As 2020 draws to a close and the U.S. anticipates new leadership from the White House, many people have been wondering what this may mean for immigration law, policy and regulations. For those interested in learning more, here’s our list of recommended reading for the end of 2020:
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/09/us/immigration-trump.html This article reviews the changes and restrictions to immigration made under the Trump administration, but argues that despite these efforts, the United States only continues to become more diverse.
https://www.newamericaneconomy.org/21-for-21-fixing-americas-immigration-system/ A list of 21 key ways that the Biden administration could have a positive impact on the US immigration system. Each item on the list can be further explored, through links to more information, statistics and stories. This is provided by the New American Economy, an organization that gathers and presents detailed information about the impact that immigrants have on the economy at state and county levels across the country. It’s a goldmine of reliable information!
https://www.npr.org/2020/12/13/944791054/on-immigration-activists-demands-may-exceed-biden-realities This piece explores the pressures that immigration activists are putting on the Biden transition team as well as reasons why the new administration may not move quickly (if at all) on some of their proposals.
https://episcopalmigrationministries.org/border-ministries-summit-2020-bishops-statement/ The Episcopal Church recently sponsored its third annual “borderlands summit,” virtually this year. This is the statement created by the bishops of several dioceses attending, about how immigration relates to the faith of Christians. It is available in both English and Spanish.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/10/politics/trump-citizenship-naturalization-exam/index.html A review of changes to the naturalization exam proposed by the Trump administration suggests that it is poised to make it harder for prospective new citizens to pass the test.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/us/citizenship-quiz.html You can try your hand at answering some of the questions from the revised citizenship exam here.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/04/us/politics/trump-immigration-hunger.html An analysis of how the “public charge rule” as implemented by the Trump administration has led many immigrant families to avoid using programs such as food stamps to which their U.S. citizen children have a right, out of fear that doing so may jeopardize their chances of one day gaining citizenship. As a result of this policy and the impact of the pandemic, food pantries are seeing consistently high demand for the food assistance they provide to all.
