The White House has released new laws to benefit those in need of asylum or defense against deportation, Human Trafficking and labor exploitation in the country. The new rules also strengthen President Joe Biden, who since 2021 has been trying to pass pro-immigration laws but almost always bumping into differences with the Republican Party.
The first news is the implementation of a policy against violation of labor laws, which will allow people exploited by their employers to make a secure complaint and receive protection against deportation from the U.S. The main objective of the law is to combat Human Trafficking, one of the country’s main problems, which affects approximately 200,000 people a year. The U.S. government has also strengthened the process of applying for T and U visas, aimed precisely at victims of Human Trafficking and other similar crimes in the U.S.
Also, to combat human Trafficking, the U.S. and Mexico signed a treaty to accelerate the reunification of immigrant children who are in Mexico and have parents in the United States. The agreement seeks to prevent children’s parents from seeking the help of criminals (coyotes) to take their children to the U.S. through the Mexican desert, which often leads to detention at the border or death during the crossing.
Another important rule announced last week is the creation of the “Welcome Corps” program, which will allow U.S. citizens to act directly as sponsors in processes for refugees in the country without having to be associated with some NGO or government agency.
As in all types of processes that allow sponsorship, the sponsor must prove good background and have the minimum financial resources to ensure the basic needs of the refugee, such as clothing, food and medicines and hygiene products, for at least three months.
The “Welcome Corps” program can benefit up to 5,000 foreign citizens seeking refuge in the United States as early as fiscal 2023 and about 10,000 refugees as of next year. The annual quota for refugees in the U.S. is 125,000 people.
Finally, the U.S. government released a project to speed up asylum processes in the country, hiring more than 2,000 new immigration officers. There are about 1.5 million cases in federal Immigration Courts due to staff shortages. Most of the pending cases are of Cubans, Venezuelans and Chinese citizens.
About the specialist: Marcelo Gondim
Marcelo Gondim is an immigration lawyer in the United States with more than 20 years of experience in green cards, U.S. visas and Immigration processes. He is officially licensed by the State of California. Marcelo was born in Brazil but also held American citizenship. He is the founder and principal attorney of Gondim Law Corp., an immigration law firm based in Los Angeles, CA.