Are there limits to the government’s powers in expulsion of non-citizens and controlling its borders? The United States Supreme Court recently decided to consider appeals regarding two very different immigration scenarios. One involves a judge’s order of deportation issued inside the United States; the other involves a decision made by…
MAVNI program extended to individuals granted DACA immigration status Living amongst us in the United States are hundreds of thousands of children who grew up as Americans but lack immigration status because of the way that they entered the United States. Many of these DREAMers have been given a chance…
Recent cases involving unaccompanied children are being expedited, some without sufficient notice Immigration judges across the country have been instructed to prioritize the cases involving unaccompanied children who have recently entered the United States through Mexico. As a recent article in the Los Angeles Times points out, this has created…
An In-Depth Look at the “Notice To Appear” Document I have previously explored how immigrants first find themselves in immigration court proceedings and we discussed what you should know if you receive a Notice to Appear. The NTA is one of the most critical documents in the process, so this week…
“I brought Hassan’s son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty.” – Khaled Hosseini, “The Kite Runner” Rather than speculation about whether there is going to be a new immigration law this year, the recent headlines about immigration…
What You Should Know If You Receive a Notice To Appear (NTA) This week, we return to our discussion about the ins-and-outs of immigration court proceedings. Last time, I discussed the various ways that people are “thrown” into removal proceedings. Today, I take a closer look at the Form I-862…
The story of “Tommy and Tomina”… One of the questions that every immigration lawyer gets asked is “How long is it going to take for my family member to get his green card?” And, in typical lawyer fashion, my response is “Well, it depends.” This answer sometimes gets met with…
The decline in deportations still leaves immigrants vulnerable According to recently released government statistics, there has been a 43% decline in deportations ordered by immigration judges. Unfortunately, these statistics do not include “expedited removals” — individuals who are issued a deportation order at the border without ever seeing an immigration…
Was your application denied because of a false claim to citizenship? If the claim was made before 1996, it may not affect your application for naturalization. One of the things that gives me immense pleasure as an immigration lawyer is taking a case that had previously been denied and turning…
How the USCIS really handles marriage interviews The other night, I was watching the tele with my wife. As regular readers of this blog know, that means I was watching one of my wife’s shows again. On a recent episode of “Trophy Wife,” Kate (played by Malin Akerman) discovers that…