“Brexit” is happening. The BBC highlights five huge challenges ahead.  Among them – significant changes in the UK’s approach to immigration. 2.2. million EU workers currently live in the UK and about 2 million UK nationals live in EU countries.  All of these workers’ statuses will need to be clarified in the coming months.  The BBC predicts tightened rules for newcomers’ benefits, and barriers for “low-skilled” workers looking to enter the United Kingdom.

In the United States, millions of families, and workers are also in a precarious position after the Supreme Court tied 4-4 in United States v. Texas.  The Court’s deadlock means a ruling from the Fifth Circuit stands and President Obama’s executive actions that created “DAPA” (Deferred Action for Parents of Americans) and expanded “DACA” (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) cannot be enforced.  The Fifth Circuit held that the president exceeded his authority in creating the programs.  The states who brought the lawsuit acknowledged in their briefs that the president has the authority to defer deportations, but argued that the president does not have the power to confer any kind of legal status on people who do not have proper documentation of legal status.  The Migration Policy Institute estimated that DAPA would have provided eligibility for work authorization for 3.6 million people, and that more than 10 million people live in households with at least one DAPA-eligible adult.

In better news for workers, New Jersey’s state Senate voted yesterday to approve legislation that will gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2021, and ties future increases to the Consumer Price Index.  It is unclear whether Governor Chris Christie will veto the new law or let it go into action.  And in Chicago, (almost) all businesses (construction businesses excepted) must now provide a minimum of five paid sick days to all employees.

And a nice Friday-afternoon break – some beautiful vignettes of small business owners in an immigrant-rich, working-class neighborhood in New York City.