Dear friends,
Immigration has again become a political football. While Republicans are both demanding action and refusing to negotiate, the lives of real people are on the line.
The bill being negotiated in the Senate — until Trump gave his stop-marching orders to Mike Johnson and other Republican so-called legislators — did not include the permanent protections and pathway to citizenship that immigrants need to enjoy some stability.
Kyrsten Sinema, the only Senator on the negotiation committee from a border state, shared some of the features of the bill. Among them, asylum-seekers will have 90 days to pass an initial asylum screening.
During that time, migrants who enter at legal ports of entry will be placed in non-detention monitoring programs. Those who cross illegally will be held in detention until that first screening. Those who fail that screening will be deported and those who pass will be given a final asylum decision within 90 days.
The bill would end the presidential prerogative to grant humanitarian parole, to accept migrants into the US when global emergencies occur, though it would leave in place more formal parole processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans seeking to enter.
But that power to allow in certain immigrants at certain times is not new or particularly novel. It has been used across political lines for decades to admit people from Hungary in the 1950s, Vietnam in the 1970s and Iraqi Kurds over the 1990s. For recipients, it can be a lifeline.
The deal, in short, gives Republicans so much of what they’ve been demanding.
Migrants who are released from government custody go through immigration proceedings where an immigration judge decides whether they are allowed to remain in the United States or be removed. But the immigration court system is so overwhelmed and backlogged, some migrants may not get a court date until years in the future.
The deeply imperfect deal promises a more functional system, which is a start. Immigrants also need work permit authorizations and better access to healthcare and social programs.
The US needs a dynamic population and immigrants are and have always been a part of it. The long-term goal should be to give immigrants a chance to contribute their labor and to build a good life.
Call on Congress to protect immigrant families. Remember that every legislator needs this message. This action is from Moms Rising.
The governor says there are currently 40,000 jobs listed on New York state's migrant work portal.
The newest immigrants are eager for work and it serves everyone’s interests to allow them to earn income.
Every subway ride I’ve taken lately has brought me into contact with migrant women selling candy. They often have small children on their backs or struggling to tag along.
[A] little-known new federal program allows immigrants exploited in the workplace, or who are involved in law enforcement probes stemming from workplace violations, to apply for protections from deportation.
It is called Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement and it allows undocumented workers to apply for legal work permits. The status of deferred action, during which participants will not be deported for up to two years, also allows individuals to apply for Social Security numbers.
The need for immigrant workers is real, and we should stop pretending it isn’t.
Between July and October of last year, just 14% of cash assistance applications were processed on time, according to early data from the preliminary Mayor’s Management Report, the city’s yearly report card. That’s worse than the 55% timely processing rate for the same period the year before and the record-low 28% rate the city set in the last fiscal year.
“It is absolutely, positively insane. That is not something that should happen, you knew your numbers were at 28%, you said you would do better, where is the doing better part?” asked Diana Ramos, a volunteer with Safety Net Activists who also received public benefits. “Fix it.”
Cash benefits are intended to help folks with low incomes to pay for basic necessities or rent. In this case, delays create desperate situations.
Timeliness for distribution of federal SNAP benefits to NYC residents has improved very marginally, from 39 to 41 percent on time.
Call on the Mayor to take action to provide cash assistance and SNAP benefits in a timely fashion.
Thanks for taking action!
with love,
L