Category: News

In June, some US immigration service offices are scheduled to reopen to resume serving the public after being closed for more than two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

It should be noted that not all offices or services will be open to the public, as some health and safety measures will remain in place "to continue keeping the workforce and applicants safe during the pandemic." Additionally, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained that asylum offices "will automatically reschedule appointments that were canceled during the temporary closures.". 

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Next April, Democrats will make one last attempt to pass immigration reform, as President Joe Biden's proposed reform seems to be stalled in the Senate. In March of last year, two bipartisan bills were passed in the House of Representatives, which included a path to citizenship for some 7 million undocumented immigrants, but failed to pass due to a tie in the Senate vote. 

Since the Democrats lacked the support of the opposition, they used the legislative tool known as the reconciliation package to pass the spending package, which also lacks Republican votes. However, to make immigration reform a reality, the social spending law must first be passed and then an immigration amendment included.

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Unaccompanied migrant children attempting to enter the United States will have the opportunity to apply for asylum, thanks to a new guideline announced by health authorities. 

Following a public health assessment, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) canceled the Title 42 restriction on unaccompanied non-citizen children that prevented their entry into the country, and who were being deported under this public health policy. 

This court decision was made after a federal judge ruled in a lawsuit filed by the state of Texas that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had not explained why children who 

Those traveling alone were exempt from Title 42, and the government was given a week to appeal. This is why the CDC lifted the order for these exceptional cases.

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Following the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the United States Department of Homeland Security announced Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians to apply for, thus preventing the deportation of those who are in American territory and allowing them to obtain a permit to work and reside. 

Individuals eligible for TPS under this designation must have resided continuously in the United States before March 1, 2022. Individuals who entered after this date will not be eligible, and the designation will be for 18 months. 

Furthermore, according to the Migration Policy Institute, it is estimated that there are approximately 30,000 Ukrainian citizens in the U.S. with temporary visas or without legal status who could qualify for TPS. 

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According to a survey published by the National Opinion Research Center, the University of Chicago, and AmeriSpeak, conducted by The Associated Press and Univision, 151% of the Hispanic population in the United States believe that undocumented immigrants “should be designated as criminals” and be “deported to their countries of origin,” while 62% of those surveyed said that “they should be allowed to remain in the country and be able to obtain U.S. citizenship, but only if they meet “certain” requirements and pay a “fine.”. 

On the other hand, for the 55% Latinos, there is “no difference” between the current and previous administrations regarding concerns about being detained and/or deported from the United States, which demonstrates a negative perception of the current administration's immigration policy, after seeing no progress on immigration policy issues during President Joe Biden's 13 months in office.

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Following the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian citizens in the US are requesting Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for compatriots fleeing the Russian invasion. This request was made during a meeting with Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, who pledged to address the issue upon his return to Washington, DC.  

Furthermore, Emilio Gonzalez, head of Citizenship and Immigration Services during the administration of President George Bush, and Leon Rodriguez, who led the agency during the presidency of Barack Obama, also asked the Joe Biden administration to grant immigration protections for Ukrainians. 

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced an agreement whereby Cuban-born aliens who were paroled under an I-220A document between January 12, 2017, and November 17, 2021, who have not left the United States, and who applied for adjustment of status under the Cuban Adjustment Act and were denied, can file forms I-485 and I-290B to reapply for residency in the United States. 

This agreement ends a class-action lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Cuban immigrants who were denied permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act; this group of people will also have one year to reapply for a Green Card. 

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Activists denounced systematic abuses suffered by migrants at ports of entry on the southern border of the United States. 

During a press conference, Fernando García, executive director of the border network for human rights, presented the testimonies of more than 4,000 victims, which evidence abusive conduct by federal agents. Among the abuses reported by the migrants are insults and humiliations as part of an intimidating practice and psychological violence.  

For its part, Customs and Border Protection told Telemundo News that agents interact with travelers trying to maintain the highest level of professionalism. 

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Great news! During the month of February, the number of immigrants detained in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jails decreased, while the release of detained foreigners increased, thanks to the Alternatives to Detention Program, which allows low-risk undocumented immigrants to await the resolution of their cases in Immigration Court while free. 

According to a report from the Transactional Records Access and Information Center, the number of people detained by ICE decreased during the last four weeks, resulting in 938 captures and adding to the 20,000 detained as of February 13. 

Regarding the number of people enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention Program, researchers noted an increase of more than 18,000 people, placing them in 182,000 jails as of February 12, with the largest number of detainees confined in detention centers located in the state of Texas, on the border with Mexico.  

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The Department of Homeland Security proposed changing the public charge rule, a regulation that applies to foreigners seeking legal permanent residence and other available legal immigration benefits.  

For his part, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, mentioned that the 2019 public charge rule was not consistent with the nation's values, and it is hoped that, with the proposed change to the rule, the historical understanding of the term 'public charge' will be restored, and people will not be penalized for choosing to access health benefits and other complementary government services available to them. 

Furthermore, the government asserted that the new rule “would provide fair and humane treatment to non-citizens, known as immigrants, who apply for admission to the United States or seek legal permanent residence within the United States.” 

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