Sometimes a potential client walks into our office carrying not just a box of papers, but years—sometimes decades—of a complicated immigration history. The documents are often unorganized, overlapping, and filled with both challenges and opportunities. It takes patience and persistence to unravel these stories, but more often than not, the effort is worth it.
In 2018, we met Frank, a citizen of Honduras. We had previously represented his mother and successfully helped her obtain her green card, and now she wanted the same outcome for her son—no pressure! Frank arrived with his box of documents, which revealed TPS approvals, an old removal order, an I-130 filed for his mother before April 30, 2001, multiple DUI arrests, and birth certificates for two U.S. citizen children. The question was: how could we piece this all together into a viable case?
At the time, we were in the first Trump administration, when the possibility of discretion from the government was slim. We considered an I-212 waiver to address the removal order, but that would have required Frank to leave the country—an option he understandably did not want to pursue. His daughter, however, was 21 and serving in the U.S. military, which opened the door for us to consider Parole in Place.
In 2019, we submitted a request for Parole in Place to USCIS, but it was denied. USCIS concluded that the old removal order placed jurisdiction with ICE, not them. That left us facing the difficult prospect of requesting discretion from ICE—something we knew would be unlikely under the circumstances. Still, we moved forward and had Frank’s daughter file an I-130 petition, which was approved in May 2020. With the change in administration later that year, we knew new possibilities might open.
In 2022, after much waiting, an Immigration Judge agreed to reopen and terminate the removal order against Frank—a major turning point in his journey. We filed another Parole in Place request, and this time it was granted. With the removal order gone and his unlawful entry issue cured, we could finally pursue his green card.
In February of this year, we filed Frank’s adjustment of status application. Despite the return to a more challenging political climate, everything was finally in place. Just a few weeks ago, Frank attended his interview, and earlier this week, we had the privilege of telling him: congratulations, your green card has been approved!
Frank’s story reminds us that sometimes a case has all the right pieces, but the timing isn’t right. For several people I’ve spoken with recently, it’s simply too risky to move forward now. But I believe brighter days will come, and when they do, those stories can be revisited with new hope. The waiting is hard, but Frank’s perseverance is proof that with patience, persistence, and the right moment, success is possible.