Brent & Powell Immigration Law

Overview of Biden Administration Immigration Bill AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL: On his first day in office, President Biden announced his plans to send a bold immigration bill to Congress in the coming weeks. The expansive provisions show that the Biden administration is ready to embrace immigrants as part of the fabric of American society. ...Continue reading

Biden Rejects Trump’s Push to Lift Covid-19 Travel Restrictions Biden’s incoming press secretary said the president-elect wouldn’t lift travel bans, citing safety risks. President-elect Joe Biden rejected an effort by President Trump on Monday to lift bans on most travel into the U.S. from Europe, the U.K. and Brazil that were imposed as part of the Trump administration’s initial response to the coronavirus pandemic. The restrictions imposed last spring applied to any foreig...ner present in those countries for the two preceding weeks, with a few exceptions. Under a presidential proclamation released by the White House on Monday, the change would go into effect Jan. 26, the same day as new requirements announced last week that all people flying to the U.S. from abroad test negative for Covid-19 no more than three days before their flights. Restrictions on travel from China and Iran would remain in place. But Mr. Biden’s incoming White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, wrote on Twitter on Monday night that the Biden administration wouldn’t lift the travel restrictions on Jan. 26. With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants emerging around the world, this is not the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel, she wrote. On the advice of our medical team, the Administration does not intend to lift these restrictions on 1/26. In fact, we plan to strengthen public health measures around international travel in order to further mitigate the spread of Covid-19.

Schengen travel ban lifted effective Jan. 26, 2021 as a result of new requirements for travelers to have negative COVID test. https://www.whitehouse.gov//proclamation-terminating-rest/

http://www.msn.com//advocates-gearing-up-to-ch/ar-AAnbwRt

Appeals court rules against Obama immigration plan KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) President Barack Obama's plan to protect from deportation an estimated 5 million people living in the United States illegally suffered another setback Monday in a ruling from a New Orleans-based federal appeals court....Continue reading

**Correction of earlier posting** AILA Doc. No. 16120261 | Dated December 2, 2016 In response to reports received regarding cancelled naturalization oath ceremonies, the AILA Field Operations Committee reached out to USCIS HQ and learned that on Monday, November 28, 2016, a computer coding error impacted the accuracy of the FBI background checks for about 15,000 of the 240,000+ pending naturalization cases. Of those, 3,000 cases were pending at the field office, either to be ...interviewed, waiting on a decision post-interview, or waiting to be scheduled for an oath ceremony. To make sure that appropriate checks are conducted, USCIS cancelled oath ceremonies for about 550 people who were scheduled to take the oath on Tuesday, November 29. All of the 15,000 names that were impacted have been resubmitted to the FBI and USCIS has asked the FBI to expedite the background checks. In the meantime, interviews will proceed, but until the background checks clear, affected individuals will not be scheduled to take the oath.Corr See more

Appeals court rules against Obama immigration plan KEVIN McGILL, Associated Press NEW ORLEANS (AP) President Barack Obama's plan to protect from deportation an estimated 5 million people living in the United States illegally suffered another setback Monday in a ruling from a New Orleans-based federal appeals court....Continue reading

DHS Announces Temporary Protected Status Designation for Yemen WASHINGTONSecretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced his decision to designate Yemen for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months due to the ongoing armed conflict within the country. Yemen is experiencing widespread conflict and a resulting severe humanitarian emergency, and requiring Yemeni nationals in the United States to return to Yemen would pose a serious threat to their personal safety. As... a result of Yemen’s designation for TPS, eligible nationals of Yemen residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The Federal Register notice posted today provides details and procedures for applying for TPS. The TPS designation for Yemen is effective September 3, 2015, and will be in effect through March 3, 2017. The designation means that, during the designated period, eligible nationals of Yemen (and people without nationality who last habitually resided in Yemen) who are approved for TPS will not be removed from the United States and may receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The 180-day TPS registration period begins today and runs through March 1, 2016. To be eligible for TPS, applicants must demonstrate that they satisfy all eligibility criteria, including that they have been both continuously physically present and continuously residing in the United States since September 3, 2015. Applicants also undergo thorough security checks. Individuals with certain criminal records or who pose a threat to national security are not eligible for TPS. The eligibility requirements are fully described in the Federal Register notices and on the TPS Web page at www.uscis.gov/tps. Applicants may request that USCIS waive any or all TPS-related fees based on inability to pay by filing Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or by submitting a written request. Fee-waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation. USCIS will reject any TPS application that does not include the required filing fee or a properly documented fee-waiver request. All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at www.uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676. Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833) at no cost.

