Editor’s note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Email questions, tips or comments to the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com
New green card registry date could let millions adjust status in US
House Democrats introduced a bill to update the cutoff date for eligibility for some immigrants to apply for permanent residence. This is not the first time that changes have been made to the green card registry, and the current cutoff date is 1972. No specific date is being suggested. Instead, House Democrats are proposing that applicants would have to have lived in the U.S. for seven years to become eligible, creating a rolling registry that allows new people to apply every year.
US to streamline application process for Afghan Special Immigrant Visas
U.S. officials announced on Monday a change to the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process for Afghans in which applicants will need to file only one form so that applications can go through a single government agency, senior officials told reporters. Beginning July 20, new applicants — some in the SIV pipeline — no longer need to send a separate petition to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for special immigrant status, which means the complete process is now overseen by the State Department.
Governors keep busing migrants to Washington
A novel Republican-led effort to protest the Biden administration’s handling of record-setting migration across the U.S.-Mexico border has resulted in thousands of asylum-seekers being bused to the nation’s capital, alarming aid groups and immigrant rights advocates. Texas Governor Greg Abbott launched the program in April, chartering buses to send recently arrived migrants from the southern border to Washington.
VOA special report
In this special report, VOA’s immigration reporter Aline Barros provides an overview of the aftermath of the Trump administration’s 2017 zero-tolerance policy.
Supreme Court won’t let Biden implement deportation policy
The Supreme Court won’t allow the Biden administration to implement a policy that prioritizes deportation of people in the country illegally who pose the greatest public safety risk. The court’s order Thursday leaves the policy frozen nationwide for now. The court announced it would hear arguments in the case in late November.
News in brief
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated guidance for Afghans and Iraqis seeking special immigration visas.
Two Texas residents were indicted in a smuggling incident last month in which 53 migrants died in the sweltering heat of a tractor trailer.
Border Patrol officers rescued a Mexican national from drowning in the Rio Grande in Brownsville, Texas.