A bipartisan bill has been introduced that would provide a permanent pathway for citizenship for recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as Dreamers. The bill would establish specific eligibility criteria, including continuous residency in the United States, completion of higher education or military service, and passing a background check to ensure good moral character.
Legislation Introduced to Provide Pathway for Dreamers
New Policy Expands Work Authorization for Asylum Seekers
The Biden administration announced a rule change on Friday, a policy to speed up the time it takes to get work authorization for asylum applicants from 180 days to 90 days after filing an asylum application. The rule also removes various barriers that have stalled or denied permits in the past.
Federal Plan Aims to Reunify Separated Migrant Families
The Biden administration launched a new effort on Monday to reunite families separated under the previous administration's immigration policies. Department of Homeland Security officials will lead a task force that is charged with identifying and reuniting parents and their children who were separated at the United States-Mexico border during the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy.
New Bill Suggests Quicker Asylum Processing
A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation that would expedite the asylum process by cutting applicant wait times and easing the mounting backlog in immigration courts. The bill would create a two-tiered system in which low-risk applicants, such as families and people from countries with acute crises, would have their cases reviewed within 90 days.
Court Blocks State Detention Law on Immigration
A federal court has blocked a state law used to detain immigrants at the request of federal authorities on the grounds it was unconstitutional in assuming a role meant to be left strictly to the federal government. It noted such laws create inconsistency across states in the application of immigration policies, thus undermining the requirement for uniformity necessary to support effective enforcement on a national level.
New Task Force Targets Migrant Exploitation
The Labor Department announced that it is creating a dedicated task force to target the exploitation of migrant workers in industries that are more prone to labor violations, including agriculture, construction, and food processing. The task force will enforce existing labor laws, investigate claims of wage theft and unsafe working conditions, and prosecute employers who exploit migrant labor.
Legislation Introduced to Address Farm Workforce Needs
Looking at labor shortages within agricultural communities, a bipartisan group of legislators proposed the answer be reformed into an H-2A visa, utilized for seasonal guest farm workers. Their law would streamline application procedures and let into this labor pool other major year-round-using sectors-such as dairies-and those undocumented farm hands who have kept over the preceding numerous years in illegal status.
Proposed Legislation Would Better Protect Migrant Children from Abuse
Lawmakers have proposed legislation that would increase the protection for migrant children, arriving into the country as well as unaccompanied minors. The bill improves the conditions of shelters and allocates more money for legal representation; it will accelerate processing for children's releases to sponsors or family members.
New Funding to Reduce Immigration Case Backlog
The Biden administration has unveiled a massive funding boost to address the enormous backlog in U.S. immigration courts, which currently stands at over 2 million cases awaiting adjudication. The steps include hiring more judges, clerks, and support staff besides investing in new technologies to better manage the cases and make the adjudication process less cumbersome.
Bipartisan Bill Would Establish Visa Program for Climate Migrants
A bipartisan bill introduced a new category of visa for those displaced by climate-related disasters: the "Climate Migration Visa." It would provide temporary or permanent residency to people who are forced to flee rising sea levels, severe drought, and other environmental catastrophes in their home countries.