Federal Jury: Immigrant Detainees Are Owed Minimum Wage

Federal Jury: Immigrant Detainees Are Owed Minimum Wage

By Gene Johnson, AP News SEATTLE (AP) — A federal jury has determined that The GEO Group must pay minimum wage — rather than $1 a day — to immigration detainees who perform tasks like cooking and cleaning at its for-profit detention center in Washington state. The verdict came Wednesday in U.S. District Court in […]

Class Action Settlement Gives Second Chance to Qualifying US Employers for H-1B Petition Approval

Class Action Settlement Gives Second Chance to Qualifying US Employers for H-1B Petition Approval

By Leslie Dellon, Immigration Impact A recent class action settlement is expected to result in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) approving more market research analyst H-1B petitions. The lawsuit was filed by four U.S. employers whose H-1B petitions had been denied when USCIS determined that market research analysts were not a “specialty occupation” as required for […]

The Border Isn’t Open. Just 1 in 3 People at the Border Last Year Could Access the Asylum Process.

The Border Isn’t Open. Just 1 in 3 People at the Border Last Year Could Access the Asylum Process.

By Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Immigration Impact The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published new data last week showing that over the past 12 months, the Border Patrol has carried out nearly 1.7 million apprehensions at the southern border—a record. Opponents of President Biden quickly jumped on the news to renew claims that the border is somehow open. But […]

The Bigger Problem Revealed by a Viral Fight Between NYC Police and Subway Riders

The altercation in New York City highlights a deeper problem — and mask mandates are a canary in the coal mine.

The Bigger Problem Revealed by a Viral Fight Between NYC Police and Subway Riders

By Matthew Guariglia, historian of race, policing and state power On Tuesday, a man named Andrew Gilbert approached two New York police officers in a Manhattan subway station and asked why they weren’t wearing masks, in accordance with police department and city public transit policy. As bystanders filmed, the unmasked officers forced Gilbert off the […]

Hurricane Ida’s Destruction was the Result of Years of Systemic Racism

Even after a racial justice awakening, the effects of climate change and natural disaster reflect deep inequality.

Hurricane Ida’s Destruction was the Result of Years of Systemic Racism

By Rashad Robinson, Salon With nearly two months left of this year’s turbulent hurricane season, thousands of Louisianans are entering their sixth straight week without power following Hurricane Ida. Meanwhile, displaced residents in search of adequate shelter for their families are piling into any neighbors’ homes that are still intact, some with up to 10 […]

For-Profit Charter Schools Using Our Children for Profit

For-Profit Charter Schools Using Our Children for Profit

By Jeff Bryant, LA Progressive Charter School Industry Lobbying Firm Rushes to Defend Schools That Think of Children as a Business The top lobbying group for the charter school industry is rushing to preserve millions in funds from the federal government that flow to charter operators that have turned their K-12 schools into profit-making enterprises, […]

Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction Protecting People in ICE Detention from COVID-19

Ninth Circuit Lifts Injunction Protecting People in ICE Detention from COVID-19

By Rebekah Wolf, Immigration Impact In a split decision, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on October 20 lifted a lower court’s protections for medically vulnerable people locked up in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The protections included requiring that ICE adhere to public health and safety protocols […]

ICE Fails to Provide Basic Oversight of Solitary Confinement and Unlawfully Destroys Records

ICE Fails to Provide Basic Oversight of Solitary Confinement  and Unlawfully Destroys Records

Demonstrators call to “Free Them All” during an Abolish ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) protest for Javier Maradiaga on February 15, 2021 in New York City. (Shutterstock) By Emily Creighton U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been known to improperly subject individuals in its custody to solitary confinement and has destroyed solitary confinement records […]

Bill Protecting Immigrants from Blackmail Becomes Law in NY

Bill Protecting Immigrants from Blackmail Becomes Law in NY

Governor Hochul speaks before signing package of bills to fight opioid crisis with activists and elected officials at her side at John Jay College. – New York, NY – October 7, 2021 (Shutterstock) Elmont, NY: On October 9, 2021, Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation aimed at protecting vulnerable immigrant New Yorkers from those who would […]