The Biden administration is gearing up to provide legal services to migrants entering the immigration system in seven border towns, according to a government solicitation for contractors published on Thursday.

Why it matters: Increasing migrant access to legal services has long been a goal of the administration. While the new Legal Access at the Border (LAB) program will help prepare migrants for the immigration legal process, it will not directly provide them attorneys.

The number of people waiting for immigration court decisions is greater than the population of Philadelphia — and is building, according to new data and analysis from Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC).

Why it matters: The booming backlog points to a broken immigration system and often leaves immigrants awaiting decisions on asylum or other cases in legal limbo for longer periods of time.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday proposed a plan to expand health care coverage to cover all low-income, undocumented Californians.

Why it matters: The proposal is part of the Democratic governor's $213 billion budget request for the 2022-23 fiscal year. If approved by the state legislature, it would begin no sooner than Jan. 1, 2024.

The Biden administration brought 36 migrants back to the U.S. for court hearings on Monday under the reimposed Remain in Mexico program and expanded its enforcement of that program into San Diego, even as it continues efforts to end the policy, administration officials told reporters on a call.

The big picture: The administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene to allow them to end what's formally known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which forces asylum seekers at the southern border to wait in Mexico while their cases are heard.

The White House will lift the travel restrictions it imposed on eight African countries last month after the Omicron variant was first reported in South Africa, White House assistant press secretary Kevin Munoz said on Friday.

Driving the news: The restrictions will end on Dec. 31, according to Munoz. He said the decision to lift travel restrictions was recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. population grew just 0.1% in the year leading up to July 1, the lowest rate since the nation's founding — and a major cause is sharply decreased immigration.

Why it matters: Sluggish population growth is putting the U.S. on a pace to be an older, less productive and less dynamic country in the future.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday a body-worn camera pilot program for special agents in select cities.

Why it matters: The move comes amid renewed attention on law enforcement misconduct after a year of reckoning with police killings of Black Americans. News reports and human rights groups have documented ICE officers' violent use of force against migrants, primarily Latinos.

The Biden administration will add 20,000 new slots to a seasonal, guest-worker program for the winter season, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.

Why it matters: The U.S. labor force has struggled against the backdrop of rising demand, mental and physical health issues, and low wages, as businesses emerge from the economic damage incurred at the height of the pandemic.

Democrats are eyeing a way to overrule the Senate parliamentarian and provide pathways to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants — but it will depend on the caucus, including Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.), sticking together.

Why it matters: Providing protections for undocumented immigrants has been a central focus for Congressional Democrats. Failing could cost some needed political points heading into what are expected to be brutal midterm elections.