Your weekly summary from the Council

 LATEST ANALYSIS 

• The Dignity Act Could Signal Increasing Support for Immigration Reform on Capitol Hill
  
  Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a freshman Republican from Florida, introduced an immigration reform bill that she calls “the Dignity Act.” Salazar claims the bill will both halt undocumented immigration and provide a “dignified solution” to the legal status of undocumented immigrants already living in the U.S. But the Dignity Act would require significant modifications to achieve Salazar’s stated objectives. Read More »
   
• The Board of Immigration Appeals Will Now Provide the Public with Access to Its Unpublished Decisions
  
  As a result of a recent settlement in a lawsuit, the Board of Immigration Appeals has agreed to post unpublished decisions in a virtual reading room available on its website. This settlement could give immigrants and attorneys needed insight into how the BIA might rule on their cases. Read More »
   
• COVID-19 Rates in ICE Detention Are at Record Highs. Advocates Are Demanding an Investigation.
  
  The Omicron variant has spread through immigration detention like wildfire, with a record 14% of people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody testing positive for COVID-19 as of February 1, 2022. That day, over 3,000 people in ICE custody had active cases, a 1,000% increase from one month prior. Read More »

 FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW  

• Lawmakers and advocates called on the Biden administration to address the inhumane treatment Black immigrants face within the U.S. immigration system this week. The group pointed to the recent treatment of Haitians as a prime example of how Black immigrants encounter disparities at every point in the immigration enforcement process. 
  
  This special report from the American Immigration Council examines how a culture of racism within the U.S. immigration system—and the Border Patrol in particular—has harmed Black and brown immigrants from the agency’s founding. 
  
  Read more: The Legacy of Racism Within the U.S. Border Patrol

 ACROSS THE NATION  

• The American Immigration Council and our partners filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and its oversight bodies on behalf of detained people at an ICE facility in Aurora, Colorado.
  
  The complaint describes ICE’s failure to protect people’s health and provide cleaning supplies, sufficient COVID-19 testing, masks, vaccine administration, and access to crucial services during quarantining and medical isolation.
  
  The groups call for the release of those detained to both protect them and the people in surrounding communities from COVID-19.

  Read more: Council Files Complaint Against ICE for Medical Neglect of People Sick With COVID-19 in Colorado Facility
   

• The American Immigration Council joined a coalition of over 200 organizations calling for DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to create a designated parole program for at-risk Afghans. 
  
  The groups ask the Biden administration to act now, given threats of violence from the Taliban and the humanitarian and economic crises that have followed the August 2021 withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan.
  
  Read more: Coalition Calls on Biden Administration to Create Afghan Parole Program

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 QUOTE OF THE WEEK 

President Biden pledged to close for-profit immigration detention centers when he took office. The Biden administration plans to do so by increasing the use of “alternative-to-detention” (ATD) technology, like ankle monitors and tracking apps. 

But B.I. Incorporated—the only company currently providing ATD technology and services to the government—is run by GEO Group, the largest for-profit detention provider in the United States. Advocates warn against relying on GEO Group to run an ATD program.

“If the government wants to have some sort of program that limits people's liberty, it's the government's responsibility to actually operate that program and take on the accountability of doing so.” 

–  Jorge Loweree, policy director of the American Immigration Council

 FURTHER READING 

• MSNBC: Lawmakers urge Biden to review disparate treatment of Black migrants
   

• The Hill: Refugees in the US can't retain employment for long: study says 
   

• KPBS: San Diego County’s immigrant defense program could exclude thousands facing deportation
   

• Tampa Bay Times: How new White House policies will help Florida entrepreneurs

         

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