Rafael Bernal

Hispanic Caucus announces new executive director

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) on Monday announced its new executive director, Jacky Usyk, a Capitol Hill veteran who most recently served as a senior advisor to Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray. The announcement comes as the CHC…

Hispanic Caucus split between rage and lukewarm reception to Biden’s new border plan

The Biden administration’s plan to crack down at the border in exchange for some expanded legal pathways of entry for migrants received a generally tepid response from Hispanic Democrats, though some in the group were incensed that they were…

Two advocacy groups ask Colorado to bar Trump from ballot

Two advocacy groups are leading a rally in Colorado Friday urging Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold to bar former President Trump from the state’s ballots on constitutional grounds. The rally, led by Mi Familia Vota and Free Speech for the…

Senate Democrats pan Biden border plan

Four Senate Democrats on Thursday were sharply critical of the Biden administration’s plan to trade off a border crackdown for 30,000 immigration permits. Biden administration officials on Thursday said they would use Title 42 — a Trump-era policy…

Biden to visit the Mexican border on Sunday

President Biden will visit the U.S.-Mexico border Sunday, stopping in El Paso on his way to the North American Leaders’ Summit in Mexico City next week. The border visit comes as the administration made its broadest border policy announcement…

US planning to accept up to 30,000 migrants monthly under expanded humanitarian program

The United States is expanding a border control program that pairs migrant expulsions with a limited number of pre-approved entries per month, according to reports. Under the program, the United States would take in up to 30,000 Cubans, Nicaraguans,…

Padilla sworn in as first-ever Latino elected to Senate from California

California Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla on Tuesday became the first Latino ever sworn in to serve a full Senate term from the Golden State. The state that’s host to a quarter of all U.S. Hispanics is also central to national Latino politics, but it…

DHS proposes higher fees on immigrants applying for work-based visas

The Biden administration on Tuesday proposed a new fee structure for visas and naturalizations, raising costs on business-related applications while maintaining or reducing costs for humanitarian visas. The proposed rule, announced by United States…

Democratic Congress was disappointment for immigration activists

The first Congress of the Biden era is ending with a significant list of legislative accomplishments under its belt, but Democrats will once again relinquish a House majority without delivering on immigration reform. Though inaction on immigration…

Arizona mulls piping in water from Mexico as Colorado River continues decline

Arizona’s top water authority is mulling a plan to pump water from a desalination plant by the Sea of Cortez, in a bid to lessen the state’s reliance on the Colorado River. The plan, pitched by Israeli water treatment company IDE Technologies, would…

Mike Lee, Title 42 drama holds up omnibus passage

An effort led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) to maintain Title 42 is threatening efforts to pass a sweeping government funding bill before a shutdown deadline later this week. Congressional negotiators on both sides say the biggest holdup is ongoing…

Texas governor tells Biden flow of migrants is ‘a catastrophe of your own making’

Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott is ramping up his claims that the Biden administration’s border policies are to blame for the increase in migration into the United States. In a letter to President Biden dated Tuesday, Abbott said Texas is “overburdened as…

Biden administration asks chief justice to allow Title 42 to end

The Biden administration on Tuesday asked Chief Justice John Roberts to rule against 19 GOP-led states that initiated court action to keep the controversial Title 42 policy in place. The administration was responding to Roberts’s administrative stay…

Spending package won’t include ‘Dreamer’ protections

The deal to fund the federal government through fiscal 2023 will not include protections for “Dreamers,” the name given to undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors. Congress is set to vote this week on the $1.7 trillion spending…

Five things to know about the end of Title 42

When a federal judge in November declared Title 42 illegal, “with great reluctance” he allowed the Biden administration to keep implementing the border management policy for five weeks. Those five weeks end Wednesday, and the Department of Homeland…

‘Three amigos’ lead House Democrats calling for Senate immigration bill

A group of 28 House Democrats on Thursday laid out their last-minute plea for the Senate to take up immigration reform before Congress goes home for the holidays. In a letter led by the “three amigos” — Reps. Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Jesús García…

Migrants converging on El Paso fuel calls for border crackdown

Increased migrant border crossings near El Paso are drawing attention back to the border, as Congress grapples with must-pass end of year legislation that could include an immigration deal. The focus on border chaos has fueled calls for draconian…

Abbott asks state attorney general to investigate NGOs over immigration

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Wednesday asked his top law enforcement official to investigate nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the state over their role in assisting immigrants to cross the U.S.-Mexico border. In a letter to Attorney…

Latino leaders press Senate for DACA protections in lame-duck session

A group of 66 top Hispanic community leaders on Wednesday called on the Senate to include protections for Dreamers in must-pass legislation during the lame-duck session this month. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and…

With the clock ticking, Puerto Rico status bill faces uncertain prospects

A bill to allow Puerto Ricans an open vote on their status is up in the air, as competing political forces from San Juan to Washington wrestle over a dying deal that months ago was hailed as a generational breakthrough. The Puerto Rico Status Act…