Northern District of California Judge William Orrick enjoined the Trump Administration from withholding most federal funds from sanctuary cities that restrict cooperation with ICE. The judge sided with the plaintiffs' argument that billions in federal grants were at stake despite the Administration's statement that sanctions were limited in scope. The ruling may be appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
During a MSNBC interview on Tuesday former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized sanctuary cities for not enforcing federal immigration laws. Bloomberg said that instead of ignoring federal laws these cities should work with legislatures to change immigration laws.
Most of the immigration talk over the last week has been about Pres. Trump's "border wall". Meanwhile, Congress continues to consider increases in H-2B visas for low-skilled foreign workers, and tens of thousands of American tech workers continue to suffer from flatlined wages and fewer job opportunities. Building the wall may have been Trump's most famous campaign pledge, but he also pledged to protect American workers from foreign worker competition.
The Department of Justice warned nine jurisdictions that they could lose federal grant funds unless they demonstrate compliance with federal anti-sanctuary law. The nine jurisdictions are Chicago, Cook County Ill. (encompasses Chicago) New Orleans, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Miami, Milwaukee, New York City and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General found that ICE deportation officers are so overloaded that they lose track of aliens that have been released pending their deportation, including some posing national security risks. Under the Obama Administration, deportation officers based in Washington, D.C., handled more than 10,000 released deportable aliens per person on average, while those in Atlanta averaged more than 5,000 released to the streets. Due to caseload and lack of direction, “ICE is almost certainly not deporting all the aliens who could be deported and will likely not be able to keep up with growing numbers of deportable aliens,” the report said.
New Zealand announced today that they have made changes to their skilled foreign worker visa program that requires immigrants to meet certain income levels to be eligible for the visa. In order to qualify as a skilled immigrant they must get a job in which they earn at least the median income, to qualify as higher skilled the immigrant will need to earn at least 150% of the median income.
Pres. Trump signed his "Buy American, Hire American" executive order today that will direct government departments to review how H-1B visas are awarded and suggest changes so that only the highly-skilled and higher paid applicants receive the temporary work visa. This order is the first step towards moving the program from a random lottery approach to a merit-based system.
Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced today that Australia will stop the temporary 457 visa program that allows foreigners to live and work in the country for up to four years. The visa program has been criticized for allowing businesses to use the program to replace Australian workers with cheaper foreign labor.
The Supreme Court declined to hear a case on Monday that would have addressed the expedited removal of individuals who have their claims for asylum denied by an immigration judge. The Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last August that non-citizens do not have a Constitutional right to due process if they are denied asylum. The individuals, 28 women and 33 children from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, challenged the ruling to the Supreme Court.
U.S. District Court Judge William Orrick will hold a hearing today on requests by San Francisco and Santa Clara County for an injunction preventing the Administration from sanctioning sanctuary cities. The local governments are seeking standing to sue even though the Administration has not suspended federal funds for their or other jurisdictions.