The past year was unique for everyone battling the pandemic, but it was especially challenging for refugees who had to acclimate to a new country while also navigating the pandemic. Many immigrants were left with little choice but to take up jobs with a high risk of contracting the infection or jobs where social distancing is impractical. Immigrants were hired to clean hospitals with COVID-19 patient rooms. READ MORE READ MORE

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Caribbean Anti-Money Laundering Alliance (CMLA) seized $1.28 million in cash in the Stumpy Beach area on the west end of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Special agents found the cash in an abandoned vehicle and arrested four men. CBP officers saw a silver Ford Explorer with dark-tinted windows READ MORE READ MORE

New Jersey to Consider Pandemic Relief for Undocumented Immigrants Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey has indicated he is reviewing and considering a plan to allocate approximately $40 million in federal funding to immigrants in New Jersey for relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The money would be distributed in one-time payments. Immigrant advocacy groups immediately denounced the $40 million as far too low; the campaign strategist READ MORE READ MORE

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) established the TN visa to facilitate temporary employment in the U.S. for certain Canadian and Mexican citizens. NAFTA was signed in 1992, by the Presidents of the three countries, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Followed by former president Bill Clinton signing it into law on December 8, 1993, NAFTA took effect from January 1, 1994. When former president Donald Trump READ MORE READ MORE

A bill proposed in the Pennsylvania House would require all high school students to pass a civics test to receive their diplomas. Rep. Karen Boback, a Republican from Luzerne, said the “alarming decline in civics knowledge among young Americans,” is the reason she feels the civics test is necessary. Boback’s memo noted that a 2019 survey conducted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center revealed READ MORE READ MORE