Migration News

Bipartisan Senate group seeks immigration deals
Alayna Treene, Axios
A bipartisan group of senators that met privately Wednesday agreed to have their staffs draft a document outlining incremental immigration changes so they "can build from there," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Axios. Why it matters: The Republicans and Democrats recognize that Congress has failed numerous times to pass comprehensive reform, so now they're looking for a starting point amid a migrant surge at the southern border.

'It's an American problem': Sens. Sinema, Cornyn introduce bipartisan immigration bill to ease border surge
Yvonne Wingett Sanchez and Daniel Gonzalez, Arizona Republic
Two border state senators from opposing parties, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and John Cornyn of Texas, introduced legislation on Tuesday to address ongoing waves of asylum seekers arriving at the southern border, which have strained the Border Patrol and local communities. The legislation would open regional centers to more efficiently screen and process asylum seekers apprehended by the Border Patrol in hopes of easing the chaos currently taking place when larger numbers of asylum seekers are released in border communities with limited resources.

New MPP data shows 4000 asylum-seekers allowed into US under Biden administration
Sandra Sanchez, WRBL
Since President Joe Biden took office, nearly 4,000 asylum-seekers who had been forced to remain in Mexico have had their cases been transferred to U.S. immigration courts and have been allowed to cross into the United States, according to newly released data. But there are still 26,400 asylum-seekers, who were placed in the Migrant Protection Protocols program under the Trump administration, whose cases have not been transferred out of that program, Austin Kocher, a research assistant professor of the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), told Border Report on Thursday.

Trump group teams with Texas in challenge to Biden immigration policies
Josh Gerstein, POLITICO
Former Trump administration officials joined with the state of Texas to file a federal lawsuit on Thursday alleging that President Joseph Biden’s administration is defying the law and putting Americans at heightened risk of coronavirus infection by continuing to allow some migrants who illegally cross the border with Mexico to be released into the U.S. America First Legal Foundation, a new nonprofit group founded by Trump adviser Stephen Miller, is serving as an outside counsel to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on the suit filed in federal court in Fort Worth.

Immigration advocates say end of 'no-match letters' a victory for workers 
Elvia Malagón, Chicago Sun Times
Activists in Chicago are calling the decision by the federal government to end “no-match letters” a win for immigrant workers. The Social Security Administration announced this month it was ending the practice of mailing “Employer Correction Request Notices” to employers. The notices, better known as “no-match letters,” were sent to workplaces when an employee’s name or Social Security number on W-2 forms did not match the agency’s records. The errors could create issues for a worker who later seeks Social Security benefits, according to the agency.

Here's what it looks like inside a facility for unaccompanied migrant children
Robert St. John, Los Angeles Times
Federal officials on Thursday prepared to receive 150 migrant children at the Long Beach Convention Center, one of several structures in California and other states being repurposed as temporary intake facilities to cope with an overflow of unaccompanied minors at the southern border. Sleeping areas were set up inside the Convention Center’s exhibit halls, with rows of cots draped with white sheets and stacked with folded blankets and pillows, photos shot by a media pool photographer showed. In a news release, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said children would receive a medical checkup, clothing, toiletries and food upon arrival. The 1,000-bed facility will house girls under 17 and boys under 12.

COVID-19 hate crimes bill to fight Asian American discrimination passes Senate
Savannah Behrmann, USA TODAY
The Senate passed with overwhelming bipartisan support a hate crimes bill to address a drastic increase in violence and discrimination directed at Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act cleared the chamber in a 94-1 vote Thursday. It would expedite the Justice Department's review of hate crimes and would designate an official at the department to oversee the effort. It also would task the department with coordinating with local law enforcement groups and community-based organizations to facilitate and raise awareness about hate crime reporting, including establishing an online hate crime reporting system in multiple languages.

Further Reading

Mixed Immigration Status Gave Brothers 'Very Different Perspectives'
NPR

Boundless Immigration Raises $25M to Give Immigrant Families an Ally 
Daily Record News

Climate Change Will Force Us to Rethink Migration and Asylum
Scientific American

NY approves $2.1 B in funding for undocumented immigrants
The Ticker