On July 29, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) enjoined the government from enforcing, applying, implementing, or treating as effective, the USCIS Final Rule on Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds (84 FR 41292, 8/14/19) for any period during which there is a declared national health emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The court also issued a separate order enjoining the Department of State (DOS) from implementing, or taking any actions to enforce or apply, the 2018 FAM Revisions, the DOS Interim Final Rule on Visa Ineligibility on Public Charge Grounds (84 FR 54996, 10/11/19), or the President’s...
On Tuesday , July 28, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to immediately make the following changes to DACA: • Reject all initial requests for DACA and associated applications for Employment Authorization Documents (EAD); • Reject new and pending requests for advanced parole absent exceptional circumstances; and, • Limit the period of renewed deferred action granted pursuant to the DACA policy after the issuance of this memorandum to one (1) year. Acting DHS Secretary Chad F. Wolf claims that “ the Department of Homeland Security will take action to thoughtfully consider the future of the DACA policy, including...
The European Union will keep its external borders shut to travelers from most countries including the U.S. for at least two more weeks. The EU’s travel “white” list who have the green light to visit the bloc includes Algeria, Australia, Canada, China, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The external-border recommendation covers 30 European countries: all EU member states except Ireland plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland because they are part of the bloc’s passport-free travel area.
President Trump issued a memorandum today, July 21, 2020, ordering the US Census to exclude undocumented immigrants from the population totals. The position of the Trump administration is in conflict with the U.S. Constitution which requires that that the “ whole number of persons” be counted in each state. The ACLU announced that it will immediately file a lawsuit.
The Trump administration has granted ICE’s request to be designated a “security/sensitive” agency when it comes to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).The designation limits the public’s ability to obtain vital information about ICE. The move further shields ICE from public accountability, allowing them to withhold even more information. This is a blow to government transparency and now the agency and its personnel will be less accountable to the public. The designation places ICE on the same level as officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Secret Service. But unlike ICE, these agencies arguably need some level of...
U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs in Boston announced on Tuesday, July 14, 2020 that the ICE policy that would have forced international students to leave the U.S. amid the coronavirus pandemic has been rescinded after an agreement was reached by the federal government and several Massachusetts universities, including Harvard and MIT. Immigration and Customs Enforcement initiated a policy last Monday on July 6, 2020 that said international students can’t live in the U.S. and take all of their classes online during the pandemic. The federal government will “return to the status quo as established by the March 9, 2020 policy...
The Trump Administration is expected to move once again and refile paperwork this week to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The new filing has been widely expected after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the administration failed in 2017 to provide adequate justification for terminating the Obama-era program. But the Supreme Court ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, left the door open for the Trump administration to try again to rescind the program.White House chief of staff Mark Meadows hinted in a media interview earlier Monday, July 6, 2020 that the president was readying executive...
The immigration agency, USCIS, is broke and has requested an emergency $ 1.2 billion infusion from Congress. The agency is funded almost entirely by user fees, rather than congressional appropriations but mismanagement of finances is forcing USCIS to seek a bailout with taxpayers money. The lack of funds will force USCIS to furlough three-quarters of its workforce. When Trump took office, USCIS inherited a budget surplus. Last year, the agency saw record highs in both revenue and revenue per user. The agency has wasted funds the past three years on chasing phantom cases of immigration fraud, expanding a fraud detection unit...
Issued on: June 22, 2020 The 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has significantly disrupted Americans’ livelihoods. Since March 2020, United States businesses and their workers have faced extensive disruptions while undertaking certain public health measures necessary to flatten the curve of COVID-19 and reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The overall unemployment rate in the United States nearly quadrupled between February and May of 2020 — producing some of the most extreme unemployment ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. While the May rate of 13.3 percent reflects a marked decline from April, millions of Americans...
On Friday , June 19, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow issued a statement that the Supreme Court decision on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program “has no basis in law and merely delays the President’s lawful ability to end the illegal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals amnesty program.” Mr. Edlow also declared “The fact remains that under DACA, hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens continue to remain in our country in violation of the laws passed by Congress and to take jobs Americans need now more than ever……… that the cornerstone of...
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