The Immigrant's Journal - Vol. 198 by IQ INC.

The Immigrant’s Journal Vol. 198

A Journey for a Better Life & Justice

26 Court Street, Suite 701, Brooklyn, NY 11242

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Spotlight on the Economic Contributions of TPS Holders BY KAREN AHO IMMIGRATIONIMPACT.COM

Editorial credit: Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com

n September, the Biden administration extended temporary protection to some 472,000 Venezuelan migrants in the United States. Doing so provided welcome humanitarian relief— thousands of men, women, and children have fled violence and natural disasters and find themselves without a home— but it also ushered in the possibility of notable economic gains for U.S. communities. Research by the American Immigration Council finds that immigrants who are continued on page 16

October 2023

3 Tips That Will Help You Sell Your Home in 60 Days or Less ....7

Baffled Migrants Sent from

Shelter to Shelter With No Rest as City Pushes Them to Leave

Biden’s Emergency Funding Proposal Seeks $14 Billion for Immigration System From Congress ....18

Editorial credit: Allen J.M. Smith / Shutterstock.com

FREE

Protecting God’s Children From Distant Lands

Rep. Mike Johnson’s Embrace of Dangerous White Nationalist Conspiracies Detailed in New Research ....3

BY GWYNNE HOGAN THE CITY

ewly arrived migrants living in city shelters celebrated news that the federal government will allow many Venezuelans to legally live and work in the United States — even as advocates and experts caution that relief will not be immediate. Migrants are experiencing a new level of confusion and hopelessness this week as city officials make a continued on page 14

Cancer is Rising in Under-50s – But the Causes Are a Mystery ....12

Migrant men head to Astoria after being turned away from an East Village shelter, Oct. 23, 2023. Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY

Are You in an Abusive Relationship? You Can Get a Green Card Through VAWA ....22

You have questions, we’ve got the answers!

Love & Relationships: Helpful Divorced Dating Advice ....21

IN THE NEWS

Families Intentionally Separated Under Trump Administration Receive MuchNeeded Settlement in Class Action Case That Limits Future Family Separations Editorial credit: Jana Shea / Shutterstock.com

ASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2023: Today, the U.S. government reached a settlement in the Ms. L., et al. v. ICE, et al., class action litigation filed in 2018 seeking injunctive relief for parents and children intentionally separated at the southwest border under the former Trump Administration from 2017 through January 2021. The settlement lays out important new criteria to limit the future separation of immigrant families. The settlement also provides for continued family reunifications and limited immigration benefits for separated families. It offers support services for the families, including access to counsel for some unrepresented migrants, access to mental health resources, targeted legal support related to immigration claims, limited housing stipends, and assistance paying certain medical costs to those who qualify.

The following is a statement from Kate Melloy Goettel, Legal Director at the American Immigration Council: “Today's news is a huge step toward healing and justice for the impacted children and families whose lives have been permanently tainted by this traumatic

experience. We applaud this settlement which has taken years of negotiations. Family separation is cruel and unnecessary. The United States should always honor its legacy of providing safety to those fleeing violence and its commitment to family unity.

We hope the United States never again attempts to use family separation as a deterrent as the practice is heartless and un-American. We believe children belong with their families. We must continue to hold our government accountable.” The American Immigration Council has vehemently opposed family separation under the zero-tolerance policy since the beginning of its implementation. The Council and its partners have archived critical emails, memoranda, and policy documents relating to family separation received through Freedom of Information Act requests and litigation. The American Immigration Council has a range of research and other resources on family separation, including legal and policy experts available to speak on the subject. l

VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.THEIMMIGRANTSJOURNAL.COM FOR MORE IMMIGRATION NEWS & UPDATES

TIME FOR ACTION

Rep. Mike Johnson’s Embrace of Dangerous White Nationalist Conspiracies Detailed in New Research BY AMERICA’S VOICE

ashington, DC: Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), the latest candidate put forward by Republicans to be their leader and Speaker of the House, has repeatedly elevated white nationalist “great replacement” and “invasion” conspiracy theories that are directly linked to multiple acts of deadly violence in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, El Paso, Charlottesville, and elsewhere. Per new research released today by America’s Voice (also detailed below), Rep. Johnson has recently and repeatedly embraced these falsehoods, especially the conspiracy that Biden immigration policies are intentionally designed to replace white voters with non-white ones. According to Zachary Mueller, Political Director for America’s Voice: “The elevation of Mike Johnson to Speaker of the House would encapsulate the ongoing descent of the Republican Party into a paranoid, extreme, fearful, conspiratorial, nativist, and anti-democratic party. While the mainstreaming of the white nationalist ‘replacement’ and ‘invasion’ conspiracies has been disturbingly pervasive among his Republican colleagues over the last few years, Rep. Johnson has gone much farther than most, delivering full-throated assertions that Democrats and the Biden administration are intentionally encouraging migration as part of a political plot to increase Democratic voting power, while portraying migrants and asylum seekers as ‘vicious’ and ‘illegal’ and ‘lawless masses’ who are ‘turning our country into a crime scene.’ He must be aware that his rhetoric echoes the chants in Charlottesville and has deep roots in antisemitism. The rhetoric he has spread in Judiciary Committee hearings, on Fox News and social media are directly connected to multiple examples of white nationalists citing these types of falsehoods as motivation for deadly acts of violence. So-called GOP moderates and those Members from congressional districts carried by President Biden or with significant numbers of immigrant voters should be on notice about the choice they have and the scope and consequences of elevating Mike Johnson into the presidential line of succession.”

Ongoing research and tracking by America’s Voice includes the following examples of Rep. Mike Johnson embracing and mainstreaming these falsehoods – conspiracies that originally were limited to white nationalist, fringe circles:

Senior Writer Linda Nwoke

Visit www.ijlef.org Rep Mike Johnson Editorial credit: Allen J.M. Smith / Shutterstock.com

4/21/22 – News Release: “Allowing illegal immigrants to flow freely across our southern border…President Biden’s continued intentional destruction of our country at the expense of our own people must stop.”

3/29/23 – Twitter: “Mayorkas LIED repeatedly to the Senate Judiciary Comm yesterday. I called for his impeachment last year & summarized here why his INTENTIONAL acts will destroy our country if he isn’t stopped. Dems continue to protect & empower this carnage. God help us.”

5/12/22 – Twitter: “HERE’S THE ANSWER for all who have asked why in the world the Democrats would intentionally open our borders: Late last night

Managing Editor & Editor-in-Chief Pearl Phillip

Email immjournal@aol.com

I got them to admit the goal is to TURN ILLEGALS INTO VOTERS!”

4/29/22 – House Judiciary hearing, speaking to DHS Secretary Mayorkas: “…because of your deliberate and defiant policies … we have a literal invasion of lawless masses flooding over our border from more than 160 countries … innocent children, sir, are being abducted, assaulted, raped and murdered by human traffickers. Countless numbers of known terrorists and vicious gang members are clearly coming across our border and making their way into our communities all over the country … our entire country is becoming a crime scene.”

Legal Advisor Brian Figeroux, Esq.

Graphic & Website Designers Praim Samsoondar Kendrick Williams

4/19/22 – Twitter: “Last month alone, there were over 40,000 more illegal migrants encountered by CBP at our southern border than the entire population of Shreveport (the 3rd largest city in LA). The Biden Administration is intentionally allowing the destruction of our country.”

4/29/22 – Newsmax: “…we believe this is an intentional effort to flood our country with illegals, and it is a dangerous situation.”

Publisher I.Q. INC.

Contributing Writers JR Holguin Janet Howard Chris Tobias Mary Campbell

7/26/21 – Fox News Interview: After FOX Business host Dagen McDowell referenced that immigration “increases the voting base for the Democrats,” Rep. Mike Johnson (LA-04) responded, “that’s right, we are not conspiracy theorists but that is the only thing that makes sense here.” Johnson continued, “they want to turn these people into voters.” 4/5/22 – Breitbart: “There is no longer any other conclusion: The chaos is intentional.”

TEAM

2/2/23 – Twitter: “The Biden Administration has RELEASED 1.7 million illegal aliens into American communities. The catastrophe is INTENTIONAL.”

