Migration News: January 19, 2021

Migration News

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January 19, 2021

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January 19, 2021

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Kimberly Uslin

Migration News

Biden to propose overhaul of immigration laws on first day in office
Seung Min Kim, Washington Post
President-elect Joe Biden will roll out a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws the day he is inaugurated, including an eight-year pathway to citizenship for immigrants without legal status and an expansion of refugee admissions, along with an enforcement plan that deploys technology to patrol the border. Biden’s legislative proposal, which will be sent to Congress on Wednesday, also includes a heavy focus on addressing the root causes of migration from Central America, a key part of Biden’s foreign policy portfolio when he served as vice president.

Biden to sign executive orders rejoining Paris climate accord and rescinding travel ban on first day
Dan Merica, CNN
President-elect Joe Biden plans to sign roughly a dozen executive orders, including rejoining the Paris climate accord and ending the travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries, on his first day in office, according to a memo from incoming chief of staff Ron Klain.

180 Companies, Organizations, Leaders: Uphold America’s Promise, Pass Bipartisan Reform
National Immigration Forum
On the eve of President-elect Biden’s inauguration, more than 180 organizations released a statement today calling for bipartisan leadership to overhaul of the nation’s outdated immigration system, prioritizing a pathway to citizenship for “Dreamers” brought to the U.S. as children. The signatories represent a broad group of business, faith, law enforcement, civic, and other organizations and include Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Democrats Call For Fast-Tracking Citizenship For Undocumented Essential Workers
Sarah Ruiz-Grossman, The Huffington Post
Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Sen.-designate Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) are pushing for undocumented essential workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic to be fast-tracked for U.S. citizenship.

Hundreds of medical professionals call on Baker to prioritize vaccine access for Black and immigrant communities
Hanna Krueger, Boston Globe
On the day the state’s first mass vaccination site launched at Gillette Stadium, community activists and medical professionals Monday called on Governor Charlie Baker and state public health officials to prioritize access to the COVID-19 vaccine to the Black and immigrant communities in Massachusetts. “Our Black and Latino neighbors have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, and we have failed to implement sufficient measures to protect them,” said a letter signed by more than 250 and delivered to Baker on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. “We cannot afford to neglect our hotspot communities during the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine.”

Census Bureau director stepping down after outcry over immigrant count
Zach Montellaro, Politico
Steven Dillingham, the director of the Census Bureau, is stepping down from his post on Wednesday following calls for his resignation from key Democratic lawmakers. Pressure mounted on Dillingham after an inspector general memo alleged he pressured employees to rush a report on the number of unauthorized immigrants.

The U.S. sent Central American asylum seekers to Guatemala to seek refuge. None were granted asylum, report says.
Kevin Sieff and Mary Beth Sheridan, The Washington Post
More than a year ago, the United States began sending asylum seekers to Guatemala to apply for refuge there under an agreement widely criticized by migrant advocates and others. None has received asylum in Guatemala — and fewer than 40 have even bothered to try, a Senate report said. Since November 2019, the Trump administration has sent at least 945 asylum seekers — most from El Salvador and Honduras — to Guatemala, where they are purportedly able to claim refuge after being rebuffed by the United States. But only 34 of the 945 asylum seekers began applications in Guatemala, according to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report expected to be released in the closing days of the Trump administration. Of those, 16 abandoned their cases. The remaining 18 have still not received an asylum decision, the report said.

Fire destroys homes of thousands in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps, UN says
Reuters
A huge fire swept through Rohingya refugee camps in southern Bangladesh early Thursday, the United Nations said, destroying homes belonging to thousands of people. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said more than 550 shelters -- home to about 3,500 people -- were either totally or partially destroyed in the blaze, as well as 150 shops and a facility belonging to a non-profit organization.

Refugees receive COVID-19 vaccinations in Jordan
UNHCR
Jordan has become one of the world’s first countries to start COVID-19 vaccinations for refugees, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, reports today. Raia Alkabasi, an Iraqi refugee living in the northern city of Irbid, was the first UNHCR-registered refugee in the country to receive the vaccine at the Irbid Vaccination Clinic today. Jordan’s Ministry of Health is administering the vaccinations.

Trump orders lifting of virus travel ban, but Biden aides vow to block move
Michael D. Shear, Boston Globe
President Donald Trump on Monday ordered an end to the ban on travelers from Europe and Brazil that had been aimed at stopping the spread of the coronavirus to the United States, a move quickly rejected by aides to President-elect Joe Biden, who said Biden will maintain the ban when he takes office Wednesday.