August 18 Updates

Federal

• Friday marked the 13th anniversary of DACA

  • Please sign the petition to free Catalina Xochitl Santiago, an organizer with DACA who was detained by ICE at an airport in El Paso, TX on Aug 3.

• You can see the full Action Guide for mobilizing to support Catalina here.
  

• CASA v Trump update: The class action lawsuit filed by multiple parties, including ASAP and CASA, won an important step on Friday, Aug 8. A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction stopping the original executive order attempting to destroy birthright citizenship. All children who have been born in the US either before or after Feb 2025 have now been certified as a protected class, which is a big win.

• See the press release from Friday, Aug 8 here

• See more in-depth information about the entire case here.
  

• Starting August 15, 2025, USCIS will calculate a child’s age under the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) using only the stricter “Final Action Dates” chart from the Visa Bulletin. This change, replacing the more flexible “Dates for Filing” standard, means fewer young immigrants will keep “child” status and more will face long visa backlogs after turning 21. Pending cases filed before August 15 will follow old rules.
  

• The Trump admin has altered the US Report on Human Rights Practices to favor Trump-allied nations like Israel and El Salvador while amplifying criticism of its rivals including the UK, Brazil, and South Africa. References to LGBTQ+ rights and Gaza’s humanitarian crisis were largely removed.
  

• Keep up with all the litigation against the Trump admin and all updates about the cases here
  

• USCIS has barred transgender women from entering the US on Sports Visas. Read more from Reuters here.

State (IL)

• Safe Schools for All has officially been passed in IL! Pritzker signed the bill into law on Friday, August 15th.

  • See press release from Latino Policy Forum here
    

• IDHS Information on Health Benefits for Immigrants in IL can be found here (regarding VTTC eligibility, applications, and FAQs)

Local (Chicago)

• The first day of school for CPS students is today! Reminder about CPS Sanctuary Policies.

  • See once more: CTU’s Sanctuary Toolkit

• Sergio Serna Ramirez, the son-in-law of one of TRP's most active leaders, is currently detained by ICE in Michigan and they are organizing for his release. 

  • Please sign this petition for his release