Immigration Benefits and Relief
The immigration laws and regulations provide some avenues to apply for lawful status from within the U.S. or to seek relief from deportation. The eligibility requirements for these benefits and relief can be stringent, and the immigration agencies often adopt overly restrictive interpretations of the requirements. Learn about advocacy and litigation that has been and can be undertaken to ensure that noncitizens have a fair chance to apply for the benefits and relief for which they are eligible. Providing avenues for legal status, protection, and family reunification is vital to ensuring humanitarian protection for immigrants. We are leading policy changes that open more opportunities like asylum, visas for victims of crime or human trafficking, and relief for long-term residents. Explore the resources below to learn more.
House Approves DHS Funding With Anti-Immigration Executive Action Amendments
The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved the $39.7 billion funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security, including five amendments that attacked parts of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The 236-191 vote for the spending measure passed… Read More
Top Five Immigration Stories of 2014
This year, the narrative on immigration swung from hope that the House of Representatives would follow the Senate’s lead and act on comprehensive immigration reform legislation to hopelessness when Republican leaders refused to act. Then attention turned to anticipation of the President’s announcement of temporary executive actions to… Read More
How New Guidance Improves a Waiver Program to Limit Family Separations
When President Obama announced his executive actions on immigration in November, much of the focus was on the new temporary immigration protections, namely the deferred action programs (called DACA and DAPA). Of all of the announced reforms, DACA and DAPA certainly will affect the greatest number of people, with… Read More
Five Things to Know About Deportation Relief for Some Immigrant Parents
The most impactful component of President Obama’s Immigration Accountability Executive Action will be the creation of a new program designed to offer deportation reprieves and work authorization to undocumented parents of U.S. citizens and green card holders who pass a background check and meet other requirements. Here are… Read More
American Immigration Council Executive Director, Ben Johnson Comments on Executive Action
Washington D.C. – Ben Johnson, Executive Director of the American Immigration Council offers the following quotes on the policies released yesterday by the Obama Administration: What this all means: “After decades of congressional neglect, President Obama took a crucial and courageous step toward reforming our immigration system. Read More
DHS Grants Temporary Protected Status for Immigrants from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone
Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson announced today that he has designated Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for the next 18 months because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This 18-month protected status means that eligible citizens from these three countries will… Read More
Third Federal Court Rejects Government Interpretation of ‘Admission’ into U.S.
This week, the federal district court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) granted Melvin Medina—a Honduran citizen who entered the United States without inspection on October 9, 1992—Temporary Protected Status (TPS), it “inspected and admitted” him for purposes of adjustment… Read More
President’s Executive Actions on Immigration Should Spur Congressional Action
Washington D.C. – From the perspective of immigration reformers, Tuesday’s election is unlikely to change the gridlock that has stymied immigration reform for more than 15 years. Since at least 1998, there has been bipartisan agreement that our current immigration system is broken and that Congress must act to fix… Read More
Plan That Allows DREAMers to Serve in Military Limited
Only a small number of undocumented immigrants could serve in the military after the Obama administration last week announced that young immigrants who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) can apply through the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program. The military has used MAVNI since… Read More
Conservative Lawmakers Double Down on Deporting DREAMers and Limiting Deferred Action
Before adjourning for their summer recess a month ago, the House passed a partisan supplemental spending bill that had no hope of making it through the Senate. First, it did not provide anywhere near what the White House was requesting in order to deal with the crisis of… Read More
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