5/11/23 – Twitter: “…The chaos at our open border is the INTENTIONAL outcome created by Biden & Mayorkas.” 5/22/23 – Newsmax: “The Biden administration has done this intentionally. [Department of Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas has done this intentionally. For what reason? Everybody asks me all the time. I think that ultimately they hope to turn all these illegals into voters for their side.”l The mission of America’s Voice (AV) s to build the public support and the political will needed to enact policy changes that secure freedom and opportunity for immigrants in America. Priority goal: win reforms that put 11 million undocumented Americans on a path to full citizenship.

Volunteering at THE IMMIGRANT'S JOURNAL LEGAL & EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. Internship positions available throughout the year. The Immigrant's Journal Legal & Educational Fund, Inc. is an organization dedicated to the educational and economic empowerment of all immigrants and immigrant organizations here in the United States. We at the Journal recognize the enormous contribution of immigrants to this country economically, socially and politically. Since September 11, 2001, however, immigrants have increasingly been discriminated against and Congress has passed legislation curtailing the rights of immigrants here in the U.S., broadly claiming that immigrants are a threat to ''National Security.'' We at the Journal believe that these charges are unfounded, unsubstantiated and exaggerated. The Immigrant's Journal Volunteer Intern Program was introduced to give our volunteers the opportunity to work in an immigrant friendly environment while developing the necessary skills for college or law school. They assist our staff in resolving immigration and other legal concerns through personal interviews, radio, email and telephone contact. They also assist the public with citizenship applications and in researching whether or not children of naturalized U.S. citizens have derived citizenship from their parents. Some of our volunteers assist our legal staff by engaging in legal research and writing letters on other legal issues. Volunteer interns are also assigned various other jobs in our Youth Programs. Hours are flexible. Email your cover letter and resume or any questions to immjournal@aol.com

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CIVIL RIGHTS

Accurate Collection of Disaggregated Data Is Critical to Illuminate the Diversity of the Latino Community BY ARTURO VARGAS CIVILRIGHTS.ORG

ispanic Heritage Month offers another opportunity to recognize the great diversity of the Latino population — a community whose members come from a broad array of national origins and sub-groups and who identify with different racial groups. In addition, Latinos are no longer concentrated in traditional Hispanic population centers in the country. Today, Latinos live in every corner of America, including the Deep South, the Midwest, New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Plains States, and the Pacific Northwest. Research on the community has documented that this diversity is also accompanied by disparities within different Latino racial, national origin, and other sub-groups. For example, an April 2023 report from the Latino Policy & Politics Institute reveals several differences between Afro-Latinos and non-Black Latinos around education, poverty, and homeownership. Researcher Dr. Adolfo G. Cuevas has found significant health outcome differences between AfroLatinos and other population groups. He

also notes that there remains a scarcity of research assessing racial inequities among Latinos across different dimensions of health. Furthermore, Census Bureau research using data from the 2021 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) also indicates significant differences among Latino national origins and sub-groups around “material hardship.” Thus, a complete and more accurate collection of disaggregated data is critical to illuminate the diversity of the Latino community. These data also help advance policies to safeguard the civil rights of Latinos against discrimination, promote racial equity, and enhance the effective allocation of federal resources. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which determines the

federal government’s standards for race and Hispanic origin data, has sought to improve data collection. It last revised its data standards on race and ethnicity in 1997, when it required the Census Bureau to ask about Hispanic origin and racial identification in two separate questions — with respondents first being asked whether or not they identify as Latino and then asked which of the six different racial categories they identify with: “White,” “Black,” “American Indian/Alaska Native,” “Asian,” “Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander” and “Some other race.” “Some other race” is not a category in the OMB standards, but Congress mandated that it be included in the census questionnaire. The extensive research conducted by the Census Bureau and academics, as

well as our experiences with the Latino community, show that the two separate question approach has not kept pace with Latino self-identification. Many Latinos decide not to answer the race question because they do not see themselves in the race categories. A significant number do not embrace any identity other than Latino or their national origin heritage. Therefore, many Latinos skip the race question, indicate they are “Some other race,” or report they are “White” in order to answer the question in some manner. Census results since the Hispanic origin question was first added in 1980 confirm the mismatch between Latino self-identification and the two separate question approach, particularly with respect to the growth of the “Some other race” population. For example, in 2020, 8 percent of Latinos left the race question blank, and 35 percent indicated they were of “Some other race.” Nearly 27 million Latinos did not see themselves in the federally recognized race categories. As a result, “Some other race” has become the second-largest race category — a category OMB does not even recognize. The growth of the number of Latinos identifying as “Some other race” prescontinued on page 5

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CIVIL RIGHTS

Latino Community continued from page 4 ents an incomplete and distorted picture of the population. Moreover, because “Some other race” is not a category included in OMB standards, to ensure consistency with other government datasets, the Census Bureau must assign a specific racial category to “Some other race” Latinos and those who did not answer the race question. Because of the bureau’s statistical approach for this assignment, most of these Latinos are placed in the “White” category, a category with which they do not identify. To address the problems with the two separate-question approach, the bureau conducted extensive research on question wording and format, including the 2015 National Content Test (NCT), which compared a two separate-question approach with approaches using one single question to ask about race and ethnicity. The NCT showed a combined question to be the optimal design for obtaining more complete and accurate data about Latinos. Fewer Latinos chose “White” as their race, and a majority of Latinos identified solely as “Latino.” Less than 1 percent chose “Some other race.” In addition, the combined question increased the proportion of Latinos also identifying as Black and did not dimin-

ish the proportion who also identified as Native American. After the bureau conducted its research, the OMB undertook an initiative to update its 1997 standards, but it did not move forward under President Trump. In January 2023, the agency renewed this effort and proposed adopting a combined question approach to asking about race and ethnicity. The initial proposal would also allow Latinos to select multiple national origin or sub-group identifications like “Puerto Rican and Dominican” or “Salvadoran and Guatemalan.” These data would help us better understand the full diversity of the Latino community in our country. Finally, the proposal would add a new category for “Middle Eastern or North African” community members

— who today the Census Bureau categorizes as “White” and who research shows do not see themselves in the existing race categories. We know that no census question on race or ethnicity can be perfect. When the OMB renewed its efforts to revise the standards, key stakeholders, including some Afro-Latino researchers and community leaders, had important and serious concerns about the combined question, potentially resulting in data loss on respondents identifying as both Latino and Black. While analysis of the NCT data suggests otherwise, these concerns have warranted consideration. We have met with many other Latino groups, including several Afro-Latino groups, to discuss potential changes to the census questionnaire and how we can ensure that census data provide a complete and accurate portrait of the Latino community. Our dialogue with other Latino stakeholders helped shape the feedback we have provided the OMB as it finalizes the revised standards. For example, the format and wording of the combined question approach must clearly let Latinos know that they should indicate any and all races they identify with, in addition to their Latino ethnic identity — and it is imperative to convey that Black-identifying Latinos should indicate both their

Latino and Black identification when completing questionnaires. Data users must also be able to easily obtain data specific to those who report various combinations of ethnic and racial identifications — and the bureau’s reports on such data must be coherent and accessible. The OMB and the bureau will also need to educate a broad group of stakeholders about the revised standards, including other government agencies, policymakers, data users, and community members at large. The OMB and the bureau must also provide meaningful opportunities to engage Afro-Latino researchers and civic leaders throughout the research, implementation, and community education processes. NALEO Educational Fund will continue to advocate with the OMB to adopt the combined question approach. However, to see quality data that illuminate the full diversity of the nation’s second-largest population group, the OMB, Census Bureau, and other government agencies must fully engage a broad range of Latino individuals and groups in an honest and constructive dialogue.l Arturo Vargas is the chief executive officer of NALEO Educational Fund and serves as co-chair of The Leadership Conference’s Census Task Force.

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JOBS & RECESSION

Five Habits of Successful People BY FREEPARALEGAL.ORG

ust what makes successful people so accomplished and profitable? Have they got special skills that poorer, less effective people don’t share? Occasionally, someone who’s super-successful might have more talent. But most of the time, their habits, not talents, set them apart from the rest of the population. If you want to follow in their footsteps, consider copying these behaviors. Rise early and enjoy ‘me-time’ Most successful people get up early in the morning. However, they don’t necessarily plunge straight into work. Instead, they use the extra time they gain to gather their thoughts and prepare for the day. Successful individuals enjoy added ‘metime’; first thing in the morning before other householders rise. For example, they might write in a journal, exercise, or cook a nutritious, tasty breakfast. Meditate to practice staying present Many successful people meditate. They don’t always sit cross-legged and chant or go on luxurious retreats. Some prefer to practice mindful breathing several times a day.

