On January 14th, 2021, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) issued an emergency press release highlighting the story of a North Carolina man who is scheduled for deportation because of an obscure, racially discriminatory quirk of U.S. immigration law. Kelvin Silva, a 44-year-old man from Charlotte, is currently in ICE custody and faces imminent deportation …
READ MOREGovernor Newsom Pardons Ten Immigrants, May Help Spare Them From Facing Deportation for Decades-Old Offenses
According to a report from KTLA 5, California Governor Gavin Newsom recently pardoned ten immigrants convicted of decades-old criminal offenses. In doing so, he may help to spare them from being deported from the United States. The immigrants were identified as ‘at-risk’ by state authorities. Notably, the pardons were issued as part of a larger …
READ MOREAmid COVID-19 Pandemic, ICE Launches Major Immigration Raid in Los Angeles
On September 4th, 2020, the Los Angeles Times reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested and detained more than 300 people in a month-long operation across Southern California. The raids occurred despite the fact that Los Angeles County was being hit hard by COVID-19 over the summer. Undocumented immigrants swept up in the …
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READ MOREDHS and ICE Tried to Block a New Netflix Documentary—Film Shows the Banal Horror of the Deportation Bureaucracy
On August 3rd, 2020, the documentary ‘Immigration Nation’ premiered on Netflix. From directors Shaul Schwarz and Christina Clusiau, the film is a six-part miniseries that examines our country’s deportation bureaucracy and the terrible and traumatizing effect that it has on vulnerable people and their families. According to a report from The New York Times, the …
READ MORESupreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Continue So-Called ‘Expedited Removals’
On June 25th, 2020, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the Trump Administration and against immigrant rights in the case of Department of Homeland Security v. Thuraissigiam. As a consequence of the decision, tens of thousands of asylum-seekers will have relatively little recourse to challenge a ‘fast-tracked’ deportation order. In …
READ MORETrump Administration is Pushing Another Round of Immigration Fee Hikes—It Could Cost More than $1,000 to Appeal a Deportation Order
According to a report from The New York Times, the Trump Administration is once against pushing sharp increases in immigration fees—dramatically increasing the costs of certain court filings. If they go into effect, the changes could put a deep financial strain on vulnerable immigrants. In some cases, the fees could make it cost prohibitive for …
READ MOREHundreds of Parents Who Were Deported Without Their Kids May Be Eligible to Return to the United States—But Immigration Advocates are Struggling to Find Them
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News
In January, nine migrant parents who were unlawfully deported from the United States without their children made a historic return to the country. The group—which was made up of eight fathers and one mother—was greeted by family and well-wishers when they arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the middle of the night. They …
READ MOREWhat to Do If You Received a Notice to Appear (NTA) Without a Date, Time, or Location
A Notice to Appear (NTA) is an official document that states that the United States government is initiating removal proceedings against an immigrant. If you received one, you will be instructed to appear in immigration court. However, shockingly, ICE has not always told people the date and time of their court date within their NTA. …
READ MOREICE Raids in Los Angeles Delayed — Everyone Should Know their Rights
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Immigration Tips, Los Angeles
In recent weeks, the Trump Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have discussed immigration raids targeted at sanctuary cities. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, the immigration raids on Los Angeles have been temporarily delayed. However, these raids, or other large-scale federal immigration enforcement operations could still be coming to California. At …
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READ MOREFederal Appeals Court Cancels Deportation Order for Immigrant Who Was Unlawfully Detained in Los Angeles Raid
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Immigration Tips, Los Angeles
According to a story published in the Los Angeles Times, a federal appeals court has cancelled the deportation order for a man who was unlawfully detained in a 2008 ICE raid at a Los Angeles manufacturing worksite. A three-member panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals determined that federal immigration officers violated U.S. law …
READ MOREReport: U.S. Government is Deporting Victim of Terrorism
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Los Angeles
According to reporting from The New Yorker, the United States government is using a provision in an anti-terror law as grounds for deporting a victim of terrorism. It is a shocking and gutwrenching story that demonstrates just how difficult it is to apply for asylum in this country. Here, our deportation lawyer summarizes the disturbing account …
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READ MOREReport: ICE Violating Its Own Policy, Deporting Veterans Without Checking Their Service Status
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Immigration Tips, Los Angeles
According to reporting from The Washington Post, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been deporting American veterans without ever reviewing their service status. This is taking place despite an internal agency policy that requires federal immigration agents to consider a veteran’s military records before initiating the deportation process. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has …
READ MOREFederal Appeals Court: Immigrants Can Still Be Deported for Pre-2016 Marijuana Offenses in California
