- Following a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, the DHS officially terminated the legal status for over ½ million people granted parole under the Biden Administration. Starting on day one, President Trump has tried to dismantle the CHNV Parole program that provided temporary humanitarian relief to nationals of Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela, but was blocked by a federal judge here in Boston. Following an emergency appeal by the administration, the Supreme Court last month lifted the block without explanation, and DHS sent out notices to parolees last week that their status has been terminated along with their work authorization. In addition, the administration has made no secret of the fact that they plan to utilize expedited removal against parolees in order to remove them from the country without due process.
- Less than two weeks after announcing a new travel ban on 19 countries, the Trump Administration is threatening an additional 36 counties with travel bans. The administration claims that these countries, 25 of which are in Africa, are “deficient” in their screening and vetting of their citizens or have generally refused to take back their own citizens. This expanded travel ban could prohibit the issuance of new visas to nationals of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
- Tensions continue to rise in the US Senate as the outlines of the Senate reconciliation package take shape. The package is a clear attack on immigrant families and communities, adding new restrictions on access to the Child Tax Credit, Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Affordable Care Act. It would also cut off many lawfully present immigrants from accessing federal financial aid to attend college, including refugees, asylees, and survivors of trafficking or domestic violence. The package would also appropriate $126 billion for immigration enforcement, including $59 billion for CBP and $5 billion for family and adult detention. The National Immigration Law Center has a detailed breakdown of both the House and Senate packages here.
As shocking and inhumane as these provisions are, they are not what is causing problems within the GOP caucus. Rather the conflict in the Republican majority is between conservatives concerned with increased deficit spending and moderates worried about extensive cuts to Medicaid. While leadership is still hoping to finalize the package by the 4th of July, they are starting to admit that the timeline could slip well into the month with the hope being that they can complete work on it before the August recess.
- Despite saying last week that the ICE would not target farms, hotels, and restaurants for enforcement actions, the agency quickly reversed course on Monday when leadership told field office directors that their 3,000-arrest-per-day goal remained in place. This comes as ICE has realized it has a choice to make: it can conduct targeted investigations to prioritize the small number of individuals with criminal records, or it can cast a wide net to reach the administration’s goals. The result has been a significant drop in the percentage of arrestees with criminal convictions at the expense of families, communities, and businesses.
- As the administration continues to ramp up and militarize violent enforcement practices, politicians are increasingly finding themselves in the crosshairs. Last month, elected officials from New Jersey tried to conduct an oversight visit at detention center in Newark resulting in the arrest of Newark’s Mayor on a trespassing charge that was later dropped. However, another member of the delegation, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver has been charged with assault for trying to defend the Mayor. Just last week, US Senator Alex Padilla was tackled to the ground and arrested while trying to ask Secretary Noem a question at a press conference. In the latest incident, New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was pushed around and arrested outside an immigration court for asking ICE officials to see a warrant. Lander was later released and it is not clear if the administration intends to file any charges against him.
Early last week, over 200 organizations across the country received a letter from members of the House Homeland Security Committee asking for information on how they have spent federal funds, with the implication that funds were spent to harbor undocumented immigrants. This is not a subpoena, but a request for information. Any organizations that received, or think they should have received, the letter should consult an attorney before deciding how to proceed. If you did, or think you should have, received the letter, you can reach out to the Democracy Protection Network for assistance.