Mindfulness, especially mindful breathing, can help you stay present and focused. It trains the brain to embrace whatever happens in the moment. So, when you practice, you stop thinking about your worries concerning the past or future and concentrate on tasks. Read and learn Although most successful people are busy, they make time to read each day. They are also lifelong learners and study subjects they enjoy, even if they aren’t necessary for their jobs. Their love of gaining knowledge means they are sophisticated and educated, and this helps them navigate business and their relationships.

Know what you want from the day If you want to ramp up the odds of becoming successful, create a positive intention every day. Know what attitude you want to carry into the following 24 hours. For example, you may decide to stay positive. Or you could intend to be thoughtful. At the same time, you may set yourself a task that improves your life. For instance, you could begin a new healthy habit to boost your health, intend to fix your garden fence, or put up a shelf in your office. Be a terrific listener Plenty of successful individuals are terrific listeners. They understand the importance of focusing on what others say because it helps them glean information. They also know that excellent listening skills make them likable and improve their relationships. So, make a point of being attentive during conversations, and you’ll reap similar rewards. Most successful people have plenty of terrific habits. If you intend to be more like them, begin with the five behaviors mentioned, and you’ll be closer to your goal. l

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BE EQUITY SMART

3 Tips That Will Help You Sell Your Home in 60 Days or Less priced just under the century mark will likely sell quicker.

BY EQUITY SMART REALTY INC

t doesn't matter where you live, what kind of home you have or what time of year it is. If you're looking to sell your home quickly, you'll need to do a better job than other local homeowners who are competing against you. Try these top three tips to secure a sale within 60 days. 1) Enhance Its Appearance When it comes to selling your home, looks are everything. If the appearance of your home is impressive, it will be more inviting to potential buyers. Remove any items that make the home distinctly yours, such as family photos, kids' toys, or personal items. Ensure that every space is meticulously clean and clutter free to demonstrate that it is a well-kept property. It is also extremely beneficial to neutralize the design of your home. Maybe you love the red walls in your living room or the fluffy pink area rug in your bedroom, but this doesn't leave much room for others' imagination. Make your home a blank canvas upon which buyers can project their own idea of a dream home.

2) Price Wisely While everyone would love to sell their property for more than market value, inflating your asking price could delay a sale. Research the asking prices of comparable properties in your neighborhood and consult a reputable real estate professional for advice.There are several other strategies you can use to price your home for a quick sell. Psychologically, certain prices are more attractive to buyers even if there's marginal difference; a home priced at $599,000 is more attractive than a home that's priced at $600,000. Although there's marginal difference between these two prices, the home that's

3) Go The Extra Mile One of the best ways to make your home stand out from the competition is to offer something that no one else is. Whether it's high quality photos or a video tour of your home, your listing can provide viewers with a unique look at your property that encourages them to become attached to it right away. Several other incentives can be offered to help you close quickly, such as including home appliances and transferring your warranties over to the buyer. You can also offer to cover their closing costs, either partially or fully, which is another financial perk that will set your home apart from the rest. Everyone likes a giftwith-purchase, but few sellers offer them.

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WELCOME TO AMERICA

New York Asylum Office Rejects Valid Asylum Seekers Just to Save Time scare people into telling us the truth, versus let’s make people feel safe so they tell us the truth.” “It’s intentional,” they said. The dysfunctional cycle at the New York Asylum Office harms asylum seekers and the government directorate overseeing the office has continued to ignore the dysfunction, the report found.

BY FISAYO OKARE DOCUMENTED NYC

raconian and toxic work conditions have led asylum officers to reject legally sound asylum claims, found a report by the Safe Harbor Clinic at Brooklyn Law, after an investigation. The findings are based on the experiences of 11 former asylum seekers, one former immigration judge, 22 immigration attorneys, and 7 asylum seekers. At 1065 Stewart Avenue, Suite 200 — the New York Asylum Office — upper management pressures asylum officers to focus on speed as much as possible, even assessing their performance by how quickly they can complete asylum decisions, thereby creating a culture of fear. “Pressure from leadership results in asylum officers rejecting legally sound asylum claims, simply because granting a case takes more time,” the report noted. “Former New York asylum officers claimed that they worked under the constant threat of losing their jobs, or facing other retaliation from upper management, if they could not sustain a pace that they described as unrealistic and punishing.”

Some former New York asylum officers interviewed during the investigation said they were miserable at work, citing the guilt of rejecting asylum seekers’ applications with legitimate claims because of the pressure from their bosses. The New York Asylum Office grants just between 5% and 7% of applicants, referring most other asylum seekers to removal proceedings in immigration court — a three-year span data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, as well as Human Rights First, shows. The data is lower than the 10 other asylum offices nationwide, meaning that the New York Asylum Office often turns

away more asylum seekers than other asylum offices in the U.S., including in Texas and Florida. Asylum officers in New York approve asylum applications at alarmingly low rates because it takes more time to approve an asylum seeker’s case than to deny it and refer the asylum seeker to immigration court, the research found. This is the case even for applicants who truly meet the criteria for legal asylum. The report also found that security guards at the New York Asylum Office regularly intimidate, berate, and belittle asylum seekers and attorneys. A former senior official at another asylum office said the New York Asylum Office operates with a mentality of “let’s

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Fisayo writes Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. She is an MSc. Graduate of Columbia Journalism School, New York, and earned her BSc. in Mass Communications from Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos. She has 6+ years of journalism experience.

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“I have never experienced something so dark…where people gather information from you to manipulate a system against you,” said Helen, a former New York asylum officer, in an interview quoted in the report. Another former NY asylum officer said: “My enduring resentment about my entire experience at the asylum office is how cynical it made me about the system in its entirety . . . it really just undermined a lot of my faith in the rule of law . . . and in the legitimacy of American institutions.” l

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WELCOME TO AMERICA

Unrealistic Immigration Demands Complicate Treacherous House Budget Talks BY AARON REICHLIN-MELNICK IMMIGRATION IMPACT

nless Congress can come to an agreement on the budget by November 17, the government will shut down, forcing tens of thousands of federal employees to work without pay and suspending vital programs around the country. Right now, the biggest obstacle is the lack of a speaker of the house. No bill can pass without one. But even if the House GOP or both parties jointly pick a speaker, another issue is threatening to cause an impasse: Republicans’ demands to include radical changes to immigration law as a condition of funding the government. Rep. Jim Jordan, who recently failed in his efforts to become speaker, is demanding that any budget bill for the Department of Homeland Security contain a provision barring the Biden administration from releasing even a single migrant after they cross the border. The idea of mandating the detention of every single migrant is increasing popular among the House GOP. It is also part of the H.R. 2, the “Secure the Border Act” which multiple Senate Republicans expressed they want attached to any border funding bill. Detaining every migrant is not a serious proposal. Last year, even Supreme Court Justice Alito wrote that “no one suggests that DHS must do the impossible” and detain every migrant, given that “DHS does not have the capacity” to do so. Congress has funded U.S.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers for roughly 34,000 long-term detention beds. The vast majority of those beds are currently in use. Similarly, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) short-term holding facilities are already running at or above capacity across the border. If DHS were unable to release some migrants from custody, detention facilities would become dangerously overcrowded within hours. Overwhelmed border facilities would see a breakdown in basic medical care, and deaths would be likely to follow, as they did in 2019. The American public would again likely become outraged at images of children crammed into squalid cells or forced to sleep outside in the dirt, increasing political pressure to restart releases. And once

conditions became so dangerous that human lives were in grave danger, the federal judiciary may be forced to step in and ensure that no one dies due to a congressional demand to “do the impossible.” Even if the House GOP were to drop the unrealistic demand to bar releases, other provisions of H.R. 2 would create havoc throughout the immigration system and threaten U.S. foreign policy. For example, HR 2 would force the Biden administration to end the “Uniting 4 Ukraine” parole program, under which over 165,000 Ukrainians have come to the United States to reside in safety while the war with Russia continues. It would also end parole programs for Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Terminating those parole programs

would also cause serious foreign policy ramifications, as Mexico has previously indicated that it will stop permitting the United States to return migrants from those countries to Mexico if the United States does not operate its own reciprocal parole program. And similarly, H.R. 2 requires that every migrant seeking asylum be immediately returned to Mexico, which Mexico may be unwilling to permit. So far, there is little indication that House Democrats are interested in talks around linking the government funding bill to H.R. 2 or other immigration “reforms.” This is especially true because H.R. 2 would bar DHS from supporting state and local governments that are responding to the arrival of migrants, which the Democratic caucus is increasingly demanding on their own. Only one former Democrat, now independent, Senator Sinema is currently engaged in public negotiations with the GOP on including immigration measures as part of the budget. There’s no doubt that Congress needs to act. States and cities across the U.S. continue to struggle with newly arrived migrants who lack housing or support in the United States, and while funding for NGOs, state, and local programs is helpful, this problem will persist if there’s no centralized response from Congress. That’s why rather than grandstanding about border policy changes, Congress needs to think through pragmatic solutions.l

