Immigration lawyers in New Jersey filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to keep them from having to appear
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey/articles/2020-07-31/immigration-lawyers-seek-video-court-appearances-amid-virus NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Immigration lawyers in New Jersey filed a lawsuit Friday seeking to keep them from having to appear in immigration court during the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Jersey chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and attorneys Michael DiRaimondo, Brian O'Neill and Elizabeth Trinidad claim the federal government is risk
THE RESPONSE OF DHS TO THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC – MARCH 2020
There is no question that the Coronavirus pandemic, which from here on out I’m calling by its technical name, Covid-19, has disrupted normal operations of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This is the benefits bureau of DHS. All in-person appointments have been canceled “through at least April 1, 2020.” Functions that have been canceled include green card interviews, naturalization interviews, asylum interv
A NATURALIZATION CEREMONY IN NEWARK, NEW JERSEY
Occasionally, where I know my work has “made a difference” in a client’s life and he or she would like me to, I attend the client’s Naturalization Ceremony in Newark, New Jersey. The formal Oath Ceremony is the final step in an immigrant’s journey to naturalization, and without it, one is not a U.S. Citizen, no matter how many background checks, language, and civics tests one passes on the road. The Newark District of USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Servi
IS THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TRYING TO ABOLISH THE IMMIGRATION COURT SYSTEM?
That’s what The National Association of Immigration Judges, https://www.naij-usa.org/, appears to be saying in the attached Press Release: __________ BREAKING: STATEMENT BY IMMIGRATION JUDGES UNION ON MAJOR CHANGE ANNOUNCED TO IMMIGRATION COURTS August 24, 2019 Statement by the Hon. Ashley Tabaddor, Pres. of the National Association of Immigration Law Judges In an unprecedented attempt at agency overreach to dismantle the Immigration Court, the Department of Justice, Executiv
GUATEMALAN HUSBAND AND FATHER OF THREE WINS “WITHHOLDING OF REMOVAL” PROTECTION IN ELIZABETH IMMIGRA
I recently posted about the Trump Administration’s attempt to eliminate asylum protections for Cental American citizens fleeing persecution in their home countries because they supposedly can seek asylum in Mexico first. I commented that the Trump Administration’s radical new “Rule,” which I feel is patently illegal, has drawn the strong concern of the UNHCR, the United Nation’s refugee agency. At the end of UNHCR’s press release they stated: “People have been leaving parts o
The War On Immigrants Is Fought Even In The Most Routine Immigration Applications
Nowadays I don't think there is a person in the United States who isn't aware that the Trump Administration is implacably opposed to immigrants entering this country, especially from our southern border. A statement from the President's southern border wall "emergency" proclamation on February 15, 2019 makes it crystal clear. The following sentence gives the game away: In particular, recent years have seen sharp increases in the number of family units entering and seeking en
Stay-At-Home Waiver No Longer Available to Aliens in Proceedings
I have previously written here about the benefits of the Obama-era "stay-at-home" unlawful presence waiver (an “I-601A application”) for undocumented foreign citizens in the USA who initially enter the United States unlawfully.[1] Very briefly, it allows a foreign citizen who has accrued so-called “unlawful presence” here in excess of one year, to apply in the United States for a provisional extreme hardship waiver for an immediate relative – typically a US citizen or permane
Chaos in the Immigration Courts. Pereira v. Sessions.
On June 28, 2018 the US Supreme Court decided an immigration case named Pereira v. Sessions.[1] It is a procedural case that has not gotten much press, but it has caused complete chaos in the US immigration court system. Here's why, and how it could affect you. Proceedings to "remove" (deport) a foreign citizen from the United States are initiated by the filing of a so-called "Notice to Appear," also known as an NTA. Think of it as a complaint in criminal or civil court. It s
Immigration Judge Grants Detained Guatamalan Citizen Permanent Resident Status After Two-Day Hearing
Yesterday I received word that the Government will not appeal an immigration judge’s decision entered July 17, 2008 granting a citizen of Guatemala, and long-term undocumented resident here in the United States, “cancellation of removal” (permanent resident status). To qualify for such relief an applicant has to show That he has resided in the United States for at least 10 years; That he is a person of “good moral character”; That he has not been convicted of a so-called “c
Successful Affirmative Asylum Claim
Yesterday I received word that one of my asylum clients, a Venezuelan college student who retained me in 2015, was granted asylum after a long wait for an interview with the Miami Asylum Office of USCIS. She was a proactive student protester and organizer against the Maduro regime, and took part in numerous campus protests against the dictatorial and economically ruinous policies of that government. She attracted the attention of government sponsored thugs, was physically a
