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 New American Economy and the American Immigration Council are merging to get ready for a possible Republican takeover in Congress. “It’s rare that nonprofits merge, but it shouldn’t be,” said Jeremy Robbins, who served as executive director of New American Economy and will retain that title in the new group. The newly named American Immigration Council launches right as the Biden administration restarts the “Remain in Mexico” policy. According to a news release, the members hope to use their combined resources to assist teams to “better expand and protect the rights of immigrants, more fully ensure immigrants’ ability to succeed economically, and help make the communities they settle in more welcoming.” AXIOS
In other federal immigration news…
Democrats Try Again to Pass Immigration Reform
Democrats in the Senate attempted for the third time to use a technical procedure to include immigration measures in the Build Back Better Act. The Senate parliamentarian heard arguments from both Democratic and Republican aides over whether immigration provisions could be included in Democrats’ massive tax and spending bill. A source familiar with the arguments said Democrats have taken the parliamentarian’s criticism of their previous provisions and applied that to their “Plan C.” CNN
U.S. Needs More Immigrant Workers
The pandemic has revealed immigration’s major effects on the U.S.’s job market. Lawmakers and business groups say processing delays for foreign workers are worsening the nation’s labor shortage. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service data, over 1.3 million employment authorization applications were pending at the end of June. There are also 1.5 million employment-based green card applications stuck in the backlog, according to an estimate from David Bier, a research fellow at the Cato Institute. A USCIS official said it was “aware of the problem” and “determined” to end it as soon as possible. Politico
