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In light of the current push to pass the Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) in the U.S. Senate, policymakers should support workers’ abilities to unionize across the boundaries of citizenship, experts argue. They draw lessons from the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, stating that the legislation created a legal path to migration for about 3 million people in the U.S, but also made the country more hostile to undocumented workers. The IRCA did put many undocumented workers on a path to citizenship if they’d been in the U.S. before 1982, and experts say this same format can help today’s undocumented immigrants. Foreign Policy
In other national immigration news…
Thousands Comment on DACA Rule Change
The Biden administration’s proposed rule to reinforce the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program drew thousands of public comments ahead of a Monday deadline for feedback. Notable responses included demands for key changes in the proposed rule, including better work authorization and deportation relief protections for undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children. Law360
Mexico Requests Humanitarian Guarantees Before U.S. Reinstates “Remain in Mexico”
Concerned about its ability to keep Remain in Mexico returnees alive and safe, the government of Mexico has been negotiating with the U.S, asking for certain needs to be met before the program kicks off. The U.S. government is about to reinstate the program that makes migrants wait for their immigration hearings in Mexico, often forcing them to stay in dangerous border cities. Mexico’s requests include providing resources and funds for shelters and nonprofit organizations who help the returnees. San Diego Union Tribune
2,000 Migrants Set Out For the U.S. From Mexico
Around 2,000 people migrating or seeking asylum left Tapachula — a city close to the southern border Mexico shares with Guatemala — for the U.S. They were mostly from Central America and the Caribbean, driven to migrate by poverty, violence, and hunger crises. The migrants and refugees complained of extremely poor living conditions by the border. As part of its efforts to stop more caravans from forming, the Mexican government has transported migrants from Tapachula to other regions of the country, though thousands of migrants remain in the city. Reuters
Hawaii’s Maui County to Stop Processing Immigration Applications
Starting today, Maui County in Hawaii will no longer assist people in completing immigration forms following the retirement of staff members who reviewed such documents. This puts residents at risk of losing their jobs if they are unable to renew their green card status because of errors in their documentation. This would also affect employers of those workers. The county will hold a webinar to address this discontinuation today at 9 a.m. Civil Beat
