Immigrant Families

While We Await Official Notice of Proposed Public Rules Changes, Here are Our Thoughts on Latest Version

On Saturday, September 22, the Department of Homeland Security posted an unofficial proposed regulation that would dramatically alter immigration law by broadening the definition of public charge and significantly harming immigrant families. Earlier this year, two related drafts were leaked to the press. Researchers documented the immediate, adverse impact on immigrant families and communities and […]

Kelly Whitener

September 28, 2018

Proposed Rule Would Make Matters Worse for Immigrant Children Held in Detention – Comments Due Nov. 6

About a year ago, the Administration reversed longstanding immigration policy and started separating children from their parents at the US-Mexico border. Over just a few months, thousands of children were separated from their parents. The issue drew a lot of media attention, as medical and child welfare experts pointed out that research shows the Administration […]

Kelly Whitener

September 18, 2018

Capable, Not Willing: Reuniting Families Could Take Longer If Administration Doesn’t Make it a Priority

As readers of SayAhhh! already know, the President’s Executive Order (EO) on family separation at the U.S. border raised more questions than it answered and had many disturbing implications. The EO did not end family separation as it purported. Instead, the EO outlined a policy to detain families indefinitely while seeking the authority to end […]

Kelly Whitener

June 28, 2018

Americans Love Families. American Policies Don’t.

New York Times By: Emily Badger and Claire Cain Miller Politicians are united in their love for families. The very word — “families” — was among those said most often by Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton in campaign speeches. Democrats and Republicans have platforms for middle-class families, working families, military families. And candidates in need […]

News Article

June 25, 2018

What Does Trump’s Executive Order Mean for Children at the Border?

When news broke this week that President Trump was going to stop separating families at the border, we felt cautious optimism. As we waited for the details, I wondered what the Administration’s new policy would say about addressing family immigration and how it would ensure families already separated would be reunited. I hoped the President’s […]

Kelly Whitener

June 22, 2018

Detention or Separation: Administration Sets False Choice for Families

The legal parameters around immigration and detention have been hotly debated in the past few weeks. I turned to the experts in immigration law for the answer, and here’s what I learned. The Administration has falsely asserted that the law requires them to separate children from their families, but there is no such requirement. As […]

Kelly Whitener

June 22, 2018