Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• Immigration Detention and Enforcement Are a Mixed Bag in Biden’s First Year
  
  Though 2021 saw steps away from some of Trump’s most egregious policies, the implementation of the Biden administration’s new priorities has varied across the country. The number of people in immigration detention increased significantly and disturbing trends also continued in the use of private prisons for immigration detention. Read More »
   
• New Memo to Immigration Judges Reaffirms Availability of Administrative Closure
  
  The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued a memorandum last month providing guidance to immigration judges about administrative closure—a critical tool for docket management and addressing an ever-growing immigration court backlog. Read More »
   
• Collaboration Between the FBI and CBP Led to Increased Surviellance of Arab and Muslim Immigrants
  
  Collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has led to increased surveillance of Arab and Muslim immigrants, particularly at our borders. This is not necessarily tied to whether someone is considered a potential national security threat—but whether a person exercises their right to decline to act as an informant for the FBI. Read More »
   
• Biden’s Border Ambitions Fall Short in a Year of Setbacks and Continued Focus on Deterrence
  
  President Biden took office committing to unwind Trump’s border policies and go in a new direction—to reunite families, restore access to asylum, and reverse “policies enacted over the last 4 years that contravened our values and caused needless human suffering.” Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• Every year, Congress is required to consider 12 separate bills to fund the federal government, which have an enormous impact on immigration and immigration enforcement. However, despite the significance of these bills for immigration policy, the “appropriations process” is opaque and unclear to the general public. 

  This new fact sheet from the American Immigration Council explains the basics of the federal government funding process, also known as appropriations, and show how it affects the world of immigration and immigration enforcement.  

  Read more: An Overview of the Government Funding Process: Appropriations

 ACROSS THE NATION  

• The American Immigration Council, along with 242 organizations, condemned the Biden administration’s decision to expand the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP)—in tandem with Title 42— to turn away families and individuals who are seeking safety in the United States.  

  In a letter to members of the executive branch, the organizations urged the administration to terminate these harmful, illegal policies and ensure that people fleeing persecution and torture can request asylum and other protections at the U.S. border, including at ports of entry. 

  Read more: Coalition Call on Biden Administration to End MPP and Title 42

 MAKE A YEAR-END GIFT 

With your support, the American Immigration Council can help build a stronger country for all.

 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

The Biden administration ended negotiations to establish a framework to settle multiple lawsuits brought by parents and children torn apart by the Trump Administration’s family separation policy. The families seek accountability and compensation for the United States government’s intentional infliction of trauma. 

“The Biden administration has chosen to defend in court the cruel treatment and trauma intentionally inflected on separated families by the U.S. government. We should make a call to our conscience and reflect on what it would feel to not know where your kids were, whether they were safe, what they were eating, who was caring for them, and whether and when you would ever see them again. We are committed to doing everything we can to bring these families justice—while those families grapple with the long-lasting trauma and repercussions of this shameful policy.” 

– Kate Melloy Goettel, director of litigation at the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• The Hill: Court rejects latest effort to end Trump-era 'Remain in Mexico' policy 
   

• ABC News: Appeals court rules against Biden administration, 'remain in Mexico' policy to stay in place
   

• Forbes: Strike 3 for Democrats In The Senate Hopes Dim For Immigration Reform
   

• Psychiatric Times: Psychiatrists Call for End to Cruel and Harmful Immigration Policy

         

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