The Biden administration has created a rift with immigrant advocates by announcing it plans to resume the Trump-era practice of returning asylum seekers to Mexico as they await U.S. court hearings. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Oct. 15…
Secretary of Homeland Security takes questions for an hour rather than giving a speech
More astounding than the dysfunction of the U.S. immigration system is that no one can figure out how to restore it to working order, a top Biden administration official said. “It is just stunning how there is unanimity with respect…
Refugee agencies praise Biden’s increase in admissions cap but call for greater infrastructure to make the goal possible
Refugee agencies praised the Biden administration’s decision to hike the refugee resettlement cap to 125,000 from 62,500 beginning in October, but added the higher allowance will do little good without assistance in rapidly rebuilding capacity lost during the Trump presidency….
Lost amid other news: Number of migrants being held in U.S. detention centers has decreased
The number of migrants being held in U.S. civil immigration detention centers has stabilized after many weeks of growth and remains well below pre-pandemic and Trump administration levels, according to researchers at Syracuse University. “The most recent numbers show that…
With refugee and immigrant ministries already on high alert, Supreme Court delivers an unwanted message
While the nation’s agencies serving refugees and immigrants are scrambling to welcome thousands of Afghan refugees, the U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to their advocacy on another front Aug. 24 by telling the Biden administration it must reinstate the…
What if we spent $9 billion on diplomacy?
It’s hard to know how to leave when you shouldn’t have been there in the first place. The Afghanistan debacle is all the news these days, and for good reason. The humanitarian crisis created by the sudden departure of American…
Elevated refugee admission goal for year won’t be met, but the trend is upward
Just as advocates expected, raising the annual refugee cap for 2021 by the Biden administration is proving a challenge to domestic resettlement agencies and overseas candidate screening centers that atrophied from underuse during the Trump presidency. According to newly released…
Another reminder why Christians must become advocates for vulnerable children
Caring for the well-being of the most vulnerable children among us should be an easy decision for people of faith. The church already knows the importance of its sacred calling to care for children, taking seriously the stark biblical warning…
Pressure mounts on White House to rescind another Trump immigration policy
The pressure is steadily mounting on President Joe Biden to rescind a federal health code provision allowing the U.S. to summarily expel asylum seekers and immigrants to the home countries where they faced persecution. Immigrant rights groups, including Baptist and…