-
Call to Action: End Using Title 42 as Border Immigration Policy
In March 2020 the Trump administration implemented Title 42, part of the 1944 Public Health Service Act, which “allows the government to prevent the introduction of individuals during certain public health emergencies.” This policy was not recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and has enabled both the Trump and Biden administrations to ignore long-standing norms and laws related to the processing of asylum seekers at the U.S. border. TO DO Contact your members of Congress requesting their support for our administration’s plan to end the use of Title 42 at the border on May 23. You can find instructions and…
-
Call to Action: Support Dreamers and Pass the Dream Act of 2021
UPDATE: On July 16, 2021, a federal judge ruled that accepting new DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) applications is illegal. While this does not change the status of current DACA recipients, it does bar new applicants, emphasizing the need for legislative action. The House passed the Dream Act, but the bill is currently held up in the Senate. We need to continue to encourage our senators to work together to find a legislative solution to ensure Dreamers are protected from deportation and are provided a reasonable pathway to permanent status. The American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 is a bipartisan bill that would provide permanent protection and a…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Executive Order on Immigration Does Not Make Our Country Safer
President Trump announced his intentions of “prohibiting immigration into our Country” and just last week signed an executive order halting the issuance of green cards, a legal avenue to citizenship. This order covers a very narrow area of immigration law, implies migrants are worsening the effects of the pandemic, and does nothing to make our country more secure. The executive order largely targets individuals who have been seeking entry to the U.S. legally for years or, for some, decades. The Associated Press observed, “the proclamation Trump signed Wednesday will most affect the parents, adult children and siblings of citizens and permanent residents hoping to one day join them in the country.” According to the wording…
-
Release Detainees Now
COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work, and learn in the United States, in the all-important effort to slow the spread of this virus. Difficult as these changes have been, most of us are fortunate to be able to socially distance and practice proper hygiene. Inside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, however, conditions remain dangerously unsanitary. As COVID-19 continues to present new and pressing needs, consider the ethical obligations in these common scenarios: A young man with asthma fled gang violence in Honduras. He is in ICE custody after presenting himself at the border to declare his desire to obtain asylum. An elderly woman is detained in…
