abramson IMMIGRATION+ SOLUTIONS Blog
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Breaking news from USCIS and DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson:

From our main offices in Manchester, New Hampshire, we have a front-row seat to the campaign for the presidential nomination in 2016.  Even though the primary is still eight months away, declared and undeclared candidates are streaming through the state, making speeches, holding events, shaking hands. Rumor has it that some are kissing babies, but we have not seen that personally.  And, while electing the next President of the United States is important for myriad reasons, the fate of comprehensive immigration reform is at the top of the list.

We have received notice from USCIS regarding additional options for all Nepalese citizens and nationals impacted by the earthquake.  See below  We remain committed to offering free case consultations to anyone affected by the devastation in Nepal, so do not hesitate to call us at +1-, or e-mail to [email protected].

“There is a saying in Tibetan, 'Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength.' No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster.” --Dalai Lama XIV

Despite hiccups in the implementation of President Obama's proposed Executive Action [see prior blog post here], 2015 has gotten off to a very busy start for us.

This is perhaps the most common - and most frustrating - inquiry we receive on a weekly basis.  Right now, after a short period of somewhat relaxed immigration enforcement, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) is pursuing undocumented individuals aggressively and relentlessly.  The scariest part of the process for concerned family members, employers, and friends is that they often do not even know how where the arrested person is being held.  Because of the mass numbers of detainees, and the frequency with which ICE moves them from one jail to another, DHS/ICE actually has an "inmate locator" link on its web site.  This link takes one to the ICE online inmate/detainee locator system, but users should bear in mind that the site is not always operational.  Therefore, contacting a local ICE field office may be the better bet.  A link of ICE field offices nationwide is available here.  

As we reported last month, United States District Judge Andrew S. Hanen issued a temporary injunction which has stopped portions of President Obama's Executive Action on immigration in its tracks. At this time, the Department of Homeland Security/USCIS has halted the plans while the Administration appeals the court's injunction and continues to defend the lawsuit in federal court in Brownsville, Texas. As of this writing, DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability) and the new DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) are on hold. USCIS cannot announce implementation dates while the injunction remains in effect.

February 18, 2015 was supposed to mark the implementation of one of the first phases of President Obama's Executive Action on immigration, as the newly-expanded Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was slated to go into effect.  However, late in the evening of February 16, 2015, a federal judge in Brownsville, Texas issued a 123-page order which effectively prevents the law from going into effect.  The judge was ruling on a lawsuit brought by Texas and twenty-four other states, presenting a number of legal claims, including that the suing states would be harmed economically by the President's plan, that the plan violates federal administrative law requirements, and that it exceeds executive constitutional authority. 

On November 20, 2014, President Obama announced the much awaited Executive Action on immigration. One of the most highly anticipated was DAPA (Deferred Action for Parental Accountability). DAPA offers deferral of removal/deportation by allowing people who have lived “under the radar” to come out into the open. Eligible applicants must meet all the requirements for DAPA (See our prior blog post for eligibility requirements).

This morning, I had the privilege of appearing on New Hampshire Public Radio's daily call-in show "The Exchange with Laura Knoy".  Every weekday, Laura and her producers pick a topic and convene one or more guests to discuss it.  Laura fires the questions and fields the listeners' calls, effectively keeping things civil, substantive, and on-topic.  The show's format does not allow for much direct guest-to-guest interaction, so - for better and for worse - The Exchange does not veer off into the realm of political debates or the high-volume shoutfests so prevalent on cable news and other talk radio networks.  As a listener, I very much appreciate how The Exchange fosters a reasonable discourse about important issues.  As a guest, though, there have been times that I have wanted to jump up and explain that another guest or caller is citing inaccurate information, or basing his/her opinion on faulty premises.