This Week In Immigration News

The following was authored by Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum.

MEADOWS TALKS AGRICULTURE – Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), Chairman of the Freedom Caucus, visited Tri-Hishtil a greenhouse operation in Henderson County, NC. Mark Williams, the executive director of Agribusiness Henderson County, estimated that nearly 80 percent of the agricultural labor force is made up of immigrants. It is made up of about 4,000 people, which seasonally goes up to around 7,000. Rep. Meadows asserted that “we’re going to actually get it right for ag.” Meadows also noted it is important for both workers and employers that immigrants do not fear being deported. As good as this sounds, be careful of immigration solutions – such as those introduced by Rep. Goodlatte  –  that do not address the current, largely undocumented, agricultural workforce.  

HIGHER ED – Local college administrators are concerned about how changes in immigration policy will impact higher education. In an interview with CNBC, the president of the University of Southern California, Max Nikias, explained the constant worry of the government over-regulating higher education. Nearly 23 percent of USC’s student body is international and the university has been welcoming students from abroad for the last 140 years. Changes in policy will impact colleges, universities, and employers too. A report released by the Institution of International Education stated a three percent drop in foreign enrollment in American schools, representing the first backtrack in growth the organization has recorded since it first started tracking those figures.

TRUMP FAMILY CHAIN MIGRATION – The Washington Post broke news that President Trump’s in-laws, who emigrated from Slovenia, are legal permanent residents. Which brings us to the question of how they got sponsored because there are only a few ways to get a green card. The largest of which is by familial connection, lovingly referred to as “chain migration” by the President but more accurately stated as family migration. Melania Trump deserves to have her parents with her; just like any immigrant family.

NO SOCIAL SECURITY FOR YOU – A new study by the Urban Institute found that reducing the number of green cards would actually increase unfunded Social Security obligations by $1.5 trillion, or 13 percent, over the next 75 years. This study references a proposal by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Purdue (R-GA) that would reduce green cards by 41 percent. In other words, slash legal immigration –fewer workers – less payroll tax revenue – no Social Security for you.

NEW PODCAST – Beck Taylor, President of Whitworth University in Spokane, WA, talks about the impact of Dreamers on the campus of a Christian university, the importance of racial reconciliation, and why, only in America, a child growing up homeless can achieve such great heights.

PALMETTO STATE – Alan Cross tweeted testimony of Jordan Morales, a veteran living in South Carolina, making the case for Dreamers after meeting with Senator Tim Scott’s (R-SC) staff. Also in SC, State Rep. Neal Collins, representing one of the most conservative districts in the state, is getting behind legislation that would allow Dreamers to access in-state tuition.

ICYMI – Earlier this week, the New York Civil Liberties Union filed a suit against Trump administration officials for the prolonged detention of immigrant children. Under the law, children arrested by immigration authorities after entering the country unaccompanied and unlawfully are supposed to be released to relatives or adults who are qualified to care for them. However, Scott Lloyd, the Trump-appointed head of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), changed a policy that now requires him to personally sign off on decisions to reunite children in custody with their families. According to the NYCLU, Lloyd has approved only a “handful.”

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