Ideaspace: U.S. Immigration Policy

23/10/2023

“I’m not sure the State Department sees it the same way as our citizens do."
Our new report examines the role the State Department played in the failure of the 117th Congress to advance the Temporary Family Visitation Act (TFVA), a bill that would create a new nonimmigrant visa for foreign nationals who wish to visit family members in the U.S.:

Last month, a bipartisan group of U.S. House members reintroduced the Temporary Family Visitation Act (TFVA), a bill that would create a new nonimmigrant visa

02/10/2023

In the installment of Immigration News by the Numbers for the months of August and September, released today, Ideaspace explores three angles on the Biden administration’s expansion of TPS to cover 472,000 new Venezuelan nationals. We discuss how the move responds to growing criticism from New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York Governor Kathy Hochul; expedites work authorization for affected immigrants; and fits into an increasing trend of using executive authority to create temporary legal statuses, even as those legal statuses face new challenges in court.

October 2, 2023 - By Ariel Miller

27/07/2023

In our installment of Immigration News by the Numbers for the months of June and July, released today, Ideaspace focuses on the new legal challenge to the Biden administration’s asylum restriction policy. Other key events from the past month include a Supreme Court decision on the executive authority to set immigration enforcement priorities, and how rhetoric on immigration is shaping the field of debate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

July 27, 2023 - By Ariel Miller

17/07/2023

While state power on immigration policy has been asserted in various ways in the past, today’s action brings us into new territory – into what legal expert Pratheepan Gulasekaram calls, “a direct challenge to what has been now for several decades, even centuries, a well-established idea that only the federal government engages in admissions and removal and immigration enforcement.”

Strategic Inquiry No. 11: “Will States and Cities, Backed by a Conservative Court, Succeed in Colonizing the Federal Domain of Immigration Regulation?”

14/06/2023

Since 2015, when the pool of domestic farm labor started to dwindle, tree fruit farmer Jim Bittner has become increasingly dependent on the H-2A visa program. As such, he was sorely disappointed when the Affordable and Secure Food Act failed in the waning days of the 117th Congress, as the bill would have addressed many of his concerns. As Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) prepares to reintroduce the bill in the 118th Congress, we hope that this farmer’s perspective can help lawmakers reach consensus when they reconvene at the negotiating table.

A Farmer's Perspective on the Affordable and Secure Food Act

01/06/2023

In our installment of Immigration News by the Numbers for May, released today, Ideaspace focuses on border migration trends immediately before and after the expiration of Title 42. Other key events from the past month include two different visions of immigration reform emerging from the House GOP, and new data that suggest the refugee resettlement system and nonimmigrant visa issues are rebounding.

June 1, 2023 - By Ariel Miller

19/05/2023

The Affordable and Secure Food Act would have addressed a severe farm labor shortage that has crippled agricultural production and driven up food costs for consumers. As the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, it passed in the House with overwhelming bipartisan support. So why did it fail at the 11th hour in the U.S. Senate?

Congressional Note No 6: Who Killed the Farm Workforce Bill? Who Can Resurrect It?

01/05/2023

In the April edition of Immigration News by the Numbers, Ideaspace focuses on tension within the Republican Party as lawmakers attempt to unite over strict new immigration bills. Other key events from the past month include the expansion of temporary parole programs; a proposed rule that will give DACA recipients access to subsidized health insurance through the ACA and Medicaid; and the announcement that the Biden administration will open regional processing centers in Latin America.

May 1, 2023 - By Ariel Miller

31/03/2023

Immigration news in March: the Biden administration is considering a shift back to family detention when Title 42 expires in May; a sweeping investigative report uncovered widespread child labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children released to sponsors in the U.S.; new data brings new scrutiny to the rollout of a smartphone app to meter asylum seekers; and an agreement between the U.S. and Canada will return asylum seekers who cross between ports of entry.

March 31, 2023 - By Ariel Miller

27/03/2023

When it comes to immigration, much of the country’s political energy continues to be directed at the U.S. southern border and little is being said about the government’s efforts to improve the conditions that put so many migrants on the road in the first place.

In our most recent Strategic Inquiry, Ideaspace looks at the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration. What is the strategy behind stopping migrants before they make the journey? What action has been promised and what has been delivered? And what do we know about the efficacy of these efforts? We take a close look at the Root Causes Strategy, digging into the details of the program and what we can expect from it in the coming years.

Strategic Inquiry No. 10: “Can the Biden-Harris ‘Root Causes Strategy’ Convince Would-Be Migrants to Stay in Central America?”

09/09/2022

"I think there is widespread agreement: the asylum process wasn’t designed for what we are seeing right now at the border." At our Aug. 11th Capitol Hill Briefing, we spoke to Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director at the American Immigration Council, about building a more efficient and just asylum system:

Video and Transcript: Reducing the Asylum Backlog with Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

16/06/2022

The Temporary Family Visitation Act (TFVA) would create a new visa for foreign nationals who want to visit family in the U.S., a demographic that is often denied tourist visas– sometimes with tragic consequences.

Congressional Notes No. 1: A bill that would allow foreign nationals to visit family in the U.S. is showing strong bipartisan support

16/03/2022

"The spike in Russian migration across the southern border coincides with a confluence of factors that have rendered it virtually impossible for Russians to enter the United States directly."

Political activists, L.G.B.T.Q. people and Jehovah’s Witnesses in Russia are crossing the southern border from Mexico in greater numbers. More Ukrainians are also heading to the United States.

10/03/2022

The administration is reportedly weighing ending Title 42 expulsions within the next few weeks after two rulings in federal district courts complicated the rapid-deportation process. A source says the Department of Homeland Security supports ending the rule, while Customs & Border Protection, a department within DHS, does not.

