President Trump today tweeted that he will close the Mexican border or parts of it next week if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop all illegal immigration coming into the United States.” This is the latest in a series of closure threats over the last six months. The president has repeatedly asked Congress for help in stemming the border crisis, It has not been forthcoming so he is considering other options.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen announced an extension of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan. After reviewing conditions with interagency partners, Nielsen said the ongoing armed conflict and other extraordinary conditions in South Sudan warrant an extension. The current 84 beneficiaries from South Sudan are eligible to re-register for a TPS extension through November 2, 2020.
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients are not entitled to enroll in certain Georgia colleges and universities that bar those without “lawful presence.” The Court ruled that the DACA program does not confer lawful presence on recipients, and that Georgia’s admissions bar does not violate a DACA recipient’s right to equal protection.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released statistics on Southwest Border apprehensions that indicate illegal immigration is occurring at levels not seen since the George W. Bush Administration. The agency is experiencing a record number of apprehensions and inadmissible “family units.” The new statistics counter claims that border crossings are near historic lows and underline the president’s case for an emergency declaration.
On March 12, House Democrats plan to introduce a new version of the Dream Act that provides amnesty for certain Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure recipients as well as those who entered the country illegally as minors. If the Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6) resembles past versions, it would offer citizenship to millions.
The Justice Department secured a settlement agreement with the Chartered Financial Analysts Institute (CFAI) for discriminating against U.S. workers in favor of H-1B visa workers. Under the settlement, CFAI will pay $321,000 in civil penalties, train employees on anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, and accept departmental monitoring and reporting requirements.
NumbersUSA’s Government Relations Director Rosemary Jenks informed Members of Congress that her organization will score against affirmative votes for the budget deal (Conference Report to Accompany H.J. Res. 31). She cited provisions that encourage the smuggling and trafficking of children, reduce funding for ICE detention beds, and double the number of H-2B seasonal guest workers for the fiscal year. NumbersUSA is advocating passage of another continuing resolution to give Congress time to fix numerous problems in the pending measure.
Border Patrol Agents apprehended 311 migrants late Monday night as they walked around the end of a pedestrian fence near Sunland Park, New Mexico. The arrests occurred a few hours after President Trump held a wall rally a few miles away in El Paso, Texas. Earlier on Monday, Agents apprehended a group of 330 migrants several hundred miles to the west in Antelope Wells, New Mexico.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a motion asking U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen to block implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Last August, Judge Hanen ruled the Obama administration did not have the authority to implement DACA but did not issue an injunction at the time.
The Departments of State and Homeland Security issued visa sanctions against Ghana due to its “lack of cooperation” in repatriating their nationals who were ordered removed from the US. The order will restrict certain categories of visa applicants until “cooperation on removals has improved to an acceptable level.”