Week of November 8–14, 2021

Senate Republicans have proposed an amendment to the fiscal 2022 defense authorization bill that would prevent the Biden administration from making payments to migrant families separated under the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy. The amendment, introduced on 3 November, would bar federal funds from being used to make settlement payments of $450,000 to those affected by the policy, which separated migrant children from their families. President Joe Biden initially said such payments would not happen, but the White House subsequently clarified that he would support settlements if it ended litigation related to the policy. The US government separated 5,636 migrant children from their parents between July 2017 and January 2021, including 3,913 under the zero-tolerance policy.

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said on Fox News on 18 October that over one million migrants were apprehended at the border this year, “meaning probably another two or three million have come in illegally.” PolitiFact checked the claim, and found the first part to be true: according to the Customs and Border Protection’s website, 1.1 million individuals tried to cross the border in fiscal 2021. However, the second part of the claim is likely false, given that 365,000 to 600,000 people entered the country without authorisation in fiscal 2021, according to the Migration Policy Institute. It is not clear from where Patrick got the figure of two to three million. He cited "various law enforcements" as the source, but did not provide any further details.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has accused the opposition Labour party of “siding with people traffickers” after they blocked her Nationality and Borders Bill, which aimed to curb migrant Channel crossings. Patel said Labour’s actions could lead to more people suffering or drowning in the Channel. The bill would have made it easier to remove people who enter the UK illegally and increased prison sentences for people smugglers from four years to life. It had been expected to pass and was set to come into force in 2022, but in September, the Home Office admitted that its plan to curb Channel crossings “might not work”. Patel’s letter to Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds urged him to reconsider and claimed that the bill would have “reinforced Britain’s proud history of providing sanctuary”.

The Biden administration will waive costly immigration-related fees for up to 70,000 Afghan evacuees resettling in the US, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The move aims to provide financial relief to many Afghans who arrived with little or nothing, as they seek authorization to work or apply for lawful permanent residence. The fee for a work permit application is $410, while fees for obtaining lawful permanent residence can be as high as $1,225. Afghans paroled into the US on or after July 30 are eligible for the fee exemptions. The US has evacuated around 68,000 Afghans since August 17, with over 14,000 already resettled in the country. The waiver aims to provide “much-needed financial relief to our newest Afghan neighbors”, according to a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Asylum case success rates in the US jumped from 29% to 37% between Fiscal Year 2020 and Fiscal Year 2021, according to data from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. While some have suggested that President Joe Biden's policies may be responsible for the increase, the researchers have stated that there have been no significant changes in policy. Instead, they suggest the higher rate of asylum grants may be due to factors such as more legal representation for asylum seekers, which can increase the odds of winning asylum. Another factor may be the nationality of applicants, as the country an applicant is from can determine who gets asylum. The absolute number of people granted asylum is still low due to court activity being affected by COVID-19. Immigration courts are around 1.5 million cases behind schedule, meaning thousands of people have been waiting for years for their asylum requests to be decided by a judge.

Officials from the Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland in the US sought support from Homeland Security after a spate of fights broke out in local high schools. However, critics have argued that the involvement of Homeland Security could lead to children being placed on gang databases, and their families being subjected to deportation. Although Prince George’s County has its own Office of Homeland Security, the school district works with a separate Homeland Security division within the police department, which is believed to have monitored social media in relation to the fights. A 2019 ordinance banned cooperation between local agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but the district confirmed that Homeland Security was contacted to help monitor social media “to mitigate a possible school fight.”

The number of Haitians apprehended along the US-Mexico border dropped dramatically in October, according to figures reported by The Washington Post, as the Biden administration implemented a crackdown on migrants from the Caribbean nation. In September, 17,638 Haitians were apprehended compared to only 1,000 in October. The increase in border crossings in September had caused political embarrassment for the administration, leading to the clearing out of an encampment in Del Rio, Texas. Since September 19, the administration has repatriated 8,500 Haitians under the Title 42 policy introduced by the Trump administration. Migrant and human rights advocates have criticized the expulsions, which they argue are a heavy-handed response to a situation driven by conditions in Haiti and Latin America. While some observers suggest that the Biden administration's enforcement has effectively dissuaded Haitians, the events at Del Rio in September were seen as exceptional.

Sister Teresa Ann Wolf, former director of the Multicultural Center, has traveled to the Mexico border to provide temporary shelter and food to refugees and immigrants. Wolf, who presented information on current border issues at the Watertown Public Library before embarking on her latest trip, explained that anyone whose life is at risk can approach an international border and apply for asylum, as it is an international human right. She said the US and other countries fail to uphold this right and recent immigration restrictions and policies have caused further harm to already traumatized people. The political tension surrounding immigration comes with a heavy price, paid by immigrants regardless of their visa status, and communities that suffer from the polarization of immigration. Immigration reform is the responsibility of Congress, said Wolf, who explained that presidents over the years have tried and failed to make the process safer, faster, and fairer.

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe has said he wants his province to have greater control over immigration policy and child care funding, similar to the powers held by Quebec. Moe said he wanted Saskatchewan to be a "nation within a nation" and build a stronger, more independent province within Canada. Moe's government has pushed for increased control over immigration policy in the last two years, calling for a larger role in the selection and criteria of immigrants. Quebec has a distinct agreement with the federal government that allows it to select immigrants based on economic needs, or family reunification and humanitarian reasons. Saskatchewan has a provincial nominee program with streams that target specific groups of immigrants. Moe also cited Quebec's child care deal with the federal government as an example of the greater autonomy he wants for his province.

Progressives are opposing a Democratic-backed proposal to redraw Nevada’s 1st Congressional District that would dilute the voting power of Latinos by dividing them across three districts. The current district contains more than twice as many registered Democrats as Republicans, and the proposal would redistribute about one out of every seven Latino residents and decrease the demographic group’s share of the district from 45.1% to 35.5%. The trade-off demonstrates competing interests facing lawmakers as they redraw maps during a special legislative session, while progressives argue that adding white suburban voters to the district may enable candidates to mobilize immigration anxieties to sway undecided voters. Experts warn against maps that disempower minority voters by “packing” them in single districts or “cracking” them and dispersing them across multiple, and Democrats are calling Republican maps that aim to “pack” Latino voters into a single district a “gross attempt to isolate and weaken the political presence of both Latinos and African-Americans across the Las Vegas Valley.”