Is history repeating itself?
As a college student who protested for the end of the Vietnam War, I recall the social chaos and political confusion that emerged when Vietnam refugees began to enter the U.S., many in the Southern California area.
I remember the hostility of many Americans, while kids and adults from abroad tried to make sense of their new surroundings and a culture most had never been exposed to.
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, I believed we had a moral obligation to help those Southeast Asians from Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos, whose lives we had irrevocably disrupted.
Watching the consequences of another military engagement in a 20-year war that failed our allies, endangering their safety and stability, I feel we have a similar duty to refugees from Afghanistan.
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In a recent Washington Post editorial, former Republican President George W. Bush called for bipartisan immigration reform. His stance is a strong contrast to the position embraced by Donald Trump and many current Republic Party officials.
Rather than engage in the propaganda war to demonize immigrants, Bush emphasized the need to restore “the people’s confidence in an immigration system that serves both our values and our interests.”
The op-ed comes at a time when the U.S. is seeing a new surge of migrants coming to its southern border, which has increased the political divide between those who support and those who oppose reform has widened.
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The U.S. citizenship test for aspiring immigrants was recently changed.
It was the second change in four months.
On the surface, this is not earth-shattering news. Hence, one might assume the test was changed due to errors, either in the way questions were phrased or the inclusion of flawed answers.
However, a closer look reveals how politics can manipulate and interfere with rational policies designed to create orderly processes for immigrants to earn lawful status.
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Many pro-immigrant advocates are enthusiastic about the chances for reform under Joe Biden. But there is an elephant in the house which must be addressed.
Smugglers.
Barely 60 days into reform discussions, the actions of smugglers are once more opening doors for the hijacking of political policy.
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Immigration Judges are suing their employer, the Department of Justice.
Sounds strange, doesn’t it?
Actually, it’s about par for immigration courts in the Trump era.
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Given the recent decision of Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, is the Temporary Protected Status program over?
Well, no.
But TPS beneficiaries need to start looking into other ways to legalize their immigration status.
Because the termination of TPS for certain countries is closer than ever.
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In October 2018, the Trump administration rolled out production quotas for immigration judges. Under the policy, judges are required to complete 700 cases a year to earn a satisfactory job performance grade.
On the surface, the goal behind the quotas was to speed up judicial decision-making and reduce an enormous court backlog.
The policy has not achieved its aims.
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Prior to COVID-19, many immigrants had applied to become naturalized citizens. They completed the process, and attended interviews.
They were told their applications were granted. They were waiting for their swearing-in ceremony to be scheduled.
They’re still waiting.
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