United We Dream photo from Twitter
Minnesota saw a big drop in refugee arrivals in 2017, and will likely see even fewer in 2018, as the Trump administration attack on refugees continues. DACA and the Dream Act battle continue to dominate immigration news, as Congress continues to drag its feet on passing a clean Dream Act before the end of the year. In addition to thousands of Dreamers and allies demonstrating and talking to representatives in DC, United We Dream has mounted a jumbotron display facing the Capitol to keep their story in front of lawmakers every day through the end of December.
Minnesota slated for major drop-off in refugee arrivals (Star Tribune, 12/11/17) Many refugee families remain separated as the Trump administration first cut the number of refugees by more than half and then drastically slowed refugee processing.
“Khadar Abdullahi, who was resettled in Minnesota as a teen in 2006, expected his uncle and aunt back in August, but the couple have run into a string of delays. The uncle, “a second father” to Abdullahi, has lived in the sprawling Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya since 1992. Abdullahi was born and grew up there after his family fled Somalia’s civil war, and he worries about deteriorating conditions in the camp. He is also concerned about the health of his uncle after a bout with bacterial meningitis last year.
“It’s really frustrating,” Abdullahi said. “We were hoping he would be here by now, getting the medical help he needs.”
In fear of deportation: five hours that can make or break a family’s future (The Guardian, 12/11/17) Joe and Mei Chen, refugees from China, faced their first check-in at ICE under the Trump administration. After hours of waiting, they faced the officer who would decide their future. He told them they shouldn’t have brought their children to the interview.
“I explained the situation to the officer: ‘The kids are concerned they’ll be separated from their parents,’” Joe said. “We’d let the kids decide. They took a vote. We had a democratic process. They all decided to come. But the officer insisted it was poor judgment. He said he’s a father, too, and parents should tell their kids what to do.
“But we changed the dynamic,” Joe said. “I told him, I understand he’s just doing his job. He said, yes, he’s getting a lot of pressure from his supervisor, who’s getting pressure from DC. I asked, would you like to be separated from your kids? He didn’t answer. But I was able to speak with dignity, human to human, explaining our struggle, our values, why they shouldn’t separate our family. If we’re serving our community, why would the government want to bother us? NSC gave me the courage to fight.”
Opinion: A Doctor’s Plea: Why We Should Pass the DREAM Act Now (Time, 12/7/17)
“The health impact of not passing the DREAM Act is not just limited to immigrant communities, though. It also has significant implications for the general population and, in particular, our elderly. Surveys suggest that nearly one-fifth of DREAMers work in health care and education, filling critically needed direct care roles such as home health aides as well as even highly trained roles as doctors and nurses. This is critically important because there are already significant health workforce shortages, particularly in home care, which cannot meet current demand. The population of seniors, currently 48 million, is projected to nearly double by 2050. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics already projects an additional 1.1 million direct care workers will be needed by 2024. Deportations of DREAMers will put at least tens of thousands of these jobs at further risk.”
‘We’re here to stay’: the Guardian invites Dreamers to guest-edit our US edition (The Guardian, 12/11/17)
Irving Hernandez, 23, aerospace engineer: “As a border Dreamer, I have experienced first hand the militarization of the border. Praying to see my mom and dad come home has become a daily routine. There are random checkpoints with Customs and Border Protection officers in my neighborhood and all around San Diego.In August 2018 I will lose my Daca status, which means I am vulnerable to making the wrong turn into one of those checkpoints or being at the wrong place during a raid, and I will never make it home. Living through the militarization of the border communities has made me conscious of dangers other, more vulnerable, individuals like my parents would face under harsher enforcement.”
Supreme Court lifts orders to disclose DACA cancellation records (Politico, 12/8/17) The order was lifted but the case continues – a final decision may differ.
“The Trump administration complained that the orders from U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup issued in connection with five pending lawsuits over the cancellation would require officials to review more than 1.6 million documents, diverting the resources of the Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department. Federal government lawyers also complained that the disclosures intruded on executive branch officials’ ability to obtain confidential advice.
“All the Republican-appointed justices backed the stay, while all the high court’s Democratic appointees joined a 10-page dissent authored by Justice Stephen Breyer.”
Commentary: Without the Dream Act, I could lose everything (Salt Lake Tribune, 12/10/17)
“I’m terrified about the future. President Trump’s termination of the DACA program could blow apart my life. …
“Sometimes I think it’s kind of ironic that people think of me as a criminal because of my status, when here I am working with American families who have abused their American children and committed so many crimes against them.
“After four promotions, I’m now a coordinator who manages 10 cases. I take children to court hearings and doctor and dentist visits, track all their paperwork, attend meetings related to their care, and serve as a kind of mom to them.”
Four Possible DACA Options as Clock Ticks (CNN, 12/11/17) Summarizes four of the DACA replacement proposals before Congress.
What can you do if your DACA renewal application was rejected as not having been filed on time? (National Immigration Law Center, 12/11/17) Summary of four different categories of rejections:: Category 1: USCIS Lockbox–related error; Category 2: U.S. Postal Service error; Category 3: USCIS/applicant error; Category 4: Response to a request for additional information or evidence received after Oct. 5
Immigration Jail Slave Wage Cases Move Forward, Chen v. GEO Group, Menocal v. GEO Group (Lexis Nexis Legal News Group, 12/8/17)
“”Federal district court judge Robert Bryan in the Western District of Washington State on December 6, 2017 filed two orders denying GEO’s motions to dismiss the latest lawsuits seeking damages for violating employment laws. For the first time, a federal judge has taken a plain text approach to the 1950 statute authorizing compensation to people in custody under immigration laws and noted that the absence of any appropriations since 1978, as required by the authorizing statute, means there is no law authorizing exemptions from state or federal minimum wage laws.”
Editorial: Trump’s deportation tough talk hurts law-abiding immigrants (Washington Post, 12/10/17)
“Many Americans may feel little compunction about ferreting out illegal immigrants with criminal records, but what of the tens of thousands convicted of no crime or never even arrested for one? Remember: Most unauthorized immigrants (excepting those arrested at the border) have been living in the United States for at least 15 years, and large numbers have spouses, children and other relatives who are citizens.”
Immigration news 