Some States Bypass Congress, Create Their Own Versions of the DREAM Act

PBS reports that at least six states, including California and Texas, have adopted various tuition and financial aid policies that help undocumented students attend college. In addition, some public universities in states such as Hawaii, Illinois, and Minnesota, offer aid that is paid by private sources. In California, university officials estimate that 1,100 undocumented students are now enrolled at UCLA and UC Berkeley—four times as many as were enrolled before they qualified for state financial aid beginning in 2012. 

Read this story and more in AILA's daily immigration news clips.

DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S APRIL VISA BULLETIN

This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during November for “Application Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.

Full article: https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin/2015/visa-bulletin-for-april-2015.html

Undocumented immigrants contribute over $11B to our economy each year

According to data recently published by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), undocumented immigrants contribute about $11.6 billion to the U.S. economy annually, including nearly $7 billion in sales and excise taxes and $3.6 billion in property taxes. If President Obama's executive actions on immigration are allowed to be fully implemented, ITEP calculates that up to 5.2 million undocumented immigrants could be granted relief, and would cumulatively contribute an estimated $805 million per year in state and local taxes.

Full article: http://www.thenation.com/article/undocumented-immigrants-contribute-over-11-billion-to-our-economy-each-year/

Foreign Tech & Engineering Student Can Now Stay in the U.S.

The DHS first rule, published in the Federal Register, will allow certain F-1 STEM students who have elected to pursue 12 months of optional practical training (OPT) in the United States to extend the OPT period by 24 months. The article quotes AILA President-Elect William Stock as stating, "This extension is absolutely going to help colleges in the competition for the limited pool of international students [that want] a top-flight education in an advanced industrial economy."

Full article: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mollyhensleyclancy/foreign-tech-and-engineering-students-can-now-stay-in-the-us

How to Enrich Immigrants and the States

This article discusses how a big part of the Texas v. United States lawsuit against President Obama's immigration policy is the claim that it imposes undue costs on states. But, as the Supreme Court considers the case, it should also consider the benefits of the policy, including how it would raise the average annual income for undocumented immigrants without negatively impacting American jobs and would also increase tax revenues for state and local governments by more than $800 million.

Full article: http://bloombergview.com/articles/2016-02-25/immigration-s-benefits-outweigh-its-costs

Obtaining political asylum is difficult for Venezuelans living in the U.S.

Despite Venezuela’s uncontrolled violence, repression and dictatorial rule, many Venezuelans fleeing to the US will not qualify for asylum. That is why it is important for them to seek the advice of an experienced immigration attorney to help them navigate through the many other immigration options that may be available to them.

Full article: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/article26497111.html

3 Ideas To Improve Legal Immigration

"The Republican presidential debates this week marked the first serious start to the election cycle. Immigration dominated the first debate with each candidate scrambling to condemn illegal immigration more than the other. The bland bromides of support for "securing the border" and more immigration enforcement are out of date in 2015. The changing facts of immigration and our dynamic economy require an update."

Full article: http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/immigration/250493-3-ideas-to-improve-legal-immigration