Current news immigration 2017
Here are some of the key immigration news stories from 2017:
Executive Orders and Policy Changes
- January 2017: President Donald Trump signs Executive Order 13769, "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States," which temporarily bans travel to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) and suspends the US refugee resettlement program.
- March 2017: Trump signs a revised executive order, Executive Order 13880, which removes Iraq from the list of banned countries and adds new restrictions on refugees.
- September 2017: The Trump administration announces a new "public charge" rule, which would make it harder for immigrants who use certain public benefits to obtain a green card or become a US citizen.
Border Security and Enforcement
- January 2017: The US Border Patrol reports a significant increase in apprehensions at the US-Mexico border, with over 40,000 apprehensions in January alone.
- March 2017: The Trump administration announces plans to build a wall along the US-Mexico border, with Mexico initially refusing to pay for it.
- August 2017: The US Department of Homeland Security announces plans to increase the number of immigration judges and expand the use of expedited removals, a process that allows immigration officials to quickly deport immigrants without a hearing.
Immigration Reform and Legislation
- January 2017: The US Senate votes down a bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants, known as the "DREAM Act."
- March 2017: The US House of Representatives passes a bill that would increase funding for border security and enforcement, but does not address the fate of undocumented immigrants.
- September 2017: The US Senate votes down a bill that would have provided funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and addressed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which protects certain young immigrants from deportation.
DACA and Undocumented Immigrants
- September 2017: The Trump administration announces plans to end the DACA program, which was created by President Barack Obama in 2012. The program allows certain young immigrants who were brought to the US as children to remain in the country and work legally.
- October 2017: A federal judge blocks the Trump administration's plans to end DACA, allowing the program to continue for the time being.
- November 2017: The US Senate votes down a bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants, including those who were brought to the US as children.
Other Immigration News
- January 2017: The US Supreme Court upholds a lower court ruling that allows the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program to continue, which allows certain undocumented immigrants who are parents of US citizens or lawful permanent residents to remain in the country and work legally.
- March 2017: The US Department of Justice announces plans to increase the number of immigration courts and judges, in an effort to reduce the backlog of immigration cases.
- August 2017: The US Department of Homeland Security announces plans to increase the use of biometric technology, such as facial recognition and fingerprinting, to track and identify immigrants.
These are just a few of the key immigration news stories from 2017. It was a year marked by significant changes in US immigration policy and enforcement, as well as ongoing debates and controversies surrounding immigration reform and the fate of undocumented immigrants.