Immigrant Issues / Public News Service

A program in Colorado gives undocumented workers who are laid off access to unemployment benefits for up to 13 weeks. (Mr Doomits/Adobe Stock)

Undocumented Workers Could Get Access to Unemployment Under WA Bill

Undocumented workers in Washington state do not have access to unemployment insurance, but some state lawmakers aim to change it this session…

SNAP helps hundreds of thousands of Oregonians but excludes people with undocumented immigration statuses. (jetcityimage/Adobe Stock)

Bill Extends Food Aid to All Oregonians Regardless of Immigration Status

A big gap exists in who can receive food assistance in Oregon, and some lawmakers want to bridge the divide this session. Federal law excludes …

One of the provisions in a proposed Minnesota bill to restore driving privileges to undocumented people is data protection, so that agencies wouldn't be able to share a person's immigration status. (Adobe Stock)

MN Debates Drivers' Licenses for Undocumented People

It's been two decades since Minnesota stopped allowing undocumented people to apply for a driver's license. But there's renewed momentum in the …

According to a report from the Rand Corporation, almost 60% of Connecticut's 113,000 undocumented immigrants lack access to health insurance. (Adobe Stock)

Advocates Seek Expansion of CT Public Health for Immigrants

Connecticut lawmakers are being asked to expand HUSKY - the state's Medicaid program - to include immigrants, regardless of their status. Two years …

Midterm voter turnout declined in Ohio from around 55% in 2018 to around 51.1% in 2022, according to data from the Ohio Secretary of State's Office. (Adobe Stock)">

Ohio Governor Signs Citizenship-Status Voter ID Bill

In a few months, Ohio voters will no longer be allowed to vote with utility bills or other non-photo documents as proof of identification, when a new …

An estimated 52% of immigrant-owned businesses were started by people using their personal savings, according to the Immigration Research Library. (Adobe Stock)

A Taste of Home: How Ethnic Grocery Stores Create Community

Michelle Chen wrote the original version of this story for Yes! Magazine.Broadcast version by Mark Moran for California News Service reporting for …

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee was founded in 1968 to defend the rights and basic human dignity of farm workers regardless of immigration status. (Adobe Stock)

In Ohio, Push to Expand Rights for Migrant Workers

A labor union representing agricultural workers in Ohio, North Carolina and Virginia says it isn't waiting around for federal immigration reform to …

Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., supports the Good Jobs for Good Airports Act, which would apply to any airport receiving any of the $11 billion in airport funding each year, including $3.2 billion in Airport Improvement Program grants, $3.5 billion airports receive from passenger facility charges, and $4 billion in funds under the bipartisan infrastructure law. (32BJ SEIU)

Sen. Markey Rallies with Unions, Airport Workers in D.C.

Airport service workers rallied in Washington, D.C., Thursday to demand Congress pass legislation ensuring they receive a livable wage with stronger …

FLOC was founded in 1968 to defend the rights and basic human dignity of farm workers regardless of immigration status. (Heather Craig / Adobe Stock)

FLOC Convention Resolves to Make Common Cause with Small Farmers

Leaders of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee want to change the narrative about agriculture in America. FLOC members who gathered in Toledo, Ohio…

An average hotel room costs municipalities roughly $240 per night for one family and with families often scattered at various locations, social services can be difficult to administer. Transitional housing units would alleviate both costs and service gaps. (Adobe Stock)

More Transitional Housing Needed for Increased Asylum Seekers in Maine

The growing number of asylum-seekers in Maine has spurred cities and towns to join forces and build more transitional housing for families in need…

One of the acceptable required documents for U.S. citizenship is an official birth certificate issued by a U.S. state, jurisdiction or territory, according to the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. (Mehaniq41/Adobe Stock)

TN Writer: True Love, Green Cards and Immigration

By Jordan Arellano for YES! Media. Broadcast version by Danielle Smith for Tennessee News Service, reporting for the YES! Media-Public News Service …

Homero Jose speaks to a crowd gathered at Bellingham City Hall in support of a center that would serve the community's immigrant populations. (Brenda Bentley)

