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Law360 (July 26, 2021, 5:13 PM EDT) -- Earlier this month, in a significant victory for immigrant rights, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit struck down a key part of a U.S. Department of Justice administrative opinion that allowed the federal government to use criminal convictions pending appeal as the basis for deportation, detention or denying protection.[1]

While the ruling in the case, Brathwaite v. Garland, is an important and consequential decision for immigrants and their advocates, the court's intervention illuminates a much larger problem. Over the last two decades, a disturbing body of administrative opinions has developed at the DOJ.[2]

The opinions, just like the...

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DOJ Immigration Reform Must Overturn Harmful Precedent - Law360

Several advocacy groups warnedcongressional Democrats in a memo Wednesday that if they failed to find a way to createa pathway for citizenshipfor undocumented immigrants, it would result in widespread losses for Democrats.

In a memo obtained by Politico, the groups addressed both chambers Democratic caucuses and campaign committees, saying that citizenship for undocumented immigrants in America can no longer remain an unfulfilled campaign promise for the Democratic Party.

Specifically, the groups directed the congressional Democrats to bring immigration reform as a top priority to President BidenJoe BidenGOP report on COVID-19 origins homes in on lab leak theory READ: The .2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Senators introduce bipartisan infrastructure bill in rare Sunday session MORE and ultimately include provisions to tackle a pathway to citizenship as part of the reconciliation bill.

Socializing and saturating President Biden and Democrats immigration solutions is a first and evergreen step; passing the Senate leaderships budget reconciliation plan that would, once and for all, create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants must be the immediate next step this year, the letter concluded.

The group of organizations includes: Immigration Hub, Peoples Action, Service Employees International Union and Voto Latino.

Axios reported on Wednesday that Biden planned to meet with 11 Democrats at the White House on Thursday to plan next steps in tackling the issue of citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The news comes amid an earlier ruling this month by a federal judge in Texas that blocked new applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The ruling has put pressure on Congress to speed up the process in finding a permanent solution for Dreamers. The memo cited the recent ruling and upcoming midterm elections as reason to move quickly, stating there would be political consequences if they failed to act.

Failure to fulfill this basic campaign promise will depress base turnout, particularly among Latinos, leave critical swing votes on the table, and result in widespread losses for Democrats in the upcoming midterms and potentially sacrifice the White House in 2024, the memo warned.

The groups argued that prioritizing citizenship for undocumented immigrants would also reengage Latino voters. The memo stated that the Latino vote in next years midterms and future presidential elections should not be taken for granted. The organizations pointed to few Latino voters turning out for the Democratic Party in areas like South Florida and the Rio Grande Valley over the last few elections.

Democrats have an opportunity to redefine their Party among Latino voters by boldly articulating their position, pushing back against Republicans, and delivering on the unfulfilled promise immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship, the memo said.

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Advocates warn failure to address immigration will result in 'widespread losses for Democrats' | TheHill - The Hill

Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, right, is seen outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington July 21CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn

Washington Cardinal Wilton Gregory joined a press conference outside the U.S. Capitol building on 21 July to voice the Catholic Churchs support for comprehensive immigration reform. The conference was sponsored by the American Business Immigration Coalition, that supports immigration reform. The briefing came after a congressional hearing on the plight of migrant farmworkers.

Catholic social teaching upholds the principle that every person has the right to live in his or her own homeland in security and dignity. However, when loss of work forces migration, we must welcome them, protect them and share our abundance with them, the cardinal said. He expressed special concern that current immigration law divides families. We know that strong and united families are the building blocks of our society, Gregory added.

The push for immigration reform comes when several factors raised the issues importance. A federal court declared unconstitutional the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) programme, initiated by President Barack Obama as a safe harbour from deportation for those brought to the U.S. as children.

The plight of farmworkers, who often work under inhumane conditions, was highlighted during the pandemic as they were deemed essential workers. Earlier this year, however, the U.S. Supreme Court barred those seeking to organise farmworkers from accessing the workers on company-owned land without the owners permission. The ruling effectively frustrates most union organising efforts because the farmworkers are housed on company land as well.

Comprehensive immigration reform is broadly popular with the American people but it failed in both 2007, when Republican President George W Bush tried to enact legislation, and in 2013, when Obama did. President Joe Biden sent a comprehensive immigration proposal to Congress on his first day in office.

Cardinal Gregory urged advocates not to give up hope. Standing in solidarity with our migrant brothers and sisters means once again raising the question, will we care for our neighbour? he said. After years of delay, the 117th Congress now has an opportunity to be courageous by addressing immigration in a comprehensive and productive way.

Read more:
Gregory says immigration reform is still possible - The Tablet

Dozens of the nations mayors are urging Democratic leaders to include a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants in any economic recovery legislation Congress considers this year.

That includes Democrats forthcoming $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package a potential legislative vehicle for policy reforms protecting undocumented immigrants who helped the country weather the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates argue.

Scranton Mayor Paige Gebhardt Cognetti and more than 80 other American mayors signed a letter calling for a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers undocumented immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children as well as holders of Temporary Protected Status, essential immigrant workers and their families. The term Dreamers refers to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, created during President Barack Obamas tenure, which conveys protection from deportation and permission to legally work in the U.S.

