(Last updated on March 2024)
At My Undocumented Life we seek to provide you with the latest news on immigration and what they may mean to our undocumented community and the steps we can take to protect ourselves. You’ll also find more general information about upcoming events, films, webinars, immigration policies, research reports, and more. We update this page frequently so be sure to bookmark it and share it with your networks!
KEY RESOURCES
Recommendations for School Administrators, Educators, Counselors, and Undocumented Students (My Undocumented Life blog)– “At My Undocumented Life blog, we have identified steps that schools and universities can take to support undocumented students.”
NOTE: Given the current COVID19 pandemic, we have created a separate page where you can find the most up-to-date relevant news.
Resources for Undocumented Immigrants and their Families During COVID-19
RELEVANT NEWS
March 19, 2024
“Supreme Court Allows Texas to Arrest Migrants, Causing Confusion at the Border” (NYT) – “The justices declined to block a state law that would allow officials to detain and deport migrants who enter the state without authorization. It’s unclear how quickly Texas will begin enforcement.”
“Following Texas’ lead, Iowa passes bill that would allow for state enforcement of illegal immigration” (NYT) – “Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa said she plans to sign a bill that would make it a state crime to enter Iowa after being deported or denied entry into the United States.”
February 6, 2024
“Federal records show increasing use of solitary confinement for immigrants” (NYT) – “A new report based on records from the Trump and Biden years found the average length of solitary detainment was longer than the duration the U.N. says can constitute torture.”
January 25, 2024
“UT eliminates scholarship, program for undocumented students following Texas’ DEI ban” (The Dallas Morning News) – “The Monarch scholarship and a program supporting such students was scrapped with officials citing Texas’ ban on diversity, equity and inclusion programming as well as federal immigration law.”
January 24, 2024
“Rooted members leave to pick up the pieces after SB 17 shut down partnering program, Monarch” (The Daily Texan) – “An anonymous alumna said she found herself overcome with disbelief and confusion upon the shutdown of Monarch, a program that provided resources and community for undocumented, DACA and other students with temporary status.”
January 22, 2024
“With Border Deal Near, Parole and Money Take Center Stage in Senate Talks” (NYT) – “Republicans and Democrats have agreed to try to reduce the number of migrants granted parole to stay in the United States, but cementing the compromise will take money and persuasion on both sides.”
January 7, 2024
“Pressured by record migrant crossings, White House weighs tough concession in border talks with Congress” (CBS News) – “Pressured by the record levels of migrant crossings reported in December, the Biden administration is weighing whether to restrict a key presidential authority to convince Republican lawmakers to approve more aid to Ukraine and border funding”
January 5, 2024
“A new immigration policy that avoids a dangerous journey is working. But border crossings continue” (AP News) – “Five years ago, Alexis Llanos and his family fled Venezuela for Colombia, escaping death threats and political persecution. The family then planned to make the dangerous and deadly journey north, through the Darien jungle leading through Panama, with hopes of eventually crossing illegally into the United States.”
“African Migration to the U.S. Soars as Europe Cracks Down” (New York Times) – “Thousands of people from African nations are flying to Central America and then traveling over land to Mexico and on to the southern border”
January 4, 2024
“Biden Faces Pressure on Immigration, and Not Just From Republicans” (New York Times) – “Mayors and governors from President Biden’s own party are looking for help with overflowing migrant encampments, packed shelters and busted budgets.”
“US Department of Justice sues Texas over new state immigration law” (The Guardian) – “Suit is aimed at stopping a law allowing police to detain people suspected of crossing the US border without authorization”
January 3, 2024
“Assessing Republicans’ Claims About Immigration During Border Visit” (New York Times) – “The visit to Texas reflects the extent to which immigration has become one of President Biden’s biggest political vulnerabilities, particularly as the 2024 election nears.”
“Speaker Johnson, GOP visit border to pressure Biden, Democrats on immigration deal” (ABC News) – “House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday led a delegation of 64 Republicans in a trip to the southern border as the GOP seeks to ramp up election-year pressure on President Joe Biden and Democrats to reach a deal on immigration restrictions.”
