This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
On Friday, a federal judge in Texas ordered the suspension of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, halting the approval of new applications. This decision led advocates to once again call for a permanent solution to provide safety for undocumented immigrants. Murad Awawdeh, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement that the ruling “makes it crystal clear that Washington can’t keep playing with politics with the lives of these New Yorkers and the hundreds of thousands like them across the country.” Jose Loez, co-executive director of the Make the Road New York, said now is the time to design a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Gothamist
In other local immigration news…
Documented Talks: The Future of Immigration Courts
📍 Documented Event
After four years of the Trump administration upending immigration courts, Documented is about to explore what the new administration will do differently. On Friday, July 23 at 1 p.m., Documented will hold a Zoom discussion about the future of immigration courts with Immigration Judge Amiena Khan, President of the National Association of Immigration Judges, and The Marshall Project’s Contributing Writer, Julia Preston. The two will discuss where the judge’s union stands in the decertification fight, what judges want to see from the Biden administration and what the lasting impacts will stem from the past four years.
Register here for the free Zoom event on Friday, July 23 at 1 p.m.
What Sanctuary Policies Mean for Undocumented Immigrants
📍 Documented Original
This explanation is part of Documented’s Glossary to provide an understanding of the U.S. immigration system. Sanctuary policies are created to restrict local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agents. They’re intended to protect low-priority immigrants from being deported, but also turn in those who committed serious crimes. The phrase originates from the Sanctuary Movement, a religious and political campaign that started in the early 1980s when churches allowed Central Americans fleeing their home countries to stay. Federal agencies have a policy of not arresting immigrants on church grounds, though states’ sanctuary policies don’t mean immigrants are fully protected. Read more at Documented.