June – July Advocacy

Reprieve for Illegal Children?

The Obama administration will stop deporting and begin granting work permits to younger illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have since led law-abiding lives. The policy change, will affect as many as 800,000 immigrants who have lived in fear of deportation. Read more at The reprieve for Illegal Children.

The Supreme Court rejects Arizona’s Immigration Laws

The Supreme Court reached a landmark decision, rejecting much of Arizona’s immigration law but allowing one key provision to stand, saying federal law did not pre-empt the state’s instruction to its police to check the immigration status of people they detain. Read more at Supreme Court Landmark Ruling.

DHS shift in Light of Supreme Court Ruling

The Department of Homeland Security had pulled back on a program known as 287(g), which allows the feds to deputize local officials to make immigration-based arrests. The administration has determined those agreements are “not useful” now in states that have Arizona-style laws. Read More at DHS repeals program.

Missouri Supreme Court ruling fashions US Supreme Court decision

Missouri Supreme Court’s 4-3 decision to rule the juvenile death penalty unconstitutional became the framework for the U.S. Supreme Court opinion with the same result. Read More at Missouri Supreme Court Alert.

Employment Based Retrogression Continues

The Department of State July Visa Bulletin states that continued heavy demand for numbers in the Employment Second preference category has required the establishment of a Worldwide cut-off date for the month of July. Should there be an increase in the current demand pattern, it may be necessary to make this category completely “unavailable” prior to September 30, 2012. The China and India Employment Second preference categories are already “unavailable”, and will remain so for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Challenge to three ballot initiatives in Missouri

At issue before the Missouri Supreme Court are initiatives that would ask votes whether to raise tobacco taxes, increase the state’s minimum wage and limit the interest rates that can be charged on payday loans. Read More at Ballot initiatives in Missouri