December 18, 2023
“Texas immigration law known as SB4, allowing state to arrest migrants, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott” (CBS News)– “The law, known as SB4, gives Texas law enforcement authorities the power to stop, arrest and jail migrants on new, state-level illegal entry charges. It also allows state judges to issue de facto deportation orders against suspected violators of the law, though it’s unclear how this provision could be enforced.”
December 13, 2023
“White House pressed on Biden’s proposed return to Trump-era immigration policies” (The Washington Examiner)– “But Biden is now reportedly open to lowering the number of allowable asylum claims and restoring the pandemic-era Title 42 border expulsion policy, which would represent a major shift in the administration’s stance.”
“Where the Republican presidential candidates stand on immigration” (NPR)- “At the heart of Republican promises are expanding the immigration detention system, strengthening Border Patrol, deputizing local law enforcement, deploying military to the border, and large scale deportations.”
December 10, 2023
“What major changes to US immigration policy could mean” (ABC News)- “The Democratic president has said he is willing to make “significant compromises on the border” as Republicans block the wartime aid in Congress.”
December 6, 2023
“Texas’ illegal entry law will test states’ powers on immigration, border enforcement” (NPR)- “As Republicans across the country continue their condemnation of President Biden’s border policies as “out of control,” one red state – Texas – continues its efforts to take immigration enforcement matters into its own hands.”
December 1, 2023
“Texas is on the verge of making illegal border crossings a state crime. Here’s what you need to know” (The Texas Tribune)- “Gov. Greg Abbott says he will sign Senate Bill 4, which would make it a state crime to cross the border between ports of entry, allow police to arrest people who do and require judges to order them to return to Mexico.”
November 14, 2023
“Texas House passes bill that authorizes officers to arrest migrants, one of strictest immigration proposals in US” (ABC News)- “Tuesday evening, the Texas House of Representatives voted in favor of one of the most controversial and strictest immigration laws in the country. It will have major implications for migrants across the state and may also trigger lawsuits and an international dispute with Mexico.”
November 11, 2023
“Sweeping Raids, Giant Camps and Mass Deportations: Inside Trump’s 2025 Immigration Plans” (NYT) – “If he regains power, Donald Trump wants not only to revive some of the immigration policies criticized as draconian during his presidency, but expand and toughen them.”
November 10, 2023
“Bipartisan group of senators working through weekend to forge border security deal” (CBS) – “A bipartisan group of senators is working through the weekend to forge a deal on asylum policy changes designed to reduce migrant crossings along the southern border, hoping to make a rare breakthrough on one of Congress’ most intractable issues, three congressional officials told CBS News.”
“Texas Senate passes school choice, immigration bill during Thursday night session” (NBC) – “Senate Bill 4 would empower state and local police to enforce immigration law.”
November 6, 2023
“France: Immigration Bill Threatens Rights: Lawmakers Should Ensure Safeguards, Humane Treatment” (Human Rights Watch) – “France’s lawmakers are examining a draft immigration law that threatens to limit rights of asylum seekers and migrants, Human Rights Watch said today.”
September 14, 2023
“Amid migrant influx, AG Campbell launches grant program to support immigration workers” (Boston Globe) – “The attorney general announced a new grant program Thursday to pour money into strained legal service organizations processing arriving immigrants.”
“Mexican journalist’s 15-year quest to receive U.S. asylum ends with a yes” ˆ(Texas Tribune) – “Emilio Gutiérrez Soto fled with his son to the U.S. border in 2008 after his reporting on the Mexican military led to threats. He was working on a Michigan farm when he got the news that his asylum request was finally approved.”
“The immigrant population in the U.S. is climbing again, setting a record last year” (NPR) – “The number of people born somewhere else climbed by nearly a million last year, reaching a record high of just over 46 million, according to new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.”
September 13, 2023
“Federal judge says DACA is illegal in ruling likely headed for Supreme Court” (NBC News) – “U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen agreed with Texas and eight other states suing to stop the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program. The judge’s ruling was ultimately expected to be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, sending the program’s fate before the high court for a third time.”
