On October 3rd, 2018, a federal judge ruled to maintain Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for tens of thousands of non-citizens. This is one step closer in victory for those fighting against deportation laws and regulations currently enforced under the Trump administration. Judge Edward Chen of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California blocked the administration ending TPS protections, stating that it would cause "irreparable harm and great hardship."

TPS grants temporary protection to non-citizens who come to the United States fleeing humanitarian crises in their home country, such as civil war and natural disasters. Many TPS beneficiaries have been in the United States for decades, are law-abiding, and make positive impacts on our communities.

"We have families, we have kids, we pay taxes, so I think it's time." - Edwin & Mily Murillo, protesters supporting TPS

TPS supporters are pushing for a resolution to allow those who have been in the United States and supporting the country for years to acquire permanent residency and be removed from the deportation list. It seems like Judge Chen, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, has sided with TPS supporters, but not indefinitely. Chen seems to have quoted a legal brief highlighting the large contribution of labor that immigrants contribute to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through highly desirable and hard to fill arduous labor. Chen highlighted that, according to the brief, 17 states estimated that they would lose about $132 billion in GDP $5.2 billion in Social Security and Medicare contributions, and $733 million in employer turnover costs if the ruling on TPS was to send those immigrants home.

Chen went on to quote much of the Trump administration’s efforts on increasing immigration enforcement laws, both beneficial and harmful to his cause. He also mentioned that the movement to end TPS may be fueled by racial bias, which has been a large issue and topic of discussion under the Trump administration.

An official hearing for the Trump administration and the plaintiffs has been set for October 26th.

To find out how this may or may not affect you, reach out to Ibrahim Law LLC immigration firm today to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one

Upwards of 3,000 Hondurans are on the journey to the United States, seeking hope and opportunity while collectively leaving a life of government corruption and gang violence.

Making a massive public statement, these Honduras have recently joined together in hopes of seeking refuge here in the United States. News spread like wild fire, and what seemed to be a few Hondurans suddenly grew in numbers. Quickly gathering their essentials and stuffing their sacks with what would be a treacherous journey, these Hondurans created a caravan destined for the United States, beginning their journey with little to no food at their disposal.

These were not always the plans for the desperate Hondurans. Government instability and gang-related violence remain prevalent in Honduras. With a lack of support from Honduran President Joan Orlando Hernandez, coupled with President Trump anti-immigration policies, the issue seems to be a complex one. Hondurans have seen United States as the solution to their struggle, but the question still stands on how Hondurans will approach the United States at its borders.

U.S. immigration law has been in much discussion lately, constantly appearing on the news and being question by both pro- and anti-immigration proponents in the United States. Many question if the caravan is welcomed and point fingers at Donald Trump for the policies that are currently in place. His defense? Citing that he is working hard on advancing the current situation with immigrants, standing true to his campaign efforts in immigration law, and making negative references to President Obama's immigration policies. On October 16, 2018, President Trump tweeted: "The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!"

The discussion on immigration law is at a peak, and with the Honduran caravan on the hike, will the United States answer when they arrive on our front door step?

To find out how this may or may not affect you, reach out to Ibrahim Law LLC immigration firm today to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one.

On November 8, 2018, a federal appeals court ruled that President Donald Trump cannot put an end to the "dreamers act". The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a district court injunction that blocked the Trump administration's September 2017 termination of DACA. Before being terminated in September 2017, DACA protected young non-citizens who had no lawful immigration status from deportation if they demonstrated that they had completed or were enrolled in high school or a GED program, had no significant criminal history, and warranted the discretion of the government.

"Dreamers," as DACA recipients are often called, often were brought to the United States when they were infants or toddlers by their parents, have lived in the United States their entire life, and have integrated into American society. DACA offers young, undocumented individuals living in the United States a work permit and an opportunity to remain in the United States with temporary protection from deportation. It was and still is a temporary benefit used as a way for an estimated 700,000 young people to be able to work lawfully in the United States, despite facing attempts from the government of DACA student deportation.

In its published, official opinion, the Court states that DACA recipients "have plausibly alleged that the rescission of DACA was motivated by unconstitutional racial animus in violation of the Equal Protection component of the Fifth Amendment," and that the Trump administration's efforts to dismiss the lawsuit must be denied. For now, initial, first-time DACA applications are still unavailable. DACA holders may still continue to renew their DACA, per the decision of the district court months ago. The administration may now decide to appeal the 9th Circuit decision to the Supreme Court in its effort to terminate DACA. Ultimately, DACA advocates hope that the administration will decide to work with Congress and USCIS on immigration reform.

To find out how this may or may not affect you, reach out to Ibrahim Law LLC immigration firm today to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one.

We last spoke about the “caravan” of Central American asylum seekers back on October 18th, 2018 and the situation has changed since then.

To get you caught up, the migrant asylum seekers have approached the border. President Donald Trump made an aggressive statement informing the public that the asylum seekers will not be allowed in the United States. In addition, he had advised Mexican politicians to insure the safety and safe-keeping of the migrants by helping them return home. Nonetheless, these desperate migrants continued marching forward.

