Want to keep up with immigration news in the U.S.? Every month, Global Cleveland publishes our immigration update so that you can stay informed about the latest immigration news.

This month’s Immigration Update at a glance:

• Harris Would Keep Biden’s EO on Border
• Court Shields Catholic Charities from Deposition
• USCIS Updates Acquisition of Citizenship Guidelines

• Legislators in California are debating a bill that would give local health inspectors the authority to inspect detention centers operated by private companies, which includes all six federal immigration centers in the state
• Senator Maria Elena Durazo says conditions in the facilities are bad, often involving communicable disease problems, and can hurt both those inside and the surrounding communities
• The Bill was passed unanimously out of the State senate and is pending in the State Assembly, the lower house of the California legislature.
• https://californiahealthline.org/news/article/federal-immigration-detention-facilities-ice-local-health-inspectors-complaints-deaths/

• A resolution from the US Conference of Mayors endorsed the idea of a Heartland Visa that would, as the USCM’s statement described it “provide a new pathway for skilled immigrants and immigrant entrepreneurs who wish to settle in welcoming communities facing population stagnation or decline that would opt-in to such a policy if it aligns with their local economic development goals.”
• The resolution was sponsored by a bipartisan group of Mayors, including Justin Bibb of Cleveland, John Giles of Mesa (Arizona), Tishuara Jones of St. Louis, and Regina Romero of Tuscon.
• The US Conference of Mayors is a nonpartisan national organization of Mayors of large cities, and recently had its annual meeting in Kansas City.
• https://legacy.usmayors.org/resolutions/92nd_Conference/proposed-review-list-full-print-committee-individual.php?resid=a0FKY000000sZ4b2AE

• The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued updated guidelines for how children can acquire citizenship
• The changes clarify that a US Citizen parent may meet the requirement of physical presence in the US before the child’s birth regardless of immigration status as well as the citizenship related regulations for a variety of circumstances, including children born out of wedlock and instances in which a child no longer has a legal relationship with a parent or guardian because of neglect or cruelty
• It also affirms that those who’s claim was denied, but who’s claims may have been accepted under new policy, can file a motion to reopen their case.
• https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-issues-policy-guidance-on-childrens-acquisition-of-citizenship

• Average processing time for citizenship applications has been reduced substantially, reaching just five months
• The Backlog of citizenship applicants is down by 44% since its 2020 high
• 9 million people are eligible for naturalization, with the highest populations being in California, New York, Texas, and Florida.
• https://www.boundless.com/blog/new-report-9-million-immigrants-eligible-to-become-citizens-in-2024/

• President Joe Biden, who had planned to seek reelection, announced that he would instead retire in the fall, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris
• Asked by CBS News, a campaign manager for the Vice President indicated that the President’s Executive order that restricted the ability for some migrants to claim asylum would be retained by Harris if elected.
• The campaign manager, Julie Chávez Rodriguez, cited the policy’s “positive impact” on border security and implied it would continue.
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kamala-harris-campaign-chief-signals-biden-border-crackdown-continued-if-elected/

• Unauthorized crossings of the US Mexico Border dropped snigifcantly this month, and near a level at which restrictions on asylum claims would be lifted
• The drop continues after an executive order from President Joe Biden suspended access to the asylum system to those who did not enter at official ports of entry. The measures would be in place when unauthorized crossings hit a specified level.
• Unauthorized crossings have reached a three-year low this summer.
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/migrant-crossings-plunge-near-level-lift-biden-border-crackdown/

• The United States signed an agreement with Panama agreeing to assist the country remove migrants traversing the Darien Gap.
• Panama’s new president José Raúl Mulino has vowed to halt crossings of the Darién Gap, a rugged and dangerous wilderness that has emerged as a major route for migrants seeking to travel northwards
• Secretary of State Alejandro Mayorkas signed an MoU with Panama on the subject while in the country to attend Mulino’s inauguration
• https://apnews.com/article/immigration-removal-homeland-security-panama-9b6056567ec797140dfae1d7efe4f693

• The family of a man who passed away in a Wyoming hospital in 2022 is suing the hospital, saying he was mistreated because of his lack of insurance and his lack of legal status to be in the United States
• The suit alleges that the man, Ociel Ponce Perez, was not given proper medical attention and that the hospital’s policies on undocumented patients lead cargivers to deny him adequate care
• https://wyofile.com/suit-alleges-jackson-hospital-caused-mans-death-due-to-his-immigration-uninsured-status/

• A recent Supreme Court ruling overturned the Chevron doctrine, curtailing federal agencies ability to interpret ambiguous laws
• Immigration policy analysts have said that it could reduce the leeway given to agencies like USCIS in the court system
• Federal agencies are expected to see power shift away from them and may lead to more successful challenges of green card denials.
• https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/immigration-proponents-get-boost-from-end-to-chevron-doctrine

• Oklahoma’s House Bill 4156 was put on hold by a federal judge
• The bill makes it illegally for someone to willfully enter the state without legal authorization to be in the United States.
• Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Gentner Drummond, said that it was necessary to counter criminal activity, and filed an appeal. Opponents of the law say that it encroaches on the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law.
• https://oklahomavoice.com/briefs/oklahoma-attorney-general-appeals-immigration-law-injunction/

• Amidst a lawsuite by the State of Texas, a federal judge has denied a request by the state to compel a deposition on Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley
• The nonprofit is being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who claims the organization is helping migrants enter the country illegally, accusations that Catholic Charities deny.
• This is the second ruling that shields the organization from being compelled to participate in a deposition
• https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/judges-order-shields-catholic-charities-deposition-texas-investigates-112249710

• The Department of Justice issued a disturbing report documenting pervasive abuse of migrant children at facilities run by Southwest Key Programs.
• Southwest Key is the largest provider of housing for unaccompanied minors
• The Department of Justice filed a lawsuit in a Texas Federal Court on July 19^th
• Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said that the complain raised serious concerns about Southwest Key, and reiterated that the HHS has a zero tolerance policy towards abuse
• https://apnews.com/article/migrant-children-provider-lawsuit-0bfd45735aa6d41a4233abe6059f0e1f