After a Border Patrol agent questioned two US citizens in Montana because they were speaking Spanish, legal experts are now recommending that naturalized citizens, legal permanent residents, and undocumented individuals carry identification with them in the event that it is requested by authorities. While the women were able to demonstrate to the officer that they were US citizens and were not arrested, many immigration advocates found the encounter disturbing. Jaime Barrón, an immigration attorney in Dallas, Texas, says that “simply speaking in another language cannot be an illegal act, that could be discrimination.”
Read moreUSCIS: Processing Error for Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence
US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) says that due to a processing error, on May 4, 2018, the agency mailed a number of biometric services appointment notices with incorrect Application Support Center (ASC) locations to petitioners who filed Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence. These affected notices have a date of May 4, 2018 and a case type of “I-751 – PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE.” Theses notices instruct petitioners to appear for their biometric services appointments beginning the week of May 21, 2018, at ASCs located out of the normal geographic area.
Read moreSupport When They Return
Happy Birthday, Ada!
We celebrate a lot of birthdays here at the firm, but this one we can all agree was special. This week the birthday festivities for Ada, our longtime bookkeeper, included a delightful cheesecake with strawberry topping. We thought it was pretty good but Ada, a real connoisseur of cheesecakes, was skeptical. Happy Birthday, Ada!
The Washington Post: “Immigration crackdown shifts to employers as audits surge”
Under the Trump administration, immigration officials have substantially increased audits on companies to verify that employees are authorized to legally work in the US. The increased efforts are focusing on both building criminal cases against noncompliant employers as well as removing employees working in the US without legal documentation. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reports that there were 2,282 employer audits opened between October 1, 2017 and May 4, 2018, a sixty percent jump from the 1,360 audits opened between October 2016 and September 2017. Derek Benner, head of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations unit, tells the Associated Press that planned audits for this summer would push the total “well over” 5,000 by September 30. Comparably, in 2013 there were 3,127 ICE audits.
Read moreA Little Bit of Something
I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door
I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door by Dorothy Iannone.
Dorothy Iannone, a Berlin-based artist, has created a large-scale mural installation near 22nd Street on the High Line. Iannone's work is inspired by Egyptian frescoes, Byzantine mosaics, and ancient fertility statues. In between her three colorful Statues of Liberty is the final line from Emma Lazarus’s poem The New Colossus: “I Lift My Lamp Beside the Golden Door.” The mural re-imagines the Statue of Liberty "anew as a symbol of the openness of New York City and the United States to those seeking asylum, freedom, or simply a better life" and also brings "a bit of joy to an often exhausting and demoralizing political debate." The mural is on the High Line through March 2019.
NPR: "Under A Trump Proposal, Lawful Immigrants Might Shun Medical Care"
The Trump administration is considering proposing a policy change that could have the result of discouraging immigrants seeking permanent residency (i.e., a Green Card) from using government-supported health care. Under the administration's draft plan, an immigrant in valid legal status could be prevented from obtaining permanent residency if they have used Medicaid, a subsidized Obamacare plan, food stamps, tax credits or other non-cash government benefits, according to a draft of the plan published by The Washington Post. Legal immigrants could even be prevented from obtaining a Green Card if their US-citizen child uses such benefits.
Read moreUSCIS to Recall Incorrectly Dated Green Cards
US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced that beginning May 14, 2018, the agency will begin recalling approximately 8,543 Permanent Resident Cards (i.e., Green Cards) due to a production error. The Green Cards, printed with an incorrect “Resident Since” date and mailed between February and April 2018, were for approved Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, for spouses of US citizens. Since spouses of US citizens may apply for naturalization after three years of permanent residency (and when they meet other requirements), the incorrect date on these Green Cards could potentially cause applicants to wait longer than necessary to apply for naturalization.
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