In the News

Ninth Circuit Court Allows Trump’s Plan to End Temporary Protected Status to Go Forward  

Royce Murray, Immigration Impact (September 14, 2020) 

A ruling handed down by a Ninth Circuit Court means that 250,000 immigrants holding Temporary Protect Status (TPS) could have their status terminated as early as March 2021. For the 275,000 children of parents with TPS and the 130,000 essential workers who hold TPS status, the future appears unstable. Plans for an appeal to a full panel of judges could delay deadlines for termination.

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The outcry over ICE and hysterectomies, explained  

Nicole Narea, VOX (September 18, 2020) 

A whistleblower complaint issued on September 14th alleges disturbing medical neglect at Irwin Country Detention Center in Georgia and points to an alarming number of unnecessary hysterectomies carried out on immigrant women. Further investigation by the House Immigration Subcommittee maintains that as many as 18 gynecological procedures were performed. Such allegations reflect not only the United States’ history of forced sterilization but also places a familiar spotlight upon reports of patterns of unsafe health practices and human rights violations at ICE detention facilities.

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ICE Violates the Fourth Amendment When It Detains People Without Probable Cause, Court Rules  

Kate Goettel, Immigration Impact (September 18, 2020) 

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently issued an opinion on Gonzalez v. ICE, indicating that the wrongful detention of individuals suspected of being non-citizens violates the Fourth Amendment. Much of this violation stems from ICE’s use of error-ridden fingerprint databases, leading them to issue detainers without neutral evaluation.

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3 Reasons Why Cities Should Not Sign 287(g) Agreements With ICE  

Melissa Cruz, Immigration Impact (September 21, 2020) 

Since 2006 the 287 (g) program has allowed state and local police departments to collaborate with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), deputizing law enforcement to perform the functions of federal immigration agents. In response to the announcement that the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) had signed on to this agreement, many argue that its implementation has led to civil rights violations cautioning other cities to avoid the program.

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How COVID-19 Has Impacted the Search for Separated Families  

Michelle Wiley & Adriana Morga, KQED (September 21, 2020) 

Despite the halting of the “zero tolerance” policy that separated families, poor recordkeeping has resulted in an ongoing search to reunite families. This task has been only further exacerbated during the coronavirus pandemic. The migrant rights organization Justice in Motion has made it a part of their mission to locate parents in this continually challenging climate where “every minute counts.”

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USCIS Averts Furlough of Nearly 70% of Workforce

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (August 25, 2020)

USCIS announces that it will no longer furlough the majority of its employees. As a result, the agency will greatly decrease operating costs, and, this will likely cause longer processing and wait times.

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CARES Act Leaves Out U.S. Citizens Married to Immigrants

Tim Padgett, NPR (August 23, 2020)

More than 2,000,000 U.S. Citizens have been excluded from receiving CARES Act stimulus checks due to a new rule imposed by Trump that restricts any citizen married to someone with immigrant status. Marco Rubio has proposed to overturn this rule and establish a new one specifying all U.S. citizens may receive funding regardless of to whom they are married.

Who Gets Asylum? Even Before Trump, System was Riddled with Bias and Disparities

Katie Morrissey & Lauryn Schroeder, San Diego Union Tribune (August 23, 2020)

While Trump has diligently endeavored to dismantle the asylum system within the United States, Morrissey and Schroeder point out the inherent flaws in the system long before Trump was elected. Notably, issues of location greatly influence someone’s access to legal representation and chance of gaining asylum based on a judge’s past record. Furthermore, issues of bias against countries and widely diverse interpretations of ‘special groups’ greatly affect someone’s chance of getting asylum. Only about 19% of asylum applicants have achieved asylum.

Trump Cabinet Officials Voted in 2018 White House Meeting to Separate Migrant Children, Say Officials

Julia Ainsley & Jacob Soboroff, NBC News (August 20, 2020)

California Picks Up Fight Over DACA Restrictions Again

Vanessa Romo, NPR (August 18, 2020)

Attorney General Xavier Becerra will challenge Trump’s latest attempts to dismantle DACA. While a judge in June required DHS to begin processing DACA applications as they were before September 2017, Trump laid out a new set of rules that limits the relief option for young people. The new plans prevent any new DACA applications and decreases its duration to one year from two.