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

‘We Want to Become Visible’ – New Leaders Rise to Defend Guatemala’s Democracy BY MARY JO MCCONAHAY EMS

UATEMALA CITY – Hundreds of feet below a shiny silver bridge that daily carries tens of thousands of speeding cars to the city center, Guatemala’s political crisis is sparking hope among people living in this steep urban canyon called El Incienso. “This may be our last chance to change things around, to get rid of corruption and get a real democracy,” said Erwin Rivera, president of the neighbors’ committee of this 80-year old community of about 5,000. “We want to become visible.” Rivera, 48, was taking his first break after 15 days manning a barricade of burning tires on the bridge, one of dozens of roadblocks set up by demonstrators countrywide to protest government attempts to derail the January inauguration of social democrat President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo. “We asked pardon of the drivers,” Rivera said. “But we consid-

Neighborhood leaders, heads of student groups and village associations, and indigenous organizations are challenging Guatemala's corrupt political establishment.

Marta Tecun, 52, is among the tens of thousands across Guatemala protesting efforts by the current administration of Alejandro Giammattei to derail recent elections that saw left-leaning social democrat Bernardo Arevalo win in a landslide victory. (Image credit: Mary Jo McConahay)

er that we are defending ourselves by defending the election.” El Incienso is a crowded colonia where there is no clinic, no place to buy milk, where a priest arrives only once a year to say mass in its small yellow church, a “red zone” considered too dangerous for companies to send workers to install telephone or internet connections. Inhabitants

appear to have nothing to lose by protesting the status quo. Concrete paths too narrow for a car connect small abodes that appear pegged almost miraculously to steep slopes. The deeper you descend into the ravine the poorer the houses look, until the paths disappear altogether into winding stairs. Sometimes, a body falling from the silvery bridge – a favorite jumping place for suicides – will crash into a house below, neighbors say, or fall onto a patio. According to researchers from the international study group TECHO, funded by the European Union, some 57 marginalized settlements like El Incienso exist in Guatemala City, with 97 others in zones on the urban fringes, precariously built, often subject to landslides, lacking one or more basic services such as water, electricity or sewage, conditions that help drive the outflow of migrants to the US border. Neighborhood leaders, meanwhile, complain that if they are not connected to the ruling party, their colonias must struggle to receive municipal benefits. This makes Bernardo Arevalo’s anti-graft campaign resonate with residents like Rivera, who voted for the president-elect but does not belong to his Semilla (“Seed”) party. Indeed, in a country where party flags have always been ubiquitous at political gatherings, from the night of August 20 when throngs gathered to celebrate Arevalo’s victory, to now when supporters demonstrate on the streets and highways, the only banner they carry is the blue and white national flag. Erwin Rivera is part of an emerging national leadership being forged during the crisis outside traditional parties. They are neighborhood leaders who once were more likely to organize sports teams than protest actions, representatives of peasant organizations, university students, labor unions like employees of Coca-Cola and the national university. Representatives of hundreds of indigenous communities, once barely acknowledged outside their rural locales, have been at the forefront of national organizing against government

attempts to steal Arevalo’s victory. The new leadership’s allegiance is not to parties but to a countrywide movement to protect Guatemala’s 37-year-old democracy, which under outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei has been battered by allegations of widespread corruption, with officials forcing a number of honest magistrates into exile and throwing journalists who exposed the graft into jail. An exhausted population cast its vote for Arevalo, a relatively unknown congress member who promised deep change. The current crisis began when authorities questioned – Trump style – the validity of Arevalo’s win. Attorney General Consuelo Porras suspended Semilla’s legal standing, launching court cases against the party as well as the federal voting authority, known by its initials TSE, which had validated the landslide election. Prosecutors sent black-masked police to raid Semilla and the TSE. Videos show heavily armed units hitting the offices like SWAT teams, leaving with armfuls of document boxes. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Crowds poured into the streets, blocking urban arteries and rural highways at more than a hundred points, demanding protection for the democratic system. Led by indigenous Maya authorities, thousands descended on the Public Ministry – the Attorney General’s offices – in the capital, where many remain today, calling for the resignation of Porras and three other figures behind what they call “a coup in slow motion.” They want to interrupt the inauguration,” said 58-year-old Mateo Comatz of Pixabaj, a Maya community 47 miles east of the capital. Comatz, who said he had slept on the sidewalk outside the ministry wrapped in a blanket for the previous sixteen nights, carried the ceremonial staff that marked him as an alcalde indigena, a local leader unpaid but responsible for the wellbeing of his community for a certain term. “They had no right to go into the TSE. They are doing much damage. We are going to stay here until they leave.” Elsewhere in the capital, noisy marches of market sellers interrupted traffic. “I am losing money by not being in my stall today, by being here instead,” said Marta Tecun, 52, who sells used clothing at the Landivar market. “But if what we are doing – defending democracy – doesn’t work, I will lose much more.” In recent days protesters are modifying tactics, led by an indigenous entity, the Council of Authorities of the 48 Cantones (districts) of Totonicapán department, which has met with continued on page 15

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LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Auto-Extension Period for Certain Employment Authorization Documents to Change Starting Oct. 27, 2023

ertain renewal applicants who have filed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, qualify for an automatic extension of their expiring employment authorization and/or EADs while their renewal application is pending. This includes those who have applied for or have received Temporary Protected Status or asylum. Normally, USCIS regulations provide for an automatic extension period of up to 180 days from the expiration date stated on the EAD. In May 2022, however, USCIS announced a temporary final rule (TFR) that increased the automatic extension period for employment authorization and/or EADs available to certain EAD renewal applicants from up to 180 days to up to 540 days. As announced in the 2022 TFR, automatic extensions of employment authorization and EAD validity will revert to the original up to 180-day period for those eligible applicants who timely file Form I-765 EAD renewal applications on or

application or when the up to 540-day period expires (counted from the expiration date of the employment authorization and/or their EAD), whichever comes earlier. USCIS is in the process of determining whether, notwithstanding past and ongoing operational improvements, there is a need for a new regulatory action similar to the May 2022 TFR.

after Oct. 27, 2023. This change is not retroactive; all previous up to 540-day automatic extensions will remain in place. For individuals who received an increased automatic extension period under the TFR, the increased automatic extension will end when they receive a final decision on their EAD renewal

Form I-765 Backlog Reduction Efforts USCIS recently published a Policy Manual update increasing the maximum EAD validity period to five years for initial and renewal applications approved on or after September 27, 2023, for the following categories: ●Certain noncitizens who are employment authorized incident to status or circumstance, including those admitted as refugees, paroled as refugees, granted asylum, and recipients of withholding of removal; and

employment authorization, including applicants for asylum and withholding of removal, adjustment of status, and suspension of deportation or cancellation of removal. ●Increasing the maximum EAD validity period to five years for these noncitizens should significantly reduce the number of Form I-765 EAD renewal applications submitted to USCIS and processing times. These new policy updates will help USCIS allocate resources to further reduce the backlog of Forms I-765. USCIS is making every effort to help avoid gaps in employment or employment authorization documentation for noncitizens with pending EAD renewal applications, and to help reduce EAD processing times overall, including by dedicating additional personnel and implementing processing improvements to decrease the median processing time for certain EAD applications to 30 days.l

●Certain noncitizens who must apply for

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HEALTH

Cancer is Rising in Under-50s – But the Causes Are a Mystery This is worrying because some of these cancers – particularly pancreatic and stomach cancer – have low survival rates, due to the fact they’re often diagnosed at a late stage. Research has also shown that bowel cancer tends to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage in young people compared with older adults.

