This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.
A top U.S. official told CBS News that the Biden administration believes the soon-to-be-revived Trump-era program that required migrants to wait in Mexico for their asylum requests created “inhumane” conditions. The Biden administration is required to reestablish “Remain in Mexico” due to a federal court order that the U.S. Supreme Court declined to overrule. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on “CBS Evening News” that he opposed the policy and decried migrants’ living conditions across the border. About 31 Democratic lawmakers wrote a letter to Mayorkas stating the U.S. can’t safely reinstate MPP, and that doing so will violate U.S. and international legal obligations to refugees. CBS News
In other federal immigration news…
700+ Officials Want Immigration in Reconciliation Bill
More than 700 local officials throughout the U.S. demanded Democratic Congressmembers and President Joe Biden include immigration measures in the approaching federal budget. The group of mayors, city councilmembers, local legislators, school board members and commissioners also called for a path to citizenship for essential workers, Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status beneficiaries and their family members. Officials pointed out in the letter that about 5 million undocumented immigrants likely had essential jobs during the pandemic. Depending on how the legislation is written, Democrats and advocates estimate between 6 and 11 million individuals could get citizenship with the bill. The Hill
Former Immigration Judges Want Appeals Courts to Have More Power
Almost three dozen former immigration judges urged the Supreme Court to rule that federal appeals courts have the power to review immigration court rulings regarding deportation relief. Lawyers wrote a briefing on behalf of 35 former judges that stated court reviews of decisions by immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals are crucial to resolve legal errors. About 40 immigration law professors and a coalition of advocacy groups, including the National Immigration Litigation Alliance and American Immigration Council, also filed briefs on the issue. The briefs came from the case of Pankajkumar Patel, an Indian national who asked the Supreme Court to annul an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision. Reuters
