immigrants
Nearly half the states now allow in-state tuition for immigrant students
When Cristian Dubon Solis was getting ready to graduate from a Boston high school in 2020, he started planning to apply to college. It was only then he realized that as an immigrant lacking permanent legal status, he wouldn’t qualify for in-state tuition at Massachusetts state universities, nor for state-sponsored financial aid. With no way to […]
‘People are losing hope’: Advocates call on Democrats to back legislation supporting immigrants
Following Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s “What’s Next” address on Wednesday, advocates praised the Democrat’s call for paid family leave, increasing access to abortion care, boosting election security, and codifying measures in the Affordable Care Act (ACA), among other initiatives – but called on the state’s elected officials to do more to protect immigrants and communities of […]
More than 100 advocacy groups urge Congress to denounce anti-immigrant rhetoric
WASHINGTON — On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, in which 23 people were murdered, more than 160 religious, civil rights and immigrant advocacy groups called on congressional leaders to denounce lawmakers who use white supremacist, anti-immigrant rhetoric, arguing that it can lead to violence for marginalized […]
In Michigan, immigrants have to wait years for public health insurance. That’s about to change.
A few years ago, Susan Reed, the director of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, was working with an immigrant family who had a child with Type 1 diabetes. The family was struggling. They were navigating life in an entirely new country and were trying to access health care for their child while uninsured. No matter […]
Public schools banned from sheltering migrants under bill passed by U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Wednesday night passed a bill to bar the use of public K-12 school facilities to provide shelter for migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. The bill, approved 222-201, is known as the “Schools Not Shelters Act” and is a rebuke of the Biden administration’s immigration policy. If enacted into […]
U.S. House Republicans pass overhaul of federal elections system out of committee
WASHINGTON — On a party-line vote, the U.S. Committee on House Administration on Thursday night passed a bill that would enact strict new voting laws for states, such as requiring copies of IDs for voting by mail, and set penalties for states that allow voting by noncitizens in local elections. The 224-page bill, H.R. 4563, was […]
Detroit Immigration Task Force celebrates Immigrant Heritage Month
A resolution passed this month by the Detroit City Council celebrates Immigrant Heritage Month in Michigan’s largest city. “The resolution acknowledges Detroit’s past and present as a beacon of freedom, refuge, and opportunity for migrants from around the world. Detroit is home to immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers of all backgrounds, and continues to welcome […]
Labor exploitation of unaccompanied migrant children probed at U.S. House hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members in a hearing on Tuesday questioned the head of a federal agency in charge of unaccompanied migrant children about multiple reports of their exploitation as workers in U.S. meatpacking plants and elsewhere. Republicans and Democrats on the House Oversight & Accountability Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs agreed that […]
Michigan Dems reintroduce legislation allowing driver licenses regardless of immigration status
After failing to get a hearing last session when Republicans controlled the Legislature, bills were reintroduced Wednesday by majority Democrats allowing Michigan residents to obtain state identification cards or driver licenses regardless of their immigration status. At a press conference to announce the Drive SAFE (Safety, Access, Freedom and the Economy) bill package, House Majority […]
In Michigan, DeSantis describes his enemies: The ‘legacy’ media and the ‘woke’ left
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had a long list of people, groups and ideas he took issue with during a visit to Hillsdale College in southern Michigan Thursday night. The Republican went after the “woke” left; the concept of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” which he liked to deem “division, exclusion and indoctrination;” a public education system […]
Kildee leads congressional letter demanding strong enforcement of child labor laws
More than 60 members of Congress, including five from Michigan, signed a letter Monday urging the Biden administration, including the U.S. Departments of Labor (DOL) and Health and Human Services (HHS), to take stronger enforcement actions against those who violate child labor laws in the United States. Led by U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint), the […]
Talks over protecting Dreamers pick up in Congress, but agreement still elusive
WASHINGTON — In a last-minute push, U.S. senators are working on a bipartisan agreement to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented people who were brought to the United States as children. But the success of any major immigration deal appears unlikely, as a lame-duck session of Congress dwindles into its last days. Democrats are […]