Rally Decries Council 'No' Vote on Bellingham's Immigrant Center

People rallied outside of Bellingham City Hall on Thursday to show support for a city-funded immigrant resource center. It's a response to a City …

Supporters of Question 4 say granting licenses to drivers without legal status in the United States would reduce unnecessary arrests and reduce the time police spent when an immigrant without status gets pulled over. (Adobe Photo)

MA Advocates Laud Increased Resources for Non-English Speakers

On the heels of the midterm election, and passage of Question 4, which upheld a law allowing immigrants without legal status in the U.S. to receive …

The average premiums for Colorado consumers are predicted to increase 11.3% next year, but all insurers must offer Colorado Option plans with premiums 5% lower than 2021 levels. (Adobe Stock)

DACA, Undocumented People Eligible for Coverage Under Colorado Option

For the first time, Coloradans without documentation will be able to purchase Colorado Option health insurance plans through the state's individual …

Research has shown that social media messaging from apps such as WhatsApp, from trusted sources, can increase the spread of disinformation. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Messenger Apps Driving Exposure to Disinformation Among Latino Voters

Recent polling shows more than 60% of Latino voters report exposure to false or unverified about politics, the COVID vaccine and abortion, and …

State leaders want Maine to be known by new Americans as the most effective state to<br />find a meaningful job through effective transitional supports. (Greater Portland Immigrant Welcome Center)

New Mainers Learn about Democracy at Immigrant Welcome Center

Understanding the rules about elections can be confusing for anyone, and for immigrants who are eligible to vote, the process can often be unnerving…

Washington and five other states accounted for half of the H-2A jobs certified in 2021. (F Armstrong Photo/Adobe Stock)

Farmworkers Tour WA to Demand Better Labor Conditions

Farmworkers are touring Washington state to call for better conditions in agriculture. The union Familias Unidas por la Justicia, based in northwest …

Businesses in Bellingham have displayed some of the origami butterflies that are part of a campaign called

WA Community Urges Creation of Immigrant Resource Center

Community members in northwest Washington are gathering support for an immigrant resource center. In September, Democrats in Whatcom County …

A new poll from Quinnipiac University shows Texas voters say the border, at 38%, ranks first as the most urgent issue facing Texas, followed by abortion and inflation. (Wikilmages/Pixabay)

Border Issues Reign for Texas Voters, Immigration Advocates

A Texas human-rights advocacy and immigration-reform group opened two new community centers this week to help residents better understand their freedo…

Agricultural producers of color own over 73 million acres of farmland and rent or lease more than 21 million acres of farmland, according to a 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Push to Reform Food Sector Through BIPOC, Immigrant-Owned Cooperatives

As more farm and food cooperatives pop up across North Carolina, advocates say they are creating a new model for food distribution and landownership …

Wildfires near farms in Whatcom and Skagit counties have made work in the fields hazardous for workers. (Alfredo Juarez)

Amid Wildfires, Heat, WA Farmworkers Call for Greater Protections

Washington state farmworkers are facing harsh conditions in the midst of wildfires and late-summer heat. They're calling for greater protections from …

According to a 2021 report, about 80% of residents in the mostly immigrant-populated city of Chelsea were deemed essential workers, meaning they had to continue working during the less knowledgeable early days of the pandemic. (Adobe Stock)

New Internship Program Focused on Immigrant Health

A new internship program is looking to investigate health disparities among Massachusetts' immigrant population. The Immigrant Scholar Internship …

The Farm Labor Organizing Committee won a collective-bargaining deal covering workers on tomato farms in Ohio in 1983, after an eight-year campaign and boycott. (Adobe Stock)

Ohio Farm Workers Still Shut Out of Federal Labor Protections

An organization defending the rights of thousands of farmworkers in Ohio and other states is creating its road map for the future. The Farm Labor …

Residents of Bellingham, Wash., studied other cities' immigrant resource centers and have proposed one for Whatcom County. (CascadeCreatives/Adobe Stock)

