New Public Charge Rule Should End Fear of Trump Wealth Test

 

Written by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick www.immigrationimpact.com

Three years ago, the Trump administration sent fear throughout immigrant communities across the nation with its Public Charge rule, which functioned as a wealth test for green card applicants. This fear had been amplified by a leaked draft of the rule in 2018, which would have punished intending immigrants whose U.S. citizen children received a wide variety of benefits.

Now, with a new public charge rule finalized last week, the Biden administration has restored the public charge standard that existed for decades before President Trump. This will hopefully assuage the fears of many immigrants who had avoided accessing benefits to which they were lawfully entitled.

The Biden administration’s new public charge was first announced... more information https://www.inmigracionyvisas.com/a5549-New-Public-Charge-Rule.html

ICE will stop arresting and detaining most pregnant and nursing people

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer detain most people who are pregnant, postpartum, or nursing, according to a new policy released on July 9. However, ICE did not commit to a total ban, saying that there will still be “very limited circumstances” that will allow the agency to detain pregnant people.

The move is a clear shift away from the Trump administration, which in 2017 ended the presumption of release for such individuals. In the two years following that change, the rate at which ICE detained pregnant people skyrocketed by 52%, increasing from 1,380 in 2016 to nearly 2,100 pregnant people in 2018.

In announcing the new policy, ICE Director Tae Johnson said the change “reflects our commitment to treat all individuals with respect and dignity while still enforcing our nation’s laws.” ICE’s new policy
 

More information https://www.inmigracionyvisas.com/a5185-ICE-will-stop-arresting-and-detaining-pregnant.html

Biden administration begins reuniting the first of thousands of migrant families still separated

By Melissa Cruz - www.immigrationimpact.com/

Four families separated under the Trump administration will be reunited this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced. They will be the first families to be reunited thanks to the efforts of the Family Reunification Task Force, launched by the Biden administration in February.

It’s estimated that over 1,000 children are still separated from their families, and the parents of 445 children have yet to be located.

The Family Reunification Task Force—housed within DHS—is tasked with working across agencies to identify and reunite families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border as a result of the Trump administration’s cruel “Zero Tolerance” policy. This policy sought to criminally prosecute anyone—even those seeking asylum—suspected of crossing the border without authorization or in between ports of entry. This led to the forced separation of thousands of children when their adult family members were charged with unlawful entry.

More information https://www.inmigracionyvisas.com/a5132-Biden-administration-begins-reuniting-the-migrant-families-still-separated.html

Which Countries Could Get Temporary Protected Status (TPS) Next?

 

By: Melissa Cruz - www.immigrationimpact.com

By the end of the Trump presidency, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) was all but destroyed. The former administration had attempted to end crucial protections for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people who benefited from the status.

Now, just a short time into the Biden administration, those protections are being restored or extended.

Foreign nationals already living in the United States whose countries have been designated for TPS will once again be able to live and work without fear of losing their status. Without these protections, people could be forced to return to a country experiencing war, famine, or environmental disaster.

More information https://www.inmigracionyvisas.com/a5097-Countries-Could-Get-Temporary-Protected-Status.html

The Plan to Process Asylum Seekers Subject to the Migrant Protection Protocols

 

By: Aaron Reichlin-Melnick - www.immigrationimpact.com

The Trump administration sent over 70,000 people who came to the U.S border seeking asylum back to Mexico to wait for court hearings. This so-called “Migrant Protection Protocols” (“MPP”) program placed people in serious danger and made it nearly impossible for anyone to win protection. Court hearings under MPP were indefinitely suspended in March 2020. This left thousands of people stuck in Mexico in limbo.

One of President Biden’s first actions instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) not to put any new people into the program. Three weeks later, his administration has announced a plan to allow the thousands of people still waiting in Mexico to enter the United States.

Who will be allowed to enter?

Under the Biden administration’s plan, the only people who will be allowed to reenter the United States are the roughly 25,000 individuals who have pending MPP cases.

Importantly, far fewer people are likely still waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border. While exact figures are not available, it is likely that many have already returned to their home countries or left for safer locations in Mexico.

Those who have been waiting the longest will be prioritized for readmission. Some people have been waiting

More information https://www.inmigracionyvisas.com/a5063-Process-asylum-seekers-with-migrant-protection-protocols.html