Other States & National

December 14, 2018. In this op-ed by Steve Tobocman, executive director of Global Detroit, he argues that the Trump administration's proposed "public charge" rule will go against the United States' history of refugee resettlement and the country's welcoming legacy. This rule would withhold green cards from immigrants who have used specific public benefits or are likely to use them in the future. Tobocman highlights the importance of immigrants to Michigan, who reversed the state's population decline and how the "public charge" rule will effect the [...]

December 12, 2018. This article discusses the work of advocacy organizations who are opposed to the Trump Administration's proposed "public charge" rule, which would make it harder for immigrants to obtain a green card or citizenship if they have received or are likely to receive specific public benefits. The article goes on to discuss the efforts of organizations to post comments during the 60-day comment period that ended Monday in order to show their opposition and the harm that this rule could do to immigrants. At [...]

December 10, 2018. On Monday, multiple national advocacy organizations reiterated their opposition to the Trump administrations's proposed "public charge" rule, which would make it harder for immigrants who receive public services to acquire green cards or become citizens. With Monday marking the final day for the public to comment on the proposed regulation changes, leaders from groups like National Immigration Law Center, Planned Parenthood, and the UndocuBlack Network convened to encourage one last push against the rule. A report from the Fiscal Policy Institute estimates that 24 million [...]

December 1, 2018. In this op-ed, the author, Phineas Baxandall, argues that the Trump Administration's proposed "public charge" rule, which would require immigrants applying for legal permanent residence to demonstrate that they have not received, and will not receive specific public benefits including SNAP and Medicaid. He argues that this rule goes against the tradition of Thanksgiving in America, which is a holiday known for helping European immigrants who were facing starvation during the winter months. The author goes on to argue that this rule [...]

November 20, 2018. This article is about Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), an international non-government organization, with locations in Canada and Australia that works to match refugees in Lebanon and Jordan with employment opportunities abroad. The author goes on to discuss how highly-skilled refugees can fill labor shortage gaps and the organization hopes to change Western attitudes towards refugee resettlement. The author highlights that the project is currently small and the organization has a searchable database with 11,000 refugee resumes from Lebanon and Jordan. The experiment so [...]

November 5, 2018. This article tells the story of a Syrian family who fled the civil war in Jordan and was resettled in Oakland, California where they are now owners of a catering business, Old Damascus Fare, that makes Syrian food. The family expressed that they hope to own a restaurant in the future. The author highlights the FPI and Center for American Progress report, "Syrian Immigrants: Doing Well and a Strong Receiving Community for Refugees," which found that Syrian immigrants are 11 percent of [...]

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 [...]

August 30, 2018. The anti-immigration Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) which advocates for the elimination of all illegal immigration, cuts to legal immigration and not providing amnesty for children born in the U.S. of undocumented immigrants, is stepping into mainstream America, and moving away from the margins where it has previously been. Although this organization has been labeled a hate group, it has seen increased support and social media presence, and the recruitment of its previous leaders to the Trump administration. Pete Boogaard, of FWD.us, refers [...]