Yearly Archives: 2018

November 2, 2018. This article discusses the two lawsuits filed in the Southern District of New York against the U.S. Department of Commerce and Census Bureau, which argue that adding the citizenship question would intimidate immigrants and lead to an undercount in New York. The author interviews activists and a DACA recipient who share how the addition of a citizenship question would impact the accuracy of the census. A report by the Fiscal Policy Institute published last week said $40 million was needed to reach New [...]

November 1, 2018. The article discusses the low level of Latinx and Hispanic political representation, despite the growth of this population. The article highlights that although small, there has been a slight increase in Hispanic/Latinx representation to 10 percent of both state legislative and congressional seats from less than 5 percent of state representatives and 6 percent of federal elected officials in 1996. The author argues that there should be almost double as many Hispanic/Latinx elected officials based on their share of the population. Given that there has also [...]

October 31, 2018. This article discusses the New York Counts 2020 coalition’s press conference which called on the New York State legislature to provide $40 million in the state budget to fund outreach for the 2020 Census. Shamier Settle, Policy Analyst at the Fiscal Policy Institute, introduced a report by the Institute detailing the cost analysis for statewide census education and community outreach. In 2010, 24 percent of New Yorkers did not return their census forms by mail, known as a “hard to count” population, [...]

October 23, 2018. This article discusses the effect that the Trump administration's refugee cap reduction has had on Buffalo, N.Y., a city located in the Rust Belt that has benefited from refugee replacement for many years. According to the article, refugees have helped reverse population decline, rebuild homes, revitalize the community and have opened businesses. The author goes on to discuss how Buffalo is dramatically effected by the decrease in refugee admissions. Employers are having a difficult time filling jobs and houses are remaining empty. When [...]

October 12, 2018. This article discusses Mayor Jim Kenney of Philadelphia's viewpoint of the proposed "public charge" rule, which would disqualify immigrants from receiving a green card and other immigration benefits if they have received specific public benefits such as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or housing assistance. According to the article, Mayor Kenney thinks that the federal administration's goal is to destabilize families, discourage immigration and prevent hard-working people from accessing benefits. Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and his Director for Office of Immigrant Affairs, Miriam [...]

October 12, 2018. This report discusses the findings of FPI's new report, "Only Wealthy Immigrants Need Apply," that include an estimated 24 million people will be affected by the "public charge" rule. The author goes on to highlight the finding that 9 million children will be affected, most of them U.S. citizens. FPI’s report says the new interpretation would “radically restrict access to green cards and various types of visas for immigrants who do not have a high enough income, or who have used public health, food, [...]

October 11, 2018. This article discusses the federal administration's proposed "public charge" rule that could affect 24 million people. The author notes that the rule would directly affect immigrants seeking permanent status but that there would be "chilling effects" that spread fear among immigrants to disenroll or not apply for public benefits. The article goes on to highlight important facts about the "public charge" rule which include that it will not affect refugees, asylees  protected groups, or green card holders, having accepted SNAP or TANF does not mean immediate denial [...]

October 10, 2018. This article discusses the federal administration's proposed "public charge" rule that would limit access to green cards and other visas for immigrants who don't meet certain income requirements or who use specific public benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or Medicaid. The author refers to FPI's new report that estimates that 24 million people, 9 million which are children, would be affected by this rule. The author goes on to link the proposed rule [...]

October 3, 2018. FPI's Deputy Director and Director of Immigration Research, David Dyssegaard Kallick, joined Emily Ngara of Hofstra’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law and Saul Guerrera of United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, at Hofstra University on September 26, in a panel to discuss immigration challenges. The topics discussed included Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), family separations, deportations, labor trends, obstacles for obtaining citizenship, refugees and asylees. Emily Ngara, the attorney-in-charge of the Deportation Defense Clinic at Hofstra’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law; [...]

September 4, 2018. TMCO, a company located in Lincoln, Nebraska, strives to create a diverse workplace that includes refugees. They provide English language courses for the workers, help schedule doctor appointments, provide a family-first mentality and organize potluck dinners for all the employees. Chris Decker, professor and chair of the Department of Economics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, discusses the importance of refugees in Lincoln. He notes that minorities are the reason for the population growth over the last decade and that they create [...]