Migration News

How Cities Will Make or Break Biden on Refugee Resettlement
Tanvi Misra, Bloomberg - Special LIRS mention
President Joe Biden has pledged to once again make the U.S. a haven for the “huddled masses yearning to break free,” the words adorning the Statue of Liberty at the most famous immigration gateway in the world. But New York City is no longer the first destination of choice for refugees; cities like Salt Lake City, Buffalo and Kansas City are emerging as the new havens, and they have their work cut out for them to meet Biden’s record targets.

Amid surge, border agents in Rio Grande Valley are releasing migrants without court dates
Julia Ainsley, Dasha Burns and Jody Hammond, NBC News
Border agents in the Rio Grande Valley, the center of the migrant surge, were authorized Saturday to begin releasing adult migrants and families from custody before they have been given dates to appear in court, according to an internal document obtained by NBC News. The move is "intended to mitigate operational challenges, including risks to national security, during significant surges of illegal migration as currently exist in the Rio Grande Valley" by reducing the time immigrants spend in custody, according to the document.

Refugee agency to fast-track release of some migrant children with parents in the U.S.
Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News
The federal agency charged with housing unaccompanied migrant minors issued guidance on Monday directing shelters to expedite the release of some children with parents or legal guardians in the U.S. willing to care for them, according to an internal memo obtained by CBS News. This guidance is the Biden administration's latest effort to address the soaring number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border and straining the U.S. government's capacity to house them in child-appropriate facilities. By releasing children already in custody more quickly, the government can make additional beds available for new arrivals.

Phoenix church housing asylum seekers released from Border Patrol custody
Liliana Soto, ABC15 Arizona
Pastor Angel Campos says they began accepting families last week, he says the pandemic has made their mission challenging this year, but possible. “We love it, we love to see the families,” said Campos. The church offers only transitional housing to families. “First thing they get fed, we give them soup and then they get some clothing, and showers. We have showers for men and women, then we call their families to arrange transportation.”

Biden immigration overhaul would reunite families split up by deportation
Robert McKee Irwin, The Conversation US
Hundreds of thousands of immigrant families have been separated by deportation from the United States, in many cases with a parent on one side of the border and children on the other, according to estimates by the Urban Policy Institute and Migration Policy Institute. Reunification is a priority in President Joe Biden’s proposed immigration overhaul and in bills that both the House and Senate will debate in coming weeks. Both bills have provisions to preserve “family unity.” These include giving immigration judges increased discretion in deportation cases and allowing the secretary of homeland security or attorney general to waive deportation orders or allow deported parents of U.S. citizen children to return to the U.S.

Convention Center to house unaccompanied minors seeking asylum
FOX 5 Digital Team, fox5sandiego.com
The San Diego Convention Center will be used as a temporary shelter for unaccompanied children seeking asylum, city and county officials announced Monday. A date is still being finalized for when the Convention Center will become a temporary respite for unaccompanied migrant children up to age 17. When it’s up and running, the site will be used for approximately three months.

Further Reading

Undocumented immigrants sought far less health care after Trump launched his campaign, new study shows 
STAT

The Democrats’ Immigration Problem
The New York Times

Key facts about U.S. immigration policies and Biden’s proposed changes
Pew Research Center