Three big things happened while I wasn't writing, one you can do something about!
What happened? In the two weeks since I last wrote (so sorry to be away), a lot of major things have happened in immigration. I can’t give these three stories the treatment they deserve, but don’t want you to miss them:
The Supreme Court ruled that the President has almost complete authority to cancel Temporary Protected Status, which means the administration will certainly move to end TPS for Haitians and Syrians. A question before the court was whether or not TPS holders could stay in the country while lawsuits play out, and the answer was no, they cannot. I agree with Justice Kagan, who in her dissent said that if these folks have to return home now, they will “be consigned to devastating, and indeed life-threatening, injury.”
The next Supreme Court ruling is a bit confusing to follow. Basically, as we’ve talked about here, to legally seek asylum in the United States, you have to be physically present within the United States. In response to this, the President implemented “metering” programs during his first administration, where U.S. immigration officials stand on the Mexican side of the border to review documents, and won’t allow anyone to cross who doesn’t have them, functionally stopping folks from seeking asylum.1 People tried to sue for the right to seek asylum anyways, but the court held the position that asylum can only be asked for once you are physically within the country. As Justice Alito wrote, a letter doesn’t “arrive in the mailbox when a dog assaults the carrier a step away from the mailbox. A person arrives in a destination only when he enters it, and that conclusion does not change because someone or something blocks entry.”
The government plans to significantly increase the price for a citizenship application, and eliminate the assistance for low-income folks applying. If implemented, the cost will now start at $1,280 to apply (with exceptions only for military members).
How can I pray? Pray for the hundreds of thousands of Haitians and Syrians facing a return to dangerous situations. Pray for these neighbors as they have to make difficult choices in the days ahead — to return to an unsafe country, or to overstay their legal status and risk being detained. Pray for those applying for citizenship who are watching that dream become significantly more expensive. Pray for your lawmakers by name, that they will be moved to care about the humanity of immigrants.
What is one more thing I can do? We can actually do something concrete about one thing on the list! The citizenship fee increase isn’t set in stone yet. It’s a proposed rule that has an open public comment period until August 24! Anyone can submit a comment, and the government is required to read them.
Go to the regulation page and click “public comments” and then “submit a public comment.”
Be sure to use your own words! I’ll give you an example, but comments using the exact same language can be deleted.
“I oppose this rule change. We should make it easier for people to become citizens, not harder. These folks have followed the legal process. $1,280 is extremely expensive for most families, and it’s nearly impossible without the low-income fee waivers this rule plans to eliminate.”
Let me know if you comment!