New York Legal Assistance Group’s Post

If Trump and his allies have it their way, armed troops and out-of-state law enforcement would likely blitz into communities — knocking on doors, searching workplaces and homes, and arbitrarily interrogating and arresting suspected undocumented immigrants. The dragnet would almost certainly ensnare US citizens, too. The nation’s undocumented immigrants grow and harvest the food we eat, construct our homes, and care for our young and elderly. They pay billions in taxes, start businesses that employ Americans, and help rebuild in the wake of climate disasters. Not only would Trump’s plan rip families and communities apart, but it also would have devastating effects for years to come, including on US citizens who perhaps have overlooked how integral undocumented immigrants are to their everyday life. Trump frames immigration as an existential threat to the United States. He has said immigrants are “taking our jobs,” are “not people,” and are “poisoning the blood of our country.” The reality is that if his plan were implemented, American life as we know it would be ruined—even for those cheering for mass deportation. #Immigration

“I don’t know if the intention is to be more difficult, but I think the effect definitely is,” said Salguero, who works for the Immigrant Legal Defense Center in Santa Maria, California. “I see folks who are coming to this country with valid asylum claims that most of the time are not able to articulate their claims.” Click here for the full story from Border Report: https://lnkd.in/gfnKQTKc #RationalMiddleImmigration #StoneyCreekPublishing #BorderReport #AsylumSeekers #ImmigrationLaw

Incomprehensible

What's happening: Former President Donald Trump has restated his intention to carry out what he pledged as a key campaign promise: initiating "the largest domestic deportation operation in American history." This could affect millions of American families, as approximately 1 in 25 U.S. households include undocumented immigrants. Trump's plan involves employing various enforcement agencies, possibly even the military, to compel undocumented immigrants to leave the country. Despite Trump's focus on recent border crossings, a significant portion of undocumented immigrants have long-standing ties to the United States. For example, about 20 million individuals reside in households with mixed immigration statuses. The potential mass deportation presents a dire situation where families could be separated, leaving some behind while others are forcibly removed. This rhetoric engenders widespread fear within immigrant communities, despite the questionable bureaucratic feasibility of such proposed https://brnw.ch/21wJAQc #LatinoBuzz

I can finally share an article I wrote for Narrative Initiative, an organization which collaborates, educates, and builds with change makers to challenge the power of harmful narratives through organizing, story, and research. The goal in writing this piece was to showcase the myriad ways in which families who were impacted by Zero Tolerance policy have used their lived experiences to advocate for justice not just for themselves but for the more than 5,000 families who were separated back in 2017 and 2018. On Friday, 12/8 a federal court has approved a historic settlement involving the American Civil Liberties Union’s years-long lawsuit on behalf of thousands of traumatized children and parents who were forcibly torn from each other under the Trump administration’s illegal zero-tolerance practice of separating families at the border. It's important to acknowledge that families have advocated for themselves not just through legal channels but also through the brave act of sharing their stories including many who participated in Separated: Stories of Injustice and Solidarity, an oral history project with parents and children impacted by Zero Tolerance. Here's a short excerpt from the article and you can click on the link to read the rest: "The oral histories with separated families document a historic human rights violation that has become a reference point for immigration policy and border enforcement. The families recognize themselves as protagonists of this history and believe the reckoning and the prevention of any future policies like the one that harmed them must begin with their experiences. The narrators shared their story because they want it to serve a purpose - they want family separation to never happen again to any family. This is the mandate almost all the parents repeated during our conversations. As one mother we interviewed stated, “I would be willing to tell my story a thousand times over because I don’t want this to happen again, especially with my people, people from other countries. We are human beings.” #AppliedOralHistory #LivedExperiences #Stories #Advocacy #SocialJustice #PolicyChange #OralHistory https://lnkd.in/dDRDKk5P

