Federal judge orders Texas to remove floating barriers in the Rio Grande

On Tuesday a federal judge in Texas ordered the removal of the buoys placed in the Rio Grande by the state to deter migrants from crossing the river. The order is the result of a lawsuit filed by the federal government suing Texas for placing the barrier in an international waterway. The state is ordered to remove the barriers by September 15, but the governor’s office has already appealed the ruling.

Second anniversary of withdrawal from Afghanistan comes and goes with no permanent solution for evacuees

U.S. lawmakers continue to fail to advance legislation that offers a pathway to permanent residency for Afghans who were evacuated during the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Resistance to an Afghan Adjustment Act (AAA) is mainly from a small group of Republican lawmakers, with the legislation being blocked twice in Congress by one Republican senator, Tom Cotton (AR). Arkansas residents can sign a petition urging Senator Cotton to remember the promise the U.S. made to protect our Afghan allies and to offer his support for the AAA. 

DHS extends and redesignates TPS for South Sudan

Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for South Sudan for 18 months until May 3, 2025. The announcement comes as the result of continuing “armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions in South Sudan that prevent individuals from safely returning.”