Migration News

Biden finally raised the refugee cap. Now comes the hard part.
Nicole Narea, Vox
After months of indecision and blowback from within his own party, President Joe Biden has finally raised the cap on refugee admissions for 2021 to 62,500 — but he has made clear he doesn’t think the US will actually admit that many people. “The sad truth is that we will not achieve 62,500 admissions this year,” Biden said in a statement Monday. “We are working quickly to undo the damage of the last four years. It will take some time, but that work is already underway.” After former President Donald Trump spent years trying to tear down the refugee program — and global resettlement efforts nearly came to a halt amid the pandemic — rebuilding the US’s capacity to receive refugees won’t be easy. The US has admitted just 2,334 refugees between October 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021, well short of even Trump’s previous cap of 15,000.

Venture Capitalists, Startup Founders Push to Revive Obama-Era Immigration Program
Yuliya Chernova and Michelle Hackman, The Wall Street Journal
The International Entrepreneur Rule, created shortly before President Obama left office, allows some foreign startup founders to remain in the U.S. without a visa. The Trump administration had hoped to eliminate the program as part of its broader immigration crackdown but did not get around to it. With the program still technically on the books, entrepreneurs, venture-capital firms and other advocates are urging the Biden administration to put resources behind the program, such as advertising it and hiring dedicated staff to judge applications.

Biden fills immigration court with Trump hires
Rebecca Beitsch, The Hill
The Biden team has hired a slate of immigration judges initially selected during the Trump era, angering advocates who argue the White House is already failing to deliver in its pledge to push back against the prior administration's shaping of the judiciary. The first 17 hires to the court system responsible for determining whether migrants get to remain in the country is filled with former prosecutors and counselors for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as a few picks with little immigration experience. Almost none have made their career representing migrants in court.

A blinking light ahead: Slowing population growth raises questions about America as a land with unlimited horizons
Dan Balz, The Washington Post
For generations, Americans have thought of themselves as part of a dynamic, innovative and ever-expanding country, with an almost limitless horizon. In recent weeks, they have seen a portrait of a different nation, one that challenges assumptions about America as a land of continuing growth and unlimited opportunity. On April 26, the Census Bureau reported that in the last decade the U.S. population grew at its slowest rate since the Great Depression, and the second-slowest rate for any 10-year period since the nation’s founding. Last week, the government reported that the nation’s birthrate had declined for the sixth straight year, including a precipitous drop in births in December, adding up to fertility rates too low to keep the country’s population growing by births alone.

Over 2,100 children crossed border alone after being expelled with families to Mexico
Nicole Sganga and Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News
Since President Biden took office, Border Patrol agents have encountered more than 2,100 unaccompanied migrant children who are believed to have left their families voluntarily in order to seek asylum in the U.S, according to government data obtained by CBS News. Between January 20 and April 5, Border Patrol agents came across at least 2,121 unaccompanied migrant children who had been previously expelled under the public health law known as Title 42 when they tried to cross with their families. While most single adults and some families arriving at the southwest border are turned away under Title 42 without being able to apply for asylum, the Biden administration made an exception for unaccompanied children, who are being transferred to the Department Health and Human Services (HHS), as required by anti-trafficking law.

Further Reading

One quick asylum fix: How Garland can help domestic violence survivors
The Hill

Immigration Courts Aren’t Real Courts. Time to Change That.
The New York Times

Hmong refugee settled in Milwaukee, devoting her life to her husband and 10 children. Now, they're facing Mother's Day without her.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

In the midst of a pandemic, a lone church leaves its doors open to undocumented migrants
Arizona Republic

Searching for hope, 32 migrants were pushed to extremes in an attempt to enter the U.S.
The San Diego Union-Tribune

Church holds celebration for asylum-seeker's one year stay of removal
CBS19 News