BY ASHLEIGH HAMILTON THE CONVERSATION

ancer is often thought of as a disease that mostly affects older people. But worrying new research shows that cancer in younger adults is a growing problem. The study found there’s been a nearly 80% increase in the number of under-50s being diagnosed with cancer globally in the last three decades. Also of concern are the types of cancers being seen in younger adults – with this latest study and previous research showing that cancers thought of as typical of older age groups are now increasingly being diagnosed in younger people. These include bowel cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer and pancreatic cancer. This is worrying because some of these cancers – particularly pancreatic and stomach cancer – have low survival rates, due to the fact they’re often diagnosed at a late stage. Research has also shown that bowel cancer tends to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage in young people compared with older adults. While it’s clear from this latest study that cancer is becoming more common in those under 50, experts still aren’t entirely sure what’s causing this rise. Early-onset cancer The study investigated cancer cases in people under the age of 50 (termed “early-onset cancer”) from 204 countries and regions. The data analysed was collected between 1990 and 2019. The researchers were interested in knowing not only the incidence of early-onset cancer, but what types of cancer had the highest burden in under-50s. They found that in 2019, there were 3.26 million cases of early-onset cancer diagnosed worldwide – a 79% increase since 1990. The authors also predicted that by 2030, the number of under-50s diagnosed with cancer would increase by a further 31%. Breast cancer was the most common early-onset cancer in 2019, but incidences of prostate and throat cancers increased at the fastest rate since 1990. Liver cancer decreased the fastest over the same time period.

Breast cancer was the most common early-onset cancer in 2019.

The number of deaths due to early-onset cancers also increased from 1990 to 2019 – although less quickly than the rate of diagnosis, with 1.06 million deaths worldwide in 2019, an increase of 28%. The cancers with the highest number of deaths in 2019 were breast, lung, bowel and stomach cancers. The age group at greatest risk of early-onset cancer were those in their 40s. In 2019, early-onset breast cancer had the highest burden for women, while early-onset lung cancer the highest burden for men. Women were disproportionately affected in terms of death and poor health from early-onset cancer in lowand middle-income countries. The study also shows that while the highest number of early-onset cancer cases were in developed countries such as western Europe, North America and Australasia, many cases were also seen in low- and middle-income countries. Death rates were also higher in low- and middleincome countries. The main limitation of this paper is the variability of the data collected by different countries, making it difficult to measure its completeness. Nonetheless, it is still useful in getting a picture of global health. Unknown causes There’s no single explanation for why cancers are rising in under-50s. Some cancers in younger people happen as a result of a genetic condition – but these only account for a small number of

cases (around 20%). Lifestyle factors such as the foods we eat, whether we drink alcohol or smoke, and being overweight are all linked to an increased risk of many types of cancer. Research indicates that these factors may be contributing to a rise in early-onset colorectal cancer, for example. Whether this is true for other types of early-onset cancer remains unknown. Some people affected by early-onset cancers may live healthy lifestyles. This suggests there are probably other reasons for the increase that have not yet been discovered. It’s clear from this research that the landscape of cancer is changing. While the incidence of early-onset cancers is increasing, cancer in this age group is still much less common than for those over50. Early-onset cancers account for only around a tenth of new cases in the UK. But though the numbers are still relatively low, this doesn’t mean the trend we’re seeing isn’t of concern. It will be crucial now to ensure there’s greater awareness of early-onset cancers. Most younger people, and even healthcare professionals, don’t necessarily put cancer at the top of the list when symptoms develop. It’s important for people to see their GP if they notice any new symptoms, as detecting cancer at an early stage leads to a better prognosis. Urgent research into early-onset cancer is also needed at a national and international level. The underlying causes are

While it’s clear from this latest study that cancer is becoming more common in those under 50, experts still aren’t entirely sure what’s causing this rise.

probably different depending on a person’s sex, ethnicity and where they live. On a personal level, there are many things you can do to reduce your risk of developing cancer. Following a healthy lifestyle remains important. This includes eating a healthy diet, stopping smoking, exercising regularly, reducing your alcohol intake, being safe in the sun and maintaining a healthy weight. If something doesn’t feel right with your body or you experience any new symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor as soon as you can.l Ashleigh Hamilton is an Academic Clinical Lecturer, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast

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The Immigrant’s Journal - October 2023 PAGE 13

NYC Food Delivery Workers’ Rights

If you do restaurant deliveries for an app, you have rights regardless of your immigration status. Your Rights Free insulated food delivery bag after 6 deliveries Apps must give you a bag. You can decide whether to use it. More control over your deliveries • You can limit how far you will go from restaurants and pick which bridges or tunnels you will use. • Apps cannot offer you trips outside the limits you set, and you have the right to change your limits.

No Retaliation It is illegal to punish or deactivate workers for exercising their rights. Workers should immediately contact DCWP about retaliation.

Advance notice of delivery details Apps must tell you the pickup address, estimated time and distance for trip, tip, and pay before you accept a trip.

File a Complaint The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) enforces the law. For more information or to file a complaint:

Better access to restaurant bathrooms when you pick up orders Exceptions apply. Contact DCWP. More information about your pay Apps that take customer orders directly must tell you how much the customer tips for each delivery and your total pay and tips for the previous day. Exceptions apply. Contact DCWP. Payment at least once a week Apps cannot charge a fee to process your payment. Minimum pay rate (Effective 1/1/2023) New York City will set a minimum pay rate and may update it from time to time.

• Visit nyc.gov/DeliveryApps • Email OLPS@dcwp.nyc.gov • Call 311 (212-NEW-YORK outside NYC) and ask for “Delivery Worker” DCWP will not share your identity without your prior consent. You can also file a case in court. However, you cannot have a complaint with DCWP and a claim in court at the same time.

This information is brought to your courtesy of THE ASK THE LAWYER Radio Program For a legal consultation on these and other issues, please call 855-768-8845 or schedule an appointment at www.askthelawyer.us

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IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS Baffled Migrants continued from page 1 renewed push to get them out of shelters and the city altogether. Migrants who’d been evicted from their shelters and told to reapply were directed to a site in the East Village that turned out to be a “reticketing center” the city opened over the weekend offering plane fares to anywhere in the world. Those who declined were turned away, with some sent on Monday to a “waiting room” an hour away. But by Tuesday that option had disappeared as well and new arrivals were simply told there was nothing else for them, and nowhere in particular for them to go, if they didn’t want a ticket. “We’re in the street,” said Carlos Gutéirrez, out front of the reticketing center with all his belongings, deciding what to do next. His Midtown shelter had been vacated by the Fire Department on Monday and he’d been sent to the “welcome center” at the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown. Hours later, he was told to go from there to a site in Astoria, which was packed with people, so he was told to return to the Roosevelt. On Tuesday morning, workers there sent him to the East Village, where he was again turned away. “They’re treating us like children, sending from here to there, from there to here,” he said in Spanish. “The only thing that occurs to me is to leave New

Migrant Carlos Gutierrez says he was turned away from four shelter locations, including the East Village, Oct. 24, 2023. Credit: Gwynne Hogan/THE CITY

York City, but where are we going to go?” City Hall confirmed the new set up on Tuesday, telling THE CITY men leaving shelters and seeking another placement are guaranteed plane tickets to anywhere in the world and were being sent to the newly opened East Village site to get those tickets. They were not, however, guaranteed a cot to sleep on, according to Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for City Hall. “With no sign of a decompression strategy in the near future, we have established a reticketing center for migrants,” Mamelak said — though none of the migrants THE CITY spoke with in the East Village understood they were being sent to a reticketing site in the first place.

