SAVE THE DATE:
April 1st: Justice for All: A Conversation with Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall
Immigrant, legal scholar, groundbreaking justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Wednesday, April 1, 2020 7:30 p.m.
Temple Beth Shalom
670 Highland Avenue, Needham (enter from Webster St.)
Please circulate the enclosed Poster that can be found in the attachment, “Marshall event”, to your contacts
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Our NEXT MEETING which will discuss details of the “Justice for All” program with Chief Justice Marshall, will be held on Monday, March 9th at 7:00PM at the Congregational church, 1154 Great Plain Ave, Needham. PLESASE make an effort to attend. Agenda to follow tomorrow.
Minutes from our Feb 10th meeting also attached below.
NEWS OF INTEREST:
>>. TRAC Reports (footnotes omitted) PUBLIC CHARGE LAW is Rarely Used to Deport Immigrants—Is That About to Change? On February 24, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services implemented a new rule that expands the definition of who counts as a public charge[1]. This rule will limit the ability for many immigrants—millions, by some estimates[2]—to enter or remain in the U.S. legally and complete the path to citizenship. The principle of excluding immigrants to America who do not meet, or are not perceived to meet, certain standards of self-sufficiency is older than the legal framework of the current immigration system[3]. However, when it comes to immigration enforcement, government records indicate the use of so-called “public charge” statutes has been extraordinary rare. Based upon an analysis of internal government case-by-case data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act, the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University documents for the first time just how infrequent the use of public charge statutes has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) efforts and in Immigration Court proceedings[4].
Public Charge Almost Never a Factor in Deportation
Totals ICE Removals FY 2015-2019 1,225,130
Total Public Charge Deportations 123
Percent of total 0.010%
Out of over 1.2 million deportations by ICE between fiscal years 2015 and 2019[5], 123 people were deported for allegedly violating the public charge rule under the Immigration and Nationality Act[6]. In ICE’s removal-by-removal internal records, public charge deportations amount to one-hundredth of one percent of all deportations, or only 1 out of every 10,000. This number includes all cases where the most serious immigration charge fell under one of the public charge statutes. Data were not available where the alleged violation of the public charge rule was only of secondary consideration because another deportable violation was the primary removal grounds.
Public charge-based deportations appear to be on a modest rise despite representing a microscopic fraction of total deportations. In 2015 and 2016, ICE deported just 10 and 11 people (respectively) on public charge grounds. Under President Obama, that translates into just over 4 deportations in every 100,000 were for public charge violations.
>>. The Department of Justice has created a new section dedicated to seeking DENATURALIZATION of U S Citizenship achieved by fraud or misrepresentation, on the grounds that anticipated referrals from law enforcement agencies motivated the move. (My thought: Sounds good, but the Department in the past has argued that ANY statement not 100% true, or question not answered should lead to de-naturalization, for example “ Question: List all names by which you have ever been known. ANSWER: left out nick names used in high school 30 years earlier. Question: Have you ever committed a crime for which you were not arrested? ANSWER; No. Problem is that we all speed at one time or aI suggest we will see an ever increasing number of referrals alleging fraud in the naturalization application process).
SEE: (https://www.justice.gov/opa/p
a United States Supreme Court case in which the Court held that the government cannot revoke the citizenship of a naturalized U.S. citizen based on an immaterial false statement made by the citizen in their
naturalization application.
>>. The Associated Press reports that GREYHOUND the nation’s largest bus company, said Friday that it will STOP ALLOWING BORDER PATROL agents without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks and that it will provide drivers and bus station employees with updated training on the new policy. Greyhound has faced pressure from the ACLU, immigrant rights activists, and the Washington state attorney general to stop allowing immigration sweeps on its buses.
>>. Forbes: Supreme Court Immigration Decision May Unleash Prosecutors. Forbes reports that in a 5-4 decision in Kansas v. Garcia, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Kansas law wasconstitutional and could be used to prosecute immigrants for making false statements. A majority of Supreme Court justices decided the Kansas law was not preempted by federal immigration law. Stuart Anderson writes in Forbes, “In the end, the Supreme Court handed state and local prosecutors new tools to go after unauthorized immigrants and employers.”
>>. NEEDHAM COMMUNITY COUNCIL IS LOOKING FOR A PART TIME ESL MANAGER. It is currently accepting applications:
Job descriptions for both positions are posted on its website. Interested? Send resume and note of interest/qualifications to: (srobinson@needhamcommunitycou
>>. Update on MA Drivers LICENSE BILL On February 5, 2020, the Transportation Committee reported the Massachusetts Work and Family Mobility Act out of committee to the state Senate with a favorable recommendation. This legislation would enable all state residents regardless of immigration status access standard driver’s licenses in Massachusetts. The Transportation Committee recommended a redrafted version of a bill (S 2061) which RMV Liaison will monitor to provide further updates on the bill’s progress. Governor Baker has indicated he would veto any legislation, so we will need further advocacy to see this bill made law. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s well titled commentary, Why Issuing Driver’s Licenses to Undocumented Immigrants Makes Everyone Safer, (https://www.wbur.org/cognosce
benefits of the proposed law.
>>. Update from MIRA:BORDER PATROL AGENTS IN BOSTON: The New York Times story, illustrated with a photo of a heavily armed Border Patrol agent on a tank, sent chills down the spines of immigrants and advocates across the U.S.The truth is less dramatic but still deeply troubling: As part of an aggressive campaign against “sanctuary” jurisdictions, the administration has deployed 100 Border Patrol agents – many of them with special-tactics (SWAT-type) training – to several cities, including Boston, to assist Immigration & Customs Enforcement in making arrests in our communities. The specifics have trickled out slowly in news reports: “There won’t be tactical SWAT teams patrolling the streets,” the regional ICE director told WBUR. “These are specifically trained officers that are a force multiplier.” He struck a similar note in an interview with Commonwealth Magazine, but when asked whether
immigrants should worry about SWAT-like teams knocking on doors at 4 a.m., he replied: “it’s a valid concern, but only because of the lack of cooperation.”
>>. EOIR (Immigration Court) proposed rule INCREASING FILING FEES for forms and motions filed with EOIR. Comments are due 3/30/20. ( SEE: (Federal Register/Vol. 85, No. 40/Friday, February 28, 2020/Proposed Rules)
Proposed fees are as follows:
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-26 from $110 to $975.
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-29 from $110 to $705.
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-40 from $100 to $305.
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-42A from $100 to $305.
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-42B from $100 to $360.
• Increase the fee for Form EOIR-45 from $110 to $675.
• Increase the fee for filing a motion to reopen or reconsider before the OCIJ from $110 to $145.
• Increase the fee for filing a motion to reopen or reconsider before the BIA from $110 to $895.
(MY COMMENT: Another way to prevent applicants from filing appeals to adverse decisions, by establishing
fees that are impossible to meet. It does not appear a fee waiver would be allowed, either. You may submit comments,
identified by EOIR Docket No. 18–0101, by mailing to: Lauren Alder Reid, Assistant Director, Office of Policy,
Executive Office for Immigration Review, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Suite 2600, Falls Church, VA 22041. To ensure
proper handling, please reference EOIR Docket No. 18– 0101 on your correspondence. This mailing address may
also be used for paper, disk, or CD–ROM submissions.)
TASK FORCE NEWS:
Sine we have had no additional volunteers, the Task Force will NOT field a team at the LWV Civics Bee.
Hope to see you on Monday,
Gerry Rovner, Chair
Gerry Rovner
Gerry80059@Comcast.net
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