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News

09.23.17 |

Here’s who will be affected by President Trump’s decision to end DACA — and when

Roughly 800,000 undocumented young adults are now in legal limbo after President Donald Trump moved to end a program that protects them from being deported.

But the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — which covers immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children — isn’t going to happen immediately. And if the staunchest supporters of DACA succeed in their lobbying efforts on Capitol Hill, it won’t happen at all.

The key date to watch is March 5, 2018: That’s the official end date for DACA under the new policy announced earlier today by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Those already covered under DACA — with a work authorization that’s set to expire before that date — have until Oct. 5, 2017, to apply and obtain a two-year renewal.

Otherwise, the U.S. government will continue reviewing first-time DACA applications it received prior to today, but it will not accept any new DACA applications or renewals going forward. And immigrants that already have DACA status won’t have their protections cut short.

The future of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals timeline

The move drew immense opposition from the tech industry, in large part because the change to DACA affects some Silicon Valley employees.

 

At Apple, CEO Tim Cook said over the weekend that the eventual elimination of DACA would affect about 250 of his “co-workers.” In a later note to employees, obtained by Recode, he said those people work for Apple in 28 states, spanning positions in retail as well as research and development.

Microsoft, meanwhile, estimated that about 39 of its employees would be affected by Trump’s change in policy, including engineers, finance professionals and people who work in sales.

At Uber, the end of DACA harmed about 11 employees, the company told Recode, but it did not immediately have a number on how many of its drivers, who are not employees, are DACA beneficiaries.

Facebook and Google did not offer a tally when asked on Tuesday. But they and other tech giants did stress their intention to press Congress to authorize its own version of DACA, hoping that lawmakers can take advantage of the six-month delay on enforcement to spare roughly 800,000 young adults, known as Dreamers, from fear of deportation.

09.23.17 |

Trump’s Immigration Ban: Who Is Barred and Who Is Not

Trump’s Immigration Ban:
Who Is Barred and Who Is Not

By ANJALI SINGHVI and ALICIA PARLAPIANO UPDATED FEB. 3, 2017

New executive order bans can be found here.

A wide array of people are affected by President Trump’s order, which bars for 90 days people from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. It also bans all refugees for 120 days, and Syrian refugees indefinitely.

More than 100,000 visas for foreigners inside and outside the United States have also been revoked, at least temporarily, a government lawyer said in federal court on Friday.

After a review of the screening process, the order says officials may give recommendations for indefinite bans. Other countries may be added to the list as well.

BARRED

Visitors, Students and Workers

There were more than 86,000 nonimmigrant, temporary visits by citizens from these countries in the 2015 fiscal year, including:

Visitors, business travelers

67,669 entries in 2015

People visiting the U.S. for recreational or business purposes on non-immigrant travel visas like B-1 or B-2.

Students

14,135 entries in 2015

International students (and their families) enrolled in U.S. programs on non-immigrant visas like F-1, J-1 and M-1.

Temporary workers

1,005 entries in 2015

Employees (and their families) on non-immigrant work visas like H-1B for specialty workers and H-2B for agricultural workers.

Fiancés of U.S. citizens

772 entries in 2015

Temporary visas for fiancés of U.S. citizens and for spouses and children of U.S. citizens or green card holders who have pending immigrant visas.

The ban affects people who are currently in the United States on temporary visas who would normally be allowed to travel to their home country and re-enter the United States, like students. According to the Institute of International Education, 17,354 international students from the seven countries were enrolled in American institutions during the 2015-16 school year.

BARRED

New Immigrants

The ban also affects people newly arriving on immigrant visas, which are issued based on employment or family status. People issued immigrant visas become legal permanent residents upon arrival in the United States and are issued a green card soon after.

In 2015, green cards were issued to 52,365 people from these seven countries. In general, about half of recent new legal permanent residents are new arrivals to the country, and the other half had their status adjusted after living in the United States.

BARRED

Refugees

The ban on all refugees to the United States is set at 120 days. Syrian refugees, who made up the second largest group of refugees to the United States in 2016, are barred indefinitely.

