Weekly Immigration News: NJ Diocese, Priests Sue Federal Government

Weekly Immigration News. Your one-stop summary of the latest immigration news and policies, all on a single page.

New Jersey

NJ Diocese, Priests Sue Federal Government Over Religious Worker Visa Rule Change:
A New Jersey diocese and several priests are suing the federal government over a rule change in religious worker visas. They are directly impacted by the State Department’s extended qualification time for EB-4 visas, which began in March 2023.
—OSV News

Legislative lowdown: NJ employers violating labor law can’t expose workers’ immigration status:
With unauthorized immigrants representing 7% of New Jersey’s workforce, New Jersey employers that use their employees’ immigration status to retaliate against them for raising concerns about potential labor law violations will be subject to fines under the new law.
—NJ.gov

Undocumented immigrants can apply for new U.S. residency program. Here’s who qualifies:
Make the Road New Jersey, a local immigration advocacy group, is holding outreach sessions to notify undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens that they may qualify for a new residency program called “Keeping Families Together,” which launched this week. The goal is to reach 11,000 people.
—NJ.com

Around the U.S.
Biden’s immigration relief program opens for applicants:
The Biden administration launched a parole program, Keeping Families Together, for spouses and stepchildren of U.S. citizens, allowing them to apply for lawful permanent residence without leaving the country and avoiding a potential ban on reentry. Republican senators express “grave concerns.”
—Voice of America

Texas, other GOP-led states sue over program to give immigrant spouses of US citizens legal status:
Sixteen Republican-led states are suing to end a federal program, Keeping Families Together, that could potentially give nearly half a million immigrants without legal status who are married to U.S. citizens a path to citizenship.
—AP News

US expands area in Mexico to apply for border asylum appointments, hoping to slow push north:
When the Biden administration temporarily suspended the asylum process for those who crossed illegally in June, the CBP One app became one of the only ways to request asylum. On Friday, the location from which individuals can request an appointment was expanded, so migrants can now wait in Southern Mexico to secure an appointment before traveling to the north.
—NBC San Diego

Trump visits border wall in Arizona, trades accusations with Democrats on immigration policy:
Donald Trump used a stretch of wall and a pile of steel beams to draw a visual contrast between his approach to securing the border and that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
—CBS News

Anti-immigrant activists draft bill requiring US citizenship proof to vote:
A coalition of anti-immigrant and election-denying activists called the Only Citizens Vote Coalition has joined forces with the powerful right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (Alec) to draft a model bill requiring citizenship for voting in “all public elections.”
—The Guardian