Articles

5/2/19, Vox: Exclusive: Civil servants say they’re being used as pawns in a dangerous asylum program

5/1/19, Forbes: Questionable DHS Visa Overstay Reports Used For Immigration Crackdown

5/1/19, Washington Post: Burgeoning court backlog of more than 850,000 cases undercuts Trump immigration agenda

5/1/19, New York Times: ‘Every Day I Fear’: Asylum Seekers Await Their Fate in a Clogged System

4/30/19, Reuters: New Mexico opens state migrant shelter, criticizes federal inaction

4/30/19, Vox: Trump wants to make asylum seekers’ stay in the US harder — and shorter

What distinguishes these moves from the flashier parts of Trump’s asylum crackdown — from family separation to a possible expansion of military duties at the border — is that they can’t just be done by memo. They have to go through the regulatory process, which usually takes a couple of years from idea to completion.

We know the administration was already working on at least one of these regulations. But the memo doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be able to work any faster, much less within 90 days.

4/30/19, Newsweek: Fiji’s Climate Change Refugees: Four Communities Have Already Had to Relocate–and More are Set to Follow

4/30/19, PBS NewsHour: Amid rising attacks on places of worship, how religious leaders are responding

4/30/19, Vox: Booker, House Dems introduce most ambitious bill yet to curb immigration detention

4/29/19, New York Times: Asylum Seekers Face New Restraints Under Latest Trump Orders

4/29/19, Immigration Impact: Newly Unveiled Government Documents Show DHS’ Plans to Punish and Criminalize Parents

4/27/19, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Refugees get a boat’s-eye view of their new home – Pittsburgh

4/26/19, AP: Border Patrol expands fingerprinting of migrant children

4/26/19, Dallas News: As new migrant tent cities go up, the ‘Uncaged Art’ of teen detainees goes on display

“Because Tornillo was such a secretive place where no one was able to speak to outsiders, children used art and often times the Quetzal bird to get a message of beauty and hopelessness amid their incarceration,” said Leyva. “Even though they could get ice cream, movies and play soccer outside their tents, they were still behind barbed wires.”

The Hope Institute will host a reception at 6 p.m. Monday at the Centennial Museum.

Because the works of art are delicate, Leyva said, they’ve created a digital version that was recently shown in Chicago. Leyva and Romo hope to share it with other cities, particularly in Dallas and Houston.

4/26/19, Texas Tribune: Migrants on border face confusion and fear under “remain in Mexico” policy

4/25/19, New York Times: Florida, Where 1 in 5 Residents is an Immigrant, Is Poised to Ban Sanctuary Cities

Opinion

5/2/19, Los Angeles Times: The U.S. is taking in fewer refugees than ever, and it’s our loss

4/30/19, New York Times: Alabama Is More Pro-Immigrant Than You Think

I often ask evangelicals I know how they square their openness to immigrants in their communities with their support for tougher actions along the border. I frequently hear some version of: “I want a secure border and don’t want people coming here illegally, but I don’t think we should treat these people poorly and run them down. They work hard and I respect that.” For them, the answer involves upholding the law without dehumanizing their neighbors.

And of course, regardless of how an immigrant got there, many people believe their faith compels them to welcome them into their communities.

4/29/19, New York Times: What Songbirds Can Tell Us About Trump

Publications

4/30/19, Immigration Impact: Personal Values and Friendly Contact Associated With Positive Attitudes Toward Undocumented Immigrants

A new report from the American Immigration Council aims to understand the factors associated with Americans’ views of undocumented immigrants in particular. It provides a snapshot of how the frequency and nature of social interaction, as well as certain core values, influence those views.

To get that snapshot, we collected data from 1,280 U.S.-born citizens who volunteered to take a survey on their views. The survey captured their beliefs about immigrants, as well as economic, social, and political topics. It also documented their personal characteristics and experiences.

Investing in Refugee Talent Lessons Learned in Labour Market Integration (2019), Cities of Migration. With fewer people seeking protection in Germany today, it is time to leave behind the crisis management mode of recent years. Effective methods and strategies were developed over the last few years at short notice. This report aims to recognize the good practices and lessons learned from these “special” programs and integrate them into sustainable local and national governance systems. The report presents some projects and good practice examples as well as learning experiences. It is a valuable resource for employers and communities to helping refugee newcomers settle, find employment and re-start their lives. Available at: http://www.hireimmigrants.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/investing-in-refugee-talent_hire-immigrants.pdf

April 2019, Migration Policy Institute: Explainer: How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works