New and events of the Philadelphia Bar Asso.
Issue link: https://thephiladelphialawyer.epubxp.com/i/574228
Get Published in The Editorial Board of this mag- azine welcomes submissions from attorneys and other pro- fessionals who wish to share their expertise on law-related topics. Articles must be original and previously unpublished. Manuscripts should adhere to the following word counts: * Major Law-Related Articles: 2,000 words * Other Law-Related Features: 1,500 words * General Interest: 1,500 words * Fiction: 1,000 words * Practice Areas: 750 words * Essays or Humor: 750 words * Book Reviews: 750 words For more information, e-mail: tplmag@philabar.org. the philadelphia lawyer Fall 2015 9 O nce again, immigration is in the news, as Donald Trump calls for building a wall and the elimination of birthright citizen- ship, contrary to the 14th Amendment. The only thing certain about immigra- tion law and policy is that it is always changing. The article published in the last issue of The Philadelphia Lawyer is a case in point. The article was completed in May 2013 after a study trip to Germany comparing their immigration system to ours. Since then, there have been major shifts in the immigration landscape. • The European Refugee Crisis In 2013 there were increasing numbers of those seeking asylum in Europe, but today, the numbers have significantly escalated as refugees flee Syria, Afghanistan and other troubled areas of the world. The number entering Europe in 2015 was over 100,000, more than three times that of the year before and much greater than in 2013. Many have died trying to reach safety. The Dublin Accords, which provide that asylum seekers in European common market countries be returned to the country they first entered, must be re-examined. It cannot be carried out, and is not being carried out, because to do so would create a tremendous burden on Italy and Greece, whose economies are less robust than Germany or other European Union nations. To date, no clear agreement has been reached. • The End of Federal Bi-Partisan Immigration Reform The U.S., which, in 2013, was considering a bi-partisan immigration reform package, has ended federal legislative reform attempts. President Obama used his executive authority to provide a temporary program for youth known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for youth who arrived before they were 16 and lived in the U.S. for five years prior to June 15, 2007. These youths can get employment authorization and be protected against deportation. His attempt to expand this program and include parents of U.S. citizens has been challenged by the governors of several states in federal court. • The Gr Youth and Family Detention in the U.S. As violence increased in Central America, thousands of unaccompanied minors (those traveling without parents) and parents with their children fled to the U.S. seeking protection from harm. Family detention and youth shelters were flooded with Central American refugees as the U.S. grappled with its own asylum and refugee policies. What a difference two years make! Judith Bernstein-Baker (jbernsteinbaker@ hiaspa.org) is executive director of HIAS Pennsylvania. Immigration Update The Only Thing That is Certain is Change IMMIGRATION By JUDITH BERNSTEIN-BAKER