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. 

Moving Uptown

Moving Uptown 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 December 22, 2017, we will officially occupy our new office space at 4530 Wisconsin Avenue.  While it is hard to leave downtown Washington DC, driving past the White House has lost nearly all of its charm this year. 

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. 

Intern Week! Lily Talks Iowa Politics

Intern Week! Lily Talks Iowa Politics 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 Practice Manual.   I stumbled across an article awhile back on the New York Times site that sparked my interest. As a native Iowan, naturally any article from the Times mentioning my home state would give me pause.

Whitman Walker Health Presents Ava Benach with Fenner Award for Public Service

Whitman Walker Health Presents Ava Benach with Fenner Award for Public Service   Earlier this month, Ava Benach received the Fenner Award for Public Service from Whitman Walker Health Legal Services.  She got it for doing what she does best– winning cases! The award recognizes the unique relationship that Benach Collopy has formed with Whitman Walker Health.  Whitman Walker Health is the premier health care provider serving the LGBT community in Washington DC.  Since its founding in the early days of the HIV crisis, WWH has expanded its services to provide more holistic assistance to its community. 

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. 

¿Cómo los inmigrantes pueden prepararse para la administración de Trump?

La semana pasada compartimos lo que puede pasar de primeras durante la presidencia de Trump. No era nuestra meta ser alarmistas, pero tenemos indicios que Trump no se está haciendo para atrás con sus horribles ideas inmigratorias. Su elevación del restriccionista Kris Kobach, el arquitecto de tantas terribles iniciativas y leyes antiinmigrante, demuestra que Trump pretende mantener sus promesas de campaña sobre inmigración. Basado a nuestra asesoría de lo que puede pasar, aquí les compartimos consejos prácticos que usted puede seguir preparándose para la administración de Trump la cual comienza el 20 de enero del 2017.

How Immigrants Can Prepare for the Trump Administration

Last week, we discussed what might happen early on in a Trump presidency.  It was not our goal to sound alarmist, but early indications are that Trump is not backing down on his awful immigration ideas.  His elevation of restrictionist Kris Kobach, the architect of so many terrible anti-immigrant laws and initiatives, demonstrates that Trump intends to keep his campaign promises on immigration.  Based upon our assessment of what is likely to come, here are some practical tips that you can follow to prepare for the Trump administration, which takes office on January 20, 2017.

About Adam Crapser and his Deportation

About Adam Crapser and his Deportation I have heard from a lot of people expressing outrage over the fate of Adam Crapser, the Korean adoptee who was ordered deported earlier this week.  I get and share the outrage and would like to help channel the outrage into an increased awareness of the many failures this case represents. If you have not seen the adorable photos of Adam as a young boy or holding his infant child, a brief summary.