Immigration Law
On December 4, 2017, the United States Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s Travel Ban 3.0 as it’s called to proceed while appeals are pending. In other words, the Court said that the travel ban can be enforced immediately while the courts continue to sort out the legal options.
THE HISTORY —
Presidential Proclamation 9645 was issued on September 24, 2017 and took full effect on October 18, 2017. However, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a preliminary injunction which allowed citizens of the named countries to continue to enter the United States if they could show a “bona fide connection” to a relative or business.
SCOTUS SPEAKS UP —
This most recent decision essentially reverses that approach, and allows enforcement of the ban as written and issued.
SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU, YOUR FAMILY OR YOUR EMPLOYEES?
| COUNTRY | NONIMMIGRANT | IMMIGRANT |
| Chad | The following visa categories may not be issued: B-1, |
As we reported in our most recent BLOG post, President Trump signed 3 immigration-related Executive Orders during his first week of office. The last few days have been a whirlwind of information and misinformation. The landscape also seems to changing on an almost-daily basis.
Here is our most recent round-up of positions and clarifications of the US State Department, US Department of Homeland Security, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
US STATE DEPARTMENT MATTERS:
– The DOS Visa Office confirmed that despite the executive order, the majority of interview-waives cases can still proceed. These include those applicants under age 14 and over age 79 (INA section 222(h)(1)(A)) and those applicants who seek the same visa category within one year of the most-recent visa’s issuance and/ or expiration (INA section 222(h)(1)(B)).
– The DOS Bureau of Consular Affairs confirmed provisional revocation of all valid immigrant and nonimmigrant visas held by nationals of the seven named countries.
By now, nearly every news outlet is reporting that newly-inaugurated President Trump has signed three (3) Executive Orders/ Actions this week. While the headline-grabbing and infamous border wall is an easy lead-off for the 5:00 news, the Executive Orders/ Actions had widespread impact on removal actions and priorities, especially along the Southern border of the United States, and admission of Muslims from around the world.
What Is an Executive Order?
Before we delve into the newly-penned orders, let’s begin with a fantastic overview of what they are and are not. Our friends and colleagues at Robert Reeves Law Group in Los Angeles put together a great summary:
http://www.robertreeveslaw.com/blog/executive-orders/
Are you back? OK then, let’s proceed with the task at hand. Here is our initial breakdown of the Executive Orders. Many of the provisions will likely be subjected to judicial review as federal lawsuits are filed; but for now, these orders are new “law.”
On July 22, 2015, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to expand the I-601A Provisional Waiver program. The announcement was met with cheers from most within the immigration community. Then we all waited.. and waited… and waited for DHS to review the public’s comments and publish the final rule. On July 29, 2016, that announcement finally came. But what does it really mean to you?
In the Beginning: Unlawful Presence and The Three and Ten Year Bars.
Imagine yourself the recipient of a perfectly-made homemade cookie. The cookie is gooey and chocolatey, and comes from Grandma’s secret recipe. Now imagine that Grandma’s gift comes with a condition: you must first step outside on the patio to get it.
On June 15, 2012, President Obama announced a new policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This is a new policy developed by the Department of Homeland Security designed to allow certain young people who did not intentionally violate immigration law to continue to live and work in the United States.
This policy provides children who were brought into the United States without proper immigration documents or children whose immigration documents have expired and who have grown up in the United States to remain in the United States without continued fear of removal or deportation. Eligible immigrants must meet certain guidelines.
Who is eligible for DACA?
In order to be eligible for Deferred Action an applicant must:
- Have entered the United States before the age of 16;
- Have continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007 up to the present time, were physically present in the United States on June 15, 2012 and on the date of application;
I am pleased to share the news of our recent receipt of an Emmy! For more than four years I have functioned as an “on air” Legal Expert for immigration matters on Univision’s KVER, a Spanish-language station that broadcasts to the entire Coachella Valley from Palm Springs to Arizona. Several months ago, I was asked to participate in a documentary regarding abuse by a Riverside County California deputy sheriff in the Coachella Valley who was misusing his authority to harass and scare local Hispanics, many of whom were residents of a trailer park in the area. He would stalk them and many were even afraid to leave their homes as he would stop them for meaningless reasons and then attempt to turn them over to ICE. He acted much like the infamous Arizona Sheriff, a well-known ultra conservative who has been sued by the federal government for civil rights abuses. This deputy sheriff was acting in the same manner and it became so egregious that even the local Republican congressman was concerned.
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