🚨 Trump’s plan to shut down the U.S.-Mexico border on Day One if he returns to the White House. But what does this mean for millions of lives? 🤔 Is America ready for the largest deportation operation in history? 🇺🇸 What happens when a border closes but 11 million undocumented immigrants remain? 🌍 Trump claims this bold move will bring “law and order” back to the nation… but at what cost? 💬 The former president isn’t just talking—he’s naming names and pointing fingers. Could this be the turning point? ⚠️ Is the border wall finally going to be completed, and what impact will it have on jobs, crime, and communities across the country? 🛑 Tap the link to see how Trump’s latest vow could reshape the entire immigration landscape. 💥 https://lnkd.in/gaUWBQeJ Follow us: CruxBuzz 🗞️ #Trump2024 #Immigration #BorderWall #USMexicoBorder #CruxBuzz #PoliticsNow

1 big thing: America warms to mass deportations Half of Americans — including 42% of Democrats — say they'd support mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, according to a new Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll. • 30% of Democrats — as well as 46% of Republicans — now say they'd end birthright citizenship, something guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. Why it matters: Americans are open to former President Trump's harshest immigration plans — amid a record surge of illegal border crossings, and persistent rhetoric from the right, Axios' Margaret Talev and Russell Contreras write. https://lnkd.in/eaxjbPDK

Love over fear. For decades, I have heard voices of fear cry out. Fear that immigrants are taking from us and we must deter them in any way possible from getting status. Years ago and led by fear, DHS imposed the unlawful presence bars which dealt severe punishments to those who may have entered without inspection or overstayed the exipration date on their entry document. These mistakes often lead to a bar of ten years that must be served abroad before legal permanent residence applications could be granted. This applied to immediate relatives of US citizens and all other categories. These unlawful presence bars rip apart and separate families and keep immigrants fearful about each day here in the US. The green card might be in sight for most, but with such an obstacle to overcome, it is a daunting process involving a long waiver application and years of waiting. Today, love won over fear as President Biden detailed plans for new executive actions that would allow spouses of US citizens a path to permanent residence and citizenship. He also plans to help DACA recipients with college degrees and job offers in important field like technology and engineering. These developments represent hope for so many and are a wonderful step forward for those living in limbo for years or even decades. More details to come. Always choose love over fear! Garvish Immigration Law Group, LLC #garvishimmigration #practicelawwithlove #happiestlawfirminamerica #loveoverfear #immigration #executiveactions

To work in the immigration legal profession, it requires you to hold two realities in your hands at once. The first--and perhaps more known--reality is an active engagement with the clients and cases that come before you. At Community Council of Idaho's Familias Unidas office, our practice is an expansive one. We take on cases involving green cards, DACA renewals, domestic violence, human trafficking, and naturalization (to name a few of many more). These past couple of weeks, working under the guidance of our accomplished paralegals, I have gained the skills necessary to traverse personal documents and (admittedly lengthy) federal forms to help our clients achieve their specific needs and help them along their unique immigration journeys. The second reality came as a greater surprise to me as a budding legal intern. To work in immigration law, especially in times like these, requires a constant adaptation to the policies and orders made at the level of the federal government. As the nation negotiates with itself the reach of legal protections for undocumented families--a critical first step in paving a stronger path to citizenship--offices like Familias Unidas chart a new legal field everyday. It is with immense gratitude that I get to work with this team and our incredible clients, as we all learn to chart a changing immigration reality together.

It seems that the Biden-Harris administration is making the parole tool the best way to introduce by fiat an “executive amnesty” for spouses of U.S. Citizens using the president’s executive order power, authorizing immigration agencies to issue parole in place to U.S. citizens’ spouses in order for them to apply for a green card. Many mix-status families have individuals who can’t adjust status after being living in the U.S. for many years. This policy strategy, seems to be the best option to keep the border security measures untouched, in order to keep at bay his right-wing critics within his own party. Executive Orders can be tricky, because they depend on his reelection to remain in place for longer time. We already know what happened with DACA, though. Yet, after United States v Texas it seems that it won’t violate constitutional separation of powers, an amnesty is still limited in time. Is a band aid, the system needs a deep reform, but if the EO is issued to grant parole to spouses as it was announced yesterday it could be life changing for many immigrants.