Markey, Meng Reintroduce Bill to Create National Office of New Americans

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Grace Meng (NY-06) have reintroduced the National Office of New Americans Act. The legislation would establish a National Office of New Americans within the White House to support immigrants and refugees in overcoming common obstacles to naturalization, including language barriers and challenges navigating the search for employment.

In addition, the National Office of New Americans Act would strengthen coordination between federal, state, and local governments to support the social, economic, and civic integration of immigrants and refugees, a news release from Markey’s office notes.

A copy of the legislation can be found HERE.

Dutch Government Collapses After Failing to Reach Pact on Migration

The Dutch government collapsed on Friday after the parties in its ruling coalition failed to reach an agreement on migration policy, “underlining how the issue of asylum seekers coming to Europe continues to divide governments across the continent,” the New York Times reported.

The government was set up a year and a half ago but the parties have been opposed on migration for some time, the BBC reported.

Mark Rutte, the prime minister, announced that his four-party coalition government would tender its resignation to King Willem-Alexander and there would be an election, according to the Financial Times.

“Rutte had presided over late-night meetings on Wednesday and Thursday that failed to result in a deal on migration policy,” the Guardian reported.

Court Rejects U.K. Plan to Fly Asylum Seekers to Rwanda

The British government’s plan to fly some asylum seekers to Rwanda “met a significant roadblock on Thursday when one of the country’s top courts rejected it as unlawful, delivering a sharp blow to one of the top priorities of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak,” reports the New York Times.

“In a judgment delivered in London, the Court of Appeal said Rwanda was not a safe country for asylum seekers. In doing so, the judges reversed a ruling in December by the High Court, which dismissed most legal challenges to the government’s plan to deport people seeking refugee status to the African country before their claims are assessed,” the Times reported.

 The U.K. government said it would challenge the ruling at the U.K. Supreme Court. It has until July 6 to lodge an appeal, the Associated Press reported.