
Immigration rally in Washington, D.C., in 2010.
“A $25 billion boondoggle is not only an outlandish waste of taxpayers’ money, but is also not a smart investment in border security or what families and communities in New Mexico want or need.”—New Mexico senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich
“It’s tough. I want to say yes to getting more protection. But I can’t. A wall would ruin this community.”—Abraham Diaz, 24, a Texas resident who came to the U.S. from Mexico at age 8
Three Dreamer bills fail in the Senate. What’s next?
On February 15, the U.S. Senate considered three bills to protect Dreamers (immigrants brought to the U.S. as children) and all three failed to pass. MCC supported the bipartisan Coons-McCain USA Act but opposed a second bipartisan bill by Senators Collins, Rounds and King which included $25 billion for border security. (See how your senators voted.) Many Dreamers opposed the Collins bill, unwilling to trade protections for more walls and militarization in border communities. President Trump, who once said he would sign any bill that passed, threatened to veto even the Collins bill.
The next steps in the Senate are unclear but may include a short-term extension of the DACA program combined with border security. Meanwhile, in the House, Speaker Ryan has committed to take up a bill by the end of March but the only legislation being considered thus far is an anti-immigrant bill from Rep. Goodlatte (R-Va.) which may not have the votes to pass. Currently, two federal judges are preventing the Trump administration from ending the DACA program on March 5, but the Supreme Court could overrule that decision.
Local stories, events and resourcesFlorida: Immigrant advocacy groups have issued a travel warning for the state due to increased collaboration between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials. Illinois (Chicago): ICE detains man at traffic court after DACA status expires, then frees him after outcry Indiana: Immigrants are a blessing, not a burden, op-ed by MCC U.S. executive director Ron Byler Kansas: A chemistry professor in the country for 30 years was arrested by ICE. Op-ed: How is this man a danger? New Jersey: Three Indonesian immigrants leave church sanctuary after judge blocks deportation New York: MCC story: Providing a "pathway to dignity" for TPS recipients | Ravi freed, joins lawsuit alleging ICE is targeting immigration activists Texas: Some Christian leaders say deportations would jeopardize their churches |
Action alerts |
Updates & news
DACA/Dream: In addition to Trump’s veto threat, the Department of Homeland Security publicly criticized the Collins proposal, drawing a sharp rebuke from Republican senator Lindsey Graham. KRWG (New Mexico), the Washington Post, and America’s Voiceexplain why trading protections for Dreamers for more border wall is merely trading one set of injustices for another.
Border: Unauthorized border crossings have decreased but border deaths have risen(IOM report, No More Deaths report). Meanwhile, volunteers are being arrested for leaving water for border crossers. The White House has asked for $29 billion for border security and immigration enforcement in its fiscal year 2019 budget request.
The wall: Hundreds turned out for a rally opposing the construction of border walls through the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, which has been called the “crown jewel of the national wildlife system.” Especially popular with birders, the refuge hosts about 165,000 visitors each year. The Trump administration is also looking to build walls in New Mexico and has taken steps to waive environmental laws there.
100-mile border-zone: Border patrol agents have boarded buses to ask for proof of immigration status in places like Miami and Portland, Maine. NBC News and the National Review discuss the civil liberties implications for the two-thirds of U.S. residents who live within 100 miles of a border. ACLU: Know your rights | graphics
Family migration and diversity lottery: Read about one man’s experience coming to the U.S. on a Diversity Visa, what family-based immigration meant to this former White House official, why Laura Wides-Muñoz thinks “family-based immigration has ‘merit,’ too,” and why these two advocates argue that talking about family migration is important to the immigration debate. MCC article: Give me your healthy, your wealthy, your huddled college graduates.
Asylum seekers: President Trump has indicated his intentions to roll back protections for asylum seekers, likely in violation of U.S. treaty obligations and U.S. law. Immigration officials announced they will now review newer asylum cases first, ostensibly to deter fraud, but more likely to deter asylum seekers (Myth v. fact: Asylum seekers in the United States). A piece in the New Yorker explains why these are life and death issues for many. The Daily Beast reports the story of an Iraqi man who came to the U.S. for safety but was abused in detention.
Enforcement: The Trump administration continues to ramp up immigration enforcement, announcing that it considers enforcement in the interior of the country part of its border security mission, clarifying when arrests will be made at courthouses and planning to track license plates across the U.S. Reports of sexual abuse in detention centers continue. A man who called the police to report a trespasser was put into deportation proceedings.
Temporary Protected Status: The Trump administration extended TPS for Syrians for 18 months but will not accept applications from new Syrian arrivals.
Refugees: Refugee arrivals are well behind projected numbers even with a record-low goal of 45,000 refugees to be resettled in the U.S. this fiscal year.
“Public charge” rule: A proposed regulation could force immigrants to choose between needed services for their children or gaining legal permanent residence.
Upcoming events
April 1-7, 2018: Borderlands learning tour
April 20-23, 2018: Ecumenical Advocacy Days: A world uprooted
May 23-27, 2018: Borderlands learning tour
June 4-8, 2018: Immigration law training
New resources
MCC articles
- Mennonite World Review: Ugly logic behind U.S. immigration policies
- Third Way Café: Give me your healthy, your wealthy, your huddled college graduates
- South Bend Tribune: Immigrants are a blessing, not a burden by MCC U.S. executive director Ron Byler
- MCC story: Providing a "pathway to dignity" for TPS recipients
DACA/Dream Act
- White House DACA proposal analysis: NIJC | MPI
- House bill (Rep. Goodlatte): AILA policy brief
- DACA court case: NILC analysis | NILC FAQ
- Dreamer profiles: NY Times | Chicago Tribune
Border
- CBS News: The wall - A nation divided
- Washington Office on Latin America: “Beyond the wall” campaign | Border factsheet
- The disappeared, part II: Interference with humanitarian aid: Death and disappearance on the US–Mexico border
Family migration, diversity visa lottery
- Interfaith Immigration Coalition: Family migration resources
- Migration Policy Institute: The Diversity Visa program holds lessons for future legal immigration reform
- American Immigration Council: Diversity Visa 101
- America’s Voice: Family migration 101
Asylum
- Human Rights First: Myth v. fact: Asylum seekers in the United States
- Human Rights First: Trump and the criminalization of asylum
- NIJC: Proposed policies target children for deportation
Enforcement/detention
- ACLU: Know your rights if CPB agents board your bus | Graphics
- PICO: Deportation defense guide
- CIVIC: Rebuilding trust: A case study for closing and repurposing immigration detention facilities
- DWN/NIJC: ICE lies: Public deception, private profit
- Human Rights First: Punishing refugees and migrants: the Trump administration's misuse of criminal prosecutions
Sanctuary
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center: The rise of sanctuary
Temporary Protected Status
General
- World Relief: I was a stranger: Evangelical women reading Matthew 25:31-46 (video, study guide)
Update created February 26, 2018, by Tammy Alexander, Senior Legislative Associate for Domestic Affairs.
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