Immigration News Weekly

May 22 - 28

Lawsuit Says Trump Admin’s COVID-19 Immigrtion Order Separates Families with Older Kids
NBC News | Julia Ainsley | May 29
“A class-action lawsuit filed in federal court on Thursday alleges the Trump administration's ban on legal immigration in response to the COVID-19 pandemic unfairly separates parents from children who are on the cusp of turning 21 years old...President Donald Trump's April 22 proclamation significantly curtailed legal immigration into the U.S., including limiting entry for immigrants' children who are 21 and older. Advocates say they do not know how many people that specific provision may affect, but the Migration Policy Institute estimates that the proclamation as a whole will affect more than 50,000 over 60 days.”

​High-Skill Immigration Restrictions Expected Soon from Trump
Forbes | Stuart Anderson | May 28
“Showing no sense of irony, the Trump administration is celebrating the expected launch of a SpaceX rocketship at the same time Trump officials plan to restrict H-1B visas, the same type of visa the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, used to begin working in the United States. The new regulatory actions against employers will come days after the White House issued an executive order on “regulatory relief” for businesses. An H-1B visa is typically the only practical way for a foreign national to work long-term in the United States. However, several sources have confirmed the Trump administration will soon implement new restrictions on H-1B visa holders and international students, intracompany transferees and likely even the spouses of high-skilled professionals.”

Federal Immigrtion Agency to Furlough Employees Unless Congress Provides Funding
CNN | Geneva Sands and Phil Mattingly | May 26
“US Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency responsible for visa and asylum processing, is expected to furlough part of its workforce this summer if Congress doesn't provide emergency funding to sustain operations during the coronavirus pandemic. "Unfortunately, as of now, without congressional intervention, the agency will need to administratively furlough a portion of our employees on approximately July 20," USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Joseph Edlow wrote in a letter sent to the workforce on Tuesday.  Earlier this month, the agency -- which has 19,000 government employees and contractors working at more than 200 offices -- requested $1.2 billion from Congress due to its budget shortfall.  Since then, the agency, a component of the Department of Homeland Security, has been working with members of Congress and their staffs to educate Capitol Hill on the agency's finances and operations.”