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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
- Why USCIS’ New Mission Statement Is So Crucial
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) unveiled a new mission statement this week, signaling an important shift in how the agency wants to tell its story and shape its priorities ahead. Read More »
- Federal Court Restores Access to Work Permits for Many Asylum Seekers
A federal court issued a decision on February 7 invalidating two Trump-era regulations that restricted access to work permits for asylum seekers. In her decision, Judge Beryl Howell of the District Court for the District of Columbia found that Chad Wolf had not been lawfully serving as Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) when it issued the two regulations, so the regulations were void from the start. Read More »
- Corrupt US Employers and Smugglers Are Exploiting Migrant Teens for Profit
A skyrocketing number of migrant teens from Central America are finding their way into the undocumented workforce of the United States. They are doing rigorous, grueling work often meant for adults, like operating heavy machinery in food processing plants. Exploitation by unscrupulous employers and a lack of follow-up by U.S. authorities mean many get trapped in this vast network of under-the-table labor. Read More »
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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The pandemic has seen demand for doctors, nurses, and other critical healthcare workers soar across the country, leading to workforce shortages. 2.8 million immigrant healthcare workers continue to play a vital role in the fight against Covid-19.
In a Congressional hearing on Thursday, members of congress examined the health care workforce shortage and heard from public health professionals about the need for recruiting, revitalizing and diversifying the labor force in this industry.
This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council provides an overview of the importance of immigrants to the U.S. healthcare workforce.
Read more: Immigrant Healthcare Workers Are Critical in the Fight Against Covid-19
ACROSS THE NATION
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The American Immigration Council joined seven other organizations in calling for a formal review into the implementation of President Biden’s Executive Order against private prisons. Under the order, certain contracts with privately operated criminal detention facilities will be phased out in recognition of the dangers presented by the profit-based incentives of mass incarceration.
In a letter to the Department of Justice and DHS’s Offices of the Inspectors General the organizations raised concerns about contracting work arounds. The letter also criticizes the exclusion of DHS contracts from the order and asks that DHS be required to provide more information on its contracts to the public.
Read more: Coalition Ask Inspectors General to Review Implementation of Biden Executive Order Against Private Prisons
MAKE A CONTRIBUTION
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We welcome USCIS’ new mission statement as an indication of what’s to come to ensure that the United States lives up to its aspirations and responsibility to efficiently adjudicate immigration benefits and treat its customers with dignity and respect. This new declaration of their values is a reminder that USCIS doesn’t just administer our immigration system— it transforms lives and helps us build a stronger nation that benefits all.”
– Jeremy Robbins, executive director of the American Immigration Council
FURTHER READING
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