Week of July 15–21, 2022

In 2019, immigrants in Texas made up 17.1% of the population but 21.9% of the state’s overall workforce.

Immigrants make up over 20% of Texas' workforce, according to a new study released by Texans for Economic Growth. The report, compiled from analyzing job postings on job boards, company websites, LinkedIn, Monster.com, and Indeed, found that in 2019, immigrants in Texas made up 17.1% of the population but 21.9% of the state’s overall workforce. Manufacturing is a key economic driver in the state, and immigrants made up 28.3% of all production workers in Texas in 2019. Additionally, immigrants make up over 13% of health care workers in the state, helping to relieve the labor shortage in the industry. The study's authors argue that Texas needs to invest in the growing workforce by creating the right immigration policies.

A group of 22 House Republicans have sent a letter to the Biden administration demanding answers regarding reports that federal agencies have transported illegal immigrants to receive abortions. The coalition addressed the letter to Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra. Recent media reports suggest that the federal government has transported minors from Texas shelters to abortion clinics in other states over the past nine months. White House officials are exploring policies that would grant abortion access to women and girls in immigration custody. The Republicans wrote that "abortion is not healthcare: it kills unborn children and harms their mothers. Federal taxpayer dollars should not be used to transport illegal aliens for abortions or otherwise facilitate abortions." They also asked how many illegal immigrants the federal government has transported to receive abortions and how much the programme is costing taxpayers.

Two landmark new studies in France are exploding myths about immigration at a time when xenophobic far-right discourse has gained more attention.

New studies in France have highlighted that children and grandchildren of immigrants are increasingly integrated into French society, despite some still facing persistent discrimination. One of the reports revealed that an estimated 32% of people under 60 have an immigrant ancestor and that the immigrant heritage is diluted over the generations. The study also noted that 66% of people with at least one immigrant parent are married to people without recent immigrant heritage. However, there is a significant discrepancy in hiring rates for those with non-European roots, with 60% holding intermediate or high-level jobs compared with 70% of French people without direct immigrant kinship. The study suggested discrimination and under-representation in French elite schools as possible explanations for this. Karima Simmou, a French-Moroccan student at Paris university Sciences Po, said that although she had been studying at one of France’s most prestigious universities for three years, she still felt a gap between herself and her classmates.

Now is the time for the government to act by extending foreign workers’ visas, encouraging international students to return and motivating skilled migrants to call Australia home.

Australia's economic recovery is being hindered by a chronic nationwide worker shortage, with access to workers the biggest challenge facing businesses. The government must act now to ensure it can take advantage of any post-COVID boom and compete with nations such as Canada in attracting skilled talent, according to Paul Guerra, CEO of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce of Industry and Daniel Hunter, CEO of Business NSW. The pair suggest three solutions to address the shortage. Firstly, offer skilled international workers on temporary visas that are due to expire in the next year an automatic two-year extension, to thank them for staying in the country during the pandemic. Secondly, motivate international students to return to Australia or stay longer by implementing four-year temporary graduate visas and relaxing working hour restrictions. Finally, encourage skilled migrants back into Australia and support more employers to sponsor migrants by making the visa process easier, cheaper and faster, with easier pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.

The US Department of State and Department of Homeland Security have announced changes to the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Program to simplify and streamline the application process for Afghan applicants. Under the new system, new applicants will only need to file one form, a revised form DS-157, as their SIV petition, instead of filing the Form I-360, Petition for Special Immigrant Status, with the Department of Homeland Security’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This new streamlined process will help to eliminate barriers for applicants and reduce application times. This change is part of the US government’s ongoing efforts to make the program more efficient, while also safeguarding national security. The SIV program is designed to help Afghans who have worked with US forces and diplomats to relocate to the US.

The Biden administration is planning to introduce new policy proposals to reform the H-1B visa program, including wage increases for professional foreign workers and increasing application and petition filing fees for immigration benefits. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plans to amend aspects of the H-1B visa program proposed by the Trump administration. The Department of Labor (DOL) plans to advance a new prevailing wage regulation. Additionally, the Department of State is reconsidering a proposal to eliminate short-term H-1B work on B-1 business visas. USCIS plans to revise the definition of specialized knowledge and employer-employee relationships in the L-1 visa regulations and may impose wage requirements. A proposal to update immigration filing fees is under review, and a final rule codifying protections for DACA recipients is expected soon.

A Baptist pastor in North Carolina has called on US senators to find a way to address immigration policy in a manner consistent with biblical values, just as they did with a gun safety law that passed in a bipartisan vote. The pastor praised the inclusion of orphans, widows and immigrants as groups specifically mentioned in the Bible as being worthy of care and protection. He stressed that respecting the law is also an essential part of the Christian faith, and a policy that combines compassion with adherence to law would be necessary for Christians. He argued that the Bipartisan Border Solutions Act should be supported, but added that it should also be paired with the Dream Act, which would address the situation of undocumented immigrants who arrived as children, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which would provide a path to permanent legal status for undocumented agricultural workers. He suggested these policies have broad support, including among evangelical Christians.

The German government is planning immigration reforms to attract skilled workers and combat labour shortages contributing to inflation. Labour Minister Hubertus Heil and Interior Ministry Nancy Faeser outlined in an article for Handelsblatt that they want to make Germany an immigration destination. The need for skilled labour in Germany has increased, particularly in the engineering sector, where almost 40% of employers experienced shortages in June. The government hopes that its strong labour protections and human rights laws will help attract skilled foreign workers. The reforms will allow industry trade associations to recognise foreign qualifications, which would save applicants time in the process of checking equivalence with Germany's certifications. It would also entitle visa applicants to a one-year visa to look for a job.

A New Jersey state assemblyman has proposed a bill that would make immigration status a protected class for tenants when renting a home. The Immigrant Tenant Protection Act would allow tenants to take legal action against landlords who evict them based on their citizenship status, while damages and civil penalties could also be sought. The legislation aims to prevent landlords from disclosing or threatening to disclose a tenant's immigration status, while sealing the status during civil proceedings. While discrimination against tenants’ race, creed, color, nationality, ancestry, marital or familial status, sexual orientation, sex, or disabilities is already prohibited under New Jersey state law, immigration status is not currently protected. The state has over 460,000 undocumented immigrants.

Indian singer Daler Mehndi has filed a revision petition with the Punjab and Haryana High Court, challenging the orders of a trial court that convicted him in an immigration fraud case registered in 2003. The court of judicial magistrate Nidhi Saini had sentenced Mehndi to two years in jail in March 2018 after finding him guilty of cheating and conspiracy. An FIR was registered in the matter on September 19, 2003, at Patiala Sadar police station after the complainant alleged that Mehndi and other accused had cheated him of INR1.3m ($17,700) on the pretext of sending him to Canada. Mehndi, through his lawyers, has sought that he be acquitted of the charges in the interest of justice.