This morning, I told my team I didn’t think I’d have to talk about Trump being president again. Yet here we are. I know you’re anxious—we are too. However, we remain dedicated to helping immigrants and their families. We’re not going anywhere.
During the first Trump administration, there was also a lot of fear. He talked about big deportation numbers, and ending DACA and TPS—but he wasn’t fully successful. However, he succeeded in making the process more complicated. He had USCIS reject cases if a box was unchecked or left blank without a “N/A” and created the horrendous I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency for green card applicants. Processing times ballooned and many unnecessary hurdles were put in our way.
However, the nuts and bolts of immigration didn’t change. People still naturalized; newlyweds still obtained green cards; victims of human trafficking still received protection. No matter how much Trump and his advisors talked about it, immigration never stopped. We still won cases.
Trump and his team are more prepared now than they were in 2016, ready to take over and change immigration policy. While we know some of his to-do list items, we don’t know the priorities or timeline. The last time Trump was president, there were always rumors of big, awful changes—sometimes they came to pass, sometimes they didn’t. Again, we just have to take it one day and one fact at a time. We have to save our energy and fight for the actual challenges we’ll face, not the countless “what-ifs.”
For our current clients, we’ll look at ways to help process cases faster, where possible. For potential clients, now may be a good time for a consultation to look at your options for remaining in or gaining legal status in the U.S. We are here to help.
Today, we know the path ahead is unknown and scary. We will stay on top of all changes ahead and continue to care for our clients with zealous advocacy and compassion. We got through a Trump administration before and we will do it again.