Federal Judge Prohibits Family Separation at U.S.-Mexico Border
A federal judge prohibited the separation of families at the border as an immigration deterrence policy for eight years. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw said the recent separation of thousands of families “represents one of the most shameful chapters in the history of our country.”
Despite international backlash, the Trump-era policy separated more than 5,000 children from their parents between 2017 and 2018.
January 2024 Visa Bulletin
The U.S. Department of State released its Visa Bulletin for January 2024. That’s a big deal if you’re waiting for your priority date to be current so that your green card application can move forward.
All family-based categories saw no changes, while all countries in the EB-4 “Special Immigrants” category saw a movement of 6 months. Another notable change was in the EB-1 employment visa category, a movement of 1.5 years for India. Learn more here.
U.S. Aid for Ukraine Leads to Disputes Over Border Security
A deal to provide additional U.S. military and economic assistance to Ukraine led Congress to squabble over immigration and border policies.
The Biden administration is scrambling to address GOP concerns about the high influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, while also reassuring Democrats that any border security concessions will not overly restrict legal immigration.
Family Members Received Majority of U.S. Employment-Based Green Cards in 2022
Family members received more than half of the employment-based (EB) green cards issued in the United States in 2022, according to a new report.
The report, by the libertarian think tank the Cato Institute, found that out of the total EB green cards issued, 55% went to family members, leaving the remaining 45% for skilled workers. This contrasts with the global norm, where family and employment-based immigrants usually follow separate tracks.