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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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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Supreme Court Grants Second Chance To Immigrant Facing Deportation

On Friday, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of a lawful permanent resident who received faulty immigration advice from an attorney.  Indeed, the Justices, in a 6-2 decision, concluded that it was reasonable to think that a green card holder, named Jae Lee, could have avoided deportation if his attorney had not incorrectly advised him that pleading guilty to a drug charge would not lead to his deportation. The attorney's injudicious guidance regarding the…

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May 1 “Day Without An Immigrant” Planned

Today is International Labor Day, a national public holiday in several European, South American, African, and Asian countries, and a day selected for the second of a series of 2017 scheduled boycotts called "A Day Without Immigrants," or "Un Dia Sin Inmigrantes."  The goals of the national strike are essentially fivefold: 1) to change the conversation on immigration; 2) to increase awareness about the import of immigrant workers; 3) to gain permanent protection for immigrants living in…

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Six Things To Ask Your Prospective Immigration Lawyer

Immigration law is complex, nuanced, and ever changing.  As such, is it critical for you to find the best lawyer possible to obtain a favorable result and to prevent any avoidable problems, processing delays, or denials of your case.  Finding the right lawyer means finding someone who is experienced, skilled, and competent in addition to being organized, running an office in an efficient manner, answering questions clearly, and communicating effectively. In preparing to meet with a…

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