Peter F. Asaad, Esq.

Immigration Attorney; Adjunct Law Professor; Selected a top lawyer by U.S. News & World Report and Washingtonian Magazine, etc.; Former Special Counsel to NYC

[Ethan Evans @EthanEvansVP]

I was born and raised on a farm in a small town in Ohio. I've worked to get H-1B visas and green cards for my team members my entire career. There are three simple economic arguments for increasing legal immigration by highly educated workers:

[Austin Kocher, PhD @ackocher]

It’s absolutely mind-boggling how many people in this country think that immigrants can just fill out paperwork and either “come legally” or “become a citizen.” It’s both so wrong and also such a product of intentional misinformation.

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

Mar-a-Lago hires 136 new foreign workers as Trump seeks immigration crackdown - Raw Story https://t.co/YIjIYMNKwo

[USCIS @USCIS]

🧵In the initial selection for the FY 2025 H-1B cap, USCIS selected 114,017 beneficiaries, resulting in 120,603 selected registrations.
For additional information on the H-1B cap season, please visit our H-1B Cap Season webpage: https://t.co/enHbdov10z (1/6)

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

Remember Trump #immigration policy is finding every way to keep people out: travel bans, wealth tests, uscis hire freeze, defunding, hurdles ie denials for missing n/a on form, cruelty ie family separation ⁦⁦@ReichlinMelnick⁩ ⁦@chrislhayes⁩ https://t.co/myozqgGWGO

[USCIS @USCIS]

👀Fiscal Year 2025 H-1B cap petitioners: random selections have been made and notifications are being sent to myUSCIS accounts beginning yesterday and continuing over the next few days prior to April 1.

[New York Mets @Mets]

Congratulations to @jose_quintana24 on becoming a U.S. citizen! 🇺🇸

📷 via Jose Quintana on IG

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

@allenorresq Great job on MSNBC today. Well done.

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

Without immigration reform and higher education, the US risks losing the race for AI talent   | The Hill https://t.co/bzHGjDPLXc

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

Without immigration reform and higher education, the US risks losing the race for AI talent   | The Hill https://t.co/bzHGjDPLXc

[NFAPResearch @NFAPResearch]

The small annual H-1B limit (0.05% of the US labor force) and the low yearly & per-country limits for employment-based green cards are the most serious #immigration problems for foreign-born professionals & #tech companies. @gsiskind @cyrusmehta @SIIA_US https://t.co/anm7L1msC0

[Emily Wilkins @emrwilkins]

Has anyone tried unplugging Congress and then plugging back in again?

[Tom Jawetz @TomJawetz]

Senate Rs now banding together to block the bipartisan border bill.

Trump & House Rs boxed them in, saying aloud (?) they wanted to kill the bill to exploit the issue.

Senate R demands for an open amendment process is their “out” to blame process, but it’s not on the level. /1

[Bill Melugin @BillMelugin_]

NEW: My initial highlights from the border deal.

- No amnesty/legalization of anyone already in the U.S. illegally.

- Funds an increase in ICE detention capacity to approx. 50,000 from the current 34,000.

- At 7 day rolling average of 5,000 encounters per day, or 8,500 encounters in a single day, DHS is *required* to shut the border down, and turn away anyone who crosses. No new asylum claims will be allowed and anybody crossing will be removed. Would end the whole idea of "I made it to U.S. soil, you have to process me." That would be over, Border Patrol would not process the illegal crosser and they would be removed - no asylum claim permitted, unless its made at a port of entry.

- This does not mean 5,000 are "allowed in" before this authority kicks in. Single adults would be detained, families would be released via ATD (alternatives to detention), and asylum cases would be fast tracked to months rather than years under a new rapid/expedited expulsion system. Those who fail would be quickly removed from the US. Those who initially pass would be released with work authorization and 90 day supervision until final asylum claim is determined.

- The shut down authority doesn't drop until crossings decrease significantly in the days following the shut down.

- Significantly tougher asylum requirements, and a higher credible fear standard, including three bars to eligibility. 1) Criminal history, 2) Could they have resettled in another country on the way to the US? 3) Could they have resettled somewhere else in their own country? Just saying you're scared to return home will no longer be enough in initial interview.

- It *appears* that the legislation would move asylum claim decisions away from immigration judges, and instead have them be handled by USCIS.

- $1.4 billion in FEMA funding available for disbursement to NGOs/municipalities, but some of that money doesn't unlock until key border security metrics are hit with ICE detention beds, ICE & Border Patrol new hires, and at least 1,500 deportation flights.

- Ends use of parole releases via CBP One app, and ends parole for illegal crossers between ports of entry.

- Keeps humanitarian parole as it was originally intended (medical procedures, court cases, etc), and keeps the current Biden admin parole program in place for Cubans, Haitians, Venezuelans, and Nicaraguans.

- 50,000 new visas over 5 years.

- Fuding to hire hundreds more ICE deportation officers, Border Patrol agents, and USCIS asylum officers, and greatly increases number of deportation flights.

- No unaccompanied minors can be removed, and some of these minors will receive attorneys, either pro bono or taxpayer funded.

- Ends some catch and release, but not all (families and unaccompanied minors not detained).

- DHS will have 90 days to set this new system up before it takes effect.

- There is a provision in the bill that would allow the President to suspend the "shut down" authority.
It says: "Authorizes the President to suspend the border emergency on an emergency basis for up to 45 days if it is in the national interest."

Context: The border has seen at least 5,000 encounters almost every single day the last couple years under Biden. If this bill were signed into law, the border would likely be shut down on the first day it takes effect.

FOX is told by the architects of this legislation the status quo right now is when the border is overwhelmed, "release everyone". They say this bill switches that to, when the border is overwhelmed "remove everyone."

This legislation has provisions in it that will upset border hawks and immigration activists at the same time.

Now we wait to see how both Democrats & Republicans respond. So far, many House GOP members have expressed displeasure, and at least one Democrat Senator (Padilla) has as well.

[Paul Krugman @paulkrugman]

So employment is being constrained by supply, not demand. Foreign-born workers expand the supply. And lots of evidence that they are complementary to native-born workers, so that they let us run the economy hotter without inflation and hence *raise* native-born employment 4/

[USCIS @USCIS]

.@DHSGov published the final Fee Rule adjusting certain immigration & naturalization benefit request fees, providing additional fee waivers & exemptions for certain humanitarian categories, & making changes to some immigration benefit request requirements. https://t.co/Obpim5JN1g

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

H-1B Final Rule (Advance Copy) https://t.co/ONdKCiNLRg

[USCIS @USCIS]

.@DHSgov has published a final rule amending its regulations relating to the H-1B registration selection process based on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on Oct. 23, 2023: https://t.co/OfNnQxlFPQ (1/3)

[Peter F. Asaad, Esq. @PeterAsaad]

H-1B Domestic Renewal Pilot Program: DOL’s navigator will guide you through a series of questions to help you assess whether you qualify to participate in the program. https://t.co/MjMAopRKQ7

[Mark Cuban @mcuban]

5. So what's the conclusion ?
If you don't think there is a need for DEI and it doesn't create a competitive advantage for your company, just look at the @x posts/replies/quotes below.

These are the same people that work for you or are your co-workers. Everyone is entitled to their POV, but these same feelings, even if they are not said out-loud, are heard loud and clear at work.