“The immigration ruling rattling Florida” (Politico) – “As the U.S. grapples with an unprecedented wave of migration from Cuba, an immigration court ruling has placed hundreds of thousands of Cubans who arrived in the U.S. via the southern border with Mexico in legal limbo.”
(Achieved)
November 23, 2018
“Longer stays leave record number of immigrant children in detention” (Houston Chronicle) – “The teenagers stared blankly. They are part of a record 14,030 immigrant children in shelters across the country as of Nov. 15, including more than 5,600 in Texas, according to new federal and state statistics released this week.”
November 22, 2018
“Asylum seekers blocked at Texas border bridges say Mexican officials are demanding money to let them pass” (LAT) – “Asylum seekers funneled to bridge crossings at the Texas border are being blocked from approaching the U.S. side, forced onto waiting lists overseen by Mexican officials.”
November 15, 2018
“Local Police Can’t Detain Immigrants for ICE, NY Court Finds” (NPR) – “An appellate court in Brooklyn ruled Wednesday that local police officers in New York state can’t hold immigrants in custody beyond their release date solely to turn them over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a judicial warrant.”
November 14, 2018
“DREAMer: ICE Used an Elaborate Ruse to Arrest Me” (Daily Beast) – “One October morning, Osny Sorto-Vasquez got a call from his mom and knew something was wrong. His younger siblings were crying in the background, and his mother sounded scared. A woman who identified herself as a detective with the local police had come to the home Vasquez shares with his family and told them someone was using their address to ship contraband through the mail—potentially putting them in danger. The woman showed the family a picture of a man who she said they were looking for.”
“Immigration activists file lawsuit saying they were targeted by US government” (The Guardian) – “Activists in Vermont filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, alleging they were targeted by federal immigration authorities in a multi-year operation that included the use of a civilian informant and retaliatory arrests.”
November 11, 2018
“First group of migrants from caravan arrive in Tijuana” (ABC 10 News) – “The first group of people from the migrant caravan have arrived in Tijuana, according to a Mexican journalist. According to journalist Jorge Nieto, the group has 85 people. This group is reportedly people of the LGBTQ+ community and they left the others behind because they felt they were being discriminated against.”
November 9, 2018
“Trump signs proclamation limiting asylum seekers” (CNN) – “President Donald Trump signed a presidential proclamation Friday morning that will bar migrants who cross into the US illegally through the southern border from seeking asylum.”
November 8, 2018
“The War Inside 7-Eleven: The company has been battling its store owners for years. It seems to have found a new tool: U.S. immigration authorities” (Bloomberg) – “The sun hadn’t yet risen over Gurtar Sandhu’s 7-Eleven store near downtown Los Angeles on Jan. 10 when four plainclothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents swarmed inside. The place was busy; a lot of Sandhu’s customers are day laborers and other working people who start early. As dozens of customers poured themselves coffee and lined up to pay for morning snacks, the agents flashed badges and told employees to stay put. Three other agents, wearing dark ICE jackets, guarded the entrance, blocking anyone from coming in. The tension was heightened when one cashier darted out the back door into the dawn.”
“U.S. appeals court rules against Trump over DACA cancellation” (The Hill) – “A U.S. appeals court has ruled that President Trump’s decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is likely unlawful. The decision from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocks Trump from terminating DACA protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, upholding a lower court’s decision.”
November 6, 2018
“Motel 6 Agrees to Pay Millions After Giving Guest Lists to Immigration Authorities” (NPR) – “The hotel chain Motel 6 has agreed to pay $7.6 million to settle a class-action lawsuit after multiple Motel 6 locations gave guest lists to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.”
November 2, 2018
“An ‘invasion of illegal aliens’: The oldest immigration fear-mongering metaphor in America” (The Washington Post) – “They were sprinting from the Mexican border straight into oncoming traffic on Interstate 5 in California, zigzagging their way around cars approaching the San Diego port of entry.”
