Refugees, Asylum, and other humanitarian relief.

Many news articles talk about refugees and asylum. Do you know the difference?  This article was written to explain the terminology relating to available U.S. humanitarian relief. I hope that this provides information that will allow my readers to better understand what is happening at this time.  Refugee A refugee is a person who has been forced to flee their home country due to persecution because of their race, Read More

Florida Anti-Immigrant Legislation 

In writing my blogs, I try not to get too political which is often difficult given that I write about U.S. Immigration law which is inherently political. Today I won’t even try not to get political.  What is being done in Florida by our legislators and Governor is beyond outrageous. The anti-immigrant stance of Florida officials will not just harm undocumented persons, it will negatively impact the economy of Read More

Undocumented Immigrants Pay Taxes—Even Income Taxes. 

Most people are surprised to hear that undocumented immigrants file income tax returns even though they are ineligible to obtain a social security number and ineligible for social security benefits. Obviously, undocumented persons pay sales tax and property tax. Some own their home or other real estate, so they pay property tax directly. If they rent their home, then they indirectly pay property taxes as part of Read More

Are Military Veterans being deported due to Service Related PTSD?  

Unfortunately, the answer to this has been yes, but it may be changing.  Military.com is a website that provides news and information about the US military, service members, veterans, and their families.  One of their postings is titled “Deported Veterans, Stranded Far from Home After Years of Military Service, Press Biden to Bring Them Back.” In that posting, they discuss the case of Ivan Ocon, who was born in Read More

U.S. Welcome Corps appeals to the “generosity of everyday Americans” with a Private Sponsorship Program for Refugees

On January 19th, Anthony Blinken, Secretary of State announced the creation of the Welcome Corps, a “new private sponsorship program that will enable Americans to sponsor refugees arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program (USRAP), directly support their resettlement and make a difference by welcoming these new neighbors into their communities. This program invites Americans to be partners and guides to Read More

TPS Extension for six countries including El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status provided to nationals of specifically designated countries that are confronting conditions in the country that prevent its nationals from returning safely. It protects them from removal from the U.S. and allows them to legally work in the U.S. TPS has been granted for numerous countries, but the countries whose citizens are eligible that I most often Read More

U.S. to allow Venezuelans with a financial sponsor to come to the U.S. and obtain work permission for two years

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced two changes related to the treatment of Venezuelans seeking refuge in the U.S. One will provide for their rapid expulsion at the U.S. border. Previously Mexico would not allow Venezuelans to be returned to Mexico from the U.S. border so the U.S. could not expel them. The U.S. can now (after negotiating an agreement with Mexico) remove Venezuelans under Title 42, a Read More

DACA and DREAMERS – Good news but not enough – Congress needs to act on this.

Most people are extremely sympathetic about helping young people who were brought to the U.S. as young children and grew up here without legal status. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was implemented by executive action by President Obama in 2012. To qualify, the applicant must have arrived in the U.S. before they turned 16 and before June 15, 2007. The program has been the subject of much litigation Read More

The Intersection of Military Service and U.S. Immigration

Writing a blog is an exercise in conveying useful or interesting information without making it too long or going too much into the weeds. This blog is especially challenging because I will attempt to do a “survey” of the ways that immigration issues are affected by military service. This blog will be long and incomplete but hopefully will be useful or interesting to my readers. Eligibility for Military Service Read More

USCIS, CBP, and ICE responses to the Uvalde shooting

People with legal status in the U.S. do not think about immigration consequences when it comes to tragedies such as Uvalde, but immigration issues are a part of this. DHS which encompasses CBP, ICE, and USCIS)  has issued two statements relating to the shooting. Before I discuss these statements, I would like to explain the separate roles of USCIS, CBP, and ICE. All of these are in the DHS areas of Read More