As the presidential election year heats up, this month’s news coverage includes stories of troubling developments, such as migrant children without legal representation in asylum cases, as well as encouraging examples of advocacy work. Other articles cover the migrant experience, the contributions of undocumented workers to the U.S. economy, the upcoming Supreme Court case on immigration and more.
- From the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (2/25/16), four immigrants’ rights organizations work to discourage ongoing detentions of migrant women and children: https://cliniclegal.org/news/immigrant-rights-organizations-argue-against-governments-inhumane-family-detention-policies.
- From the Los Angeles Times (3/14/16), an article about the recently released Integrity Advisory Panel report, compiled by independent law enforcement experts and urging much-needed reforms at U.S. Customs and Border Protection: http://www.latimes.com/world/mexico-americas/la-na-border-patrol-abuses-20160314-story.html.
- From Insight Crime (3/2/16), coverage of the crime and violence in Central America that has contributed to the immigration crisis: http://www.insightcrime.org/news-analysis/crime-and-violence-drive-migration-from-central-america-reports.
- From The Christian Science Monitor (3/6/16), an article about unaccompanied migrant children who are not guaranteed legal representation in court: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2016/0306/Can-toddlers-defend-themselves-in-immigration-court-One-judge-says-so.
- From the Legal Aid Justice Center (March 2016), a video of toddlers answering asylum questions that makes the need for lawyers amusingly yet painfully obvious: https://www.facebook.com/LegalAidJusticeCenter/videos/10154002211107579/.
- From The New York Times (3/24/16), an update on the ongoing government raids to deport Central American youth and families: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/10/us/us-continues-to-deport-central-american-migrants.html?_r=0.
- From Immigration Impact (3/18/16), news of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s announcement to implement an overdue and welcome detention inspection program: http://immigrationimpact.com/2016/03/18/inspection-of-immigrant-detention-facilities/.
- From Remezcla (3/18/16), an article about an undocumented young woman who won an award for her advice column, and a trailer for the PBS documentary that tells her story: http://remezcla.com/culture/angy-rivera-went-undocumented-afraid-winning-award-activism/.
- From National Geographic (2/24/16), a profile of the Borderlands Food Bank in Nogales, Arizona, an organization that distributes food on both sides of the border: http://theplate.nationalgeographic.com/2016/02/24/rescuing-rejected-food-to-feed-the-hungry-at-the-u-s-mexico-border/.
- From The New York Times (3/9/16), an article about the visa challenges faced by immigrant crime victims: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/nyregion/immigrant-crime-victims-seeking-special-visas-find-a-tough-path.html?_r=2.
- From the Jesuit Conference (3/10/16), their response to the upcoming Supreme Court case on immigration, scheduled for April 18: http://jesuits.org/news-detail?TN=NEWS-20160311094547.
- From The Nation (3/14/16), a breakdown of the billions in taxes paid by undocumented immigrants in the U.S., and a link to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy report that presents this data: http://www.thenation.com/article/undocumented-immigrants-contribute-over-11-billion-to-our-economy-each-year/ and http://www.itep.org/immigration/.
- From KUT News in Austin, Texas (2/23/16), an article and audio report about the current backlog of a half-million immigration cases: http://kut.org/post/nearly-half-million-immigration-cases-are-waiting-be-heard-heres-why.
- From ThinkProgress (3/24/16), a piece about the hurdles faced by undocumented black immigrants to the U.S.: http://thinkprogress.org/immigration/2016/03/24/3761334/undocumented-black/

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.
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