Week of April 1–7, 2022

The US is being accused of racism in its immigration policy as it welcomes tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing war while it continues to deport African and Caribbean refugees back to unstable and violent homelands. Cameroonians have called for relief as the country's English-speaking north-west is plunged into civil war between separatists and the French-speaking government, while Boko Haram, the Islamic State and al-Qaeda all have a presence in the country. Some Cameroonians, including Wilfred Tebah, have flown to Latin America, trekked to the US-Mexico border and petitioned for asylum to escape being held in prison, tortured and even killed if deported. Although former President Donald Trump allowed designations for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea in West Africa to expire, the Biden administration has granted Temporary Protected Status to another 30,000 Ukrainians already in the US and halted Ukrainian deportations.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will lift its emergency public health order, known as Title 42, that has allowed border authorities to rapidly remove undocumented migrants, citing the availability of highly effective Covid-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Implemented in March 2020 under the Trump administration, the policy has enabled authorities to quickly turn back migrants at the border to protect US citizens from the pandemic. Republican lawmakers from Southwest Riverside County have expressed opposition to the move, with Rep. Ken Calvert saying it "is once again encouraging illegal immigration across our border". Over 1.7 million migrants have been expelled from the US under Title 42, which has enabled swift processing with little bureaucracy. The policy will be phased out by summer.

Over a dozen refugees have been released from Australian immigration detention facilities in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland, including those staying at Melbourne's Park Hotel, according to advocates. While the Department of Home Affairs declined to comment on individual cases, this is the second time in three weeks that refugees have been released. Last month, nine men were released from the Park Hotel along with one other in Broadmeadows and three men in Brisbane. Iranian refugee Mehdi Ali, who was detained at the Park Hotel, was also resettled in the United States last month after nine years in detention. The Park Hotel had gained national attention in January when tennis champion Novak Djokovic was briefly detained there before ultimately being deported.

Israel’s Aliyah and Integration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata has announced plans to continue to facilitate high levels of immigration to the country. Tamano-Shata has instructed the Ministerial Committee on Aliyah and Immigration to speed up approvals for those seeking to move to Israel, and is in advanced negotiations with the finance and housing ministers for the release of urgent housing budgets for the new arrivals. She has also suggested that Israel could welcome between 6,000 and 10,000 new immigrants per month. The Jewish Agency for Israel has launched the largest operation in the past 30 years, bringing in 65 airplanes of Ukrainian Jews to Israel from neighbouring countries, and inviting information from Israelis with family members in Ukraine in order to help them leave the country. The agency has also seen a surge of digital applications from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.

New Jersey's Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, launched in October 2021 to aid workers excluded from federal and state pandemic aid, has distributed $12.7m to about 5,500 applicants, representing about 20% of the total amount set aside by the state, according to the Department of Human Services. However, of the 36,000 total applications filed, only 5,500 have received aid, with 30,000 remaining pending due to either missing necessary documents or awaiting review. Chia-Chia Wang of the American Friends Service Committee said the "main purpose of the program was to give money to people who need support as soon as possible" and that a simpler, more straightforward system would have been preferable. Department of Human Services spokeswoman Eva Loyaza-McBride said a high number of applications filed in late February, when over 3,000 people applied in the final days before the application deadline, are still missing required documents.

McAllen Mayor Javier Villalobos has called on the public to ask elected officials to protect the sovereignty of the US amid concerns that the end of Title 42 will lead to an influx of immigrants. Title 42 is a pandemic-related policy that prevents individuals without legal documentation from entering the US in the interest of public health. Villalobos warned that the McAllen area may soon “experience an immigration surge like we’ve never experienced” due to the repeal of Title 42, which is set to end on May 23. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Friday that Title 42 would be ending. Republican leaders have responded negatively to the decision, and Missouri, Arizona, and Louisiana have filed lawsuits against the Biden administration. The Department of Homeland Security expects up to 18,000 people attempting to cross the border daily once Title 42 ends, prompting the department to take extended measures to mitigate the impact.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a "voluntary" program that would place state troopers in riot gear to meet migrants at the border and bus them to Washington, D.C. Abbott later clarified that the program is completely voluntary for migrants and would happen only after they had been processed and released by the Department of Homeland Security. The governor's announcement was criticised by immigration rights groups and politicians from both sides of the political spectrum. Many immigration advocates have noted that providing transportation services for asylum-seekers to reach their final destination is something the state should invest in. The state's Department of Public Safety will also immediately begin enhanced safety inspections of commercial vehicles coming through the Mexico border into Texas because human smugglers are known to use commercial trucks to transport people into the country.

Canadian permanent residents who have been living in the country for a certain number of years can apply for Canadian citizenship, which provides several benefits not available to permanent residents. Here are some of the advantages:

No need to renew status: Permanent residents have to renew their status every five years. After becoming a citizen, there is no need to renew citizenship status as citizenship certificates are valid indefinitely.

More job opportunities: Canadian citizens can apply for jobs not available to permanent residents, such as certain government jobs and jobs requiring security clearances.

Better protection against losing status: Permanent residents can be deported under certain circumstances, whereas citizenship status can only be revoked under specific situations such as obtained by false representation, fraud or knowingly concealing material circumstances.

The right to vote: Canadian citizens can vote in all elections, run for office and represent constituents.

Canadian passport: Citizens get access to the Canadian passport, which provides visa-free entry to many countries. Canada also recognizes dual citizenship.

Statistics Canada reports that 86% of Canadian permanent residents become citizens, which is one of the highest rates among western countries. Becoming a citizen provides immigrants with the right to vote, political influence, and may improve their economic opportunities.

A bipartisan group of US senators plan to convene meetings to try to restart immigration reform efforts when the Senate returns to Washington, D.C., after an April break. Congressional Democrats have faced difficulty in making good on their pledge to reform immigration, after their attempts to pass sweeping reform legislation failed last year. While a reform deal would be an uphill climb heading into the November election, Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) aim to bring together a group of senators to revive immigration discussions. The group’s efforts are the latest in recent years to try to get a deal on immigration reform that could pass both the House and Senate. Efforts to do so have previously failed, most recently with the Build Back Better package.

The number of new lawful permanent residents in the US has rebounded after a steep decline during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, growing to pre-pandemic levels last year, according to a Pew Research Center analysis. In the final quarter of fiscal 2021, foreign tourists, business visitors, guest workers, foreign students, and other temporary lawful migrants also saw a slight rebound, although these numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels. About 282,000 people received green cards between July and September 2021, which is the highest three-month period since April-June 2017. Meanwhile, around 400 Ukrainians have entered Tijuana on the US-Mexico border in recent days after arriving in Cancun and Mexico City. They are temporarily staying in improvised camps near the international port of entry. The increase in Ukrainians in Tijuana comes as the US steps up efforts to handle migrants and asylum seekers, regardless of their nationality.