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February 18, 2021
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Migration News: February 18, 2021
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Sahil Kapur, NBC News
Congressional Democrats introduced a comprehensive bill to remake the U.S. immigration system with the endorsement of President Joe Biden, wading into a politically thorny issue that has bedeviled the last three administrations. Named the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, the bill was unveiled on Thursday by Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Rep. Linda Sánchez, D-Calif., and includes an eight-year pathway to citizenship for people in the country unlawfully who arrived by Jan. 1 of this year. It would lift hurdles for workers to legally immigrate to the U.S., add resources for border screening and replace the word "alien" with "noncitizen" in law.
Conor Finnegan and Ben Gittleson, ABC News
When President Joe Biden announced two weeks ago that he was dramatically shifting the United States' approach to refugees, it was celebrated in some corners as a swift end to former President Donald Trump's years of rhetorical attacks and antagonistic policies. But while advocates and refugees are hopeful, those fleeing conflict and oppression around the world will not feel the impact right away -- or for months, at the earliest -- after the Trump administration all but dismantled the refugee admissions process, according to resettlement agencies.
Isabel Mateos and Maria Verza, AP News
Latin America’s migrants — from the Caribbean, South America and Central America — are on the move again. After a year of pandemic-induced paralysis, those in daily contact with migrants believe the flow north could return to the high levels seen in late 2018 and early 2019. The difference is that it would happen during a pandemic. The protective health measures imposed to slow the spread of COVID-19, including drastically reduced bedspace at shelters along the route, mean fewer safe spaces for migrants in transit.
Alexandra Kelley, The Hill
The Biden White House announced that it will begin processing select eligible asylum cases submitted to the U.S. government, the latest step in the new administration’s bid to end the crackdown on asylum seekers as part of former President Trump’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). Announced in a press release, the Biden administration confirmed that case processing will begin on Feb. 19, but the statement adds that U.S. borders are currently not open. “We caution people seeking to immigrate to the United States that our borders are not open, and that this is just the first phase in the administration’s work to reopen access to an orderly asylum process,” the statement reads.
Michael D. Shear, The New York Times
President Biden has said repeatedly that he wants to create a path to citizenship for all of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. But even as he prepares to push hard for the broadest possible overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws, he and his aides have started to signal openness to more targeted approaches that could win citizenship for smaller, discrete groups of undocumented immigrants. At a CNN town hall on Tuesday, he said such efforts would be acceptable “in the meantime.”
Maria Santana and Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to roll out new guidelines that would curtail enforcement measures, focusing more narrowly on immigrants who pose a national security, border security or public safety risk, according to draft interim guidance obtained by CNN. The new guidance was prompted by an executive order signed by President Joe Biden shortly after taking office and marks a return to Obama-era immigration enforcement measures based on a priority system instead of the more aggressive approach taken under the Trump administration.
Dylan McKim, KVIA El Paso
The Biden Administration is set to allow asylum seekers currently stuck in Mexico to cross the border. As a result, El Paso city officials are preparing shelters and transportation for a possible influx during the pandemic. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says the immigration changes will start being phased-in on Friday. City officials said Wednesday they were putting protocols in place to help the community avoid a Covid-19 outbreak as migrants make their way across the border.
Salvador Rivera, WJTV
The White House and Department of Homeland Security have been asking migrants not to come to border crossings such as the San Ysidro Port of Entry between San Diego and Tijuana. “Individuals should not take any action at this time and should remain where they are to await further instructions. We will soon announce a virtual registration process that will be accessible from any location,” read a statement issued by the White House. Before being physically able to cross the border, migrants with pending asylum cases must first register on a web portal that is supposed to be activated beginning on Friday.
Rafael Carranza, Arizona Republic/USA Today
During the last serious attempt at an immigration overhaul, Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake played pivotal roles. McCain and Flake, both Arizona Republicans, were members of the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" that hashed out a sweeping immigration reform deal that would pass the Senate in 2013. They were the only senators in the group from a border state. McCain, the senior GOP member of the Gang of Eight, died in 2018 and Flake retired in 2019, leaving a vacuum on the Republican side of the aisle as President Joe Biden makes another attempt at reforming the U.S. immigration system.
Howard Fischer, Arizona Capital Times
A Senate panel took the first steps Tuesday to reversing a policy that denies in-state tuition to “dreamers” at state universities and community colleges. Legislation approved by the Education Committee would repeal a 2006 voter-approved law which spells out that anyone not in this country legally is not entitled to residential tuition. In its place, SCR 1044 would say that those who meet other residency requirements and graduate from an Arizona high school do qualify.
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