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“Here, the city will redouble efforts to purchase tickets for migrants to help them take the next steps in their journeys, and it helps us triage operations at The Roosevelt for new arrivals.” Throughout the day Monday, a stream of men arrived throughout from shelters all across the city, lugging suitcases and duffle bags having been told that the East Village location was where they should reapply for shelter. They could not. “They told me here they would help me with a shelter. I got here and it’s a lie,” said Franklin Sosa, 21, in Spanish, who’d been sent to the East Village from his former shelter on Randall’s Island after hitting his 60-day time limit that the city began giving adult migrants, which was later shortened to 30 days, before they have to leave and reapply for shelter. “They’re giving out bad information. It’s hard to talk because I’ll cry.” Within minutes of each man arriving, he was turned away, handed a printed-out packet including a Bing map with the address of a Catholic church in Astoria, Queens. Men who made the trip from the East Village to Astoria spent the night at St. Margaret Mary, which had been used as a shelter for migrants over the summer. Some of them were handed Mylar rescue blankets for warmth, and photos shared with THE CITY show men laying on the ground. “They say they don’t know how long we can stay here,” said a 38-year-old from Burkina Faso, who asked that his name be withheld fearing retaliation. “They haven’t told us anything.” But even the option of sleeping on the floor in a church was no longer available to men arriving in the East Village by Tuesday afternoon. Signs stuck to the door, translated to Spanish, French, Arabic, and Russian, were how he learned that “THIS IS NOT A RESPITE SITE/SHELTER. THERE ARE NO BEDS AT THIS SITE. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU GET TO TRANSPORTATION TO ANY STATE, OR COUNTRY OF YOUR CONVENIENCE.” ‘People Will Be Sleeping in the Streets’ Workers at other migrant shelters started handing out little slips of paper with the East Village site address on Monday, telling men to go there instead of the Roosevelt Hotel, which until this week had been the city’s main intake center for all newly arriving and returning

migrants. But within minutes of their arrival, the migrants learned one by one, they would not get any help there if they intended on staying in New York City. “They can’t give us beds because there’s no beds [and] there are 4,000 people waiting for beds. What they can help us with is with a ticket elsewhere,” a 29year-old Venezuelan migrant, who declined to share his full name, said he was told Tuesday afternoon at the reticketing site. He and two friends decided to head to the Roosevelt to try their luck there. “We are moving people to reticketing to see if they want to be reticketed,” said Deputy Mayor Anne Williams-Isom at a press briefing Tuesday. “If they can’t be reticketed, we put them in a space where they could wait for availability” in a shelter. That approach appears to violate the city’s right-to-shelter provisions, enshrined in a decades-old consent decree that the Adams administration is currently asking a State Supreme Court judge to suspend parts of — even as it’s already putting a time limit on how long migrants can stay in shelters and planning to send newly arrived families to a tent in southern Brooklyn. Adams bristled at a mention of those legal obligations at Tuesday’s press briefing. “There’s two schools of thought in the city right now,” he said. “One school of thought states you can come from anywhere on the globe and come to New York and we are responsible, on taxpayers limited resources, to take care of you for as long as you want: Food, shelter, clothing, washing your sheets, everything, medical care, psychological care for as long as you want. And it’s on New York City taxpayer’s dime. And there’s another school of thought, that we disagree.” “That’s what you’re seeing playing out in the court right now. We just disagree,” he said, adding that it wasn’t a question of if migrants would be sleeping on the streets, but when. Adams also said top administration officials were working to identify large outdoor spaces to send people who are turned away from indoor shelters. ‘Bouncing Around All Day’ Compounding the capacity issues as a record nearly 120,000 people, including 64,000 migrants, are now staying in city shelters with 4,000 more arriving each week, the FDNY began vacating shelters for fire-code violations last week — removing hundreds of beds and cots that migrants had been sleeping on in the process. The FDNY emptied another shelter on Monday at the site of a vacant Touro University building in Midtown that had housed hundreds of men, the same site where Adams’ top advisor Tim Pearson had fought shelter guards last week. A vacate order posted on the door cited a lack of a “required fire alarm system,” which created “a condition imminently perilous to life and property.” Several men arriving in the East continued on page 15

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IMMIGRANTS’ CONCERNS

Baffled Migrants continued from page 14

Guatemala’s Democracy continued from page 10

Village who spoke with THE CITY said they’d been kicked out of Touro Monday ahead of their 30-day eviction letters, because of the vacate order, and told to seek a new cot at the East Village location only to be sent to Astoria from there. Josh Goldfein, an attorney with Legal Aid as it’s in court fighting to maintain the right to shelter, said they’d encouraged the city to find another place to handle intake to avoid a repeat of what happened in the summer months when people slept outside the “welcome center” at the Roosevelt for a week straight. “The city should have an orderly process that conveys to people in their preferred language where they’re supposed to go and what they’re supposed to do,” he said, adding that Monday’s confusion fell far short of that. ‘I Don’t Know Where To Go’ “This is a psychological exhaustion. You get discouraged. You lose your resolve,” said 40-year-old Alexander, who declined to give his last name and who’d lugged a hefty rolling suitcase and duffle bag on an hour-long trip from the shelter he’d been staying at on Randall’s Island to the East Village location. Alexander, had spent his first weeks in New York City at a shelter in Bushwick,

Migrants lay on the floor of an Astoria Church after being turned away from an East Village shelter. Credit: Obtained by THE CITY

where for weeks he had no access to showers and had to try to clean himself in the sinks. “It was chaotic there,” he said. From there he was sent to Randall’s Island, where he spent the rest of his 60 days before being required to reapply. He said his latest shuffle, while carrying all of his belongings on public transit for hours across the city, felt like a deliberate attempt to get him to give up on New York. “Imagine you’re in a land where you don’t know anyone, a language that’s not yours. No one understands you. Now what do I do, how do I defend myself?” Alexander said.

As the sun set Monday evening and the fall chill set in, he debated his next move. “Here there are no jobs. I’ve been looking for a while. This is one of the most expensive cities in the world,” he said. “There are thousands of people waiting for lodging. How long will I wait?” After about 30 minutes, he made up his mind. He’d take a plane ticket, and try his chances in Utah. “They say it’s better, because there aren’t as many migrants,” he said. l Katie Honan contributed reporting. Article first published in THE CITY on October 24, 2023. Reprinted with permission.

Giammattei, with the president of the congress, and national police. Some roadblocks have opened two of four highway lanes, for instance, and ordinary employees of the Attorney General’s office along with citizens with business inside are being allowed to enter. But the force of opposition to stealing the presidential election appears unwavering. “Today the streets and highways of our country are inundated with peaceful protest, with rejection of the coup and its perpetrators,” Arevalo told a cheering crowd during a commemoration of the democratic “October Revolution” of 1944. That event led to elections won by Arevalo’s father, inaugurating what has been called the “Ten Years of Spring,” an era of reforms that ended with a CIA coup. “We are coming to a new spring,” Arevalo told the crowd, calling for “a new revolution in peace and harmony.” The people of Guatemala, he said, “do not give up.”l Mary Jo McConahay is a prize-winning author, documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist whose books include “Maya Roads” about her three decades of traveling and living in Central America’s remote landscapes..

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IMMIGRANTS’ MATTERS

Economic Impact of TPS/ continued from page 1 granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) help fill the local labor needs and even start businesses at high rates. They spend billions of dollars on taxes and consumer goods and contribute to regional housing wealth through home purchases. All are contributions made more likely with the protections afforded through the TPS program. Created by Congress in the Immigration Act of 1990, TPS is a temporary immigration status for nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting an ongoing armed conflict, environmental disaster, or extraordinary and temporary conditions. People from TPS countries who are already in the United States can receive work authorization and are protected from deportation for designated periods of six, 12, or 18 months. TPS country designations can, and often are, renewed. Many have lived in the country for outside of two decades. By working, TPS holders are not only able to provide for themselves and their families but also to support their American communities at large. The Council analyzed American Community Survey data from 2021, the latest year for which socioeconomic data is available, and identified more than 354,000 immigrants who had TPS in

2021. TPS households earned $10.3 billion and held $8 billion in purchasing power, money that helps support American businesses and their workers. It found that the majority of TPS holders, 94.6%, were employed. They also had a high rate of entrepreneurship—14.5% compared with 9.3% of the U.S.-born workforce. In 2021, TPS households paid nearly $1.3 billion in federal taxes, contributions that help to sustain troubled entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. They also help buoy federal public assistance programs for which TPS holders are ineligible, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and regular coverage under Medicaid. TPS holders also paid $966.5 million in combined state and local taxes, money that helped sustain

local police, schools, and other services. The contributions of the TPS holders were particularly important in several key states, including some—Texas and Florida, most notably—that have been sending migrants north by bus since last year. In 2021, nearly three out of every five TPS individuals were concentrated in four states: Florida, California, Texas, and New York. In each of those states, TPS households earned more than $1 billion in 2021 and paid more than $110 million in combined state and local taxes. In Florida, California, and Texas, TPS households held more than $1.1 billion in spending power that year. New TPS holders could be expected to contribute more to the economies of those and other states. As of March 2023, 610,630 people have TPS status, thanks to an expansion of the program by the

