President, Democrats Present Immigration Reform Bill

On Thursday, President Biden and Congressional Democrats released a long-awaited, sweeping bill to provide immigration reform in the United States. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez will introduce the bill to the U.S. Senate.

The bill will affect millions of individuals, both those currently in the United States and those looking to immigrate to the United States in the future. » Read More

New Jersey was scheduled to begin issuing driver’s licenses for immigrants without legal documents by the beginning of January 2021, but Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) officials announced there will be a delay due to the COVID pandemic. » Read More

On the turnpike near Edison, a newly placed billboard urges the state legislature to pass relief measures to aid working immigrants left out of federal assistance as they struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. The billboards were placed between exits 9 and 10 of Middlesex County by Grassroots Immigrant Rights Organization and Make the Road New Jersey. » Read More

On November 4, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Newark arrested 88 inmates who had been released from New Jersey prisons. All the inmates detained by ICE had criminal violations and were either offenders or convicted of serious crimes. » Read More

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering building more immigration detention centers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York, even though the number of immigrant detainees has considerably decreased in these areas (primarily due to the pandemic). ICE is looking for detention sites that can house up to 900 detainees within a 60-mile radius of its New York City, Newark, or Philadelphia field offices. » Read More

Last week, the New Jersey Assembly sent legislation to Governor Phil Murphy’s desk that would prohibit the state’s professional and occupational licensing agencies from requiring applicants to establish lawful presence in the United States as a condition of obtaining a professional or occupational license.  » Read More

A recent report analyzing “the experiences of low-wage immigrant workers and families in New Jersey during the first month of the COVID-19 crisis,” found that “immigrant communities have experienced extreme harm” as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes limited access to health care services, no unemployment compensation, and pervasive employer conduct—all of which have led to increased anxiety, insecurity, and COVID-19 infection spread in immigrant communities. » Read More

Officials in New Jersey, like the rest of the country, are urging people with symptoms of COVID-19 to get tested. 500,000 unauthorized immigrants in New Jersey are at a crossroads, as many do not have health insurance. However, many immigrant advocates say there are options for undocumented immigrants who need COVID-19 testing. » Read More

Faced with the quick community spread of COVID-19, federal officials have extended state REAL ID compliance deadlines for one year to prevent overcrowding in state motor vehicle offices across the United States who are already struggling to meet the quickly approaching October 1, 2020, deadline. » Read More

On January 21, 2020, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation allowing children of H-1B visa workers to qualify for in-state tuition, subject to certain conditions.

“New Jerseyans deserve equal access to higher education, and today we are taking another step toward making that possible,” said Gov.