/Report for America dives deep into how Illinois farmers are calling on Congress to pass the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act — which would change the agricultural work visa process and offer undocumented farmworkers a way to earn citizenship. Linnea Kooistra, whose roots in farming go back ten generations, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in July: "Do we want our food produced in this country where we have the safest food supply in the world? The ag labor crisis on our farms is an issue of national security that must be addressed, and it must be addressed now."
RECONCILIATION — A reconciliation bill that would include immigration measures advanced in the House on a 25-19 party line vote Monday, reports Rafael Bernal of The Hill. "The Democratic proposal ... would allow its beneficiaries to apply for permanent residency, provided they pass background checks, pay $1,500 on top of any other statutory fees to receive a green card and fulfill certain presence requirements, depending on their current status," Bernal reports. The big question remains whether the Senate parliamentarian will allow key immigration provisions to proceed. VENEZUELANS — In a new poll by a coalition of bipartisan groups, almost half of all Venezuelan Americans in Florida said they would no longer support Republican Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott "if they oppose granting permanent legal status to Venezuelan Americans who currently have temporary protected status, or TPS," reports NBC News’ Carmen Sesin. "Including immigration [in specific bills] is so relevant for an economic recovery and for the growth of the country," said Maria Antonieta Díaz, founder of the Venezuelan American Alliance. "Immigration is a topic that unites us despite any partisan sympathy." Many of the more than 300,000 Venezuelans estimated to qualify for TPS live in Florida, home to the most Venezuelans of any state, notes Sesin. VACCINATIONS — The U.S. will require most new immigrants to get the COVID-19 vaccine "as part of its routine medical examination" beginning Oct. 1, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced Tuesday, per Bryan Pietsch of The Washington Post. Most applicants for U.S. permanent residency are required to receive the immigration medical exam "to show they are free from any conditions that would render them inadmissible under the health-related grounds." Other vaccinations already are required for applicants, including against measles, polio, influenza, and tetanus. Thanks for reading, |