Biden administration from 12 countries to 16 countries. The September extension of TPS to Venezuelan migrants who arrived in the country by July 31, 2023 has allowed even more immigrants to play an active role in local economies. Since Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy spun into a free fall in 2014, triggering widespread violence and severe shortages of food, medicine, and other necessities, more than one-quarter of the population—or 7.7 million people— have fled, including 1.4 million who left the country between May 2022 and August 2023. Most—more than 6.5 million—settled in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Among the Venezuelans who found refuge in the United States, only 242,700 had TPS status before the extension of the designation—those who had arrived by March 9, 2021. The hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants who arrived after that date were unprotected and thus unable to legally work. U.S. cities struggled to provide shelter, even as businesses grappled with labor shortages and migrants sought employment. The September extension gives these Venezuelans 18 months of TPS. At that time, the president will need to renew the country’s designation up to another 18 months. This is always the case for all continued on page 22

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FAMILY MATTERS

Nearly 120,000 Unaccompanied Migrant Children Entered U.S. Shelter System in FY 2023

early 120,000 unaccompanied migrant children entered the U.S. government's shelter system in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, according to Congressional testimony from Robin Dunn Marcos, Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). The agency received 118,798 referrals from federal entities between Oct 1, 2022 and Sept 30, 2023. While arrivals of children traveling without a parent or legal guardian remain historically high, the figure represents a slight decrease from FY 2021 and FY 2022 which saw 122,731 and 128,904 referrals, respectively. Under law, ORR is charged with housing unaccompanied children who lack a legal immigration status until they turn 18 or can be released to a sponsor, who is typically a parent or another close relative living in the U.S. According to the testimony, more than 85% of children were placed with a parent, legal guardian, or other close family member in FY 2022 and FY 2023. For 40 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) has worked alongside the federal government to provide appropriate services for unaccompa-

nied children, identify unique vulnerabilities to exploitation, and to protect their best interests. The organization delivered expert testimony to Congress earlier this year, stressing the need for more robust protections, additional resources for post-release services, and access to legal representation. Heeding the call of LIRS and its partners, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Kirsten Gillibrand (DNY), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) introduced new legislation this week to provide a comprehensive framework to reform the federal government’s care and custody of unaccompanied children. The Protecting

Unaccompanied Children Act would improve existing safeguards for the release of children from government custody, increase their access to social services and legal protections, and create new safeguards and services for children’s safety. The following is a statement by Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service: “These historically high figures highlight the ongoing deterioration of humanitarian conditions across the world, and particularly in South and Central America. Unaccompanied children are among the most vulnerable populations, often having fled unthinkable violence, persecution, and forcible gang recruitment. When they arrive in the U.S, they have limited support and significant difficulty accessing services in their communities as a result of language and cultural barriers, as well as unfamiliarity with U.S laws designed to protect children.” “Recent headlines on child labor exploitation serve as a stark reminder that we must continually improve sponsor vetting and family reunification practices so that incidents of trafficking or

other harm are more readily prevented, identified, and mitigated. We are deeply grateful to Senator Durbin and his colleagues for their introduction of the Protecting Unaccompanied Children Act, and their commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of vulnerable children.” “Now more than ever, Congress must commit to expanding ORR's permanent licensed bed capacity so that children are cared for by qualified staff and foster parents in family-centric environments instead of large-scale influx care facilities. We also need robust governmentsupported legal and post-release services so that, after so much hardship and adversity, children can be children again.”l Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is the largest faith-based national nonprofit dedicated exclusively to serving refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable immigrant communities in the United States. Through nearly 80 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.

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BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Biden’s Emergency Funding Proposal Seeks $14 Billion for Immigration System From Congress BY ADRIEL OROZCO IMMIGRATIONIMPACT.COM

n October 20, the Biden administration renewed its request for emergency supplemental funding for border management from Congress. This new $14 billion request represents more than a $10 billion increase from the administration’s original August proposal and includes a sizeable investment in areas of the immigration system often forgotten by years of deterrence-heavy policy. Nevertheless, despite several positive requests, the president’s proposal still relies on increased detention and enforcement to address migration at the border. Two months ago, the Biden administration proposed a much more modest supplemental border funding request as Congress began to debate the federal government’s discretionary budget for fiscal year 2024. While former Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy and others tried to include restrictive and draconian border policies into the budget negotiations, that strategy

President Joe Biden Editorial credit: Consolidated News Photos / Shutterstock.com

was derailed as discord among House Republicans resulted in a 45-day bipartisan stopgap funding bill and the removal of Speaker McCarthy as leader of the chamber. With just 28 days until the stopgap funding bill expires and after nearly three weeks without a new speaker, the future of Biden’s emergency funding request in Congress is uncertain. Nevertheless, this new proposal represents a bolder

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approach by the Biden administration, one that is likely to draw fire from both progressives and conservatives. Proposal significantly increases investment in border enforcement and detention capacity The new proposal includes nearly four times the requested amount for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) compared to the August request. Both

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include funding to address the smuggling of fentanyl at the border, which largely enters through legal ports of entry. However, the new proposal adds 1,000 additional CBP officers for this purpose while adding 1,300 new Border Patrol agents to manage the border, which would be the largest requested increase in the size of the Border Patrol since Biden took office. Another notable increase is for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the enforcement arm of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The proposal includes $2.5 billion in emergency funding compared to $759 million in August. The previous proposal vaguely indicated that the money would be used to “respond to migration surges” along the border. This time around, an accompanying DHS Fact Sheet suggests that this will partially fund additional detention beds due to the administration’s increased use of expedited removal and to “offer necessary surge capacity for any periods of elevated encounters.” Currently, the Biden administration is detaining more than 36,000 individuals. This is an all-time high for his administration and the highest amount since the beginning of the pandemic. The requested funding would reportedly increase ICE detention capacity to 46,000, potentially the highest level Congress has ever funded. This represents a massive shift away from Biden’s prior commitments to reduce the use of ICE detention, including March’s FY 2024 budget request, which called for funding just 25,000 ICE detention beds. As a result, this request is likely to be the most controversial one included in the supplemental. The DHS Fact Sheet also indicates that this money could resource ICE’s Alternatives to Detention programs, which include the Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program. Under FERM, already operating in 40 locations nationwide, certain families released at the southwest border are monitored by GPS and placed on a house curfew while they go through the credible fear interview process. Despite ICE’s growing reliance on this program, little public information exists. The American Immigration Council and partners sent a letter to DHS in September seeking more transparency. Members of Congress have also called for more information on the program to be made public. Proposal increases support for programs across the Western Hemisphere To create safer alternative pathways for migrants across the Western Hemisphere, the Biden administration has set up Safe Mobility Offices (SMOs) in partnership with other governments to screen potencontinued on page 19

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BIDEN ADMINISTRATION

Emergency Funding Proposal continued from page 18

Proposal includes emergency funds to speed up immigration processing One of the most notable changes in this new request is the Biden administration’s investment in speeding up asylum and work permit processing as well as increasing the immigration courts’ capacity. The agencies overseeing these programs are historically underfunded compared to other immigration agencies. In addition to the 375 immigration

Editorial credit: Phil Pasquini / Shutterstock.com

tial migrants for lawful pathways to enter the U.S. and provide credible information about the U.S. immigration system. These offices are currently located in Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Ecuador. The SMOs have been met with overwhelming demand abroad and the supplemental funding request nearly doubles Biden’s original request to support this initiative. However, this proposal renews a request to fund a controversial plan to support third countries conducting their own repatriation flights. Previously, Senator Bob Menendez blocked that program as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; however, he stepped down from that role after being indicted on bribery, which may allow that program to move forward.

million to $1.4 billion. SSP provides funding to nonprofits and local and state governments to support newly arrived migrants. This increase comes at a time when calls from governors and mayors for assistance from the federal government have only intensified and the roll out of initial SSP funding earlier this year left many nonprofits frozen out of continued funding.

