Friday, January 24, 2014

Is Immigration Reform Still Possible?

Contributed by Melanie Corrin, Senior Attorney

2013 was thought by many immigration practitioners to be the year of comprehensive immigration reform.  After months of effort, thousands of pages of writing, a well debated and passed Senate bill, and then…nothing.  Comprehensive immigration reform stalled in the House of Representatives and a New Year began without reform.  Now, as we settle into the second half of the current Congress, last year’s events have many wondering whether the desperately needed reforms will come to fruition.  The answer is, it can, and it needs to.  There has never been a time when it is more clear that our nation’s immigration laws need to change,  need to catch up to the realities of our global economy and global society, need to recognize that businesses, families, schools, enterprise, and the nation all depend on immigrants.  Keep your eye trained towards the Joseph Law Firm blog and website for the most current and up to date information on immigration reform!  Hopefully 2014 will be the year!      

USCIS Announces: Evidence of a Criminal Record is Not Automatic Grounds for Denial of A Provisional Waiver

Contributed by Amber Blasingame, Associate Attorney

On January 24, 2014, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services posted long-awaited guidance on the application of the “reason to believe” ineligibility standard for provisional waivers of unlawful presence. USCIS has agreed that evidence of a criminal record is not grounds for an automatic rejection or denial of a provisional waiver.

Approval of a provisional waiver only “forgives” an applicant’s unlawful presence in the United States. If the only ground of inadmissibility is unlawful presence, then an applicant may apply for a provisional waiver prior to attending her immigrant visa interview at a US Consulate outside of the United States.  However, an applicant who may be subject to any other grounds of inadmissibility, such as certain criminal convictions, is ineligible for a provisional waiver. Applicants who may be eligible for a waiver of unlawful presence, but may also need additional waivers, must apply for the waivers at the US Consulate at the time of the immigrant visa interview and remain outside of the United States until USCIS adjudicates the waiver applications.

Since the executive order became effective on March 4, 2013, USCIS has applied a hardline approach and rejected or denied many applicants for provisional waivers with any criminal record, minor or otherwise, and even applications with evidence of minor traffic citations. In almost all cases, USCIS denied these applications without so much as a Notice of Intent to Deny which would have provided an applicant the opportunity to prove a prior offense would not subject the applicant “to grounds of inadmissibility other than unlawful presence at the time of the immigrant visa interview.”

The agency’s hardline approach on provisional waivers was almost immediately challenged by immigration legal practitioners and advocates. Eventually, USCIS suspended adjudication of any provisional waiver pending with a criminal record to reconsider its approach.

The field guidance issued by US Citizenship and Immigration Services to examining officers instructs officers to “review all evidence in the record, including any evidence submitted by the applicant or the attorney of record,” to determine if an applicant, with or without a criminal record, may be subject to other grounds of inadmissibility. If the criminal offense “falls within the ‘petty offense’ or ‘youthful offender” exception OR “is not a CIMT [Crime Involving Moral Turpitude] . . . , then USCIS officers should not find a reason to believe that the individual may be subject to inadmissibility . . . solely on account of that criminal offense.”

Baby, Baby, Baby, Nooooo!!! Petition to White House to Deport The Biebs?

Contributed by Aaron Hall, Senior Attorney

Justin Bieber, a Canadian citizen, is in trouble with the law here in the U.S. for the second time this month.  First, officials in California searched his home in an investigation into $20,000 of damage to a neighbor’s home done with eggs (that is either a lot of eggs or a really fragile home).

Now, in Florida, Bieber was arrested and charged with drunk driving, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license after police officers found him drag racing on the streets of Miami at 4 a.m.  Bieber also reportedly admitted to drug use that night in statements to police.

Bieber is currently in the United States on a nonimmigrant O-1 visa.  Speculation has started in the media about whether the criminal charges case could lead to his deportation.  In fact, a petition is being circulated for submission to the White House requesting that he be deported for “threatening the safety of our people” and being “a terrible influence on our nation’s youth.”  If the petition receives over 100,000 signatures, the White House will offer an official response.

The government could charge Bieber with being deportable for having committed a crime involving moral turpitude for a conviction for resisting arrest depending on what he is sentenced to and what the maximum sentence is.  If he were convicted of a drug offense, the chances of becoming deportable would be even greater.  Even if he is not put into deportation proceedings, any convictions and his confessions to illegal drug use will be taken into account when immigration officials make decisions on future applications for visas and other immigration benefits.  If Bieber thinks his celebrity status guarantees that immigration officials will him slide, he would do well to read up on the late Amy Winehouse’s experience with U.S. immigration officials.  Winehouse was denied a visa to enter the U.S. to perform at the Grammy awards after being questioned about drug abuse. Bieber could be headed for a similar fate if he continues on the current path.


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Noncitizens with Legal Documents Face Danger at DMV

Contributed by Aaron Hall, Senior Attorney

One of the first things that many noncitizens want to do after getting immigration status is to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and get their driver’s licenses.  Unfortunately, for more and more noncitizens, the simple process of trying to get a driver’s license can end up leading to felony criminal charges and deportation.

The process, which seems to be happening more and more often, generally goes something like this:  A noncitizens who has previously applied for or obtained a license or ID under a fake name gets legitimate immigration status or work authorization from Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  When he takes his legitimate documents to apply for a license, the DMV matches the person to the previous attempt to get a license under a fake name.  The match to the previous application for a license with false information is generally made through fingerprints or through facial recognition software.  Then, DMV will just let the applicant know that there is an issue and “invite” them to come back in for a meeting with an investigator to discuss the matter.  At that meeting, an officer will try to get the noncitizen to confess to fraudulently trying to get an ID in the past.  After the confession, an arrest soon follows.

Noncitizens can be charged with multiple felonies on these cases, including the attempt to influence a public official, forgery, criminal impersonation, and identity theft.  After the arrest, the information is turned over to immigration officials to be used against the noncitizen in deportation proceedings.  Convictions for these charges can have devastating immigration consequences.

The bottom line is that noncitizens applying for their licenses must know that information they give officers at the DMV can be used against them to support serious criminal charges.  Any noncitizen who has ever applied for an ID by giving any false information must be especially careful and should seek qualified immigration and criminal defense counsel before applying for a driver’s license.  If the noncitizen finds himself in a situation where he is being questioned about past applications, he should request the opportunity to consult with a lawyer and invoke his right to remain silent.