Call for Immigrant Resource Center on Anniversary of WA Farmworker Death

People in northwest Washington are holding a vigil at Bellingham City Hall for an immigrant farmworker who died five years ago, and calling for a …

A shortage of good jobs makes the ladder to a middle-class lifestyle a steep climb for Latino workers, according to a study by the Center for American Progress. (GerdAltmann/Pixabay)

Economic Success Ladder a Harder Climb for U.S. Latinos

Hispanic and Latino workers have high employment rates in the U.S. but continue to experience a shortage of jobs paying enough to lift them into the …

Only 20% of Latinos with mental-health issues talk with a primary-care physician, according to a U.S. Surgeon General's report. (Adobe Stock)

NC Health Center Aims to Reduce Mental-Health Stigma Among Latinos

Stigma around mental health and a lack of resources available in Spanish means many individuals in North Carolina's Latino community are going without…

The Food4All Campaign began two years ago with the goal of eliminating hunger in California. (California Immigrant Policy Center)

Hunger Advocates Celebrate Progress; Vow to Continue Fight

California's new budget expands CalFresh benefits to low-income undocumented people age 55 and older, and now advocates are looking to build on their …

In 2018, undocumented immigrants in Arizona paid an estimated $228.5 million in state and local taxes, not including federal taxes. (Adobe Stock)

AZ Groups Push for In-State Tuition for Undocumented, DACA Graduates

A measure to provide in-state tuition to all Arizona high school graduates regardless of immigration status will be on the ballot this November…

Farmworker families in Apopka benefit from a food distribution hosted by the Farmworker Association of Florida. (Yesica Ramirez)

Grants Fund Emergency Supports for Florida Farmworker Families

Florida farmworkers are getting some much-needed support thanks to a grant from the Health, Environment, Agriculture, Labor Food Alliance (HEAL)…

This month, the Charter Review Committee in Multnomah County recommended a measure for November's ballot that would allow non-U.S. citizens to vote. (MyPhotoBuddy/Adobe Stock)

OR County to Decide on Voting for Undocumented; Some Aim Higher

In Multnomah County, voters will decide in November whether the right to vote should extend to people who are not citizens. Some say all of Oregon …

According to the Detention Watch Network, the U.S. detained nearly 250,000 immigrants in Fiscal Year 2021, in a network of about 200 facilities. (Gustavo Frazao/Adobe Stock)">

NY Law Regulates ‘Predatory’ Immigrant Bond Companies

A new law in New York State is expected to keep for-profit lenders from taking advantage of immigrants in detention facilities. Some people in the …

Maine residents can contact MaineCare Member Services to find a dental provider that accepts MaineCare. (satura_/Adobe Stock)

ME Groups Spotlight Improvements to MaineCare Coverage, Eligibility

MaineCare is seeing two big changes this month. Children under 21 and Mainers who are pregnant now are eligible for coverage regardless of their …

The Arizona District Attorney joined the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice to bring a lawsuit against HB 2492. (bizoo_n/Adobe Stock)

AZ Groups Support DOJ Lawsuit to Block Registration Barrier

The U.S. Department of Justice wants to block an Arizona law that requires what its lawsuit calls "onerous documentary proof of citizenship" in order …

About 150,000 DACA program participants live and work in California. (Jesus/Adobe Stock)

Opening Statements Today in Appeal to Protect DACA

The fate of more than 600,000 so-called "dreamers" hangs in the balance as opening statements are heard today in a case that could make or break the D…

Recent years have seen a nearly 500% increase in the number of unaccompanied young immigrants, fleeing abuse in their home country, seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile status after settling in the United States. (Adobe Stock)

New MN Law Expands Immigration Protections for At-Risk Youth

Minnesota has joined several states in raising the age limit for young immigrants who have escaped trauma to receive legal protections in the United S…

A Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows many Latinos with mixed immigration status remain skeptical about giving personal information to health authorities offering COVID-19 vaccinations. (Diocese of Pennsylvania)<br />