judge teams in the original request, the Biden administration calls for an additional 1,470 attorneys and support staff to help process cases. This amounts to a fortyfold increase from $36 million to $1.42 billion. Currently, the immigration courts have 2.6 million pending cases. In July, the Congressional Research Service determined that adding 300 additional immigration judges could start to reduce the backlog; however, that estimate was based on the 1.9 million cases pending at the time. Nevertheless, this represents a significant investment in the immigration court system. Unlike the previous proposal, which provided $0 to U.S. Citizenship and

Immigration Services (USCIS), the new supplemental request seeks to add $755 million to hire 1,600 asylum officers and support staff to process asylum claims and 30 officers to process work authorization applications. The DHS Fact Sheet suggests that many of the new asylum officers will be used to screen migrants at the border. USCIS also needs a substantial investment to process pending affirmative asylum applications because, for the first time in the agency’s history, it has nearly one million applications awaiting adjudication. The proposal also includes an increase in supplemental funding for the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) from $600

The future of the president’s proposal is uncertain Despite the significant investment contemplated by the Biden administration in our immigration system, the future of this emergency funding request is uncertain, especially as provisions like increased ICE detention are likely to prove controversial even among the administration’s allies. While House Republicans continue to search for a new Speaker, Senate Republicans are signaling an interest in drastically changing asylum law in order to provide additional funds to the immigration system. President Biden has already voiced opposition to any such changes. Regardless, Biden’s new emergency funding request highlights the need for Congress to make bold investments into parts of our chronically underfunded immigration system.l Note: A new speaker has since been voted in.

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Call 855-768-8845 for a consultation One in six residents in nursing homes and community facilties were neglected last year resulting in thousands of families experiencing trauma, mental illness, medical emergencies, and even death. Nursing home abuse and neglect is real. Has your loved one experienced any of these or other types of abuse? •Bedsores •Improper Treatment/Medication •Choking/Death •Malnutrition/Dehydration •Falls •Respiratory Illness •Fractured Bones •Sexual Abuse •Infections •Sexual Assault

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The Immigrant’s Journal - October 2023 PAGE 20

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) WHAT IS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE? Gender-based violence (GBV) is defined as any harmful threat or act directed at an individual or group based on their actual or perceived: • Biological sex

EXAMPLES OF GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Common forms of GBV include:

• Gender identity

• domestic violence

• Gender expression

• dating violence

• Sexual orientation

• female genital mutilation or

• Difference from social norms related to masculinity or

femininity Perpetrators can be government officials or organizations, family members, religious leaders, others you may know, or strangers. GBV such as arbitrary killings, torture, sexual violence, and forced marriage may also be used as a tactic of war or during periods of societal instability.

cutting (FGM/C) • stalking • forced marriage • sexual violence that

includes sexual abuse, assault, and harassment

CONFIDENTIAL HELP IS AVAILABLE IN YOUR LANGUAGE • National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233, 800-787-3224 (TTY for people who are deaf

or hard of hearing) • Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 • National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 • Tahirih Justice Center’s Forced Marriage Initiative at 571-282-6187 or FMI@tahirih.org • Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 800-4-A-CHILD (800-422-4453) • U.S. End FGM/C Network at info@endfgmnetwork.org

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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

Helpful Divorced Dating Advice Always listen to your inner voice and take things at your own pace. Only you know what's best for you!

BY MARY CAMPBELL

xperiencing a divorce may be the most devastating event of one's life, but it's crucial you stay strong and continue on with life. Yes, you've been out of the from dating world for a while now, and you're probably very nervous just thinking about stepping back out there again, but don't worry, we're here to help you out. We have some helpful divorced dating advice and tips so that when you're ready to give dating a go again, you're all set! Here is some wonderful, divorced dating advice that will help you successfully date again!

know what's best for you!

weeding through dates on your own.

Listen to Your Inner voice! The best thing about getting back into the dating world again is that you're more experienced when it comes relationships, you already know how to maintain one. Although, you need to remember it's important not to rush into things. Finding someone right for you could take time, maybe several months, or even a year. You should never listen to your pushy friends and family who just want to see you dating again. They might even push you into blind dates just so they can see you with someone, anyone. Always listen to your inner voice and take things at your own pace. Only you

Explore New Techniques! Maybe it's been a decade or more since you've been out in the dating world, but there are so many more ways you can meet someone nowadays. You no longer have to rely on friends and family setting you up with people that you don't have anything in common with. And, you don't have to spend your evenings hanging out at the bars trying to meet someone nice. Nowadays, there are professional matchmaking services that can help set you up with someone who is perfectly compatible with you. It will save a lot of time, frustrations and disappointments of

Enjoy the New! A lot has changed over the years, but it's important you don't let these changes frustrate you. You should learn to embrace the new! As we mentioned before, you could give professional matchmaking a shot. After all, there's nothing better than going on dates with people who share the same interests, hobbies, and dating expectations as you. Many people who seek out professional matchmaking services might even be experiencing the same loss as you are. So always remember to keep an open mind and embrace the new when starting to date again!

Get a Complete Makeover! There's nothing quite like getting a complete makeover to enter the dating scene again! Remember, this is a new beginning for you, and you want to look and feel your very best! There's no better confidence booster than getting a new look! Ladies, you'll feel wonderful with some fresh new makeup, a new hair style, and a manicure! Men, treat yourself to a professional shave, some new slacks and dress shirts, or even a facial! Trust us, it will help you feel fresh, rejuvenated, and ready to take on the world! And remember, you shouldn't feel shy about going all out with your new look... That fancy dress in the window, get it! Those snazzy shoes that caught your eye, buy them! It's all about starting anew! So, there you have it, some of our best divorced dating advice and tips to help you get started. And, if you're not having any luck on your own, don't hesitate to seek professional matchmaking services!l

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LOVE & RELATIONSHIPS

Are You In An Abusive Relationship? You Can Get a Green Card Through VAWA

mmigrants in the US. have the right to live life free of abuse. Due to the victim’s immigration status, abusive partners have additional ways to exert power and control over their victims. If you are an immigrant or refugee in an abusive relationship, you may face unique issues that make it hard to reach out for help. Statisitics In 2021, the United Nations published the report “Measuring the Shadow Pandemic: Violence Against Women During COVID-19.” It said that since the pandemic, violence against women has increased to unprecedented levels. The American Journal of Emergency Medicine said that domestic violence cases increased by 25 to 33 percent globally. The National Commission on COVID-19 and criminal justice shows an increase in the U.S. by over 8 percent. Domestic violence is widespread everywhere.

status, may promise to apply for you, but never actually help, or threaten to contact immigration and report you. VAWA helps victims of domestic violence allowing them to self-petition for their own legal status without the abuser’s help or knowledge.

VAWA As a victim of domestic violence, there are laws that can allow you to gain legal status in the United States. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was created in 1994 by then Senator Joe Biden, to protect victims of domestic violence, and offers specific protections for people without legal status in the US. VAWA also protects men and children who are victims of domestic violence. As part of the perpetration of domestic violence, abusers often may refuse to assist you with applying for immigration

Free Legal Consultations A specialized immigration attorney should always be your first point of contact when it comes to immigration questions and concerns. You can also listen to Ask the Lawyer Radio podcasts at www.youtube.com/@askthelawyernow The program provides great information and also an opportunity for a FREE, confidential, no obligation legal consultation. The number to call is 855-768-8845. You can also visit www.askthelawyer.us Domestic violence is against the law regardless of one’s immigration status. Be a loving family member, good friend, and caring neighbor: please share this information.l

Economic Impact of TPS/ continued from page 16 TPS holders, and it leaves them in a state of limbo, often for many years. Due to ongoing violence and extreme conditions abroad, more than 80% of TPS holders in the United States in 2021 had been living here for more than 20 years, some raising children who cannot remember another home. If the federal government decides to terminate a TPS designation—as the Trump administration threatened to do for many designated countries—TPS holders face deportation to a life-threatening region of the world. But they also would have to abandon jobs, businesses, and houses. In 2021, at least 41% of TPS households in the country had also purchased their home, holding a total housing value of $19 billion and adding to their region’s housing wealth and property tax revenues. Would such financial investments in America rise if TPS holders had access to a permanent path to residency? If they could envision a future in this country beyond 18 months? Research by the Council highlights the economic contributions TPS holders already make when living in limbo. The United States should ask if, by not extending residency, it is missing an even bigger economic opportunity.l

The Immigrant’s Journal - October r 2023 PAGE 23

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The Immigrant’s Journal - October 2023 PAGE 24

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