Immigration Alerts

U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff will allow a lawsuit against ICE to continue, ruling against the interests of the administration that wanted that lawsuit dismissed. In his ruling, Judge Rakoff explained that local and state courts can’t be expected to operate properly if third parties, like ICE officers, use the…

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services has updated its Travel Policy to make it clearer that TPS beneficiaries traveling abroad can return to the US with the same immigration status as when they left. This assumes the returning beneficiary has adhered to all the dates and restrictions outlined in their…

Good news this week for thousands of Liberian immigrants – a group the Trump administration has tried unsuccessfully to strip of legal status and deport.  Buried deep within the recently passed $738 billion defense policy bill is a provision that will grant Liberians a pathway to green cards and US…

While states across the US legalize marijuana, immigration attorneys and advocacy groups want to advise immigrant clients not to use or purchase “legal” cannabis or find employment in the new growing legal marijuana industry. Why? It could lead to dire consequences, including deportation. Here’s how. Even just admitting to marijuana…

A federal judge rejected an upstate county clerk’s legal challenge to the recently passed New York Green Light law, which means undocumented immigrants will be able to apply for driver’s licenses for the first time in almost 20 years. The Green Light Law allows New Yorkers to apply for a…

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced new policy guidance implementing two decisions from the attorney general regarding how two or more DUI convictions affect good moral character (GMC) requirements and how post-sentencing changes to criminal sentences affect convictions and sentences for immigration purposes. On Oct. 25, the attorney general…

As of today, undocumented immigrants throughout New York can apply for an official NY State Driver’s License. In what’s being hailed a historic act, New York State has restored equal access to driver’s licenses to all residents, regardless of immigration status. Since the 9/11 terror attacks, immigrants have been unable…

This week, the US Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a legal case that could ultimately affect the status of nearly 700,000 young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers. The case revolves around the legality of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that President Obama enacted by executive order…

Background: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday, November 1, 2019, it was extending work permits and other documents for immigrants from the six countries who are temporarily shielded from deportation under a humanitarian program known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS) The DHS said it was automatically extending…