Politics Archives - Benach Collopy

A First Look at the Biden/Harris Immigration Bill

January 20, 2021

Hours before he takes the oath of office, President-Elect Joe Biden released details of the immigration bill his administration will send to Congress. The fact sheet distributed by his office reveals a bold bill that...

Is USCIS really not processing green card applications?

June 14, 2020

Outstanding reporting by Tanvi Misra in Roll Call last week uncovered memos that state that U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Service has "stopped" processing applications for residence. While we have not seen the memos at issue,...

New Rule on Asylum at Southern Border Violates Letter and Spirit of Asylum Law

November 9, 2018

The law as passed by Congress is very clear as to who may seek asylum in the United States. Immigration & Nationality Act Section 208 states: Any alien who is physically present in the United...

Sessions Guts Asylum Protections

June 12, 2018

It’s another rough day to be an immigration attorney in America. Yesterday, a decision was issued that seriously undermines the ability of immigrants to seek asylum in this country. The administration is continuing its war...

What is the Caravan and what should U.S. immigration authorities do with it?

April 30, 2018

We have heard a lot about the "Caravan" of immigrants making its way north through Mexico from the Northern Triangle- El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala- of Central America. Once numbering over 1200 people, the remaining...

DACA is Back, Almost!

April 25, 2018

[caption id="attachment_3143" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Judge John D. Bates is a George W. Bush appointee on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.[/caption] DACA lives! Maybe? Yesterday, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that...

April 2018 Clients of Month Aldemar Segundo and Susan Matos

April 2, 2018

We are thrilled with our April 2018 Clients of the Month, Aldemar Segundo and Susan Matos Segundo. Aldemar became a permanent resident in March 2018 and can live securely with his U.S. citizen wife, Susan,...

Against “Illegal” Immigration But in Favor of “Legal” Immigration? We Knew You Were Lying All Along

January 7, 2018

Nearly every discussion I have with someone who is opposed to immigration eventually includes my opponent saying something like this: "I am not against immigration. I am against illegal immigration. I have no problem if...

Moving Uptown

December 20, 2017

What a year! 2017 will go down as one of the weirdest years we can remember. And for all the terrible news, we will remember this year as one of tremendous change and growth. On...

TPS Honduras se ha extendido

December 15, 2017

El TPS para los ciudadanos de Honduras se ha extendido por 6 meses. El Departamento de Seguridad a la Patria/ Department of Homeland Security, anunció hoy que ha extendido el Estatus de Protección Temporal (TPS)...

TPS for Honduras Extended for 6 Months

December 15, 2017

[caption id="attachment_3054" align="aligncenter" width="960"] TPS for Honduras is extended for six months.[/caption] The Department of Homeland Security announced today that it has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for citizens of Honduras for a period...

DACA: Some Venting and Some Solutions

September 11, 2017

Of all the stupid, dirty, slimy, no-good, treasonous, villainous, putrid, double-crossing treachery, low life, vengeful, mean-spirited, spiteful, nasty, pin-headed, pathetic, weak, ugly, traitorous, short-sighted, weak-kneed, unbecoming, dumb, awful, smelly, vile, cruel, vicious, unjustifiable, illogical, unfriendly,...

Intern Week! Lily Talks Iowa Politics

July 18, 2017

Immigration in Iowa: Countering Dominant Narratives by Lily Hamilton* *Lily Hamilton is an intern at Benach Collopy where she works on asylum issues, LGBT immigration issues, and the fine art of satisfying the Immigration Court...

What is going on with DACA?

July 13, 2017

The future of President Obama's program,Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) is the subject of intense speculation and even more significant anxiety. Worry over the fate of the program increased significantly this week after Secretary...

Walls, DACA and Raids: What has happened in immigration since Trump’s inauguration?

March 16, 2017

Back in November, we made some predictions about what might occur in a Trump presidency as it relates to immigration. Generally, we were very pessimistic and presumed that almost all areas of immigration would become...