Immigration News Weekly

June 5 - 11

Judge to Ice: Don’t Ambush Immigrants at New York Courthouses
New York Times | Benjamin Weiser | June 10
“In his ruling, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of Federal District Court in Manhattan ordered ICE to stop arresting people on the grounds of any New York State courthouse or as they travel to a courthouse as a party or witness to a lawsuit. The suit that Judge Rakoff ruled on was brought by the state attorney general, Letitia James, and the Brooklyn district attorney, Eric Gonzalez. ICE’s aggressive practices, they said, had “significantly chilled participation” in New York’s courts, deterring victims from reporting crimes, plaintiffs from bringing lawsuits and witnesses from helping law enforcement out of fear they would be detained.

​Trump Jobs Boast Undercuts New High-Skill Immigration Restrictions
Forbes | Stuart Anderson | June 10
“Donald Trump’s recent effusive remarks on jobs and the U.S. economy contradict the administration’s legal and policy rationale for imposing new immigration restrictions on H-1B visa holders, international students and others, note attorneys and analysts. “This is outstanding, what’s happened today,” said President Trump in remarks on June 5, 2020, after the release of the latest jobs report. “Now, they thought the number would be a loss of 9 million jobs, and it was a gain of almost 3 million jobs. . . . I think it was incredible in a couple of ways. Number one, the numbers are great, and this leads us on to a long period of growth. We’ll have the greatest – we’ll go back to having the greatest economy anywhere in the world. Nothing close.” (Emphasis added.)”

How to Limit a President’s Power Over Immigration
Forbes | Stuart Anderson | June 8
“Since becoming president, Donald Trump has used the previously obscure authority in 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act more than any previous president and in ways critics view as dangerous. He may use this authority again in the new future to block the entry of foreign-born scientists and engineers on H-1B visas. “President Trump has also employed § 212(f) to impose restrictions that are broader than those most commonly imposed by his predecessors,” noted a recent analysis from the Congressional Research Service.”