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Governor-elect Phil Murphy’s Vision For 2018 Immigration In New Jersey

By Edward Shulman, Posted on January 2, 2018January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

The political landscape for immigrants in 2017 under Trump was bleak, with widespread anticipatory anxiety regarding the fate of DREAMers, TPS recipients, individuals from Muslim backgrounds, beneficiaries of chain migration, and the undocumented currently residing in some 300 "sanctuary cities" around the United States. No doubt the apprehension has been exacerbated by statistics that include the fact that there was a 37% increase in the number of arrests of illegal immigrants in the United States last…

Read MorePosted on January 2, 2018January 30, 2018

Public Support For Immigration Increasing Paradoxically

By Edward Shulman, Posted on December 20, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

The Trump administration's hard-line on immigration, from Muslim bans to the termination of the DACA program, may actually be having a paradoxical effect when it comes to public opinion. Indeed, polls are showing increasing support for giving unauthorized immigrants a path to citizenship rather than deporting them and for allowing undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to remain in the country and avail themselves of certain benefits. Indeed, several recent polls from the…

Read MorePosted on December 20, 2017January 30, 2018

Possible Daca Replacement Bills

By Edward Shulman, Posted on December 13, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in DAPA/DACA

Following the Trump Administration's decision to terminate the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program effective March 6, 2018, there are four possible DACA replacement bills that are currently being considered by Congress: the BRIDGE Act, the RAC Act, the SUCCEED Act, and the DREAM Act. The expediency of the decision-making process of Congress will be critical to the lives of an estimated 700,000 dreamers who are living and working legally in the United States under…

Read MorePosted on December 13, 2017January 30, 2018

Some New Jersey Immigration Cases Being Heard In Puerto Rico

By Edward Shulman, Posted on December 4, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

Despite the fact that many regions within Puerto Rico remain without power post-hurricane, the devastated island still continues to run a live video stream between an immigration court in Guaynabo, and the Elizabeth Detention Center in New Jersey due to a significant backlog in the U.S. Immigration system. Indeed, for many immigration detainees, they will "meet" their adjudicating Judge who will decide their fate via video hookup on a television monitor. When interviewed about the situation,…

Read MorePosted on December 4, 2017January 30, 2018

Celebrity Actor Gives Voice To DACA Struggle

By Edward Shulman, Posted on November 30, 2017February 1, 2018Posted in DAPA/DACA

Bambadjan Bamba, an actor and filmmaker best known for his roles on the "Sopranos," "Suicide Squad," and "Grey's Anatomy," in addition to his recurring role on the NBC sitcom “The Good Place” and for his upcoming role in Marvel's "Black Panther" movie, made a decision to formally reveal his immigration status this week. The reasons for his decision to go "public" are apparently threefold in nature: 1) it stems from a personal place of fear about…

Read MorePosted on November 30, 2017February 1, 2018

Trump Ends TPS For Nicaraguans

By Edward Shulman, Posted on November 10, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

The Trump Administration formally announced its plan to put an end to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program that has allowed certain Nicaraguans to live and work in the United States. TPS status is granted to eligible nationals of certain countries who are already in the United States due to conditions in their home country that temporarily prevent them from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of…

Read MorePosted on November 10, 2017January 30, 2018

Senate Republicans Propose The “Succeed Act”: DACA Replacement Bill

By Edward Shulman, Posted on September 27, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

In response to President Trump's disbanding of the DACA program, two Republican Senators, James Lankford of Oklahoma and Tom Tillis of North Carolina, unveiled a proposed bill this week which is being touted as a "conservative" approach to protecting young undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. The two Senators understand that children should not be accountable and punished for the actions of their parents. A spokesman for Senator Tillis described the bill, referred…

Read MorePosted on September 27, 2017January 30, 2018

Multi-state DACA Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

By Edward Shulman, Posted on September 7, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

New York Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, along with 15 other Attorneys General from around the country and the District of Columbia formally filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration yesterday due to the termination of the DACA program. Schneiderman appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC last night to discuss the reasons for the lawsuit. In addition to explaining how their state economies will be hurt if DACA grantees would lose their status, he explained…

Read MorePosted on September 7, 2017January 30, 2018

Trump Ends DACA: What Does That Mean?

By Edward Shulman, Posted on September 6, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

Yesterday, the Trump administration formally announced the end to DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), a program that has protected from deportation an estimated 800,000 young documented immigrations brought to the United States as children. Despite having said that he intended to deal with "heart and compassion" when it came to DACA recipients, Trump's decision to rescind the order, established via Executive Action under President Obama, has left immigrant communities, immigrant advocates, immigration lawyers, democrats, businesses,…

Read MorePosted on September 6, 2017January 30, 2018

President Trump Considering New Version Of The Raise Act

By Edward Shulman, Posted on July 27, 2017January 30, 2018Posted in Immigration Law

Two Republican Senators, Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia met with President Trump on Tuesday to discuss a revised and expanded version of their RAISE Act, which they initially presented in March. RAISE is an acronym for Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment, a bill that reportedly emphasizes a merit-based immigration system that would essentially put limits on legal immigration. In particular, the bill aims to cut the number of legal immigrants admitted…

Read MorePosted on July 27, 2017January 30, 2018