The order allows exceptions for refugees in minority religious groups and for those already in transit for whom a denial would cause undue hardship, or in line with pre-existing international agreements. The administration on Tuesday said that about 900 refugees would being processed this week for waivers because of hardship concerns. According to a State Department spokesperson, this group does not include individuals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen.

When the refugee program is reinstated, refugees in minority religious groups will be prioritized for acceptance. Although the order does not explicitly mention Christians as a minority religion that will be given preference, Mr. Trump said that was what he intended.

EXEMPT

Green Card Holders
and Special Immigrants

After initial confusion over whether Mr. Trump’s order applied to green card holders, the administration said that they would be assessed upon arrival, and that “swift entry” would be expected. Later it changed course and said that green card holders would not be subject to an additional check.

From 1999 to 2015, 3.6 percent of new legal permanent residents were from the seven affected countries.

Iraqis who worked for the United States government or served as translators or interpreters for the military and had been approved for special immigrant visas (SIVs) will also be allowed, and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad will continue to process new applications. It was initially unclear whether the ban affected these visas.

ALLOWED

Dual Nationals and Diplomats

The ban does not apply to some groups, including U.S. citizens and dual nationals who enter the United States presenting their passport from a country not under the ban. There was initially confusion over how these people would be affected, though the White House had told the governments of Canada and Britain that their citizens who were dual nationals of one of the seven countries would not be barred.

People on certain types of diplomatic or government visas are also exempted from the ban. Nearly 2,500 admissions from these countries were made on these visas in 2015:

09.23.17 |

Which States Make Life Easier or Harder for Illegal Immigrants

By HAEYOUN PARK MARCH 29, 2015

For immigrants here illegally, life can be very different from one state to another. Some states have been reluctant to accept them, while others have moved to incorporate them. Unauthorized immigrants are barred from receiving most federal benefits. RELATED ARTICLE

Where Unauthorized Immigrants Can Get Driver’s Licenses

Ten states and the District of Columbia allow unauthorized immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses using a foreign passport or birth certificate or evidence of current residency in the state. But most states require a Social Security number for a driver’s license, which unauthorized immigrants do not have.

Offers driver’s licenses,

regardless of immigration status

WASH. VT. CONN. NEV. MD. ILL. UTAH COLO. D.C. CALIF. N.M.

Where Unauthorized Immigrants Can Get Tuition Benefits

Twenty states allow unauthorized immigrants to attend a public college at the same in-state tuition rate that legal residents and American citizens pay. A few, like California, allow those immigrants to apply for financial aid.

Offers in-state tuition rate

Bars unauthorized immigrants from in-state tuition

WASH. MINN. ORE. N.Y. MICH. R.I. CONN. NEB. N.J. ILL. IND. UTAH. MD. COLO. CALIF. KAN. ARIZ. OKLA. N.M. S.C. ALA. GA. TEX. FLA. HAWAII

Where Laws Have Been Passed Allowing Police to Question People About Their Immigration Status

Arizona passed a law in 2010 requiring the police to question anyone they arrest about immigration status if they suspect the person is in the country illegally. Five other states enacted measures patterned after the Arizona law.

Authorizes the police to ask people

about immigration status

IND. UTAH ARIZ. S.C. ALA. GA.

Which States Are Challenging Programs to Give Work Permits and Protections from Deportation

Twenty-six states have filed a lawsuit challenging President Obama’s executive actions, which would give work permits and protection from deportation to about four million unauthorized immigrants. Some of these states, like Texas, Florida and Georgia, are among those with the largest populations of unauthorized immigrants. Another 14 states and the District of Columbia have asked a federal appeals court to allow Mr. Obama’s programs to begin.

Supports Mr. Obama’s programs

Filed lawsuit challenging the programs

WASH. ME. MONT. VT. N.D. ORE. WIS. MASS. N.Y. IDAHO. S.D. MICH. R.I. IOWA. CONN. NEB. NEV. OHIO DEL IND. ILL. UTAH MD. W.VA. CALIF. D.C. KAN. N.C. TENN. OKLA. ARIZ. N.M. S.C. ARK. MISS. ALA. GA. LA. TEX. FLA. HAWAII

Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures; National Immigration Law Center

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