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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July 14 Update: Federal immigration officials rescinded the new guidelines for the Student Exchange Visitor Program, reverting back to guidance from March 2020 that allows exceptions to in-person class requirements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…
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The Supreme Courtâs 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…
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MWEG Deep Dive Recap: Michaelâs Story â Understanding Systemic Racism
In the wake of the terrible, tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, we have a new urgency to understand why and how such a thing could happen. We know itâs happened before many times to both Black adults and Black children, but this time is different. This time we were witnesses to the callous cruelty of an officer of the law as he knelt on Georgeâs neck until he was dead. We are beginning our journey to understand how our system of law, justice, child custody, schools, building codes, housing, healthcare, and social services interact to put young children and adults of…
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Media Literacy: How to Address Misinformation on Social Media
Why should we call out misinformation? Social media has become a powerful tool for the dissemination of disinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories related to current events. This causes division, confusion, and contention among friends, family members, and neighbors. It impedes our ability to make well-informed judgments as citizens. MWEG is working hard to educate people about how to identify quality news sources; however, a more challenging aspect of media literacy is learning how to address and respond to friends and family members who share misinformation. This is an emotionally fraught and taxing issue, and there are no easy answers. How should we do it? According to the MWEG Principles of…
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Call to Action: Protect Democracy by Ensuring Government Oversight
On June 20 the president continued his pattern of weekend firings by unexpectedly terminating Geoffery Berman, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Berman had been overseeing many high-profile investigations, including one into President Trumpâs personal attorney, Rudy Giuliani. Bermanâs firing, while legal, did not follow regular norms and patterns. In conjunction with other recent firings, it raises questions about Trumpâs repeated removal of government officials actively investigating claims against his administration and his associates. In April and May, President Trump fired five inspectors general, including those looking into allegations of impropriety at the State Department, Department of Defense, and Department of Health and Human Services. Congress has…
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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 proposalâs 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…
