I understand that SCOTUS doesn't traditionally explain its decisions about whether or not to stay (i.e. smack down) an injunction, but that silence can be cruel.
The #PublicCharge rule will affect millions of US citizens, US companies, & #immigrants. Why rush to judgment?
1/
Why do 5 justices believe the gov't will suffer "irreparable harm" unless the #PublicCharge rule goes into effect *right now*?
It replaces a policy that's been in place without incident for over 20 years.
@steve_vladeck Now let's talk about the heartless arrogance of the Gorsuch/Thomas concurrence.
Not a word about the substance of arguments for/against the #PublicCharge rule, unless we're to believe that the sheer page count of the 9th Cir ruling is persuasive.
@steve_vladeck Sweet #LOTR reference, Justice Gorsuch! You sure know how to gloss over the massive harm this ruling is guaranteed to inflict on millions.
"If all of this is confusing, don’t worry, because none of it matters much at this point...we now have an injunction to rule them all."
5/
@steve_vladeck And I'm sure that Justice Thomas has a persuasive (albeit unspoken) neutral principle for favoring a nationwide injunction against #immigrants way back in 2016, only to excoriate a pro-immigrant nationwide injunction today.
@steve_vladeck Finally, is it just me or is Judge Bybee's 9th Cir #PublicCharge concurrence a public policy rant that should be on an op-ed page, not in an official ruling of the federal judiciary? 6/6
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
🚨The Biden administration just released its Interagency Strategy on Naturalization, a whole-of-government effort to remove obstacles facing immigrants eligible for US citizenship.
The agency responsible for naturalization, @USCIS, is methodically removing barriers to US citizenship for eligible immigrants, including oath ceremonies by video for overseas US military families. An important step in the right direction...
Coming out of the Covid crisis & Trump-era policies, @USCIS has now "return[ed] to pre-pandemic levels when it comes to completing naturalization applications."
That's good news, but there's now a nearly million-application backlog looming.
President Biden's immigration bill includes not only a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, smart border policies, & humane treatment of refugees—it also promises major & long-overdue improvements to our skills-based immigration system...
Let's start with the broken status quo: Lots of talented people want to be in the US—not as temporary workers, but as permanent residents with green cards, & ultimately US citizens.
But there aren't enough employment-based green cards.
The official cap is 140,000/year, but…
2/
…people have families, turns out, so ~70k green cards go to employer-sponsored workers, & ~70k go to their spouses & children.
This compels many future Americans to use a somewhat-less-scarce *temporary* work visa, like the H-1B, while waiting for a green card.
3/
The argument is rooted in demographics: America's "Old Age Dependency Ratio" (# working-age vs. retirement-age adults) is plummeting, which is very bad news for future economic growth, Social Security solvency, etc.
To stay at par (3.5 ratio) by 2060, we need more immigrants. 2/
Specifically, 37% more immigrants—a total of ~1.37M/year.
Consider that Canada & Australia already welcome *200-300%* more immigrants than America does, adjusted for population.
America's immigration policy is among the stingiest in the @OECD.
For expert commentary on the impact of this order, see @IRAP@RCUSA_DC@RESCUEorg@HIASrefugees@LIRSorg & many more groups that have done the hard work of protecting refugees during the dark recent times.
I just want to point out some elements for the tech community...
2/
Important call for more efficient collection & sharing of biometric data, along with interviews via teleconferencing—these are tech-driven opportunities to streamline the whole system & put the President's goal of 125,000 annual refugee admissions within reach.
How does DHS justify delaying the effective date without notice & comment?
"USCIS will not have adequate time to complete system development, thoroughly test the modifications, train staff,
& conduct public outreach needed to ensure an effective & orderly implementation."
2/
Also:
"During the delay, while USCIS works through the issues associated with implementation, DHS leadership will also evaluate [Trump's] January 8th rule & its associated policies, as is typical of agencies at the beginning of a new Administration."