Client of the Month- May 2022- Lady!

Client of the Month- May 2022- Lady! Lady and her two boys! For our client of the month for May we have a perfect Client for Mother’s Day! Here we celebrate a woman who did what mothers do best- protect her children and create a better life for them. We are happy to share that Lady and her sons, Diego and Juan, were granted asylum! Ava Benach represented them before the immigration court in New York.

Client of the Month- March 2022- Azeb!

Client of the Month- March 2022- Azeb! Azeb and Dree Collopy We are happy to once again begin our client of the month series with a Dree Collopy victory! This month, we celebrate our client Azeb, who was granted asylum from Ethiopia after a long battle to obtain the safety in this country that she deserves. Azeb fled to the US after she had been wrongfully imprisoned in Ethiopia for standing up to government harm to journalists and political opponents.

A First Look at the Biden/Harris Immigration Bill

A First Look at the Biden/Harris Immigration Bill 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 provides a pathway to citizenship for 11 million undocumented people in the US, with priority for Dreamers, TPS holders and immigrant farmworkers.  The bill seeks to make more visas available and expand migration opportunities for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics graduates. 

Is USCIS really not processing green card applications?

Is USCIS really not processing green card applications? 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, we are going to try to piece together what it means.  In our opinion, it is not as nefarious as it seems, though it sure is bad. Let’s start with this basic premise: this administration is resolutely and completely anti-immigrant. 

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

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 States or who arrives in the United States (whether or not at a designated port of arrival and including an alien who is brought to the United States after having been interdicted in international or United States waters), irrespective of such alien’s status, may apply for asylum in accordance with this section or, where applicable section 235(b).

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

What is the Caravan and what should U.S. immigration authorities do with it? 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 150-200 members Caravan arrived at the U.S. border to request refuge in the United States.   When they got there, they were told that the U.S. was full.  There was not even a manger to house them.

Argument Recap from the Supreme Court- Jennings v. Rodriguez: The Mandatory Detention Case

This article originally appeared on Law360: https://www.law360.com/immigration/articles/972810/assessing-constitutional-constraints-on-immigrant-detention Starting in July 1999, Hoang Minh Ly, a refugee and permanent resident of the United States, spent 564 days in detention by U.S. immigration authorities who sought his removal to his native Vietnam.[i]  He was released from detention only after a U.S. District Court in September 2000 ordered that an immigration judge provide him with a bond hearing.  That order was the result of an August 1999 petition for a writ of habeas corpus filed by Ly. 

Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017

Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017 The Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017 I have been so lucky to get to know so many brave, hard-working, family-oriented, and generous people from all over the globe.  They all shared one thing in common: a willingness to take a chance to come to the U.S. to be the person they knew they were meant to be. -Ava Benach Description of Fellowship Surging violence against transgender and gender nonconforming communities worldwide continue to force a record number of individuals to seek protection at U.S.

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

Walls, DACA and Raids: What has happened in immigration since Trump's inauguration? 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 more difficult and challenging for immigrants, families and communities.  This has proven to be true, but not in all of the ways we anticipated.  In some areas, such as refugees and admission policies, the administration has been as bad as expected. 

Remember the St. Louis

Remember the St. Louis Today, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am thinking about the M.S. St. Louis.  In 1939, while war waged in Europe, the M.S. St. Louis, a transatlantic ship carrying Jewish refugees fleeing the Third Reich, reached U.S. waters by way of Hamburg and Havana.  Seeking protection from persecution and a safe place to start over with their families, these refugees hoped to be admitted to the United States of America.