Lagging in Vaccinations, TX Latinos Offered COVID Shots at Church

Promoting the theme "unity in community," the Hispanic Access Foundation has partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to bring …

Latino leaders and advocates criticized Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts for failing to fund a state count committee, a commonly used tool for reaching historically hard-to-count communities in census surveys. (Adobe Stock)

Nebraska Outperforms National Census in Tally of Latinos

Nebraska did a better job counting the state's Latino residents in the 2020 Census than new national undercount data suggests. According to analysis …

The Food4All Campaign is a coalition of more than 50 groups fighting to eliminate hunger in California. (Haylee Burgess/CIPC)

Food4All Campaign Ramps Up as Gov, Lawmakers Finalize Budget

The Food4All campaign is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom to expand access to food assistance to all undocumented Californians when he submits his final …

The Census Bureau is reporting both population undercounts and overcounts, were likely affected by the coronavirus pandemic, natural disasters and decisions by the Trump administration that disrupted normal counting efforts. (GerdAltmann/Pixabay)

TX One of Six States that Undercounted Population in 2020 Census

A new report found Texas likely undercounted the number of people who actually live in the state when gathering information for the 2020 census…

Staff prepare to vaccinate North Carolina residents at a pop-up clinic run by the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, AFL-CIO. (Christiana Wagner/FLOC)

Mobile COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Gears Up for Influx of NC Migrant Workers

An all-volunteer vaccine clinic run by a farmworkers' union says it's expecting an increase in demand from seasonal migrant workers who want to be vac…

As baby boomers age, demand for health-care support workers is expected to rise substantially by 2030, according to the American Immigration Council. (Adobe Stock/F Armstrong Photo)

Report: Immigrant Workers Answer to Ohio, US Labor Shortages

As the country reels with the highest levels of inflation seen since the 1980s, experts say without adding more workers, wage increases could drive …

California may grow much of the nation's fresh produce, but new research estimates a half-million undocumented California residents, ages 27 to 49, are affected by food insecurity. (Olga Lyubkin/Adobe Stock)

Groups Press to Include Undocumented in CA Food Assistance

New research on hunger shows 45% of undocumented immigrants in California are affected by food insecurity, and 60% of undocumented children live in …

Immigration, Labor Groups to March Sunday for May Day

This Sunday night, immigration and labor groups are marching for May Day on the Vegas strip, speaking out on the need for immigration reform and …

Expanding professional nursing licenses to DACA recipients and Temporary Protected Status holders could help alleviate Tennessee's nursing shortage. (Adobe Stock)

TN Gov. Expected to Sign 'Historic' Expansion of Immigrant Workers’ Rights

A bill on Gov. Bill Lee's desk would expand eligibility for certain types of work licenses to Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) recipients…

Nationwide, more than 9 million permanent residents are potentially eligible for United States citizenship, according to the National Partnership for New Americans. (Adobe Stock)

Groups, Nevada Government Work to Naturalize Millions

A coalition of cities, counties and more than 50 immigrant and refugee advocacy groups around the country, with a strong Nevada base, are celebrating …

People new to Nebraska interested in starting their own business are frequently not familiar with how things such as zoning, employment law, tax codes and accounting practices can impact daily operations. (Adobe Stock)

Latina Women’s Business Conference Coming to South Sioux City

Registration is open for the Empowerment for Latina Women in Business Conference, set for May 3 in South Sioux City. Jessica Campos, director of the …

The number of Ukrainians arriving in Washington state has increased since conflict in the eastern part of the country began in 2014. (aviavlad/Adobe Stock)

Ukrainians New to WA Face Barriers to Work

The number of Ukrainians arriving in Washington state has increased since the Russian invasion in February. Already, the Evergreen State is home to …

To kick off this week of action, the Husky 4 Immigrants coalition held a rally in front of the State Capitol in Hartford. (Husky 4 Immigrants)

CT Week of Action Calls for Health Coverage for Undocumented Residents

Connecticut advocates are hosting a week of action, asking Gov. Ned Lamont and legislators to expand HUSKY Health, the state's Medicaid program…

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