The Trump administration is attempting to impose “numeric performance standards” on federal immigration judges in order to reduce the immense backlog of cases, a move that many fear will threaten judicial independence. In a proposal made by the White House earlier this month as part of negotiations regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Trump administration says that their intention is to “establish performance metrics for immigration judges.” More specifically, documents obtained by the Washington Post show that the Justice Department "intends to implement numeric performance standards to evaluate Judge performance." Dana Leigh Marks, the spokeswoman and former president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, says this is alarming. “That is a huge, huge, huge encroachment on judicial independence. It’s trying to turn immigration judges into assembly-line workers.”
Read moreAn Act of Faith
USCIS: “Changes to Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-129 Petitions”
Effective October 12, 2017, US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has changed the direct filing addresses for certain petitioners submitting Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Petitioners must now file Form I-129 according to the “state where the company or organization’s primary office is located.” Petitioners previously filed Form I-129 based on where the beneficiary’s temporary employment or training was located. Additionally, petitioners located in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas will now file Form I-129 at the California Service Center.
UCCIS publishes the list of direct filing addresses for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, on their website. Beginning November 11, 2017, USCIS may reject Form I-129s that are filed at the incorrect service center, so it’s recommended to verify (and double-check) the correct address before submitting.
Under One Roof
The living room of Ramonita Saez and her two children. (Photo courtesy of the Tenement Museum.)
Under One Roof is a new exhibit at the Tenement Museum exploring post-WWII immigration in the Lower East Side. The Tenement Museum is comprised of two historic tenement buildings, 97 Orchard Street, which tells the stories of immigrant families between 1863 and 1935, and 103 Orchard, which now houses its first exhibit to feature modern immigration stories. This week I attended a preview tour of Under One Roof, and learned about residents at 103 Orchard, including Bella Epstein, whose parents survived the Holocaust; Jose and Andy Velez, whose seamstress mother, Ramonita Saez, left Puerto Rico and worked for many years in the garment industry; and the Wong siblings, whose mother sewed in Chinatown garment shops. Under One Roof takes visitors into the homes of these three families from the 1950s through the 1970s and uses an astonishing attention to decorative details (notice the plastic furniture slipcovers above) as well as audio, visual, and in-person storytelling by the tour guide to convey their immigrant experience. The exhibit is open for preview tours now, and is scheduled to officially open later this fall.
CNN: “United States and Turkey mutually suspend visa services”
The United States has suspended nonimmigrant visa services in Turkey, after last week’s arrest of a US embassy employee in Istanbul. In return, Turkey announced they were also suspending nonimmigrant visa services for American nationals. The US mission in Ankara said in a statement on October 8, 2017 announcing the suspension: “Recent events have forced the United States government to reassess the commitment of government of Turkey to the security of US mission and personnel."
Read moreUSCIS: Updated Form I-765 Streamlines Process To Obtain Work Authorization Document and Social Security Number
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA) have a new information-sharing partnership that now allows foreign nationals in certain categories or classifications to apply for work authorization along with a Social Security number using only one form—namely, the updated Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization.
Read moreThe Last Place You Left
Positano from the Sea
I could do a whole blog on how much I love Positano. This seaside town on the Amalfi Coast is one of my favorite places to visit. We try to come here every year for at least a few days. This year I spent a lot of time on the water which is one of the best ways to see the region. Yesterday, I went on a lovely boat ride and stopped at several places along the coast for a swim in the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is refreshing (“fresca” as they say here). Afterwards, with a Bellini in hand, we admired the great views of the coast from the sea and slowly made our way back to Positano. I will miss this view (until next year).
5 Quick (But Important) Tips for ESTA
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (or ESTA, as it is commonly known) is an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The VWP enables most foreign nationals from participating countries to travel to the US for tourism or business without first obtaining a visa, if they meet certain requirements. These prospective travelers are required to demonstrate their eligibility for the VWP by applying for travel authorization via ESTA prior to boarding a plane or vessel bound for the US. Through ESTA, the US government compares the applicant’s personal information against various databases in order to determine whether there is a law enforcement or security reason to deem that person ineligible to travel to the US under the VWP. While the ESTA is valid for two years or until the applicant’s passport expires, the actual permitted stay in the US on the VWP is only ninety days at a time.
Read moreUSCIS: “Deadline to Submit DACA Renewal Requests Approaching On Oct. 5”
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a statement reminding eligible Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients that the deadline to file DACA renewal requests and employment authorization applications is October 5, 2017. This deadline comes in response to President Trump’s decision to end the Obama administration’s DACA program, which has protected approximately 800,000 young immigrants who were brought to the US as children and who hold no legal status. DACA also provided these individuals with work authorization. In a memorandum on September 5, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that they would begin to wind down the program until it officially expires on March 5, 2018. After the DACA program expires, it is unknown what will happen to those who were granted deferred action. The Trump administration has repeatedly stated that in the meantime it is up to Congress to develop a solution. The Trump administration would support legislation allowing DACA recipients to obtain lawful permanent status and eventually citizenship, according to testimony by a DHS official to Congress earlier today.
Read more