Stopping Trumpism On Immigration Won't Be Easy
Emboldened State Legislators Attempt To Further Former President's Agenda
Hello and welcome to the first issue of INBOX ONE! As promised, I hope to keep these updates short and to the point on all things immigration — although you might spot some nerdy tech news from time to time.
Here is what is driving the week on immigration.
FEDERAL POLITICS
The Senate has delayed a vote to confirm Alejandro Mayorkas as Secretary of Homeland Security. Alejandro, or Ali, served as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) from 2009 to 2013 and then as deputy secretary of DHS from 2013 to 2016. Mark Hetfield, the President and CEO of the Jewish non-profit organization HIAS, published an op-ed on MEDIUM about celebrating Mayorka’s heritage.
Better known as Ali, Mayorkas is my long-time friend and colleague, who served this year on the HIAS board of directors. Ali’s family fled Cuba for the United States when he was not yet a year old; his mother arrived in Cuba years earlier as a child fleeing the Holocaust.
The White House has signaled that it has no plans on delaying (again) another round of executive actions on immigration, despite the delay on Maryorkas’s confirmation vote.
Separately, President Joe Biden has asked the Supreme Court to cancel oral argument on two high-profile hearings involving Trump-era immigration policies:
STATE POLITICS
Republican legislators in Florida and Texas have filed legislation to repeal in-state tuition legislation for undocumented students attending public colleges and universities.
This is important because both measures were championed by either current or former Republican state legislators.
As reported by the Texas Tribune, Texas State Reps. Jeff Cason of Bedford and Bryan Slaton of Royse City are spearheading the repeal effort calling the tuition measure a “handout,” despite being signed into law by former Republican Governor, Rick Perry.
In 2001, Texas became the first state to allow undocumented students to qualify for in-state tuition. There have been multiple attempts to repeal the law since then, but each has failed in the Republican-dominated Legislature. Most recently in 2019, state Rep. Kyle Biedermann, R-Fredericksburg, filed a similar measure, but it did not make it past the House Higher Education Committee, which was chaired by a Democrat.
In Florida, a state House Republican has filed legislation to ax one of current Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez crowning achievements during her tenure as a state legislator, which currently benefits an estimated 2,500 students.
State Rep. Randy Fine (R—Palm Bay) Thursday introduced a bill in the Florida legislature that would repeal a 2014 law that extended in-state tuition benefits at public colleges and universities to undocumented immigrants living in the Sunshine State.
It remains to be seen how far (or if at all!) either proposal moves through their respective legislature. The path in Florida seems highly unlikely, given that Nuñez is one of Governor Ron DeSantis's fiercest loyalists and defenders — so Republicans will have to look for other budget items to strike. In Texas, only time will tell. However, this is not the first time Republicans push repeal efforts towards what has become known as “the Texas Dream Act.”
Look at state legislatures for blips of Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. State law has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to immigration — we’ve seen that through the advancement of legislation granting undocumented immigrants driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and tuition equity.
AROUND THE AGENCIES
Let’s start with the good news — the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will stop attempting to increase fees for citizenship and other immigration-related applications. Congratulations to all the organizations who led the charge that led to this particular victory!
On the enforcement side of things, CNN is reporting how Transportation Security Administration workers of the now have the authority to enforce President Joe Biden's transportation mask mandate "at TSA screening checkpoints and throughout the commercial and public transportation system."
Meanwhile, Customs and Border Patrol shot and killed a man at the U.S.-Mexico border. The incident was first reported last Saturday and is being investigated by the “CBP Office of Professional Responsibility, Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the FBI, the agency said.”
Concise enough to keep my fish attention span concentrated long enough and filled with necessary information that we need to know. Thank you for this!