Trump Administration Proposal Could Evict Citizens and Legal Immigrants Living With Undocumented Immigrants From Public Housing

Evicting So-Called “Mixed-Immigration Status” Families.
Jun05

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Imagine having to choose between living with a beloved family member or remaining in your current residence.  Such a difficult choice may soon be faced by US citizens and legal immigrants who live in public housing with undocumented immigrant family members as a result of a recent proposal by the Trump administration.  On April 17, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) proposed a rule that could evict so-called “mixed-immigration status” families (at least one family member is a citizen or legal immigrant, and at least one

June 5, 2019
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Trump Proposes New Restrictions on Asylum-Seekers

Asylum-Seekers Will See New Restrictions Proposes Trump
Jun03

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. “Asylum, you know I look at some of these asylum people, they’re gang members.  They’re not afraid of anything . . . and they say ‘I fear for my life,’ they’re the ones causing fear for life.  It’s a scam, it’s a hoax”. These prior comments by President Trump from early April clearly show that he opposes immigration to the United States based on asylum.  Thus, it was no surprise when, on April 29, he issued “Presidential Memorandum on Additional Measures to Enhance Border Security and Restore Integrity

June 3, 2019
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Lack of Competent Interpreters In Foreign Indigenous Languages Creates Problems In U.S. Immigration Courts

May29

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Have you ever heard of Q’anjob’al, Mam, and K’iche’?  Probably not. They are 3 languages indigenous to the country of Guatemala.  What makes them significant for United States immigration law purposes is that they have become 3 of the 25 most common languages spoken in US immigration courts in recent years.  The lack of competent interpreters in Q’anjob’al, Mam, and K’iche’, and other foreign indigenous languages, is creating significant problems in the US immigration courts. Many of the migrants who have come to the United States in recent years

May 29, 2019
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El Paso Immigration Court Accused Of “Culture of Hostility” Toward Immigrants

El Paso Immigration Court Accused Of “Culture of Hostility”
May27

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. A recent report by the American Bar Association described the US immigration courts as “facing an existential crisis . . . irredeemably dysfunctional and on the brink of collapse”.  Besides requiring a major overhaul for inefficiency, the US immigration courts may suffer from another fundamental problem – bias against immigrants. This point was made in an administrative complaint filed yesterday by the American Immigration Council and the American Immigration Lawyers Association with the US Department of Justice with respect to the El Paso, Texas Service Processing Center immigration court.

May 27, 2019
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Albence Selected to Be New Head Of ICE

Matthew Albence Selected to Be New Head Of ICE
May24

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Could the selection of a new person to head U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signal a change in the Trump administration’s approach on immigration?  Specifically, could the selection of a new person to head ICE represent a departure from the harsh, anti-immigration policies of the Trump administration? Unfortunately, the selection of Matthew Albence to be the new head of ICE likely will only lead to even more adverse policies harming the rights of immigrants. In an April 11 email to ICE staff, Acting ICE Director Ronald Vitiello wrote,

May 24, 2019
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Denver Mayor Protests Legal Immigrants Being Denied Citizenship for Marijuana Jobs

Legal Immigrants Denied Citizenship for Marijuana Jobs
May22

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Oswaldo Barrientos emigrated to the United States from El Salvador when he was a baby 29 years ago.  He received his green card at age 13 and currently remains a legal immigrant in the United States. Barrientos has no criminal record and a stable job.  Does he seem like the type of person who should be rejected when he applied for US citizenship? You probably would think no, but unfortunately such is not the case.  Barrientos in fact was recently denied US citizenship, and told that he “lacked moral character”, because

May 22, 2019
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Federal Judge Stops Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” Program

“Remain in Mexico” Program Stopped Trump Administration
May20

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. The US government consists of 3 branches – an executive branch (the President and his administration), a legislative branch (the Congress), and a judicial branch (the courts).  Because of the anti-immigration policies of President Trump and his administration, and the general inability of Congress to reach an agreement on immigration legislation, it has largely been left to the courts to protect immigrant rights.  This point was again evidenced on April 8 when Federal District Court Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco issued a preliminary injunction against and stopping President Trump’s Migrant

May 20, 2019
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Ruling By AG Barr Means More Asylum Seekers Will Be Detained Without Bond While Waiting Cases To Be Heard

Asylum Seekers Detained Without Bond While Waiting Cases
May17

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. The Attorney General has the power to “certify” (review) and overturn prior rulings by immigration courts.  Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions used this authority with respect to a number of immigration court decisions, and apparently, new Attorney General William Barr will be doing the same.  On April 16, Attorney General Barr announced that a 2005 immigration court decision (Matter of X-K-) “was wrongly decided” and issued a ruling that will result in more asylum seekers being detained without bond while waiting for their cases to be heard.

May 17, 2019
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“Public Charges” – Increasingly Used by The Trump Administration To Support Visa Denials

“Public Charges” – Used by To Support Visa Denials
May15

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. There seems to be no end to the arguments being used by the Trump administration to restrict immigrant rights.  An increasingly used strategy by the Trump administration is to argue that a visa should be denied because the immigrant would become  “ public charges ”.  Based on how the Trump administration interprets the term, “public charge”, an increasing number of immigrants, especially Mexicans, are being denied visas to the United States. “Public charge” is a term used by U.S. immigration officials to refer to a person who is considered primarily

May 15, 2019
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Immigrants who engage in “marijuana related activities” may be denied U.S. Citizenship

Citizenship denied to Immigrants involved in marijuana
May13

Written by: Taher Kameli, Esq. Do you regard people who use marijuana, solely based on their marijuana use, as lacking “good moral character”?  Probably not, but unfortunately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has adopted a different position.  Under a “Policy Alert” issued on April 19 by USCIS, a person who engages in certain “marijuana-related activities” may be considered to not have “good moral character” and thereby may be denied U.S. citizenship. To become a naturalized citizen of the United States, an immigrant must demonstrate that he or she had “good moral character” for

May 13, 2019
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