As stated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), our country recognizes the right of asylum for qualified individuals who are fleeing persecution in other countries. Unfortunately, for those seeking asylum in the United States, the Trump Administration just made it much more difficult for victims of abuse and violence to get to safety…
Under the Trump Administration, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been using increasingly harsh, aggressive immigration enforcement tactics. Among other things, there have been reports that ICE has even started detaining people at courthouses. California lawmakers are now responding. A new bill, (Senate Bill 785), recently passed by the legislature, would provide major protections…
Last year, United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was cutting off grant money for certain ‘sanctuary cities’. The stated goal of the DOJ’s policy change was to force these jurisdictions to give up their sanctuary status in exchange for keeping their DOJ grant money. Several major U.S. cities,…
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…
In October of 2017, Governor Jerry Brown signed SB 54 into law. This legislation is also known as the California Values Act and it is sometimes more colloquially referred to as California’s ‘sanctuary state law. SB 54 provides critically important legal protections for immigrants and their families. Among other things, SB 54 restricts the amount…
On March 6th, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that the Trump Administration filed a lawsuit against California over certain state laws that were enacted to protect undocumented immigrants. Our law firm has discussed California’s so-called ‘sanctuary state laws’ in previous posts. While far from perfect, these laws do provide much needed protections for undocumented…
On February 27th, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a long-awaited opinion in the case of Jennings v. Rodriguez. Sadly, the Supreme Court’s decision delivers a serious blow to immigrant rights. The nation’s highest court has overturned a Ninth Circuit decision that established an end to indefinite detention in immigration facilities. In…
If you are familiar with United States law, or with many of the most popular American procedural TV dramas, you may be aware of the fact that you have a right to an attorney and if you cannot afford one, an attorney will be provided to you. These rights are granted under the Sixth Amendment…
On January 6th, 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported on the Trump Administration’s intentions to bring an end to Temporary Protected Status of approximately 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants. Currently, there is much confusion surrounding this abrupt and extremely unfortunate decision by the administration. In this article, our Los Angeles immigration lawyers seek to provide clarity regarding…
Southern California is known for being one of the friendliest regions in the United States for immigrants. As we have noted before, California has the most immigrants and the highest percentage of immigrants of any U.S. state. Additionally, the state has stood tall against the draconian actions of the Trump Administration by passing SB54, California’s…
