New York, NY—After seven extraordinary years at the helm of the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC), Executive Director Steve Choi will transition in early September, 2020 to a new role as Senior Advisor. In the new role, he will focus largely on the campaigns of NYIC’s sister 501(c) (4), NYIC Action, to strengthen the voices and political power of immigrants across New York State and the country during the upcoming critical election cycle.

New York, NY—Last Friday, the New York State Senate Health Committee approved Guillermo Chacón’s nomination to the New York State Minority Health Council. Created in 1992, the Council works to improve and prioritize the health of minorities in New York, advising the New York State Commissioner of Health on these vital issues.

New York, NY-Early Friday morning, the Census Bureau announced it would cut short critical door-knocking efforts for the 2020 Census. Bureau workers will cease conducting in-person interviews for the census on September 30. In April, the Census Bureau argued it needed to extend the deadline to October 31 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York, NY—Yesterday, Judge George Daniels, a U.S. District Court Judge in Manhattan, issued a nationwide injunction temporarily halting the Trump administration’s changes to the Public Charge rule. Judge Daniels’ decision came after New York State Attorney General Letitia James and immigrant rights groups requested an injunction of the new rule in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

New York, NY—As Congress debates the next, and likely final, COVID-19 relief package, immigrant advocates held a press briefing renewing their demands that Congressional Democrats stand with immigrants who continue to be on the frontlines of the pandemic and fight for an inclusive COVID-19 relief package that provides financial and other support to all those excluded in previous bills.

Washington, DC-Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a memorandum enacting significant changes to Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), including reducing grants from two years to one-year, outright rejecting new DACA applications, and beginning a process that will likely lead to the rescission of DACA. The DHS’ memo follows last month’s Supreme Court ruling that the administration failed to give an adequate justification for terminating the program as required by federal law.

Washington, DC-Senate Republicans unveiled their effort for a final stimulus package today, including a proposed cut to weekly emergency unemployment benefits at 70% of a worker’s previous wages, replacing the $600 per week which states stopped paying out this week.

New York, NY—The American Civil Liberties Union, New York Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Texas, and Arnold & Porter filed a federal lawsuit today on behalf of immigrants’ rights groups challenging President Trump’s new order seeking to block people who are undocumented from being counted in the U.S. census.

Washington, DC—This afternoon, President Trump signed an Executive Order “banning undocumented individuals” from the 2020 Census count for the purpose of congressional representation. A major governmental initiative, the Census has already been in operation since March of this year.

New York, NY—With Congress returning to D.C. to debate the HEROES Act, Change Research/New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) released new polling showing strong statewide support for extending stimulus checks to immigrant families—including mixed status families with American citizens married to ITIN holders—undocumented immigrants paying taxes using a tax identification number.