The president is not big on planning or details. Often when speaking about important issues using his Twitter account instead of a press conference. The good news in all of this is that legislation is not created simply by demanding it in a Twitter rant. On the other hand, the administration has made many changes to the immigration system, and have many proposals that could come to pass.
Here is a rundown of where things stand on the biggest issues:
· Merit-based admittance: This would admit immigrants based on their skills rather than prioritizing family reunification. As of now, too early to tell.
· Travel bans: The administration has won court battles to ban immigration from several Muslim-centric countries. This is a Trump win.
· Sanctuary cities: The administration has tried and failed to punish those cities that do not fully cooperate with ICE or immigration authorities by withholding funding. This is a Trump loss.
· Asylum crackdown: Too early to tell the end result, but the administration has instituted many policies to make it harder to seek asylum.
· Remaining in Mexico: The administration has tried to keep asylum seekers in Mexico until their hearing, but this case is still moving through the court system.
· Family separation: The initial idea to punish families has failed after universal condemnation, and the president stopped the practice last June. This is a Trump loss.
· The wall: There is no wall yet, and Congress seems happy to deny the president of his signature policy.
· DACA: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals is in court, which means DACA still protects children brought in illegally. This has a better chance than most in surviving.
· Temporary Protected Status: Surviving various court battles, this program protects 400,000 migrants from countries suffering from natural disasters or conflicts. They can work and live in the U.S. This is too early to determine the final results.
· Public benefits: This is still in the courts, but scrutiny of migrants who use benefits (such as food stamps or subsidized health care) has deterred migrants from seeking these services.
· Deportations: These have recently spiked under Trump, but are still not as high as the numbers from Obama’s first term. With ICE’s increased focus on border security, they are deporting fewer people. This is a Trump win.
· Public housing: The Department of Housing and Urban Development have proposed that families with undocumented immigrants may be forced out of public housing.
· Birthright citizenship: The President’s call to end this has been shot down by legal experts because the 14th Amendment pretty much guarantees it. A Trump loss.
· Refugee numbers: The administration has capped it at 30,000 annually, which is a record low, but it is doubtful that the administration will even allow that many. This is a Trump win.
Have questions?
Those who have questions about the above issues or other immigrant-related ones can get detailed answers from knowledgeable immigration law attorneys.
