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…
Why all the fuss about the ‘Remain in Mexico’ immigration policy?
How would you feel if someone you trust harmed you as badly or worse than someone who beat you? On an international level, that’s what the U.S. immigration policy known as Migrant Protection Protocols — or MPP, or “Remain in…
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…
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…
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…
Will U.S. departure from Afghanistan create a humanitarian and religious freedom crisis?
The plan to withdraw all American forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 has become increasingly problematic for the Biden administration, which is faced not only with gradually and safely returning military personnel to the U.S. but also grappling with the…
New court ruling shielding Trump officials who cleared Lafayette Square for the Bible photo op renews debate about ‘qualified immunity’
A federal judge’s June 21 ruling to protect former Trump administration officials from lawsuits stemming from their actions to forcibly clear Lafayette Square on June 1, 2020, illustrates the near-impossibility of any government official being held responsible for acting in…
Report says Trump administration lied about immigrant parents wanting to leave children behind
Faith-based and secular immigrant rights groups are expressing outrage over revelations in a federal watchdog report that say the Trump administration intentionally prevented hundreds of deported migrants from leaving the U.S. with their children. The revelations surfaced in a May…