-
Miranda v. Barr — and What It May Mean for Future Immigration Hearings
Picture a courtroom TV drama where a judge decides if a person accused of committing a crime is going to have bail set and for how much. The government lawyer argues for a million dollars or some other outrageous amount and offers reasons in support of the high amount; the defense attorney assures the judge the person is an upstanding member of society and would never flee. The government’s burden is to convince the court the bail is necessary, and if the reason is not convincing enough, the government’s request fails. The court’s job is to consider the person’s ability to pay and whether requiring money is necessary to reduce…
-
MWEG Town Hall Recap: Immigration Updates on DACA and Asylum Proposals
Mormon Women for Ethical Government hosted a Town Hall on July 7 to update members on asylum and DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) changes in U.S. immigration law. Panelist Nefi Oliva, president of the Immigration Law Forum at Brigham Young University, explained that recently proposed changes to immigration regulations are a codification of the recent practices of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Department of Homeland Security, and the immigration courts. The purpose of the regulations and policies under President Trump seems to be cruelty and to make it harder and harder to get into the U.S., said Kif Augustine-Adams, professor of law…
-
Call to Action: Oppose ICE Changes to Student and Exchange Visitor Program
July 14 Update: Federal immigration officials rescinded the new guidelines for the Student Exchange Visitor Program, reverting back to guidance from March 2020 that allows exceptions to in-person class requirements due to the pandemic. On July 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced they will be modifying the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which allows international students to study in the United States on F-1 and M-1 visas. As a result of the changes, students who have these visas will be required to leave the U.S. if their college or university is not offering in-person classes. In-person classwork has always been a requirement for these visas, but in…
-
The Supreme Court’s Ruling on DACA: Adherence to Process Matters in the Law
The Supreme Court ruled on June 18 that the president did not end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in a lawful manner. This ruling does not permanently protect the DACA program, as the main point in the ruling is that the president did not follow the proper legal process to end DACA. In short, adhering to correct processes matters. While the decision is good news for Dreamers and the majority of Americans who support DACA, the struggle is not at an end. The office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indicated the president will continue his attempts to rescind DACA, this time attempting to do so with…
-
Call to Action: Oppose New Asylum Procedures
On Monday, June 15, the Trump administration posted a proposal to the Federal Register that would drastically restrict the ability of people seeking asylum to apply and qualify for asylum in the U.S. The proposal’s biggest changes include removing the ability to claim asylum due to a credible fear of domestic or gang violence in the country of origin and increased restrictions to legal representation. Previous policy interpreted asylum law to include such threats. Under President Trump, policy has increasingly excluded this type of violence. The new proposal would make that policy official, leaving hundreds of thousands of displaced people vulnerable. To Do: Please use our Call to Action tool…
-
MWEG Deep Dive Recap: Immigration Op-Ed Tutorial with FWD.us
For our inaugural Deep Dive event, MWEG hosted two communications professionals from FWD.us to talk about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program — and how to advocate for it. FWD.us is a bipartisan organization working to fix the failed immigration and criminal justice systems that have locked too many out of the American dream for too long. In their presentation, Leezia Dhalia, immigration press director, and Alexis Sosa, communications fellow, shared the facts about DACA and why defending it is important. Leezia is a DACA recipient herself, having been brought to the U.S. from Canada as a pre-teen. DACA protects 750,000 young immigrants — Dreamers — who have…
