A recent Pentagon Inspector General report uncovered serious security concerns associated with some of the Afghans who entered the United States following the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country late last summer. Despite significant efforts by U.S. intelligence agencies to vet the Afghan evacuees, interagency communication breakdowns allowed otherwise inadmissible persons to enter the United States. Evacuation of Afghanistan In the final days of the war in READ MORE READ MORE

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February, world leaders swiftly enacted policies to support Ukraine and sanction Russia. State and federal officials in the United States recently echoed this sentiment, offering support to displaced Ukrainians. Pennsylvania Governor Vows Ongoing Support for Ukraine Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf recently announced his ongoing support for Ukraine and vowed he would take action as Governor to support the country. His READ MORE READ MORE

Designation of Ukraine to Temporary Protected Status On March 3, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) announced that in light of “Russia’s premeditated and unprovoked attack on Ukraine has resulted in an ongoing war, senseless violence,” Ukraine would be added to the list of countries for which citizens may be granted Temporary Protected Status in the United States. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that “Ukrainians [have READ MORE READ MORE

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently announced it has reached an agreement with a Minnesota-based frozen food company to resolve immigration-related discrimination claims. The settlement, which resolves allegations the company discriminated against non-U.S. citizens due to their citizenship status, highlights the Biden administration’s ongoing efforts to target and prosecute discriminatory practices in violation of U.S. immigration law. Allegations of Discrimination Against Non-U.S. Workers According to the Department 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