For Immediate Release April 22, 2015 Statement by NSC Spokesperson Bernadette Meehan on the Conclusion of Operation Decisive Storm The United States welcomes the decision by the Government of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners to conclude Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen. With this announcement, we look forward to a shift from military operations to the rapid, unconditional resumption of all-party negotiations that allow Yemen to resume an inclusive political transitio...n process as envisioned in the GCC Initiative, the National Dialogue outcomes, and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We also welcome the United Nations continuing to play a vital role in facilitating the political talks and look forward to the United Nations announcing a location for the talks in the very near future. We strongly urge all Yemeni parties, in particular the Houthis and their supporters, to take this opportunity to return to these negotiations as part of the political dialogue. Having bravely and resolutely sought a democratic political transition, the Yemeni people deserve the opportunity to hold a peaceful debate about their new constitution, to participate in a credible and safe constitutional referendum, and to vote in free and fair national elections. We commend the commitment of King Salman of Saudi Arabia to provide $274 million in emergency humanitarian relief to Yemen. We also strongly support the commitment of the Government of Saudi Arabia and its coalition partners to facilitate the provision of humanitarian and medical aid to those displaced and injured by the fighting. We look forward to this transition from Operation Decisive Storm significantly increasing the opportunities for international and Yemeni humanitarian organizations to access and deliver assistance to the Yemeni people. The United States reiterates the obligation of all nations to abide by the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 2216 that prohibit the supply of arms or other related materiel to key Houthi leaders, as well as former president Ali Abdallah Saleh, his son, and those acting at their direction. The United States will continue to support efforts to build international cooperation to seek to prevent violations of this resolution, including through enhanced maritime monitoring and inspection by international partners. At the same time, we will continue to closely monitor terrorist threats posed by al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula and to take action as necessary to disrupt continuing, imminent threats to the United States and our citizens. AQAP and other terrorists have sought to benefit from the deterioration of the political and security situation in Yemen, and we strongly believe it is in the interests of the Yemeni people to unite to confront the shared terrorist threat to their country.

Texas Decision at Odds with Legal Precedent, History and Facts on Immigration Enforcement February 17, 2015 Washington D.C. - Late last night, a Texas judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the implementation of President Obama’s new deferred action initiatives. These initiatives, announced last November, came in response to more than 10 years of political stalemates and failure by Congress to address America’s broken immigration system and alleviate th...e pain endured by millions of families around the country. The President’s announced initiatives will provide temporary relief from deportation to approximately 5 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States. The new deferred action initiatives, which include Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and an expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), are based on the well-established authority of Presidents and other executive branch officers to allocate and prioritize finite enforcement resources. This practice is used by prosecutors and other law enforcement personnel on daily basis. The judge’s order, issued just two days before the government was set to begin the DACA expansion, bars federal immigration officials from implementing any and all aspects of the new deferred action initiatives. The following is a statement by Melissa Crow, Legal Director at the American Immigration Council: Today’s decision is only the first round in what will clearly be a much longer legal battle. Already, the White House has promised that the Justice Department will appeal the judge’s decision, and we urge them to do so in an expedited manner. We expect higher courts to overturn the judge’s decision based on well-established precedent. Today’s decision is more rooted in political rhetoric than legal rationales. It relies on a distorted view of overwhelming evidence of the economic benefits of immigration and ignores Supreme Court precedent. It also discounts a long history of recourse to prosecutorial discretion, which has been exercised by every President since Eisenhower. The decision relies on a technical violation of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to find that the Administration did not follow proper procedures, while ignoring the fact that the President’s deferred action initiatives are not subject to the APA. While the decision will unfortunately delay critical efforts to address our broken immigration system, the need and the demand for reform has never been greater. We remain confident that it is a question of when, not if, these programs will take effect."

Statement by Secretary Jeh C. Johnson Concerning the District Court’s Ruling Concerning DAPA and DACA I strongly disagree with Judge Hanen’s decision to temporarily enjoin implementation of Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) and expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The Department of Justice will appeal that temporary injunction; in the meantime, we recognize we must comply with it. Accordingly, the Department of H...omeland Security will not begin accepting requests for the expansion of DACA tomorrow, February 18, as originally planned. Until further notice, we will also suspend the plan to accept requests for DAPA. The Department of Justice, legal scholars, immigration experts and even other courts have said that our actions are well within our legal authority. Our actions will also benefit the economy and promote law enforcement. We fully expect to ultimately prevail in the courts, and we will be prepared to implement DAPA and expanded DACA once we do. It is important to emphasize what the District Court’s order does not affect. The Court’s order does not affect the existing DACA. Individuals may continue to come forward and request initial grant of DACA or renewal of DACA pursuant to the guidelines established in 2012. Nor does the Court’s order affect this Department’s ability to set and implement enforcement priorities. The priorities established in my November 20, 2014 memorandum entitled Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants remain in full force and effect. Pursuant to those enforcement priorities, we continue to prioritize public safety, national security, and border security. I am pleased that an increasing percentage of removals each year are of those convicted of crimes. I am also pleased that, due in large part to our investments in and prioritization of border security, apprehensions at the southern border a large indicator of total attempts to cross the border illegally -- are now at the lowest levels in years.

