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February 9, 2021
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Migration News: February 9, 2021
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Migration News
Burgess Everett and Marianne Levine, POLITICO
An effort to restrict stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants is blowing a hole in Democrats’ unity in the Biden era, after a bloc of Democrats sided with Republicans over their more progressive colleagues last week. The immigration status of those seeking new stimulus payments is shaping up as a major point of contention among Democrats as the House and Senate write their coronavirus relief bills, presaging the tough fights ahead among the party’s tight majorities in Congress on a politically volatile issue.
Ed Pilkington, The Guardian
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) deported at least 72 people to Haiti on Monday, including a two-month-old baby and 21 other children, in an apparent flagrant breach of the Biden administration’s orders only to remove suspected terrorists and potentially dangerous convicted felons. The children were deported to Haiti on Monday on two flights chartered by Ice from Laredo, Texas to the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince. The removals sent vulnerable infants back to Haiti as it is being roiled by major political unrest.
Christina Lu, Foreign Policy
Since taking office, U.S. President Joe Biden has unrolled a slew of sweeping executive orders and proposals that overhaul his predecessor’s controversial immigration legacy in Latin America. In just his first day as president, Biden unveiled plans to provide 11 million undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship, suspend the construction of the border wall, and preserve Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals—a program that former President Donald Trump tried to abolish. The next day, Biden went even further, announcing that he would suspend deportations for 100 days and pause Trump’s Remain in Mexico program, which forced asylum-seekers to stay in Mexico for court hearings. He also rescinded Trump’s family separation policy on Jan. 26.
Mayra Moreno, KTRK-TV
President Joe Biden recently issued an executive order calling on the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security to take all appropriate actions to "preserve and fortify" Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. Thousands of dreamers across the nation are hopeful, and one small nonprofit, which began at Harvard University, is helping these students. Many of them are in Houston, like Juan Rios, an architecture student at the University of Houston.
Salvador Rivera, Border Report/WANE
The Justice Department says it will not be renewing existing contracts with private prison corporations following an executive order signed by President Biden late last month. But Biden’s order exempts federal agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which sends many migrants to private facilities, including the Otay Mesa Detention Center in South San Diego. Tennesee-based CoreCivic operates the facility. “People who started working in the prison industry started to see how profitable it was when they were able to make the claim they could do a better job with incarcerated people,” said Pedro Rios with the American Friends Service Committee.
Melissa Hellmann, The Seattle Times
A letter the group sent to officials persuaded the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to prioritize those over 50 in multigenerational homes who can’t live independently, or are living with and caring for a grandchild. Still, more than two weeks into the current phase, immigrant and refugee elders continue to face challenges in accessing the vaccine, from language barriers to a lack of transportation and technology, say group members Helping Link and Neighborhood House, two nonprofits that serve immigrant and refugee populations.
Daniel Villarreal, Newsweek
Maryland's Democratic Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin have introduced the SECURE Act which would provide a pathway to permanent resident status for over 400,000 immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after fleeing natural disasters and civil unrest in their home countries and relocating in the United States. Both believe that Biden's early moves to reform the U.S. immigration system have created a political environment where the SECURE Act could find possibly become a reality.
Climate Nexus, EcoWatch
A report commissioned by an executive order signed by President Biden last week could have major implications for people displaced by climate-related disasters, The Verge reports. An average of 21.5 million people are forced from their homes because of climate-related hazards — nine times the number of people who apply for political asylum. The report, due in early August, will address the impact of climate change on migration and include "mechanisms for identifying... individuals displaced directly or indirectly from climate change."
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