June 2015 immigration news at a glance

Written by Kara DeDonato

This month’s digest takes a look at the progress on President Obama’s executive action before turning to new policies for detention centers designated for undocumented families. It also looks at the future of immigration reform and a special, earmarked donation from Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg. As always, the Digest wraps up with a roundup of immigration news in New York City.

President frustrated by ruling on executive action

At the beginning of the month, President Obama expressed his frustration at a district court’s decision to prevent components of his executive order from being implemented. According to The Washington Post, the President maintained that the executive action was within his powers as head of the executive branch and emphasized that he and his administration would continue to fight for the action’s approval in the appeals process.

New policies announced regarding family stays at detention centers

Attention was called to the nation’s detention centers in June, and to an especially large detention center intended for undocumented families in Texas, in particular. Many of these facilities were built in an effort to respond to the influx of undocumented immigrants from Central America that caused much debate last summer. These detention centers were built to deliver on the Obama administration’s promise that a similar immigration crisis would not recur.

Attention on such centers drew criticism for further compounding the trauma faced by many women and children attempting to cross the border onto US soil, and eventually forced policy change. The Department of Homeland Security announced that mothers would be released from detention centers with their children after an interview that successfully identified their fears of returning home. Women and children will not be automatically granted asylum, but they will be permitted to pursue their claims outside of the detention centers. Politico reported that the detention policy had been one of the few Obama administration policies that Democrats disagreed with, but the recent policy change provides a step in the right direction.

The future of immigration reform

At the end of June, The New York Times reported that immigration reform will be on the top of the political agenda following the 2016 elections. An op-ed referenced the recent progressive turn in American politics, denoted in part by the vote for same-sex marriage by the Supreme Court — a liberal shift that bodes well for immigration reform. Politico added that most Americans now back some sort of legal status for undocumented immigrants.  According to a Pew Research Center study, more than seven out of 10 Americans say that undocumented immigrants should be allowed to stay in the US.

Additionally, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg donated last month 5 million dollars to help undocumented immigrants attend college. His donation to TheDream.US will help DACA immigrants get the necessary funds to attend university.

This positive climate on immigration in the US was also seen in the backlash against Donald Trump for off-color comments he made about Mexican immigrants in the United States. After insinuating that Mexican immigrants are murderers or rapists, Trump saw his shows yanked from major TV networks and other products pulled from department stores.

Zooming in on New York immigration news

In June, New York Daily News reported that the diversity of languages spoken in New York City school districts makes it difficult for many parents to stay involved in their children’s’ education.  The city’s Department of Education tries to make translation services available for all children and parents, but with 180 languages spoken in the five boroughs, the task is challenging. The New American added that this number puts non-English speaking students (or students who do not speak English as a first language) at nearly 50 percent.

The new law protecting immigrants from fraudulent legal services saw its first prosecution last month. Howard Seidler, a resident of Sunset Park, was successfully prosecuted for providing false legal services to undocumented immigrants. In exchange for a large fee, Seidler would provide documents, such as an inauthentic green card.

New York City launched the campaign ‘Engaging Immigrant New York City,’ which aims to encourage New York City immigrant residents to vote. The campaign aims to mobilize the large proportion of New York City voters who are naturalized citizens to vote in the 2016 elections. The backbone of the program is increasing accessibility to and education about the voting process.

A second new program launched in June encourages New York companies to help immigrant workers become citizens. Approximately 600,000 New Yorkers are green card holders close to full citizenship — sponsorship from a company could benefit these individuals greatly. The city’s Commissioner for Immigrant Affairs Nisha Agarwal added that naturalizing these individuals could add $4.1 billion to the city’s economy within the next decade.