Cognetti joined Oakland, California, Mayor Libby Schaaf and Tucson, Arizona, Mayor Regina Romero on a Monday press call, where they made the case for a pathway to citizenship.

We already needed to deliver pathways to citizenship, as a nation, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now it is even more clear that we need to do this for our country and for these families and these workers, Cognetti said, arguing two-thirds of undocumented workers served on the front lines of the public health crisis. They put their lives on the line during the pandemic, and to continue to threaten them with deportation after all that theyve done for our country is unconscionable.

The mayors letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, all Democrats, notes an estimated 5 million undocumented immigrants work in construction, agriculture, food service and production, transportation, health care and other essential industries.

As our state and local communities continue to confront a public health and economic catastrophe that has claimed more than 500,000 lives and exacerbated deep racial and economic inequities, it is vital that Congress enact protections for Dreamers, TPS holders, and essential immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and to lay the foundation for an equitable economic recovery for all communities across the country, the letter reads.

Cognetti described immigrants as a key part of the economy, especially in the face of declining birth rates and amid the current workforce shortage, arguing a pathway to citizenship is right for both the countrys economic future and the immigrant families themselves.

Providing the pathway the mayors are pushing for would boost the nations gross domestic product by $1.5 trillion over the course of a decade, add 400,000 jobs and increase wages for all American workers, argued Sergio Gonzales, executive director of the Immigration Hub, a national organization, and the moderator of Mondays press call. Those figures come from a recent study by the Center for American Progress and the University of California Davis Global Migration Center.

Schaaf, whose husband is a Scranton native and whose in-laws live in the city, argued its inhumane to force children and families to live in fear that they or a loved one could be deported.

The mayors call for immigration reform comes after a federal judge in Texas ruled earlier this month that the DACA program is unlawful and blocked the Biden administration from accepting new applicants. The judges ruling, which the Biden administration vowed to appeal, underscores the need for Congress to act now and provide a pathway to citizenship for DACA recipients and others, Gonzales said.

The reconciliation process could allow Congressional Democrats to pass legislation absent any Republican support and without the threat of a Senate GOP filibuster. But whether a pathway to citizenship is ultimately included in Democrats final budget reconciliation bill remains to be seen.

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Cognetti, other mayors call for path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, including essential workers - Scranton Times-Tribune

Nine years ago, after immense grassroots pressure, the Obama administration created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), granting temporary protections and work authorization for hundreds of thousands of young immigrants. I remember that Friday afternoon like it was yesterday. My family was sitting down eating while watching TV, anxiously awaiting President Obamas announcement. When it finally came, my heart exploded with happiness, I couldnt contain my excitement finally some relief for my older brother, my younger sister and me. But soon after, we learned we didnt qualify. Despite arriving in this country at age 11, we needed to have arrived before June 2007 to qualify my siblings and I had arrived 13 months too late. My dreams were shattered. Nearly a decade later, immigrants like me, along with the DACA recipients who did qualify for the program, are still waiting on a path to citizenship.

My siblings and I consider Staten Island, New York, our home. We learned English here, have gone to school here, met our dearest friends here, and work to support our family here. At first, learning English was hard, but we knew it was critical for our future. Our homework was very challenging, but in the evenings we would go over to a neighbors house and she would help us translate and understand our assignments. Each night, we would grab a dictionary and practice looking up words and their meanings. We were determined to get good grades and do well in school.

This year, both my younger sister and I graduated from the College of Staten Island, a milestone for our family. But, while I have my diploma and want to pursue my career in accounting, I cannot because of my immigration status. This is the reality hundreds of thousands of youth currently face, after being left out of DACA, and the millions of undocumented people who have long waited for immigration relief that will put them on a pathway to citizenship.

During the pandemic, our immigrant communities were among the most vulnerable suffering the loss of loved ones while continuing to labor at the frontlines as essential workers. Throughout the pandemic, my mother cleaned houses and I did construction work. We were two of the estimated 5n million essential workers who put our lives on the line to support our communities and sustain our economy.

Now, we are at a critical moment. A Texas federal judge has halted the DACA program, placing a stop on new applications. This leaves the DACA programs future in grave jeopardy and puts hundreds of thousands of young peoples lives at risk.

The Biden administration and Congress must meet the moment and step up. They can do so by ensuring not temporary solutions, but a path to citizenship or DACA recipients, DACA-eligible youth, essential workers, farm workers and more. This month, Senate Democrats announced a federal budget proposal that includes a path to citizenship for immigrants. The President and majorities in both houses should support the package and pass it. And if Republicans try to obstruct, as theyve made clear they will, Democrats who control both chambers should use every means possible to pass the legislation.

For decades, immigrants have relentlessly fought for humane immigration reform that will provide undocumented people a pathway to citizenship. DACA recipients cannot continue living through court decision after court decision, and youth like me deserve permanent protections, too.

We cannot wait any longer, inaction by Congress is not acceptable. All of our eyes are on President Biden, Senator Schumer, and the rest of Congress to deliver a pathway to citizenship that will help boost our countrys economy and bring permanent protections to the millions of undocumented immigrants who consider this country our home.

(Pedro Farfan, of Rosebank, is a youth member of Make the Road New York, the largest grassroots community organization in New York offering services and organizing the immigrant community.)

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With DACA halted, Congress must act for immigrants (opinion) - silive.com