* Dramatization
* Dramatization
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apron-celebration-cute-763934-300x199Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released a statement declaring the addition of 15,000 H-2B temporary visas to be issued to non-agricultural foreign workers for Fiscal Year 2018.

While 66,000 working visas have already been issued this year, Homeland Security has determined that thousands more are required to keep U.S. businesses that depend on an increased workforce afloat for FY2018. After consulting with members of the Congress and business owners, Nielsen admits that there are not enough qualified U.S. workers available to work in non-agricultural fields, justifying the move.

“The limitations on H-2B visas were originally meant to protect American workers, but when we enter a situation where the program unintentionally harms American businesses, it needs to be reformed,” Secretary Nielsen explains. “I call on Congress to pass much needed reforms of the program and to expressly set the number of H-2B visas in statute. We are once again in a situation where Congress has passed the buck and turned a decision over to DHS that would be better situated with Congress, who knows the needs of the program. As Secretary, I remain committed to protecting US workers and strengthening the integrity of our lawful immigration system and look forward to working with Congress to do so.”

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child-crying-1735221_1920-300x169As the Trump administration deals with a dramatic increase in the number of child immigration cases, most of which are in a backlog of 8,378 pending cases spanning more than three years, a new zero-tolerance immigration policy imposed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions could cause this backlog to grow even more.

Sessions announced the policy shift in May, which would require Border Patrol agents to hand over all undocumented immigrants caught crossing the border to the Department of Justice for prosecution. This new policy also means that thousands of unaccompanied child aliens (UACs) will have to be separated from their parents as the latter go through the criminal justice system.

“If you are smuggling a child, then we will prosecute you and that child will be separated from you as required by law. If you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children over our border,” Sessions said at a conference last month.

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transport-3369756_1280-300x189Officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety apprehended dozens of undocumented immigrants packed in a truck trailer Tuesday night in South Texas, nearly 50 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The officers counted 86 people, ranging from as young as 3-years old to 59; four were minors who crossed the border without guardians.

The immigrants were found in the refrigerated trailer of an 18-wheeler truck “packed like sardines,” as described by Frank Torres, emergency medical services manager for Willacy County.

Police began tailing the truck when it passed Donna, a border town a few miles north of the Rio Grande, after receiving a call that it likely contained undocumented immigrants and eventually made their move on the highway.

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adult-auto-automobile-558375-300x200US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Justice Department published a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) last week to announce their joint effort to identify and eliminate fraud, abuse, and discrimination among employers that hire immigrant workers. Both agencies are set to make changes geared towards improving communication and cooperation in handling such cases.

The partnership expands on existing efforts to crack down on immigration-related labor abuses. At present, USCIS and the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division have the Protecting US Workers Initiative, which investigates and prosecutes employer discrimination and misuse of E-Verify. Both projects emerge from President Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” anti-immigrant agenda.

“In the spirit of President Trump’s Executive Order on Buy American and Hire American, today’s partnership adds to the Civil Rights Division’s tools to stop employers from discriminating against US workers by favoring foreign visa workers,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General John M. Gore of the Civil Rights Division. “The Division looks forward to expanding its partnerships with USCIS to hold accountable employers that discriminate against US workers based on their citizenship status.”

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Arrested-Immigrant-300x225A federal judge accused the Department of Homeland Security of ignoring due process and targeting and detaining immigrants who are married or engaged to U.S. citizens without so much as telling them about their right to a hearing or notifying their attorneys.

According to U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf, who berated Justice Department attorney Mary Larakers in court, the DHS violated the law by blatantly ignoring their own rules.

Four immigrant couples brought a class action lawsuit against the U.S. government to federal court, insisting that they have been unjustly targeted by law enforcement. Police apprehended Lucimar de Souza, who would become a plaintiff in the class action suit, in January this year immediately after being interviewed for their I-130 petition (petitioning for alien relatives).

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usdhs-300x168As expected, Sec. Kirstjen M. Nielsen of the Department of Homeland Security announced this month that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) granted to Honduran immigrants would finally end by January 5, 2020.

After Hurricane Mitch devastated Central America in 1998, killing an estimated 10,000 people in Honduras alone, the United States government decided to open its doors to Honduran refugees, granting more than 57,000 Hondurans a designation known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Congress created the Temporary Protected Status designation in 1990 into an effort to aid people from countries afflicted by civil turmoil or severe destruction caused by natural disasters like Hurricane Mitch. In turn, the TPS designation has protected Honduran nationals, as well as Nicaraguans, in the country from deportation for decades.

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Supreme CourtAs the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) rests on the rulings of three circuit judges, a Texas-filed lawsuit seeking to shut down the immigration program could trigger a legal battle that may force the Supreme Court to finally decide on the matter.

In April this year, judges from the Second and Ninth Circuits ruled that the Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA was arbitrary and capricious, ordering the DHS to reinstate the program and accept DACA renewal applications. A few days later, Judge Bates of the D.C. Circuit likewise found that the Administration failed to adequately explain the legal basis for winding down DACA, ordering the government to continue accepting new applications, but only if it failed to come up with a better justification in 90 days.

Now, a lawsuit filed by the 7-state coalition of Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Texas seeking to terminate DACA could finally raise the issue to the Supreme Court. The states are banking on their chances of getting a judge to issue a nationwide order to stop DACA, which would conflict with the existing rulings of the three federal courts.

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5 Facts About How the Government Breaks Up Families at the BorderAmid increased efforts to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants trying to enter the Southwest border, the Justice Department has filed charges of illegal entry against a caravan of 11 asylum seekers from Central America. Four of those facing charges were forcibly separated from their children, who were placed into separate custody. This incident is not the first of its kind, prompting immigration rights activists to accuse the federal government of deliberately separating immigrant families at the border.

Here are a few facts on the matter.

There is No Official Policy…Yet

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California Passes Bill to Limit Disclosure of Immigrant Status in CourtAs part of their continued pushback against the federal government’s tough stance on undocumented immigration, California lawmakers have approved Senate Bill 785, placing strict limits on how and when a person’s immigration status can be revealed in court.

The bill is just one of the handful of measures the so-called sanctuary state is using to resist the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Although nothing is official until it gets Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature, the legislation is nevertheless a welcome relief for the thousands of undocumented immigrants in California.

Response to Courtroom Arrests

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California Passes Bill to Limit Disclosure of Immigrant Status in Court
As part of their continued pushback against the federal government’s tough stance on undocumented immigration, California lawmakers have approved Senate Bill 785, placing strict limits on how and when a person’s immigration status can be revealed in court.

The bill is just one of the handful of measures the so-called sanctuary state is using to resist the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Although nothing is official until it gets Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature, the legislation is nevertheless a welcome relief for the thousands of undocumented immigrants in California.

Response to Courtroom Arrests

Continue reading →