The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) has provided FY2019 statistics (Fourth Quarter) in the form of program factsheets for each of the major immigration programs. These updated FY2019 statistics (Fourth Quarter) covers July 2019 through September 2019.
The link to each FY2019 (Fourth Quarter) program factsheets is listed below:
• Permanent Labor Certification Program – Select Statistics
Six couples have joined a class action suit against the USCIS for allegedly luring them to marriage interviews but when they arrive the immigrant spouse were detained for deportation. A couple from Baltimore, Alyse and Elmer Sanchez arrived for their marriage interview when moments later Elmer was detained and taken away. Alyse Sanchez stated, “We feel it was a trap, a trick, to get us there,”.
For further details please review the SFGate News Article, “Suit says feds using immigration marriage interviews as trap”.
Source of Information:
Several Hispanic Americans tell the story of their heritage. They reflect on immigration, culture, and their identity. The first story is about Julián Castro and the American Dream.
For further details please review the CBS News Article, ““There is a story to my heritage”: Hispanic Americans reflect on immigration, culture, and identity”.
National Hispanic Heritage Month was Celebrated from September 15th – October 15th.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr has issued a new rule for the Department of Justice (DOJ), that will allow federal authorities to start gathering DNA information on the approximately 748,000 immigrants annually that present themselves at legal ports of entry. The federal officials said they would create a huge (criminal) database of information of individual migrants. Barr has stated that they just want a “genetic fingerprint” that can uniquely identify a person but without other personal information being disclosed.
Naureen Shah, Senior Advocacy and Policy Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) stated, “It’s the most intimate information that you can take from someone. It is information you can use to find their family members, to know their histories,”. She also stated, “And we’re going to be taking it from people against their will.”
The Rule: DNA-Sample Collection from Immigration Detainees (.PDF)
This article examines an analysis of American Community Survey* data by Brookings Institution demographer William Frey, a leading expert in the geography of immigration. The data shows that the foreign-born population has declined within the United States in areas that voted Democratic in 2016 and increased in states and metro areas that voted for President Trump. Immigration to the U.S. has slowed in coastal states but increased in Trump-voting states and metropolitan areas. President Trump’s crackdown on immigration is having some unexpected outcomes!
For further details please review the CITYLAB News Article, “The New Geography of American Immigration”.
*American Community Survey
UPDATE – Kevin McAleenan, Trump’s Homeland Security secretary, resigns *CBS News, 10/11/19
The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan was shouted off the stage by protesters at the annual immigration policy conference at Georgetown University Law Center. The Acting Secretary was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the conference.
The moment the Acting Secretary took the stage, protesters started shouting, “When immigrants are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”. The protesters continued shouting until McAleenan gave up and left the stage.
UPDATE – DHS Public Charge Final Rule – Court Ordered Delay
A District Court has ordered the DHS and USCIS NOT to enforce or apply the new DHS Public Charge Final Rule, including Form changes!
On October 11, 2019, the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York enjoined and restrained the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and USCIS from “enforcing, applying, or treating as effective” the DHS Public Charge Final Rule. In addition, the court specifically enjoined the government from implementing the use of any new or updated forms whose submission would be required under the Final Rule, including the Form I-129, Form I-485, Form I-539, Form I-864, Form I-864 EZ, Form I-944, and Form I-945. As of 5:00 pm (ET), USCIS appeared to have removed the new/revised forms from its website.*
UPDATE – DHS Public Charge Final Rule
A District Court has ordered the DHS and USCIS NOT to enforce or apply the new DHS Public Charge Final Rule, including Form changes!
USCIS has published new versions of Forms I-485, I-129, I-539, I-864, I-864EZ and I-944 and released them late on Wednesday, October 9th! These new versions of forms have been updated to comply with the new Public Charge Rule. The new Public Charge Rule takes effect on Tuesday, October 15, 2019 and these new versions of the forms must be used on and after that date.
USCIS announced that it is creating four “hubs” on military bases to provide military naturalization services. The four “hubs” will be located at Camp Humphreys, South Korea; Commander Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan; U.S. Army Garrison Stuttgart, Germany; and Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy. Service members and their eligible family members will now be able to complete their naturalization process at one of these four “hubs”. USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli stated, “These service members and their families sacrifice so much to keep our country safe and free. I thank the Department of Defense for partnering with USCIS to ensure naturalization services remain available throughout their deployments overseas.”
For further details please review the USCIS News Release, “USCIS Announces New Locations for Onsite Overseas Military Naturalization Services”.
Source of Information:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on August 14th officially released the final “Public Charge” rule to the Federal Register for public inspection! This version of the “Public Charge” rule will take effect in 60 days from its release date. The rule will decrease the number of immigrants eligible for green cards and admission to the United States because of income and for certain use of public benefits. Ken Cuccinelli, Acting Director of USCIS stated, “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge,”
Below is part of the *USCIS News Release:
*This final rule amends DHS regulations by prescribing how DHS will determine whether an alien is inadmissible to the United States based on his or her likelihood of becoming a public charge at any time in the future, as set forth in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The final rule addresses U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) authority to permit an alien to submit a public charge bond in the context of adjustment of status applications. The rule also makes nonimmigrant aliens who have received certain public benefits above a specific threshold generally ineligible for extension of stay and change of status.
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