WASHINGTON, DC The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) applauds the introduction of the Immigration Innovation Act of 2015 (S. 153) by Senators Hatch (R-UT), Klobuchar (D-MN), Rubio (R-FL), Coons (D-DE), Flake (R-AZ), and Blumenthal (D-CT). The Immigration Innovation Act (I-Squared Act) provides critical reforms needed in the area of high-skilled immigration. The American economy thrives when innovation and creativity are welcomed, and job growth follows, sa...id AILA President Leslie Holman. She continued, What would be best for our country are immigration reforms that ameliorate the damage caused to families and businesses by our broken system. This bipartisan measure introduced by Senator Hatch addresses many of the critical reform needs in the business immigration context. AILA believes that the provisions in the ‘I-Squared’ Act would make long overdue updates to high-skilled immigration. Among the bill’s provisions are the following: Increases the H-1B cap from 65,000 to 115,000 and allows the cap to go up (but not above 195,000) or down (but not below 115,000), depending on actual market demand. Removes the existing 20,000 cap on the U.S. advanced degree exemption for H-1Bs. Authorizes employment for dependent spouses of H-1B visa holders. Recognizes that foreign students at U.S. colleges and universities have dual intent so they aren’t penalized for wanting to stay in the U.S. after graduation. Recaptures green card numbers that were approved by Congress in previous years but were not used, and continues to do so going forward. Exempts dependents of employment-based immigrant visa recipients, U.S. STEM advanced degree holders, persons with extraordinary ability, and outstanding professors and researchers from the employment-based green card cap. Eliminates annual per-country limits for employment-based visa petitioners and adjusts per-country caps for family-based immigrant visas. Establishes a grant program using funds from new fees added to H-1Bs and employment-based green cards to promote STEM education and worker retraining. "I’m encouraged that this bipartisan group of Senators recognizes what so many economists and business leaders do as well: that welcoming innovative thinkers is key to economic prosperity. I’m also heartened to see members of the Senate looking past partisan rhetoric and instead focused on fixing our broken immigration system for the good of all, concluded Ms. Holman. ### The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.

CBP Launches Border Wait Time App Release Date: December 16, 2014 Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on linkedinShare on diggShare on google_plusone_share Planning Your Trip Across the Border Just Got Easier... WASHINGTONU.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) today launched the Border Wait Time app making it easier for travelers to plan their trip across the border. The app provides estimated wait times and open lane status at land ports of entry allowing travelers to make an informed decision of where and when to cross the border. Wait times for pedestrian and passenger and commercial vehicle crossings are broken down by lane type (standard, SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, Ready Lane, etc.). Travelers can download the app for free from Apple’s App Store and Google Play. CBP continues to deploy technology that enhances the travel experience at all of our ports of entry, said Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. The launch of this app will provide travelers crossing the land border with more information when and where they need it. The app is a one-stop shop for cross border travel. Travelers can locate the three ports of entry closest to their location and then map the best route to the crossing of their choice. For example, the app allows travelers in the Buffalo, New York area to compare wait times at the Peace Bridge, Rainbow Bridge and Lewiston Queenston Bridge and will then direct them to whichever crossing they chose. The app was developed by CBP and does not require individuals to register or provide any personal information. CBP does not store or have access to any information regarding travelers using the app. The Border Wait Time app is just one example of CBP’s effort to create a traveler-friendly processing environment. CBP has deployed Automated Passport Control (APC) kiosks to more than 25 airports, including most recently at preclearance locations in Edmonton, Canada and Aruba. Much like APC, CBP launched Mobile Passport Control, the first authorized app to expedite a traveler’s entry into the United States, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport this summer. CBP has also enrolled more than three million travelers in trusted traveler programs such as Global Entry, NEXUS and SENTRI. These programs allow CBP officers to process travelers safely and efficiently while enhancing security and reducing operational costs. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation's borders at and between the official ports of entry. CBP is charged with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws. http://www.cbp.gov//2014/cbp-launches-border-wait-time-app Tags:

HOMELAND SECURITY Source: Obama to announce 10-point immigration plan via exec action as early as next week By Lucas TomlinsonPublished November 12, 2014FoxNews.com EXCLUSIVE: President Obama is planning to unveil a 10-part plan for overhauling U.S. immigration policy via executive action -- including suspending deportations for millions -- as early as next Friday, a source close to the White House told Fox News. ...Continue reading

American Boston Marathon Winner Came to U.S. as Refugee Written by Amanda Peterson Beadle April 22, 2014 in Asylum and Refugee, Family, Integration with 0 Comments For the first time in more than 30 years, an American man won the Boston marathon yesterday. Meb Keflezighi, a naturalized American citizen who came to the United States at age 12, finished the 26-mile race with a time of 2:08:37, his personal best. The 38-year-old Keflezighi is a three-time Olympian who won the 2...009 New York City Marathon, finished third in Boston in 2006, and won the silver medal for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympic marathon. Keflezighi is also an American by choice. He and his family came to the U.S. as refugees from Eritrea in 1987, and Keflezighi became a U.S. citizen in 1998, the same year he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles. - See more at: http://immigrationimpact.com//american-boston-marathon-w/ See more

We are getting there!