Last Friday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a new policy for immigration courts that requires judges to go through more cases in a day than they are currently. The new quota requiring judges to complete 700 cases a year is a direct threat to due process and fundamental fairness because immigrants facing deportation, including those seeking asylum in the immigration courts, will have less time to get a lawyer and immigration judges will be unnecessarily rushed in the consideration and adjudication of each case. This is clearly a violation of due process. Read more here.
Politics
Trump making things difficult for U.S. businesses /
Without changing existing law, Trump and the CIS are adding bureaucratic obstacles to the employment-based immigration process designed to discourage U.S. businesses from hiring foreign workers. It’s ironic that Trump and many Republicans who pretend to support U.S. business and economic efficiency would impose more and more red-tape bureaucratic hurdles and delays to the legal immigration process. Click here to read the full article.
Timothy R. Bakken
Founder
60% of Americans say “No Wall!” /
The title and article say it all.
International Tech Students Avoiding U.S. Due to Harsh Immigration Rules /
The Trump Administration has been actively deterring international students from studying in the United States. In fact, in 2017 alone, the number of international students overall dropped by 4%, and even more shocking, the number of Indian students enrolled in computer science and engineering at the graduate level dropped by 21%. The Trump administration's anti-immigration rhetoric and policies are making the U.S. less attractive worldwide, and as a result, U.S. universities, companies, and even the U.S. economy will all feel the negative impact if the trend continues. Read more here.
GOP Immigration Cuts Threaten Economy /
As the Senate begins debating possible immigration legislation this week, don’t forget that immigration made America what it is today and continues to benefit our country. The benefits are broad, not only to the economy, but also to our vibrant and diverse culture and our historically prominent position as a place of refuge for those being persecuted in their own countries. This article summarizes the threats to our economy if Congress and the president succeed in cutting in legal immigration – one of the likely results will be a diminution in America’s strong economy relative to other regions.
Timothy R. Bakken
Founder
Most Americans Don’t Want A Wall /
As the debate over immigration continues, Trump is finally ready to make a concession: allow a path to citizenship for DREAMers. But of course, this compromise is too good to be true. There are three other components that run exactly in line with Trump's anti-immigration agenda including building a wall on the Mexico border, "banning US citizens from sponsoring their adult children, parents, and siblings for green cards", and calling a end to the diversity lottery. In fact these other components will have a much larger impact than allowing the DREAMers a path to citizenship, and immigration is expected to drop by at least 40% if Trump's agenda ever makes it through the Senate. Interestingly enough, after examining a variety of polls from different political leanings, it is universally acknowledged that the vast majority of Americans support the DREAM Act and oppose building a wall. Trump is yet again ignoring the voice of not only Americans, but even his own political party, and it is unlikely that the legislation will make it through Senate, as there will be serious push back. Read the full article here.