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Some New Jersey Immigration Cases Being Heard In Puerto Rico

, Posted 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,…

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Celebrity Actor Gives Voice To DACA Struggle

, Posted 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…

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Trump Ends TPS For Nicaraguans

, Posted 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…

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

, Posted 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…

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Multi-state DACA Lawsuit Against Trump Administration

, Posted 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…

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Trump Ends DACA: What Does That Mean?

, Posted 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,…

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President Trump Considering New Version Of The Raise Act

, Posted 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…

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Senators Graham And Durbin Introduce Bi-partisan Dream Act Of 2017

, Posted in Immigration Law

The future of the DACA program hangs in the balance. The Governor of Idaho and ten Attorney Generals, including South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, have issued a deadline calling for President Trump to rescind DACA by September 5th or they will sue to end the program.  Currently, 800,000 immigrant youth are protected from deportation and can work because of the DACA program.  Concerned that these individuals could lose their protected status, Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC)…

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Unlawful Voting Is A Deportable Offense

, Posted in Immigration Law

Only United States Citizens are permitted to vote.  Under the current immigration laws, non-U.S. citizens (lawful permanent residents/green card holders, undocumented immigrants, asylees, and refugees) are not eligible to vote in any federal, state, or local elections.  In fact, it is actually a federal crime to do so and there are extraordinarily harsh consequences for unauthorized voting.  According to the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA): "any alien who has voted in violation of…

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New Video Called “Immigrants” Released For Immigration Heritage Month

, Posted in Immigration Law

June is Immigration Heritage Month so it is only fitting that Lin-Manuel Miranda, multiple award winning playwright and composer, has just released a powerful new video that he executive produced called "Immigrants: We Get the Job Done."  The video which is part of a mix-tape associated with the show Hamilton addresses a range of issues confronting immigrants, ranging from ICE raids to the plight of refugees.  Poignantly, the video highlights the critically important and wide-ranging contributions…

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