Page 24 - Us Immigration

Nearly one million immigrants gained US citizenship in FY22: Report

Nearly one million immigrants obtained US citizenship during 2022, the highest number of naturalized citizens in almost 15 years, according to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services report

US govt appeals ruling that would lift asylum restrictions for migrants

The US government said Wednesday it is appealing a court ruling that would otherwise lift asylum restrictions that have become the cornerstone of border enforcement in recent years. The enforcement rule first took effect in March 2020, denying migrants' rights to seek asylum under US and international law on grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19. The Homeland Security Department said it would file an appeal with the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, challenging a November ruling by US District Judge Emmet Sullivan that ordered President Joe Biden's administration to lift the asylum restrictions. The restrictions were put in place under former President Donald Trump at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The practice was authorized under Title 42 of a broader 1944 law covering public health, and has been used to expel migrants more than 2.4 million times.

Will expand temporary legal status for Haitians residing in country: US

The Biden administration said Monday that it would expand temporary legal status for Haitians already living in the United States, determining conditions in the Caribbean nation were too dangerous for their forced return. The Homeland Security Department said Haitians who were in the United States November 6 could apply for Temporary Protected Status and those who were granted it last year could stay an additional 18 months until August 3, 2024. The administration has extended temporary status for several countries and expanded or introduced it for Haiti, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Myanmar, Cameroon and Venezuela, reversing a Trump-era trend to cut back on protections for those already in the United States. TPS, which typically comes with authorisation to work, may be extended in increments up to 18 months for countries struck by natural disasters or civil strife. Haiti has seen increasingly brazen attacks by gangs that have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of ...

Illegal border crossings to US from Mexico hit annual high: Authorities

A surge in migration from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua in September brought the number of illegal crossings to the highest level ever recorded in a fiscal year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The year-end numbers reflect deteriorating economic and political conditions in some countries, the relative strength of the U.S. economy and uneven enforcement of Trump-era asylum restrictions. Migrants were stopped 2,27,547 times in September at the U.S. border with Mexico, the third-highest month of Joe Biden's presidency. It was up 11.5 per cent from 2,04,087 times in August and 18.5 per cent from 1,92,001 times in September 2021. In the fiscal year that ended September 30, migrants were stopped 2.38 million times, up 37 per cent from 1.73 million times the year before, according to figures released late Friday night. The annual total surpassed 2 million for the first time in August and is more than twice the highest level during Donald Trump's presidency in 2019. Nearly

US immigration agency accused of failing to protect detainees from Covid-19

Covid-19 "continues to spread rapidly throughout" detention centres run by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to an attorney with the non-profit ACLU

Legislation introduced in US Senate to reform, stop abuse of H-1B visas

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Can US President Joe Biden find the right balance on immigration?

Most Washington lawmakers are largely holding their tongues, unwilling to criticise their leader on a polarising topic

US administration and Mexico seek ways to do more on irregular immigration

Kamala Harris and Homeland Security Secretary have conveyed to the most important US partner that the Biden administration is taking a more nuanced approach to immigration than its predecessor

Bill to remove per country cap on Green Card introduced in US Congress

A bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the US House of Representatives to eliminate the per country cap on employment-based Green Card

Google leads US business push to preserve work permits for H-1B spouses

Businesses in ongoing litigation also are fighting rules Trump imposed requiring higher wages for H-1B holders and prioritizing workers with higher pay for the visas.

Migrants separated from their children will be allowed into the US

A handful of parents from Mexico and Central America who were deported under the Trump administration's family separation policy will be reunited this week with their children

White House says Joe Biden eager to fix 'broken' immigration system

President Joe Biden is keen that the US Congress should quickly fix America's "broken immigration system, for which he has already sent in a legislation, the White House has said. In February, the Biden administration introduced an ambitious immigration bill in Congress which among other things proposes to eliminate the per-country cap for employment-based green cards. The US Citizenship Act of 2021 proposes a pathway to citizenship to 11 million undocumented workers, elimination of per country quota for employment-based green cards and work authorisation for dependents of H-1B foreign workers. The president...believes that there should be faster processing, that our immigration system is broken at many levels and of the system and that he is eager for Congress to move forward with action there, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Wednesday at her daily news conference. She was responding to a question on the recent protest by Indian-American doctors who are ...

President Joe Biden eager to fix broken' immigration system: White House

US President Joe Biden is eager for Congress to move forward to fix the broken immigration system, for which he has already sent in a legislation, the White House said on Wednesday

Biden taps Harris to lead diplomatic effort to stem US immigrant flow

Biden has entrusted his VP Harris with the task of leading the diplomatic effort and working with neighbouring Mexico and Northern Triangle nations to stem flow of immigrants to the southern border

Joe Biden taps VP Harris to lead response to border challenges

President Joe Biden has tapped Vice President Kamala Harris to lead the White House effort to tackle the migration challenge at the US southern border. Biden made the announcement as he and Harris met at the White House on Wednesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandra Mayorkas and other immigration advisers to discuss the increase in young migrants arriving at the border in recent weeks. In delegating the matter to Harris, Biden is seeking to replicate a dynamic that played out when he served as President Barack Obama's vice president. Obama turned to Biden early in his first term to lead the White House effort to draw down U.S. troops in the intractable war in Iraq. With the move, Biden hopes to show Americans he's taking the border situation seriously after facing stiff criticism from Republicans as the flow of migrants has increased since he took office in January. But the high-profile assignment for Harris, who ran for

'Border is closed': Biden administration pushes back amid mounting crisis

Homeland Security Secretary said the administration's message to would-be border-crossers was simple: "Now is not the time to come. Do not come. The journey is dangerous"

Trump 'gutted' immigration system, says Homeland Security Secretary

New Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Monday alleged that Ex-US president Donald Trump had dismantled the country's immigration system and it takes time to "rebuild it from scratch"

US immigration reform bill will cut green card wait for Indians

Democrats introduced on Thursday a comprehensive immigration reform bill that wants to allow more permanent immigrant status or green cards for professional Indians

US reverts to targeted immigration enforcement under Joe Biden

Immigration enforcement in the U.S. would be more targeted under President Joe Biden than under his predecessor, with authorities directed to focus on people in the country illegally who pose a threat

Biden faces pressure as US sets new course on immigration

After a weeklong bus ride from Honduras, Isabel Osorio Medina arrived in northern Mexico with the hope President Joe Biden would make it easier for people like him to get into the United States. It seems the new president wants to help migrants, Osorio said as he got ready to check in to a cheap hotel in downtown Tijuana before heading to the US. They're saying he is going to help, but I don't know for sure how much is true or not. The 63-year-old is among thousands of people who have come to the U.S.-Mexico border with the hope they will be able to ask for asylum and make their way into the US now that former President Donald Trump is no longer in office. While Biden has taken some major steps in his first weeks in office to reverse Trump's hardline immigration policies, his administration hasn't lifted some of the most significant barriers to asylum-seekers. In fact, it's discouraging people from coming to the country, hoping to avoid what happened under both Trump and former ..