Week of December 1–7, 2021

Senate Democrats are pushing for temporary immigration protections to be included in their $2.2 trillion reconciliation bill, arguing that they are eligible under the so-called Byrd rule. The rule requires that reconciliation bills primarily impact the federal budget. The provisions, which offer up to five-year work permits and deportation protections, would add more than $300 billion to the deficit after 2031, according to the Congressional Budget Office, which could pose a challenge under Senate rules. The latest immigration language, which the House passed in November, falls short of advocates’ demands for language creating a pathway to citizenship. If the provisions are struck from the bill, advocates are pushing Senate Democrats to override the parliamentarian’s decision and create a path to citizenship. However, some argue that the provisions only provide temporary fixes and do not address the long-needed permanent improvements to the US immigration system.

A new analysis by Voice of San Diego reveals that immigrants in San Diego County accounted for over half of all COVID-19-related deaths during the first year of the pandemic, despite making up only 23% of the population. Of the immigrants who died from COVID-19 in the county during this time, 68% were from Mexico, with Filipinos and Iraqis also accounting for a significant proportion. Experts have said that while immigrants to the US are generally thought to be healthier than natural-born residents, COVID-19 poses additional complexities, including less access to medical care, which may have led to this disproportionate impact. Additionally, many immigrants were essential workers and therefore unable to work from home, and were more likely to live in multi-generational homes, putting them at greater risk. The analysis identified 32 residential addresses where two people died from COVID-19, three-quarters of which were immigrant households.

The deadline for eligible Liberians to apply for the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) program, which grants them a green card and the opportunity to apply for U.S. citizenship, is approaching. However, immigration advocates are calling on Congress to extend or lift the December 20 deadline to allow more people to apply. The program, launched in January 2020 under the Trump administration, is meant to offer a permanent solution for Liberians who fled civil war 30 years ago. An estimated 10,000 Liberians living in the U.S. are eligible for the program, but only 3,500 applications have been filed in the last two years. Advocates have cited barriers to applying, including a lack of trust due to the anti-immigrant stance of the previous administration, application fees of over $1,000 per person, and slow processing times. Minnesota, home to an estimated 30,000 Liberians, has the largest Liberian population outside of Liberia.

An increasing number of undocumented immigrants have been detained since President Joe Biden took office, despite instructions to prioritize more dangerous individuals, according to a report from The Texas Tribune. One such individual is Juan Reyna, a construction worker who has been locked up for 11 months without being charged with a crime. Reyna, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after border patrol agents found a gun and magazine full of bullets in the truck he was traveling in with a work crew. An ICE spokesperson didn’t say why authorities have been holding him in custody for nearly a year, saying it “does not comment on pending litigation.” Advocates say Biden has failed to make significant progress on immigration.

The US Supreme Court is considering a case on whether or not a non-citizen can be reviewed by a federal court over their ineligibility for a green card. The case of Patel V. Garland centres around Pankajkumar Patel, a citizen of India who has lived in the US for nearly 30 years, who was denied adjustment of status based on a false representation that he was a US citizen. The federal government has argued that 8 USC §1252(a)(2)(B)(i) bars the review of "any judgment regarding" the granting or denying of relief, while Patel believes the law permits review over non-discretionary decisions. In 2021, 104,000 non-citizens adjusted their status, allowing them to work, study and live in the US.

Illinois has become the first state in the US to provide health care coverage for undocumented seniors. However, the coverage plan, called Healthy Illinois for All, does not include nursing home care, which could lead to seniors being readmitted to hospitals and ending up in emergency rooms. The number of undocumented seniors in Illinois is expected to increase to 55,144 by 2030 from the current level of 4,000. Undocumented immigrants account for almost a quarter of the total undocumented population in the US, according to estimates from 2014. Those aged 55 and above are at higher risk of repeat hospitalisations than insured patients, and often have mental health and homelessness issues, making care provision difficult. To tackle the issue, healthcare providers should provide multilingual health care forms, more interpreters and more cultural awareness and sensitivity training for employees, the author argues.

The EB-5 Immigrant Investor program, which allows investors and their qualifying dependents to obtain US green cards with an investment of $500,000 in a new commercial enterprise in the US, has become increasingly popular due to surging interest in migrating to the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced people to spend more time at home, prompting them to assess their standard of living and seek better healthcare, a more robust economy, and a more stable political environment, among other benefits. The US offers some of the best healthcare systems in the world, with 80% of the best hospitals located in the country. US academic institutions are also among the best in the world, with eight out of the top ten universities being US institutions. Additionally, the US has the strongest economy in the world, as measured by GDP, and has many career opportunities. The EB-5 program offers a fast and easy route to obtaining US residency.

The "lunchbox moment" experienced by many children of immigrants and people of colour has become a simplistic and reductive shorthand for the experiences of those groups with food, according to writer Jaya Saxena in an essay for Eater. She argues that the trope doesn't acknowledge the class, religious or cultural dimensions of those experiences, nor does it recognise the complexity of the racism and joy surrounding the subject. Sharon Liu, a fourth-year undergraduate at the University of Toronto who grew up in Brampton, recalls classmates staring at the Chinese food she brought for lunch, with one asking if it was cat or dog meat. In adulthood, Liu has come to appreciate her mother's cooking and is keen to share it with others. Beyond school lunches and family dinners, food is often the best way to share one’s culture with the broader society.

A melee erupted at the first campaign rally of French presidential candidate Eric Zemmour, an anti-immigration polemicist, after activists from an anti-racism group disrupted his speech. Zemmour's far-right candidacy has provoked tensions in France as he has risen in polls since summer. While Zemmour supporters waved French flags in a northern suburb of Paris, roughly 8,000 others took to the streets of the capital to denounce his xenophobic platform. The episode ended quickly, but the video taken by journalists showed men punching the activists and chairs being thrown. Zemmour has been compared to former US President Donald Trump because of his rabble-rousing populism and ambition to jump from TV fame as a pundit to national politics. His critics decry what they call his racist and misogynist views espoused in his best-selling books, and point to his two legal convictions for hate speech. The first round of voting will be on April 10.

A Massachusetts judge indicted in 2019 for allegedly blocking the arrest of an immigrant in her courtroom should be immune from prosecution, her lawyer argued to a federal appeals court in Boston. Newton District Court Judge Shelley Joseph is accused of obstructing an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent by helping him leave the courthouse through a rear door. Thomas Hoopes argued Joseph was shielded from prosecution for actions taken within her official capacity. Prosecutor Donald Lockhart said the appeals panel lacked jurisdiction to consider the case against Joseph and court officer Wesley MacGregor until after a trial. US Circuit Judge William Kayatta called Joseph's case "unprecedented" and questioned why the doctrine of judicial immunity would not extend to her criminal prosecution. Joseph's and MacGregor's indictments occurred amid skirmishes between former President Donald Trump's administration and local governments that resisted his immigration crackdown and courthouse arrests by ICE officers.