Week of February 15–21, 2022

A paper by economist Kristin Butcher and co-authors has found that there is a positive correlation between the likelihood that people aged 65 and older will choose to age at home and the density of available immigrant labor. In-home care is classed as "labor-intensive" and therefore susceptible to fluctuations in the availability of labor. The growing immigrant share in in-home care professions has allowed it to become a more affordable option for people to consider as they age. Surveys suggest more than 75% of individuals over 50 want to remain in their homes as they age. However, native-born Americans have proven resistant to filling these positions, meaning that the demand for home health care labor is expected to be satisfied almost entirely by foreign workers. One possible reform is to reinstate and modify the H-1C visa program by adding home health aides as a qualified occupation in addition to nurses.

St. Mary's University School of Law in Texas will host the 2022 Immigration Symposium, organized by student-led publication The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice, on February 25. The symposium, themed "Forever a Nation of Immigrants," will feature a keynote speech by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Sonia Nazario, who will speak on the subject of how lawyers can assist immigrant children. The event will also include a panel discussion on the ethical considerations arising from Covid-19 for immigration practitioners. The Scholar publishes articles on legal and social issues affecting vulnerable and minority groups. The symposium offers six Continuing Legal Education credit hours, including one hour of ethics credit. Registration is open at a cost of $115 for attorneys, $75 for government attorneys/employees and non-attorneys, and $20 for students.

A coalition of 31 grassroots immigrant groups have called on the Congressional Hispanic Caucus to push for immigration reform. The groups criticized President Biden's Build Back Better plan, saying that only a few "champions for immigration solutions" made their voices heard last year as "various interests sought inclusion" in the plan. During the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs, a panel of six experts discussed the physical and metaphorical borders immigrants must overcome before arriving at their destination. The discussion centred on refugees and asylum seekers, the criminalisation of immigration activities, and the militarisation of the southern border, which has increased over the last three decades. The experts also addressed the inequalities associated with border crossings and how navigating legal obstacles is intentional and discriminatory towards different people around the world.

House Republicans in Florida are pushing ahead with a bill aimed at bolstering immigration enforcement despite criticism from Democrats and religious leaders over the potential impact on unaccompanied immigrant children. The legislation would target transport companies that bring undocumented immigrants into Florida, and expand a 2019 law aimed at preventing “sanctuary cities”. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also taken steps to limit the accommodation available to such children. The bill, which passed a State Affairs Committee by 15-8 along party lines, is designed to prevent the state and local governments from doing business with transportation firms that bring undocumented immigrants to Florida. The proposal would also require counties to enter agreements with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where local law enforcement officers assist in immigration enforcement.

A major goal: to take this work out of the “ivory tower.”

The University of Denver has launched the Center for Immigration Policy and Research, a program designed to study and learn more about immigrants in the Mountain West. The center will focus on three major issue areas that immigrants face: health and education, work and labor, and policy. It will also encourage arts and culture projects related to immigrant communities that may help this cause and aren’t typically invited into academic spaces. The center plans to distribute small grants to researchers and advocacy groups to make connections happen, as well as create real bonds and friendships with people who have immigrated to the US to learn what they think is worthy of study. The founders hope to change the way they find topics to investigate and shift the way academia’s relationships with communities are often defined from above.

Massachusetts lawmakers have approved a bill allowing immigrants without legal status to obtain driver’s licenses. The bill passed with overwhelming support from Democrats and included wording that clarifies undocumented immigrants with driver’s licenses cannot vote. The legislation aims to improve public safety and access to opportunities for immigrants. The bill is expected to be signed by Governor Charlie Baker, who previously vetoed similar legislation in 2020. In other immigration news, private prison company GEO Group’s subsidiary, BI Incorporated, will pilot a new “home curfew” program for detaining hundreds of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Immigrants in the program will be required to stay at home from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. and will be monitored with tracking devices as they await court proceedings. This approach is part of the Biden administration’s “alternatives to detention” efforts. A recent NewsNation poll showed that 70% of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

Facilities management company Mitie has suspended staff members over claims of racist messages being exchanged on a WhatsApp group. The Sunday Mirror published details of the messages, which were sent by around 80 Mitie staff and included remarks about Syrian refugees, Chinese people, MP Diane Abbott and Home Secretary Priti Patel. Mitie has said it is investigating the matter, while the Home Office said its professional standards unit was also looking into the claims. Mitie added that there was “no place for racism, bullying or discrimination” within its operations. The company was awarded a 10-year, £525m ($735m) Home Office contract in 2017 to provide immigration services.

A new study by academics Dany Bahar, Prithwiraj Choudhury and Sara Signorelli highlights the importance of mobility in driving innovation and R&D, particularly in emerging markets such as China and India. The research, which focuses on patents filed in 15 countries between 1995 and 2016, shows that liberal immigration policies have helped to create a global hub for innovation in Asia. In 2019, the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) reported that China accounted for almost half of the world's patent filings, with India also registering an impressive increase in global patent production. The study's findings suggest that the growth rate of R&D activities of US companies in foreign countries has exceeded the growth rate of R&D within the USA, indicating the importance of global mobility for multinational corporations.

Dozens of Ukrainian Jews have arrived in Israel as tensions continue to escalate between Russia and Ukraine. The Israeli Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption stated that 75 immigrants had arrived on the first flight, with another 22 scheduled to land later on Sunday. The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews organised the flight, which was not set up specifically in response to the current crisis. Jana Kovlenko, who arrived with her family, said, “right now it’s scary in Ukraine. Everyone is only talking about war. Until the last moment we were worried that the flight would be cancelled due to the situation”. The Ukrainian Jewish population is around 43,300, with approximately 200,000 Jews and their relatives eligible to emigrate to Israel.