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ICE Raids and H1B Vsa Lottery Changes

Updated: Jul 12, 2019  | Tags: USA Immigration, Border Security

ICE Plans Action on Immigrant Raids

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has signalled the beginning of raids on communities and residences deemed to be inhabited by illegal immigrants. President Trump stated that raids would commence soon after July 4th 2019. The President has argued for a more active stance on deporting individuals who have be residing illegally in the United States. With large numbers of migrants currently attempting to enter the US from troubled Central American countries such as Nicaragua, Venezuela and Honduras as well as from India and many African countries, the President believes that the raids will deter people from trying to enter the United States.

The raids are planned to start on Sunday, and will take place across several days in U.S. cities including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York and San Francisco. The raids are targeting approximately 2,000 immigrants yet it is expected that more immigrants will be apprehended who were not initially targeted yet happened to be in the vicinity of ICE raids.

One concern of legal advocates has been that USCIS court notices have not yet been received by illegal immigrants, who may have incorrect or outdated addresses on file with immigration authorities. Legal advocates of immigrants have been trying to educate immigrant communities of their rights prior to the planned raids. One legal consideration is around the issuance of arrest warrants, which should be presented to each household or business deemed to be harboring illegal immigrants. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is demanding families be allowed a day in court prior to the deportation due to documented errors in the handling of immigrant cases. The ACLU has also filed a pre-emptive lawsuit on July 11th 2019 for injunctive relief on behalf of immigrant families.

The actions under the Trump Administration in the past fiscal year have resulted in the deportation of 250,000 undocumented migrants, which is less than the 410,000 deported under the Obama Administration in 2012. 

Changes to the H1-B Visa Program Lottery Rules Favor Individuals with Higher Degrees

Applicants with an advanced degree will now have better chances in the H1-B visa lottery. Changes in H1B visa Lottery means greater chances for those with an advanced degree. The order in which the H1-B visa applications are considered is being changed and the chances of people with a higher-level degree such as PhD or Masters are estimated to have improved by around 16%.

The change to the lottery rules means that in the larger 65,000 visa lottery, those with a Bachelor’s degree and those with advanced degrees will both be included. Anyone with a master’s or higher degree who is unsuccessful will then be included in the 20,000 quota lottery. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is expected to allocate an extra 5,340 visas to applicants with an advanced degree from a U.S. educational establishment. However, if receive an H1-B visa, you will not be permitted to commence work until the month of October of that same year. 

Children forced to endure appalling conditions in detention centres on the border with Mexico

Reports emerged this week about the conditions endured by children detained at a migrant detention centre at Clint, Texas. A team of doctors and immigrant rights lawyers was allowed access to the site as part of an ongoing litigation regarding the ruling that unaccompanied migrant children should not be detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for more than 72 hours.

Advocates are pushing for children held in detention to be guaranteed access to paediatric medical care and they believe that only public protest will bring about the agency changes needed to provide proper care for families and children arriving at the border.