-
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…
-
Update on COVID-19 and Immigration
Many of us are focused on our own social distancing and coping with the stress of strange schedules and new routines. Some of us are shuffling to find childcare or replacement income for lost work. All of these struggles are real and valid. As we deal with our own trials, may we also keep in mind those refugees who are unable to work or social distance while in U.S. custody or in camps, both at our southern border and around the world. Asylum seekers in border camps Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Migrant Protection Protocol (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico Policy,” can remain in…
-
Nationality Ban Information
The Trump administration has announced that several more countries will be added to its nationality ban in a new presidential proclamation. Citizens of Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar/Burma, Eritrea, and Nigeria will all be banned from receiving immigrant visas, except special immigrant visas that are available to a very limited number of people, beginning on February 21. Citizens of Tanzania and Sudan will not be allowed to get diversity visas, a type of immigrant visa. Nonimmigrant visas will not be affected. Refugees are not included in this ban since they do not enter the U.S. on immigrant visas. There are several troubling provisions and claims in this ban. The Immigration and Nationality Act…
-
Public Charge SCOTUS Ruling
Last Monday the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s “public charge” policy change is legal. This change “dramatically increases the government’s ability to reject green cards for people who are deemed likely to depend on government aid, such as food stamps, housing assistance, and Medicaid,” according to The Hill. The administration has advertised the rule change as a way to ensure self-sufficiency among immigrants; however, immigration attorneys argue that the rule is both ambiguous and discretionary. It will allow the government to turn away immigrants who have never used public services. In addition, because of this discretion, people can’t know whether accessing specific services will or won’t matter in…
-
Refugee Resettlement: An Update
January 9, 2020 By Christie Black, Director of Engagement I have been working within the Phoenix refugee community since 2015, and my immigrant friends have become a part of my everyday life. When the president issued Executive Order 13888 last fall, which requires all state and local governments to opt in to receive refugees in 2020, my heart sank into my stomach. I thought back to when I was volunteering for a local non-profit in 2016. I was helping with their Facebook posting, which required me to receive Google alerts for any mention of the word “refugees.” Some of the media notifications were absolutely ugly — and absolutely false —…
