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February 22, 2021
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Migration News: February 22, 2021
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Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill
The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case challenging the Trump administration's "public charge" rule, which limited access to green cards for those deemed likely to accept public assistance. The case, brought by numerous state attorneys general and advocacy groups, stems from a 2018 rule that critics deemed a wealth test for immigrants and blocked those who may qualify for food stamps or other safety nets.
Michelle Hackman, The Wall Street Journal
The Biden administration is looking for ways to stave off a fresh humanitarian crisis at the southern border as the number of unaccompanied children arriving to seek asylum is beginning to rise again, this time amid a global pandemic, according to government officials and others familiar with the conversations. Children have been crossing the border illegally in increasing numbers for the past few months after a lull, when the start of the pandemic and lockdowns across Latin America last spring briefly brought border crossings to historic lows. In January, 5,707 children arrived at the border alone, up from 4,855 the month before.
Patrick J. McDonnell and Gabriela Minjares, Los Angeles Times
A sense of hope, combined with renewed anxiety, has emerged for Baltazar and tens of thousands of other migrants — mostly Central Americans but including Cubans, Venezuelans and others — who have been forced to wait in Mexico under a Trump administration doctrine as their political asylum cases proceed through U.S. immigration courts. Some have been in the queue for more than a year as the pandemic has pushed back court dates.
Hannah Miao, CNBC
CNBC interviewed half a dozen F-1 visa holders across the country affected by OPT processing delays, including a cybersecurity engineer, a postdoctoral fellow studying Covid in an infectious diseases laboratory and a breast cancer researcher. All expressed anxiety and frustration as they’ve been left with no income and no health insurance while they wait for their applications to be processed with job offers and legal status on the line.
Molly O’Toole, Los Angeles Times
Administration officials issued interim guidance Thursday to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to focus on “significant threats,” as President Biden’s order for a 100-day pause on most deportations remains hampered by court rulings out of Texas. Department of Homeland Security officials said ICE officers will be directed to prioritize for arrest and removal immigrants without legal status in the United States such as suspected terrorists and spies, illegal border crossers, felons and active gang members, in contrast to those with family members or community ties, medical issues or minor criminal records.
Sonya Herrera, San Jose Spotlight
President Joe Biden has big plans to overhaul America’s immigration system, specifically undoing some of former President Donald Trump’s most egregious anti-immigrant policies. But local activists say Biden’s reform agenda doesn’t go far enough — or fast enough — and will force immigrants to remain in the shadows in Silicon Valley for years to come. There are an estimated 180,000 undocumented immigrants and 30,000 “Dreamers” in Santa Clara County, and advocates say Washington politicians are gambling with their lives.
Amber Frias, NBC 7 San Diego
The end of the Remain in Mexico policy has brought a renewed sense of hope to asylum seekers. “I’m in line just in case they start accepting new people, Diana Abundio, a migrant from Michoacan, said in Spanish. Abundio hasn't formally applied for asylum yet, but she says she's waiting in line in hopes of getting the chance to plead her case.
Jacquelyn Voghel, Daily Hampshire Gazette
When the COVID-19 pandemic struck the U.S. last March, lockdowns left many without jobs, while public safety measures created a scramble for face masks to protect against virus transmission. A Northampton group, im2: Immigrant Mask Makers of Western Massachusetts, soon after went to work creating masks — and jobs — during the crisis. Today, the team, consisting of 16 immigrant women and co-founders Amy Ben-Ezra and Allie Aguirre, have sewn and coordinated the creation of hundreds of masks.
Bente Birkeland and Jenny Brundin, CPR News
A provision in Colorado law bars undocumented immigrants from obtaining professional certification, the kind of documentation required for everyone from child care providers and dental hygienists to electricians and lawyers. Some state lawmakers and immigrant rights activists think this is the year to remove that restriction. The same coalition is working on a related proposal to roll back a ban on cities and counties providing public benefits to people who are living in the state illegally.
Kelly Vaughen, KUTV
Utah will once again start to see a flow of refugees into the state. President Biden has raised the cap on annual refugee admissions, undoing extensive restrictions put in place under the Trump administration. As soon as next month three new refugee families are scheduled to arrive in Utah, signaling a change that many in the community have been waiting for.
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