The DOD announced that the Pentagon will restore $2.2 billion to military construction projects that were stripped by the Trump administration to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. The money will go to 66 projects in 16 countries, 11 U.S. states, and three U.S. territories in fiscal 2021. Among those is $79 million for an elementary school for children of military personnel in Germany, $94 million for another such school in Japan, $50 million for a Marine Corps machine gun range in Guam, $10 million for a missile field expansion at Fort Greely, Alaska, as well as numerous other schools, hangars, housing, shops and facilities. The Biden administration in late April announced it would cancel border wall projects that had been funded through the DOD and return the funds to the military construction projects from which they were pulled during the Trump administration.
The White House announced that President Biden will nominate Ed Gonzalez, a sheriff from Texas and critic of the Trump administration’s deportation policies, to lead ICE. ICE has not had a permanent leader since 2017, with six acting successors never receiving confirmation from the Senate. DHS Secretary Mayorkas said of Gonzalez, “With a distinguished career in law enforcement and public service, Sheriff Gonzalez is well-suited to lead ICE as the agency advances our public safety and homeland security mission.” Biden has vowed to reform ICE, specifically by directing the agency to prioritize deporting recent border crossers, those with aggravated felonies, and those who pose a threat to national security.
An internal memo revealed that the DOJ has repealed a policy put in place during the Trump administration that cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in grants to sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Cities, counties, and states that were recipients of the department’s popular $250 million annual grant program for local law enforcement, will no longer be required to cooperate with ICE as a condition of their funding. Maureen Henneberg, who leads the DOJ’s grant-making decisions, ordered staff to take down any pending DOJ grant applications with similar strings attached and start the process over again.
The Biden administration announced it is ending the use of two immigration jails – one in Georgia where women claimed they were subjected to unwanted medical procedures, and a second in Massachusetts where there have been complaints of inhumane conditions. DHS said it would terminate contracts with the local government agency that runs the detention center in North Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and with the private operator of the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. ICE has already significantly reduced the detainee population at both facilities. Any detainees the U.S. believes should remain in custody will be transferred elsewhere, according to DHS Secretary Mayorkas.
Biden administration is launching a new effort to speed up the cases of immigrant families who are picked up by agents after crossing the southern border between ports of entry. The plan will begin at immigration courts in Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle. Biden administration officials view the effort as a way to make the court process more efficient for immigrant families.
White House said it had reached agreements with Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala to step up military presence at their borders in an effort to stem migration to the U.S. It is unclear exactly when the U.S. reached the agreements with the three countries, with the White House only saying they were signed in recent weeks. Under the agreements, Mexico will maintain a presence of 10,000 troops along its southern border. Guatemala will send 1,500 military and police personnel to its border with Honduras, while setting up 12 checkpoints along migration routes.
Posted on April 23, 2021 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney
DHS announced a supplemental increase of 22,000 visas for the H-2B visa program. The additional visas will be made available in the coming months via a temporary final rule in the Federal Register. Six thousand visas will be reserved for nationals of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Posted on April 7, 2021 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney
on March 30, 2021, USCIS completed the initial FY2022 H-1B cap-subject registration selection process. Additionally, USCIS extended the grace period for the new version of Form I-129 (the March 10, 2021, edition). Starting July 1, 2021, USCIS will only accept the March 10, 2021, edition of the form.
Posted on April 7, 2021 by Brian D. Lerner, Immigration Lawyer & Deportation Attorney
Last night at midnight, former President Trump’s ban on nonimmigrant visas expired. With the expiration of Proclamation 10052, many categories of nonimmigrants will no longer be prevented from seeking entry to the United States. “The nonimmigrant entry ban was based on a false premise that foreign nationals take away jobs and hurt the American economy,” says Jesse Bless, AILA’s Director of Federal Litigation. DOS stated that visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview will have their applications prioritized and processed per existing phased resumption of visa services guidance. Applicants who were refused visas due to the restrictions of the proclamation may reapply by submitting a new application including a new fee.
USCIS has received enough electronic registrations during the initial registration period to reach the fiscal year (FY) 2022 H-1B cap including the advanced degree exemption (master’s cap). The agency randomly selected from among the registrations properly submitted to reach the cap. USCIS has notified all prospective petitioners with selected registrations that they are eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition for the beneficiary named in the applicable selected registration.
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