Monthly Archives: February 2022

Wars create refugees. A Washington Post article reported 368,000 Ukrainian refugees by Saturday or Sunday. By Monday, the number surpassed half a million.  [Washington Post] “Some 368,000 Ukrainians have fled to European neighbors — mainly to Poland, as well as to … Continue reading →

177 organizations, including the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, called on the Biden administration to protect Ukrainians who are already inside the United States. According to CBS News, the Biden administration is considering extending protection to Ukrainians inside the United States through Temporary … Continue reading →

War in Ukraine overshadows all other news today. War anywhere brings flashbacks and fears for many immigrants, regardless of their country of origin. Veena Iyer, executive director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, wrote: “Like many of you, I … Continue reading →

Immigration reform is the right thing to do. Beyond that, immigration reform is an economic win/win for the country. Janet Murguía, the president and CEO of UnidosUS, and Bob Worsley. the founder of SkyMall, a former Republican state senator, and … Continue reading →

Political attention focuses on the same issues month after month, year after year, such as southern border crossings, Afghan refugees, and DACA. That means overlooking other immigrant stories, such as deaths on the border, Black immigrants in the United States, … Continue reading →

A huge backlog, too many cases per judge, not enough judges, severe staffing shortages—all of it adds up to justice impossible in immigration courts. The court backlog has ballooned from 516,000 cases in fiscal year 2016 to more than 1.6 million.

Two immigration changes are in today’s headlines: a new “public charge” rule reinstating pre-Trump policies and the Biden administration’s effort to end Trump’s Remain-in-Mexico program. The public charge rule changes is a federal regulation, which does not require Congressoinal action. … Continue reading →

Veena Iyer, director of the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, offers a personal perspective on the part that restrictive immigration laws play in deaths on our borders. [Sahan Journal] “My parents love to reminisce about how cold it was the … Continue reading →

I try to begin each of these posts with important stories, serious news–but sometimes the absurd is irresistible. Thus–tonight’s robot dogs. A February 1 press release from the Department of Homeland Security cheerfully announced “Robot dogs take another step toward deployment … Continue reading →

The Biden administration’s plan to use ankle monitors, cell phones, and other electronic surveillance of migrants awaiting court hearings relies on a contract with a private, for-profit subsidiary of the private prison corporation running immigration prisons.