Sunday October 10, 2021
San Jose Advocates Say New Federal Immigration Guidance Falls Short – The new guidelines state that officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should not target individuals for arrest or removal solely because they are undocumented. ICE agents are instead directed to focus on undocumented persons considered a serious threat to public safety or national security. Some immigration advocates, however, say the new guidance has flaws. Jose Servin, spokesperson for the Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network in San Jose, expressed his concern that ICE agents still have some discretion to deport whoever they want.
Monday October 11, 2021
A Mental Health Evaluation Can Change the Course of An Immigrant’s Life – Psychological evaluations are vital in asylum cases where immigrants do not have enough proof of their persecution. They help immigration judges understand why a person may be hesitant to respond to questions about their trauma or why that trauma means they might not be able to recall specific details. Also, according to the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 89 percent of asylum cases with such evaluations are successful. However, evaluations can cost up to $2,000 for more complex cases. Various organizations, such as The Evaluation Network help immigrants who already pay hefty fees to immigration attorneys, to connect with volunteers who provide evaluations at no cost.
Tuesday October 12, 2021
Statewide Strike Demands Congress Ratify Path to Citizenship for Immigrant Essential Workers – The national immigrant rights movement demanded that Congressional Democrats and the Biden Administration use their majority power to overrule the Senate and pass their Build Back Better reconciliation budget that includes $107 billion for a path to citizenship for millions of immigrant essential workers, Dreamers, TPS holders and farmworkers. However, on September 29, 2021, the Senate rejected the proposed provision for a path to citizenship in the reconciliation package for a second time.
Thursday, October 14, 2021
The National Security Innovations Pathway Act (NISPA) Has Two Immigration Clauses – The Senate must pass two bills as part of the National Defense Authorization Act to ensure the U.S. can attract, utilize, and retain top-tier international talent. The National Security Innovations Pathway Act (NISPA) will ensure that the U.S. can attract and retain technological experts for national security purposes. NISPA will provide a pathway to permanent residency for qualifying international students and professors. The second bipartisan bill, the Improving Opportunities for New Americans Act, would address the challenges new immigrants with professional credentials face, including language barriers, lack of professional networks, and state licensing laws that prevent individuals from practicing in their field.
Friday October 15, 2021
Pro-Immigrant Groups Blasted Biden Officials on A Call Friday Morning- A federal judge in Texas ordered the Biden administration to bring back the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy, also known as Migrant Protection Protocols, or MPP, that requires migrants stay in Mexico until their immigration court date. The White House announced they would comply and reinstate the policy implementation. In response, pro-immigrant groups and service providers blasted Biden administration officials and said that “there is no trust” for the new administration as they still have to deal with the Trump-era anti-immigrant policies.
Integrating CXO Data at US Citizenship and Immigration Services With Service Now – The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has an annual budget of over $2 billion and processes over eight million applications and petitions a year. USCIS also has over 850 investments, totaling $1 billion a year, supporting 75 programs and 160 projects. However, the agency has little insight into its budgets and spending and is now integrating this data into the ServiceNow system, which will help to centralize an understanding of what is being spent where and on what across all UCIS functions. The integrations will help the agency to become more transparent and hold all the stakeholders accountable.
