This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
The Trump administration is demanding states provide the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with personal information of individuals given the COVID-19 vaccine. It wants people’s names, dates of birth, ethnicities and addresses, which is creating concern among state officials who worry the personal data could be misused. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) cautioned that the data collection could cause fear among undocumented immigrants, leading them to not receive the vaccine. Trump administration officials say the information will not be shared with other federal agencies. The New York Times
In other federal immigration news…
Becerra Nominated to Lead Health and Human Services
Biden announced Monday that Xavier Becerra, the Democratic attorney general of California, will be his nominee to become secretary of health and human services. If confirmed, Becerra will be the first Latino to have the position, and will face extra struggles as the country fights the pandemic. Biden chose Becerra over the last few days, and the decision came as a surprise, people familiar with the transition’s considerations tell The New York Times. Becerra has been at the forefront of legal efforts for health care, leading 20 states and the District of Columbia in a campaign to defend the Affordable Care Act from being terminated by Republicans. The New York Times
DHS Acknowledges Federal Judge’s DACA Change
On Dec. 4, Judge Garaufis ordered the Department of Homeland Security to begin accepting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications again. DHS acknowledged that change on its website on Tuesday, saying effective that day, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will accept first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under DACA. USCIS will provide evidence of the one-year extension of deferred action and employee authorization documents to those who were given documentation after July 28. Department of Homeland Security