Central American migrants are currently attempting to enter the United States from all regions of the border, most recently from Tijuana in which President Trump responded by closing the port and threatening to close all southern entry to the United States from Mexico if the current immigration situation continues to worsen. A tweet was posted by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency stating that entry and departure between San Diego and Tijuana was suspended. The statement was not enough to stop the Central Americans from attempting entry, so Border Protection responded with actions of tear gas and increased forces on land in which President Trump deployed military forces into the region.

Reports from the Mexico-United States border claim aggressive altercations between asylum seekers and U.S. border patrol. The current actions of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency includes the use of tear gas and physical altercations against children and adults in what observants would describe as a battle field.

President Trump also mentioned on Saturday that migrants at the United States and Mexico border would be forced to stay in Mexico until their asylum claims were individually adjudicated in the United States, after an apparent deal was struck with Mexico. However, Mexico’s incoming government denied any deal being met.

Migrants gathered themselves soon after the tear gas fiasco, proceeding to march in front of Mexico federal police officers stationed at the border. The migrants are making a bold statement as their efforts to gain protection from corruption, government instability, and gang violence continue. Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez seems to be unable to find a solution for his own citizens.

Tensions are high at the border, but it must be noted that the overwhelming majority of Central American migrants are merely seeking a fair opportunity at applying for asylum in this country. Immigration court proceedings would offer them a fair opportunity to obtain lawful status.

If you have any questions regarding the current status on entry into or departure from the United States, reach out to Ibrahim Law Office, an immigration law firm, to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one.

Only a select few obtain the honor of being named a Rhodes Scholar. Jin Kyu Park, 22, was born in South Korea. His parents brought him to the U.S. when he was only 7 years old. He currently attends Harvard University and has already achieved amazing accomplishments.

The "Rhodes Scholarship" is said to be one of the world's most prestigious educational awards, with only 100 allocations allotted worldwide every year. It is an internationally awarded, post graduate, scholarship given to those qualifying who wish to attend Oxford University. The scholarship was created by Cecil John Rhodes, promoting his desire of unity between English nations, while actively choosing recipients who demonstrate signs of high moral leadership, regardless of their career paths. Notable recipients of the Rhodes Scholar are Australian prime ministers  Tony Abbott, Bob Hawke, Malcolm Turnbull, and former U.S. president  Bill Clinton.

In an interview with a Harvard University news outlet, Park stated “I’m thankful that the Rhodes have expanded their eligibility to include DACA recipients.” Park went onto mention that “…it’s important to note that I am just one of 11 million. And this really reflects the fact that if you give DACA recipients a chance, we can really contribute to this country and do amazing things. Every DACA recipient is capable of great things.”

Jin Kyu Park makes a great point as well as a bold statement. Any immigrant or DACA recipients can accomplish great things for a country they love and all it takes is a chance. Facing immigration deportation comes at a cost of knowledge and success, in which the key of the American opportunity can unlock.

American opportunity is what can push a child into accomplishing great things, such as getting accepted into an Ivy League school or the most prestigious scholarship in the world. Ibrahim Law Office has worked with several DACA recipients achieving great things in the United States. These DACA holders include accountants, small business owners, business people, lawyers, and medical professionals.

If you have any questions regarding the current status on DACA qualifications and status, reach out to Ibrahim Law LLC immigration firm today to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one.

U.S. border security became a major public talking point when Donald Trump entered the race for the U.S. presidency. During Trump's election campaign, he emphasized the importance of building a wall along the United States-Mexico border to prevent immigrants with no lawful status from entering the country. Border security and unlawful immigration is still a point of contention today.

Soon after Trump won the election on November 8th, 2016, undocumented immigrants and their advocates grew concerned about their status and how the future administration would deal with them. At first, Trump proclaimed that Mexico would fund the wall’s construction. Trump hinted that tariffs and taxes would fund the project.

Today, the U.S.-Mexico border wall has come to the spotlight, as President Trump has partially “shutdown” the federal government as part of his ongoing negotiations of the border wall’s construction. This means that most deportation hearings will be cancelled and rescheduled until the federal budget is agreed upon.  This will only cause further delays in an already backlogged process.

The effect of a constructed border wall is questionable. Although a southern border wall will presumably make it more difficult to walk across the border, it does little to deter unlawful immigration smuggling and trafficking.

Human smugglers, or “coyotes,” are paid thousands of dollars to help bring non-citizens over the U.S.-Mexico border. These smugglers have decades of experience and are able to evade U.S. Customs officials who are unaware of the human capital they are transporting. Most of these smugglers are capable of transporting individuals through ports of entry and need not rely on walking over the border by land. The administration has yet to provide any evidence on how human smuggling and trafficking would be deterred or prevented by a “wall.”

To find out how enhanced border security or the pending government shutdown may effect your immigration case, reach out to Ibrahim Law Office, an immigration law firm, to schedule a consultation for yourself or a loved one.