Thousands of U.S. Citizenship Applicants in Limbo
According to a report released this week in the Wall Street Journal, thousands of U.S. citizenship applications are literally stuck underground – in caves beneath Kansas City. The storage facilities, known as Federal Records Centers, hold nearly 80 million immigration files handled by the U.S. government and have been all but shut down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, countless immigrants are in limbo, since the documents are needed for USCIS to approve their citizenship applications.
Scores of Migrants Denied Access to Covid-19 Vaccines in 2021
Hundreds of thousands of migrants were processed by the U.S. government last year, but only a small percentage received COVID vaccines while in federal custody, according to a recent CBS News report.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which oversees security along the border, did not provide vaccines to migrants who were deported or allowed to enter the country, despite calls from public health experts to do so.
Dr. Ranit Mishori, a Georgetown University professor told CBS: “Denying vaccine access to this population is incredibly thoughtless and dangerous, for the individuals themselves and for anyone who comes in contact with them.”
It’s not clear why CBP opted against giving out shots, but an internal government memo obtained by CBS could shed some light on the decision, saying “vaccinations may be viewed as a draw to crossing the border without authorization.”
Immigration Court Backlog Nearly the Same Size as Population of Philadelphia
A new report shows the U.S. immigration court backlog surged between October and December 2021, growing to nearly 1.6 million cases.
For context, the amount of people affected by the backlog is nearly the same as the entire population of the city of Philadelphia. Immigration judges say the backlog has reached crisis levels, with many advocating for a major overhaul.
Before the pandemic, the backlog was a problem, but it’s been exacerbated since 2020 when courts were forced to close. The current backlog is the highest on record.
February Visa Bulletin Shows the “Line” For A Green Card Hasn’t Moved in 2022
The February Visa Bulletin showed no change for family-based green cards, meaning that the “line” for a green card has not moved, and only minor changes for employment-based green cards.
Republican Bill in Florida Reignites Immigration Debate Around Sanctuary Cities
Florida Republicans proposed a bill that would bar the state from working with any companies that transport undocumented migrants into Florida. It would also expand a 2019 law, already deemed unconstitutional, that bars sanctuary cities.
Republicans say the bill is necessary to end what they’re calling a “human smuggling operation” exacerbated by President Biden’s immigration policies. Immigration advocates and Democrats say the bill is unwarranted, “wrong on a human level,” and question the impact this bill would have on unaccompanied children.