This week in immigration news — June 18, 2020
These are the news on immigration issues that we are following this week.
Asylum seekers facing exorbitant bond fees
In Louisiana, an increasing number of immigrants are being paroled with bonds. These bonds are at least $10,000 and have been reported to be as much as $30,000. Immigrants and lawyers alike have said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not given them a reason why the bonds are being used.
COVID-19 cases increase at for-profit detention center
While ICE has attributed the increase in positive cases to increased testing, immigrant rights advocates are continuing to call for the release of migrants who are at high-risk of contracting the virus.
Supreme Court declines to take up the California Values Act
The Trump administration had asked the Court to review the legislation, alleging that it interferes with the application of immigration law. The California Values Act, for example, prevents state and law enforcement officials (excluding those who work in correctional facilities) from providing immigrants’ personal information to ICE, unless it’s already publicly known. It also prevents law enforcement from placing immigrants into ICE’s custody without a court order, in most cases, and prevents law enforcement from arresting anyone solely because they suspect an immigration violation has been committed. The Court declined to review the case.
TPS holders could be at risk for deportation pending ruling
Many Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders have lived in the United States for decades. Since the Trump administration has attempted to wind down the programs, arguing they are no longer needed, TPS holders and their families have sued. An upcoming decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, California could upend these families’ lives, and could put about 131,000 essential workers at risk for deportation while the country continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic.
