Immigration officials will soon be answering to a new boss. John Morton, the director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced on Monday that he will be stepping down from his current position at the end of July. ICE is an agency of the Department of Homeland Security that deals with enforcing immigration …
Virginia Senator Gives Floor Speech in Spanish
The Senate Immigration Reform bill, S.744, has been a hot topic of conversation this week since passing its first vote, early this week. Journalists and people on social media have been buzzing about new amendments, controversies, and who supports what. Perhaps one of the most interesting events on the Senate floor, however, was a speech …
Connecticut to Limit Involvement in Secure Communities
Connecticut legislature has passed a bill that will limit the state’s participation in the Secure Communities program and protect immigrants from deportation. The federal Secure Communities program is a nationwide legal program that has local police detain witnesses and victims of crimes. Last year, a New Haven resident, Josemaria Islas, was arrested for stealing a …
Florida Governor Vetoes Driver License Bill
So far, we have seen many positive changes in immigration law in the year 2013. The national Comprehensive Immigration Reform is currently being debated on the Senate floor, but the states are also beginning to take certain immigration matters into their own hands. One of these matters is driver licenses. Here in Connecticut, for example, …
Connecticut Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Residents
CT Driver’s Licenses for Undocumented Residents While Washington discusses a national Immigration Reform, Connecticut and many other states are passing their own immigration laws, as well. On Thursday morning, the Connecticut Senate endorsed a bill that will allow undocumented workers to obtain a special driver’s license. It is expected that Governor Malloy will sign the …
Immigration Scam Email – Ignore it!
If you receive an email that reads: “You have been selected as one of the lucky winners of the US Visa,” ignore it. This is a scam. This particular email claims it is part of an email lottery visa program, gives you a case number, and promises a 10 year visa for you and your …
Notary Fraud Bill Passed in The House
Last month, HB 5513 was passed in the Connecticut House of Representatives and was placed on the calendar to be considered in the Senate. If passed, the act will help make sure “Notarios” do not offer legal assistance with immigration matters or mislead people into believing they can offer certain legal services that only attorneys …
President Obama Signs Deferred Action into Law
Obama’s New Deferred Action Law Gives New Hope to Children of Illegal Immigrants On Friday, June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced an Executive Order granting, what is called Deferred Action, to young immigrant students. Essentially, it provides immediate relief to eligible young immigrants, often identified as “DREAMers”, who were brought into the United States …
What’s Next for Comprehensive Immigration Reform?
The Senate Judiciary Committee spent the last week debating over 200 amendments of the Immigration Reform Bill, finally, passing the bill out of the committee yesterday with 13-5 bipartisan vote. S.744 the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act will be discussed on the Senate floor early this June. This is a wonderful achievement …
Senate Immigration Bill Faces Opposition
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform is finally addressing many issues in immigration law that need to change. As with all reforms, however, it has challengers who oppose the changes. Today, Monday, May 20, a labor union representing 12,000 immigration officers is planning to publicly oppose the immigration plan, claiming that the bill fails to take into …
Some in Connecticut Question DREAM Act’s Legality
In Advance of the DREAM Act, Some Connecticut Authorities State their Qualms In May 2011, Connecticut passed the DREAM ACT, a piece of legislation that allows undocumented students who graduated from a Connecticut High School to attend a State university and pay the in-state rate. Supporters of the bill called it “common sense” (Governor Daniel …
2013 Immigration Reform: Senate Compromise Leaks Give Hints
Maybe it isn’t 2007 after all? For those of us who followed the vicious debate over immigration reform the last time it was discussed in Congress, the attitude about the current discussions about immigration reform tends to be a “wait and see” attitude. Yet, there have been leaks about the provisions that will be included …
