IMMIGRATION POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Immigration Posts
Companies Contracted to Build Border Wall Prototypes
On Thursday, August 31, the Trump administration announced its selection of four construction companies contracted to build prototypes of the border wall. Construction of the prototypes will take place in San Diego, where they could remain as permanent fixtures functioning as barriers in the city or be removed and relocated…
Trump Travel Ban Settled in Court
On Thursday, August 31, Darweesh v. Trump the legal challenge in response to Trump’s travel ban was settled in a courtroom in Brooklyn. The settlement agreement stipulates that the federal government must identify and send a letter to every person who was wrongfully barred from the country, enclosing a list of free legal…
Trump Moves to End DACA
On September 5, 2017, President Trump ordered an end to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Attorney General Jeff Sessions made the announcement, stating that the program will start to be phased out within the next six months. Shortly thereafter, Trump called upon Congress to “Legalize DACA!” and draft…
Chicago Sues to Remain a Sanctuary City
On Monday, July 7th the city of Chicago’s sued the Department of Justice, over its threat to withhold federal funds to Sanctuary Cities. Specifically, the DOJ threatened to withhold funds from the Byrne JAG grant program, which provides federal funds for local police forces. (I go into greater detail about this action in my previous…
Trump Supports Bill to Cut Legal Immigration by Half
On August 2nd Trump announced his support for a Senate Bill titled: Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (RAISE Act). The most devastating consequence of the RAISE Act would be a 50% reduction in legal immigration to the United States. This drop would occur as the bill would scrap the current U.S. immigration…
The Trump Administration has Renewed its Attack on Sanctuary Cities
On July 25th the Justice Department released a statement which says that it will withhold federal funding from Sanctuary Cities. Specifically, the DOJ stated that the federal government will withhold funding for the popular Justice Assistance Grant Program(JAG). The JAG grant program provides money for local police forces to buy…
Massachusetts Supreme Court Ruling Protects Sanctuary Cities
On July 24th the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that Massachusetts law enforcement agencies do not have the right to detain people solely under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers. An ice detainer is One of the main methods that ice uses to detain undocumented immigrants. An ICE detainer is a written…
SCOTUS’ Ruling on Hawaii’s Travel Ban Appeal a Mixed Bag
In response to an appeal from the state of Hawaii, the Supreme Court issued an order in a pending case, which provided both good and bad news for opponents of Trump’s Travel Ban. In short the basis of both the appeal and the Supreme Court’s response to it, hinged on the definition of a “bona fide relationship”. The definition of…
Trump Administration Quietly Implementing Muslim Ban Through Changes in Immigration Policy
As the courts have nullified Trump’s ability to ban immigration from Muslim majority countries outright, the Trump Administration has used other methods, not currently under judicial review, to drastically lower Muslim immigration. The methods have included agency level policy reviews. An example of this is the State Department’s…