Newsletter Week of July 3rd
New Florida Immigration Law Now in Effect
New Florida law affecting immigrants is now in effect. It invalidates out of state driver’s licenses issued to undocumented immigrants, requires hospitals to ask patients about immigration status, allocates more money for migrant relocations and requires businesses to use a system to verify immigration status for employees. As the law takes effect, the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and the American Immigration Council plan to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the new law.
US Citizenship Test Changes are Coming, Raising Concerns for Those with Low English Skills
The U.S. citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship — a monthslong process that requires legal permanent residency for years before applying. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes that the new test adds a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordinary scenarios – like daily activities, weather or food – and ask the applicant to verbally describe the photos.
The Biden Administration Guaranteed Attorney Access For All Migrant Screenings. Most Don’t Have It
As the Biden administration prepared to launch speedy asylum screenings at Border Patrol holding facilities this spring, authorities pledged a key difference from a Trump-era version of the policy: Migrants would be guaranteed access to legal counsel. Nearly three months and thousands of screenings later, the promise of attorney access appears largely unfulfilled, based on advocacy group reports and interviews with people directly involved, some of whom spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the effort publicly.
