USCIS
USCIS Is Slowly Being Morphed Into an Immigration Enforcement Agency
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued new guidance to initiate deportation proceedings for thousands of applicants denied for any immigration benefit. This policy change will have far-reaching implications for many of those interacting with the agency, but also signals a major shift in how USCIS operates. USCIS was never… Read More
14,000 Become U.S. Citizens to Celebrate Fourth of July
Coinciding with the Fourth of July each year, naturalization ceremonies turn immigrants into new American citizens. This Independence Day, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will welcome over 14,000 new citizens nationwide. These new citizens will be naturalized in approximately 175 ceremonies across the country—at a… Read More
America Is Building Detention Camps for Immigrant Families in 2018
After an unprecedented public outcry last week, President Trump signed an executive order signaling an end to the government’s horrific practice of separating immigrant children from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border. While the government-sanctioned separations appear to have stopped—at least for now—the Trump administration now appears to be… Read More
The Trump Administration Is Choosing to Separate Children From Their Parents Every Day
Every day under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is choosing to separate children from their parents. Despite claims by the administration to the contrary, the separation of families could stop today if the Attorney General and DHS chose to end the policy. In… Read More
Government Playing Fast and Loose With ‘Gang Member’ Label
There is no doubt that criminal gangs operating in the United States adversely impact the lives of many people living in communities throughout the country. However, in a nefarious act, President Trump is attempting to cast young people fleeing Central America as gang members—which is simply untrue. As the Immigrant… Read More
New USCIS Policy Places Certain Students and Exchange Visitors at Serious Risk of Being Barred from the United States
In another attempt to restrict legal immigration, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy change to the way foreign students and exchange visitors accrue unlawful presence—a legal term used to describe any time spent in the United States after a foreign national’s period of authorized stay… Read More
Undocumented Parents Trying to Reunite With Their Children May Face Deportation Under New Proposal
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may soon be checking the immigration status of all potential sponsors of children who arrive unaccompanied at the U.S border, as well as any adult members of the potential sponsor’s household. The new proposal to expand screening likely will have a chilling effect… Read More
Is USCIS Exceeding Its Authority as It Attempts to Restrict “Specialty Occupation” Workers?
As U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) begins adjudicating H-1B petitions subject to the Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 “cap,”—the annual limit on the number of visas that will be made available for newly-hired foreign workers in “specialty occupations”—employers can expect attacks on this popular category to continue. Congress… Read More
Court Ensures That Asylum Seekers Will Receive a Fair Opportunity to Apply for Asylum
A federal court judge in Seattle ordered the government to notify asylum seekers that they are required by law to file their asylum applications within one year of their entry, and to adopt and implement a procedure that will ensure that applicants are able to file their asylum applications… Read More
Congress Reaches A Deal to Fund Government for the Year Without Solution for Dreamers
This week Congress passed a $1.3 trillion bill to fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, running through September 30, 2018. Though the legislation includes record levels of immigration enforcement, detention beds, and additional funds related to a border wall, the bill failed to provide President… Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
