Was Live | Fri, Jan 13, 2023
Guest Speakers:
- Kerri Talbot, Deputy Director for the Immigration Hub
- Edward Kissam, Co-trustee at the Werner-Kohnstamm Family Fund, which actively defends immigrant rights.
- Cyrus Mehta, Founder of Cyrus D. Mehta & Partners PLLC, which focuses on immigration law.
- Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute
Event Overview
Dark days continue for prospective immigrants to the U.S. Ahead of his visit to the US-Mexico border, President Joe Biden announced Jan. 5 the expansion of Title 42, a Trump-era policy that allows the Department of Homeland Security to expel millions of migrants during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The White House and the Department of Homeland Security announced their proposal to crack down on migrants who attempt to enter the country without required immigration papers. The proposal also allows 30,000 migrants from Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti to enter the country each month as part of a humanitarian parole program.
The status of DREAMERs also remains tenuous. While current DACA recipients can apply for renewals, a July 22 court ruling by Texas judge Andrew Hanen declares the program is illegal. Therefore, DHS is barred from accepting new applications. Thousands of immigrants are stuck in decades-long queues to port their temporary business visas into permanent green cards. The backlog also affects their children.
Will this year finally bring about the end of per-country caps, which limit each country to no more than 7 percent of available green cards each year?
Presented by Ethnic Media Services
