Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration
  
  The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals stayed a decision that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute remain the purview of the executive branch, in this case U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Read More »
   
• Fear of Another 9/11 Continues to Drive US Immigration Policy 20 Years Later
  
  The September 11th terrorist attacks not only led to the tragic deaths of 2,977 people, but they also fundamentally changed the nature of immigration law and policy in the United States. Since 9/11, non-U.S. citizens seeking to enter the country are all evaluated first and foremost through the lens of national security. Read More »
   
• The House Offers First Glimpse at Legalization for Millions of Immigrants Through Reconciliation
  
  House Democrats began to mark up a budget reconciliation bill that would provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although it will likely go through multiple changes before a final vote, the text provides an important marker for understanding who might benefit from a path to legal status under the bill. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• The U.S. House and Senate approved $100 billion that would—through a process known as budget reconciliation—create a new pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living in the United States. Now, Congress debates the legislative text that will dictate who may qualify for this path to legal status. 

  This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council highlights legislative proposals through which undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. at a young age, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, and Temporary Protected Status holders could earn legal status. 

  Read more: The Dream Act and H.R.6 

 ACROSS THE NATION 

• The American Immigration Council and partners secured a preliminary proposed settlement agreement on a nationwide class action lawsuit challenging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) pattern and practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analyst positions filed by U.S. businesses. 

  The federal district court in the Northern District of California scheduled a fairness hearing for October 19, 2021. Class members have until October 4 to file objections to the proposed settlement agreement. 

  We challenged this practice in MadKudu Inc., et al. v. USCIS, et al., along with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, and the law firms Joseph & Hall, P.C., Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC, and Van Der Hout, LLP. 

  Read more: USCIS’ Unlawful Denial of H-1B Petitions Spurs Class Action Lawsuit

 MAKE A CONTRIBUTION 

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

Several court rulings have ordered the Biden administration to reinstate Trump's 'Remain in Mexico' policy “in good faith."

“The question of what happens now turns on what does good faith mean? The federal government doesn't only have a binary choice to detain every person at the southern border or expel them to Mexico—there are other options they have under law.

“They [Biden administration] frankly should consider issuing a very lengthy, 100-page-plus memo going through every detail they possibly can about the program, the reasons for rescinding it, and the problems they see with it to call Judge Kacsmaryk’s bluff.”

– Jorge Loweree, policy director for the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• Times of India: Market research analysts will qualify for H-1B visas
   

• Arizona Public Media: 'Dreamers' wait as Congressional Democrats push for an immigration reform measure
   

• Inside Philanthropy: For Immigrants, Legal Services Are Critical. Here’s How Philanthropy Can Expand Access
   

• The Arizona Republic: Del Rio, Texas, is a crisis and a warning about our 'America First' mentality

         

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