ICE Detains Pregnant Women
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been detaining an increasing number of pregnant women, a fact verified by their own record keeping. Overall detentions are up because of the Trump administration’s hardline stance against immigration to the United States. Several new executive orders have been issued that enable immigration officials to make more arrests of […]
» Read More...May 22, 2019
US Targets Nations for Visa Overstays
Last month the President released a memo calling the number of unauthorized individuals in the United States on expired visas, “unacceptably high.” Citing a recent Homeland Security report, President Trump issued a directive to federal agencies to consider actions against countries with high visa overstay rates. Twenty countries with overstay rates over 10 percent were […]
» Read More...May 15, 2019
Debate Over Remain-in-Mexico Policy
Last month in San Francisco, a federal judge temporarily blocked an immigration policy requiring asylum-seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting their hearings. United States District Judge Richard Seeborg issued his preliminary injunction on the basis that the Immigration and Naturalization Act does not support the policy – also known as Migrant Protection Protocols. Just […]
» Read More...May 8, 2019
More than One Million Cases Overloading Immigration Courts
The American Bar Association (ABA) recently released a 176-page report warning of an imminent “existential crisis” caused by the backlog of cases in immigration courts across the nation. The ABA Immigration Commission report released earlier this month calls for swift and extensive policy reforms. Without them, the Commission predicts the immigration system in the U.S. […]
» Read More...April 24, 2019
U.S. Government Tracking Immigration Journalists
Recently, San Diego news affiliate, NBC 7, shared documents they received suggesting the federal government has been tracking journalists and immigration advocates associated with the migrant caravan reaching the southern United States border from Central America. As the caravan reached the border and media attention increased, some activists, journalists, and social media influencers began to […]
» Read More...April 17, 2019
Health Care and Immigration Status
As the current administration continues to implement increasingly restrictive immigration policies, health care providers find themselves grappling with how to manage sensitive information about immigrant patients and their status. Some feel that immigration status falls under the protections of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Yet, at least one state, Arizona, requires clinicians […]
» Read More...April 10, 2019
ICE Circumventing Sanctuary Policies
In today’s contentious political climate, one might mistakenly believe that lacking proper documentation equates one with criminality. However, being an undocumented immigrant does not make one a criminal. According to the law, all individuals on U.S. soil have a right to due process. Due process ensures that the government respects individuals’ rights and civil liberties. […]
» Read More...April 3, 2019
Family Sponsorship
In the United States, citizens and permanent residents (green card holders) can petition to bring family members into the country. This is called sponsorship. Family members of permanent residents who can petition for a green card are determined by a system of preferences. Immediate relatives, including spouses and minor children, have priority over other family […]
» Read More...March 27, 2019
Employment Authorization Card
An Employment Authorization Document card (EAD) is a temporary permit that allows foreign nationals to lawfully enter and work in the United States. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issues EADs to individuals who are permitted to work in the U.S. Citizens, permanent residents, and conditional permanent residents are not required to apply […]
» Read More...March 20, 2019
Videoconferencing in Immigration Court
As the backlog of immigration cases continues to swell, some federal authorities have proposed a high-tech solution for tackling the surge of legal proceedings. Last year, New York immigration officials began videoconferencing with individuals in detainment facilities. While this may seem like a practical solution to move cases along more efficiently, not everyone agrees with […]
» Read More...March 13, 2019