According to a recent report by Manatt Health, released in January 2022, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”) can be utilized by policymakers to extend prenatal health coverage to noncitizens and their children in the United States. Advocates argue that expanding access to health coverage for noncitizens will improve health outcomes for vulnerable populations. Disparities in Health Coverage Despite ongoing efforts to expand access to health coverage READ MORE READ MORE

Federal Government Will Extend Length of Work Authorization for Some Immigrants The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) has announced plans to increase the validity length of work authorization cards for certain immigrant classifications. This is an effort to reduce the times that immigrant workers would need to file the applications. USCIS is currently facing an enormous backlog of nearly 4 million applications, leading to inordinately long delays READ MORE READ MORE

New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy to Restore Immigrant Worker Pandemic Fund Last week, the Immigration Weekly Round-Up posted about New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s decision to reallocate federal funds from the state’s Immigrant Worker Fund that was designated as pandemic assistance for undocumented immigrants throughout New Jersey. This caused outrage, sparking a protest and hunger strikes.  Following up on that story, Governor Murphy stated Thursday on WNYC radio READ MORE READ MORE

Outrage Following Reallocation of Millions in the Excluded N.J. Funds In a move that has left many immigrants and immigration advocates stunned and angry, New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy, has reallocated approximately $34 million of the $50 million from the federally-funded Excluded New Jerseyans Fund – which is dedicated to providing pandemic assistance to those who were exempted from the initial stimulus checks, including thousands of undocumented READ MORE READ MORE

In Philadelphia, a new worker-owned collective, Masa Cooperativa, uses indigenous corn to create authentic corn masa to sell to local restaurants. But this collective is not unique; it is just one example of a new trend. Across the United States, undocumented entrepreneurs are increasingly creating their own businesses where they can earn a living despite lacking legal work status. Work Authorization in the United States For many READ MORE READ MORE