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Your weekly summary from the Council
LATEST ANALYSIS
After a lengthy fight over the Speaker of the House resolved, the new majority wasted no time in holding multiple hearings on the current situation at the southern border. Unfortunately, the hearings, held in the Judiciary and the Oversight Committees, focused more on pursuing partisan narratives than on understanding and working to address the complex issues occurring at the border. Read More »
Nearly 600,000 migrants who crossed into the United States and were released at the border since March 2021 were not given a “Notice to Appear” when they entered. This has left them without court dates, which could make it harder for them to navigate the complicated asylum process. Read More »
Nearly 1,000 children separated from their families at the southern border by the Trump administration remain separated to this day, according to a Biden administration fact sheet released on February 2. The DHS fact sheet marks two years since President Biden’s creation of the Interagency Task Force on Reunification of Families and shows that the devastating effects of the Trump administration’s family separation policy are far from over. Read More »
FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
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This week, President Biden held the annual State of the Union address. He encouraged Congress to do the hard work of reforming our immigration system and creating a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, TPS holders, and farmworkers. We join the president in this urgent call to action to Congress.
Read More: Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021
Read More: Dream Act Overview (2021 Fact Sheet)
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Last week, the Biden administration announced that it will let the COVID-19 national and public health emergency expire on May 11. It also noted that Title 42—the public health policy that has allowed the U.S. government to expel asylum seekers at the border—would automatically terminate with the end of the public health emergency.
Dueling court orders, political pressure, and an upcoming case before the Supreme Court regarding Title 42 has left much up in the air. But one thing is clear; the current Title 42 order in effect today says by its own terms that it will expire when the public health emergency ends. Despite this, the states suing to keep Title 42 in effect have indicated that they will take legal action to seek to prevent that from happening. The convoluted behind-the-scenes shows just how COVID-19 and Title 42 have complicated the U.S. immigration system.
This fact sheet from the American Immigration Council provides a comprehensive overview of the impact of COVID-19 across the immigration system in the United States.
Read More: The Impact of COVID-19 on Noncitizens and Across the U.S. Immigration System
ACROSS THE NATION
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Immigration records—known as A-Files—contain vital pieces of information on people’s interactions with the Department of Homeland Security. The records keep track of previous entries in the United States, removal orders, statements made to immigration officials, and past applications for immigration benefits.
Having easy access to these records is critical for moving forward with any immigration case. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recently changed how to request A-Files.
This updated practice advisory from the American Immigration Council and our partners explains how to submit a Freedom of Information Act request for these records and provides suggestions for avoiding USCIS rejections of the requests.
Read more: Nightingale v. USCIS and FOIA Requests for Immigration Case Files (A-Files)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“I am proud to be representing the voices of immigrants, and Latino families from our district at the State of the Union. I would like President Biden to recommit to finding a permanent, legislative pathway to citizenship for all. I want to hear him say he will protect my parents who have lived in the U.S. for many years, who are taxpayers, and who are good people.
I am nervous and excited, but I am happy to be representing the voices of my community.”
– Gabriela, DACA Recipient, Invited Guest at the State of the Union Address
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