The U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services  (USCIS) has recently published a Public Charge Fact Sheet  to inform the general public what is meant by a public charge and the types of benefits that non-U.S. citizens can apply for without jeopardizing their lawful permanent resident (green card) status and/or their eligibility to pursue it. Both the immigration and welfare laws have created [...]

The Los Angeles Times  reported today that the international community has been trying to pressure President Obama to lift the U.S. embargo on Cuba.  An embargo that almost every country opposes. In the past few months, the Obama administration has in fact taken steps to ease some of the sanctions that prior administrations have imposed on Cuba. For example, the U.S. [...]

The New York Times  reported today that asylum seekers are filing more claims based on sexual orientation. The U.S. immigration laws allow aliens to be granted asylum  if they can prove a well-founded fear of persecution in their country of origin because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. The claim of sexual orientation [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that workplace immigration raids by the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement  (USICE) to identify undocumented alien workers that took place during the Bush administration has interfered with U.S. Department of Labor  (USDOL) investigations to determine violations of labor laws. A Memorandum of Understanding  between the USDOL and the legacy Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS) was signed in [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that Haitian-American and immigrant activists who supported President Obama’s election to office are now becoming frustrated with the his failure to push for legislation to provide Temporary Protected Status  (TPS) for Haitians. Back in July of this year, the President was quoted in saying: “He was ‘very sympathetic’ to the community’s request to allow Haitian immigrants now [...]

The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) ruled earlier this week in Matter of Carrillo, 25 I&N Dec. 99 BIA (2009), that in determining whether an alien whose status was adjusted to lawful permanent residence pursuant to Section 1 of the Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA), is deportable as an alien who has been convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude committed within [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that an immigration law  that triggered the deportation of widows and widowers of U.S. citizens who were married for less than 2 years will soon be abolished. Congress gave its consent yesterday that it would abolish a provision referred to as the “Widow’s Penalty.” which is part a Homeland Security bill that the President is expected to sign in the next [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that after being held in detention for 11 days for failure to appear for a deportation hearing before the Immigration Court in Miami, Mr. Janos Lutz, the father of a U.S. Marine serving in Afghanistan has been freed from the Krome Detention Center in Miami and, is required to wear electronic ankle monitoring bracelet under the [...]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued guidance yesterday clarifying the criteria for agents filing as petitioners for O and P visas. The reason for the clarified guidance was because the USCIS had received inquiries about agents filing O and P visa petitions that name multiple employers who in turn, are submitted by one of those employers on behalf of other employers. Agents [...]

The New York Times reported today that Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, whom immigration and anti-immigration supporters have both scorned and praised him for aggressively enforcing federal immigration laws under the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s (USICE’s) § 287(g) program, has now had his level of authority reduced to make immigration arrests on the street. Sheriff Arpaio sought to a renew the agreement [...]