President Joe Biden's administration is leaning toward ending a COVID-era order that has blocked more than a million migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter, a major policy shift that would restore the U.S. asylum system but could provoke backlash...

09/03/2022

Newsweek Opinion from three faith leaders: "Despite the inside-the-Beltway sentiment that immigration is a polarizing issue, our experiences within our local congregations are consistent with recent polling that found Americans largely agree on some core immigration issues—and a remarkable 93 percent of all registered American voters said they're frustrated by politicians making promises on immigration policy reforms but failing to work on a bipartisan basis to actually pass legislation."

Americans are remarkably unified in their recognition that immigrants play an essential role in our economy, a reality the pandemic and recent labor shortages in various sectors have made visceral for many Americans.

09/03/2022

"If we want to save our local economies, we must open our doors to the world."
Over 3,000 Ohio restaurants have been forced to close due to the pandemic and subsequent labor shortage. Now, a leader within the industry says immigrants "could literally save Ohio's restaurant industry."

To have a growing economy, you need a growing population. Ohio business leaders understand this and so do some of my neighbors, who've marvel at the immigration-driven transformations that surround them: “I didn’t move; the world came to me,” writes guest columnist Tod Bowen, managing director...

09/03/2022

Two U.S. district court rulings from last week may spell the end of Title 42, a policy that originated as a pandemic-related pause on land migration and evolved into a blunt tool for both the Trump and Biden administrations to carry out over a million rapid deportations.

The U.S. government can continue to expel migrant families at the southern border under a public health policy known as Title 42, denying them a chance to ask for asylum, but can’t send them back to countries where their life or freedom will be in danger, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.

08/03/2022

Immigrants make up about 14% of the U.S. population, a near-record high. But in the last five years, net migration has dropped significantly. This quick, clear article breaks down why, as well as the possible effects on the economy:

Net migration to the U.S. declined significantly over the last 5 years due to Trump administration policies, processing backlogs, the pandemic, and other factors.

07/03/2022

"The cumulative effect of years of dysfunction": USCIS work permit processing delays of up to 12 months have left over a million immigrant workers in limbo.

Delayed work permits mean some immigrants risk losing their jobs, even as the U.S. experiences labor shortages.

04/03/2022

Pres. Biden has granted Temporary Protected Status to Ukrainians living in the U.S. TPS now covers about 700,000 individuals from 13 countries. Advocates for expanding the program to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, and Ethiopia have thus far failed to sway the administration.

The designation gives Ukrainians who were in the United States without legal documentation as of March 1 permission to stay and work for 18 months.

04/03/2022

A thoughtful breakdown of how culture, proximity, national security fears, politics, and race affect European attitudes toward refugees.

The embrace of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion is far different from the cold shoulder refugees from the Middle East and Africa have received.

03/03/2022

In the first week of the Russian invasion, over 1 million Ukrainians have fled the country. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has predicted that over 4 million refugees might ultimately flee Ukraine.

UN official says the speed of exodus from Ukraine could trigger ‘biggest refugee crisis this century’.

11/02/2022

Join us on Zoom on February 24th, 2:00 - 2:30 ET, for a conversation with former acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection David Aguilar about smart border technology, data analysis, and migration management. Moderated by
DW Gibson. To register, visit tinyurl.com/ideaspace-aguilar

08/02/2022

Today Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar is releasing the Dignity Act, the first comprehensive immigration bill put forward by a member of the Republican Party in the current Congress. Last August, we spoke with Rep. Salazar as the bill was taking shape: ideaspace.com/video-rep-maria-salazar-on-her-dignity-proposal-which-would-enhance-border-security-and-provide-a-pathway-to-legalization/

27/10/2021

In the last 30 years, labor unions have seen two major shifts: growing warmth toward legal status for undocumented workers and shrinking support for Democrats. How these shifts position organized labor as a bipartisan power broker on immigration reform: ideaspace.com/can-organized-labor-broker-immigration-reform/

26/10/2021

As Democrats move to plan C, Sen. Alex Padilla told reporters, "I don’t give up that easy." What the budget reconciliation bill means to California's first Latino senator, and to California's 2.2 million undocumented immigrants:

The Senate parliamentarian has twice rejected his proposals, but Alex Padilla says “there are still options on the table.”

12/10/2021

"Although this may seem improbable amid COVID-19 border restrictions and today’s toxic political discourse, xenophobic populism will soon be jettisoned in favor of an all-out war for young talent."

After the Great Lockdown will come the next Great Migration.

01/10/2021

Rep. María Elvira Salazar argues that barriers to legal migration are adding to the burden on the asylum system. One solution in her Dignity Proposal: to broaden pathways to migration through a modernized temporary work visa program. Read more at
https://ideaspace.com/video-rep-maria-salazar-on-her-dignity-proposal-which-would-enhance-border-security-and-provide-a-pathway-to-legalization/

30/09/2021

The DHS announced that it will try again to terminate the Trump-era "Remain in Mexico" policy requiring asylum seekers to stay in Mexico awaiting adjudication of their claims. A Texas court blocked the Biden administration's previous attempt to end the program.

The policy requires many asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they await hearings on their requests for safe haven in the U.S.

30/09/2021

Once again, the Senate parliamentarian has objected to Democrats' bid to include a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants in the reconciliation bill, this time by advancing the registry date. Sen. Bob Menendez called the decision "unfortunate," but said they will "go to plan C."

The Senate parliamentarian has nixed Democrats' back-up plan for getting immigration reform into a sweeping spending bill, handing them a second setback.