New Biden Asylum Restrictions Mirror Trump Policy
The Biden administration announced a new policy Tuesday that would bar the majority of migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.
As part of the new policy, migrants will be turned away at the southern border if they had not tried to seek asylum in a country they passed through before reaching the U.S.
The policy mirrors former President Trump’s “transit ban” policy that was blocked in federal court before ever going into effect.
Speaker McCarthy Makes First Visit to Southern Border
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy visited the U.S. southern border for the first time since Republicans took control of the House.
McCarthy was joined by four freshmen Republicans for the trip to Cochise County, Arizona, which included an aerial tour of the area.
Afghan Evacuees Stand to Lose Deportation Protections
Tens of thousands of Afghan evacuees to the U.S. are at risk of losing their work permits and deportation protections after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, unless Congress takes steps to intervene.
Less than 5,000 of the 77,000 Afghans who were initially granted “parole,” an immigration classification that allows evacuees to stay in the country on humanitarian or public interest grounds for two years, have established permanent legal status for themselves and their families. Parole does not offer a path to U.S. citizenship, unlike refugee status.
Green Card Backlog Increases By 21K in February
The National Visa Center (NVC) saw an increase of 21,000 pending cases this month.
The number of green card applicants who were waiting for an interview slot also went up by 5% in February.
In a bit of good news, the NVC scheduled around the same number of green card interviews compared to last month.
Supreme Court Cancels Oral Arguments Over Title 42
The Supreme Court abruptly canceled planned oral arguments over Title 42, a contentious pandemic-related immigration limit.
The cancellation is a likely result of the White House’s recent declaration that the Covid-19 and public health emergencies will end on May 11.