Migration News 

Biden delays orders to reverse Trump-era immigration changes, create task force for separated families
CBS News 
President Biden plans to undo one of the Trump administration's immigration restrictions as he delays work on others. Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, the president and CEO of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, spoke to CBSN's Tanya Rivero about the impact of immigration policy changes and the tough road ahead to reunite families separated by the U.S. government.

Biden extends Syrians’ protected status in the United States
Al Jazeera 
The administration of President Joe Biden on Friday extended deportation relief for several thousand Syrian immigrants living in the United States, an early move that aligns with his broader pro-immigrant platform. Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary David Pekoske said temporary protected status, known as TPS, would be extended for 18 months. It was set to expire on March 31.

Senate breaks filibuster of Mayorkas nomination to be Homeland Security secretary
Clare Foran and Ted Barrett, CNN
The Senate voted Thursday to break a GOP filibuster and advance the nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to be President Joe Biden's secretary of Homeland Security after Republicans objected to efforts to quickly install a critical leader of the country's national security apparatus. Now that the nomination has successfully cleared that procedural hurdle, a final vote on confirmation is on track for Monday evening.

Asylum Camp Swells at US-Mexico Border; Biden Aide Urges Patience
Reuters 
The Biden administration is urging migrants trapped in Mexico under restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump to be patient, even as the population of a refugee camp in northeastern Mexico begins to swell with hopeful asylum-seekers. On Friday, a senior aide to U.S. President Joe Biden said the administration is working on a system to process the tens of thousands of asylum-seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico under a Trump-era program.

Judge likely to extend hold on Biden's deportation pause until late February
Priscilla Alvarez, CNN
A federal judge in Texas said Friday that he'll likely extend his hold on the Biden administration's deportation moratorium until February 23. Earlier this week, Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas, a Trump appointee, blocked the administration's 100-day pause on deportations, delivering a blow to one of President Joe Biden's first immigration actions. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, had sued, leading to the first legal block of one of Biden's executive actions.

Court allows U.S. border agents to resume expelling unaccompanied children without asylum interviews
Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News 
A three-member panel of circuit judges gave U.S. border officials permission on Friday to use a Trump-era emergency policy to swiftly expel unaccompanied migrant children from American soil without a court hearing or an asylum interview. Judges Gregory Katsas, Neomi Rao and Justin Walker of the U.S. Circuit Court in Washington, D.C. paused a lower court order that had blocked the government from expelling children apprehended along U.S. borders without their parents or legal guardians. All three judges were appointed by former President Trump.  While U.S. border authorities can resume expelling unaccompanied children, it's unclear if the Biden administration will choose to do so. Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agency, Customs and Border Protection, did not immediately respond to requests to clarify their plans. The Department of Justice declined to comment on Friday's order. 

2020 was deadliest year for migrants crossing unlawfully into US via Arizona
Samuel Gilbert, The Guardian 
Last year was the deadliest on record for migrants crossing unlawfully into the US via Arizona, with the remains of 227 migrants found on the border according to Humane Borders. Since 1998, at least 7,000 migrants are believed to have died along the US-Mexico border, maybe many more, as record-keeping is patchy.

DHS Botched Fast-Track Asylum Programs, Watchdog Says
Hailey Konnath, Law360
The Department of Homeland Security bungled its rollout of two Trump-era pilot programs designed to speed up the asylum-seeking process by moving too quickly and without adequately considering staffing, facility limitations and data systems, according to a government watchdog report released Friday. The two pilot tracks, one for Mexicans and the other for non-Mexican nationals, set expedited timetables for these screenings and allowed border officials to keep asylum-seekers in custody between October 2019 and March 2020. But U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration, both within DHS, failed to effectively implement the programs, which ultimately left hundreds of asylum cases in limbo, according to the report from DHS' Office of the Inspector General.

Fourth ICE detainee dies from COVID-19 in southwest Georgia
Jeremy Redmon, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A Mexican national who was being held at a federal immigration center in southwest Georgia died Saturday from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, according to Stewart County Coroner Sybil Ammons. Montes is the fourth Stewart Detention Center detainee to die from the disease. Located just outside of the small city of Lumpkin, the facility has recorded 474 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the second highest of any ICE facility in the nation. Only La Palma Correctional Facility in Eloy, Arizona, has tallied more cases at 544.

Democrats press for path to citizenship in Covid relief
Sabrina Rodriguez, Politico
A group of 100 lawmakers led by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Saturday called for House leadership to offer a pathway to citizenship for undocumented essential workers, Dreamers and temporary protected status recipients in its upcoming coronavirus relief package. Democrats are moving forward on a massive coronavirus relief package in the coming days that could require they use reconciliation to advance it in the Senate without GOP support. And with Democrats and immigrant advocates looking for immediate opportunities to offer legal protections for undocumented immigrants, the relief package has emerged as a top route.

Worth a Read/Listen

President Biden’s push to reverse Trump immigration policies is both symbolic and substantive
The Boston Globe 

For Refugee Students, Pandemic Creates Further Barriers to Learning
KUAF 

Separated at the border, reunited, then separated again: For migrant families, another trauma
The Washington Post 

They Are Eligible to Stay in the US. Why Can’t They Get Their Green Cards?
DocumentedNY

Their hopes dashed by a Texas judge, immigrants living in churches wait for a reprieve
Religion News Service 

Biden wants to undo Trump's family separation legacy. It won't be easy.
Politico

For Dreamers, Action Will Speak Louder Than Words
The New York Times

Meet the 7 congresswomen who are steering Biden's immigration agenda in the House
USA Today