In November of 2016, California residents voted in favor of the state’s recreational marijuana bill, Proposition 64, by a margin of 57 to 43. On January 1st, 2018, it became legal — at the state level — for people over the age of 21 in California to possess and use small amounts of marijuana. In …
READ MORELos Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Announces that it Will Not Participate in New ICE Detention Program
According to reporting from NBC Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has officially announced that it will not participate in the federal government’s newly released Warrant Service Officer Program. The program, which was unveiled earlier this week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), seeks to give local law enforcement agencies the power …
READ MORELong-Time U.S. Resident and Mother of Four Helped Prosecutors Put a Rapist in Jail; She Was Still Deported By ICE
According to reporting from The Nation, a 39-year-old mother from Michigan was deported to Mexico after nearly two decades in the United States. What makes this story especially heart wrenching is that she worked directly with American law enforcement by testifying against the man who sexually assaulted her, which helped prosecutors obtain a conviction and …
READ MOREAs Government Shutdown Persists, Hundreds of Thousands Face Immigration Delays
On December 22nd, 2018, the Trump Administration took the federal government into a partial shutdown. In its desire to get money for the ‘the wall’ — which Mexico has not and will never pay for — the administration brought the government to a halt. As the shutdown continues beyond the holiday season, many people are …
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READ MOREMotion to Reopen a Removal Order: Four Things You Need to Know
Under the Trump Administration, federal immigration officers are ramping up deportations. According to data published by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency conducted more than 225,000 removals from the country in the 2017 fiscal year alone. If a deportation order was issued against you, there may still be legal options available. In some cases, …
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READ MOREJeff Sessions Imposes Limits on Immigration Judges’ Ability to Dismiss Deportation Cases
The latest anti-immigrant policy to come out of the Trump Administration is a particularly pernicious one. On September 19th, 2018, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a new policy that will further restrict the authority that immigration judges have to dismiss deportation cases. According to reporting from Reuters, Jeff Sessions has ruled that immigration …
READ MOREWhat is the Flores Settlement?
asylum, Deportation, Immigration Law
For several weeks the Trump Administration has falsely blamed ‘the law’ for its immoral decision to separate families at the southern border. Some administration officials have also pointed to the 1997 Supreme Court case of Flores v. Reno (also known as the ‘Flores settlement’) as a reason why family separation occurred. Once again this is …
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READ MORESupreme Court Strikes Down Portion of Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) as ‘Unconstitutionally Vague’
On April 17th, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States struck down a key portion of federal immigration law. In the case of Sessions v. Dimaya, the nation’s highest court ruled (5-4) that a portion of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is too vague to be enforced, and thus is in violation of …
READ MOREHow Do You Appeal a Deportation Order in Los Angeles, California
Unfortunately, many people are deported from California on illegitimate grounds every year. Often, those facing removal have immigration options available that they have not yet exercised. If you or a family member is facing deportation in Los Angeles, you need to take immediate action. It is highly recommended that you seek guidance from an experienced …
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READ MOREA Portrait of the High Cost of Deportation
On December 12th, 2017 The Guardian published a heartbreaking portrait of a woman who was deported from the United States after living in Los Angeles County for more than 25 years. Luz María Hernández, originally from Guerrero, Mexico, a southern state that has been rocked by violence related to the drug trade, was detained by …
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READ MOREIs ICE Targeting ‘Sanctuary Cities’ for Enforcement?
Deportation, Immigration News, Los Angeles
On September 29th, 2017, Mercury News reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently arrested at least 498 people in a four-day national immigration sweep. This is a sudden and very concerning increase in immigration enforcement action. Once again, it is another highly public action taken by the agency in an effort to intimidate …
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READ MOREDACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals): How to Protect it and Why You Should
Deportation, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Immigration Tips, Los Angeles
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (or DACA, as it is more commonly known) is a policy that lets those who came into the country as children get access to a (renewable) two-year reprieve from potential deportation. Unfortunately, the Trump Administration has been openly hostile to the continuation of this vitally important program. As …
READ MORECan Immigrants Seek Asylum in a Church to Avoid Deportation?
More than ever, immigrants in the Los Angeles area worry that they may face deportation. Being removed or deported from the United States would have very serious consequences, breaking a person up from their friends, families and their home. Many people have turned to their churches as a potential sanctuary from potential deportation. A Woman …
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