I love my job, I truly do. I get to help families stay together, I get to help people come out of the shadows and gain their independence, I get to help people achieve their American Dream. While these highs are amazing, the lows just as extreme. I have clients recently diagnosed with cancer, DACA clients scared […]
It’s been a roller coaster for all immigrants lately, but no one has had to endure more ups and downs than DACA recipients. When AG Sessions announced the end of the program last September, people filed renewals as quickly as possible to meet an early October deadline. We then waited for Congress to take up the cause, but
DACA: The Roller Coaster Ride and Waiting Continues Read More »
Late last week, USCIS issued yet another policy memo that tells officers how they should perform their job. Late last month, officers were instructed to issue Notices to Appear and initiate deportation proceedings for most cases that they denied – negating decades of policy that allowed immigrants a chance to leave voluntarily or find another path to
More Bad News on the USCIS Front: New Policy Memo Demands Perfection Read More »
Last week, USCIS issued a new policy memorandum instructing their officers when they should start the removal (“deportation”) process and issue Notices to Appear (NTAs). The NTA is a charging document that starts the deportation process. A NTA can be issued by USCIS, CBP or ICE and once filed with an immigration court, deportation proceedings begin and
USCIS Gets Into the Deportation Business Read More »
June was a crazy month in the world of immigration. From the Attorney General saying that domestic violence and gang violence generally aren’t grounds for asylum to the travel ban being allowed to continue to children being taken from their parents at the border things look worse and worse and people are understandably getting panicked, wondering what change could come next
Is All Hope Lost? No! Read More »
It seems like hardly a day goes by without hearing about some new atrocity confronting immigrants and the immigration law system. In just the past week, these topics have dominated the headlines: Forced family separation at the border – we’re at 658 detained children as of today. Finding that being forced to cook and clean for a terrorist
How to Advocate in Trying Times Read More »
Last week, the Attorney General released a decision saying that Immigration Judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals do not have the authority to administratively close a case. What is administrative closure and why is the end of it a big deal? Administrative closure was like putting a case in a coma. The respondent was still technically
Administrative Closure – Why the Attorney General’s Decision is Horrible Read More »
In this age of doom and gloom, it’s nice to be reminded of good things happening to good people. We get mired down in backlogs and the erosion of due process (which we should definitely be fighting against!), and sometimes we forget to savor the victories. I had a pretty sweet victory this week. I’ve known Pablo for at
Good News Friday: I-751 Pending for Eight Years Approved Read More »
Six months ago, we were telling clients that their work cards should be adjudicated within 3-4 months. Today, I’m telling clients it could be closer to 5-6 months. Last year, people could file for Naturalization and expect an interview within 5-6 months. Today, it’s closer to 12 months. I-90s to replace green cards take nearly 9 months. I-751s
It’s Not You (Or Your Attorney), It’s Them: USCIS Processing Times Slow Significantly Read More »
Yesterday, I was quoted in a press release regarding Georgia Senate Bill 452. It’s a pretty awful piece of legislation that many organizations are fighting against. Project South has an excellent write-up of the bill available here. There are two important things to know. First, this is not law yet. We have a chance to fight
AILA’s Press Release on SB 452 Read More »
