Immigration and Customs Enforcement: U.S. plans raids to deport families who surged across border

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Multiple news agencies have reported that the Department of Homeland Security is planning nationwide raids aimed at deporting adults and children who have already been ordered removed by an immigration judge. 

More information at the link below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-plans-raids-to-deport-families-who-surged-across-border/2015/12/23/034fc954-a9bd-11e5-8058-480b572b4aae_story.html

 

 

New York vows to aid immigrants

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In a speech on Monday, December 14, both New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and New York City mayor Bill de Blasio vowed to defend immigrants in New York. Speaking at the National Immigrant Integration Conference in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Cuomo and Mr. de Blasio announced a plan to aid immigrants by providing financial assistance to community organizations which provide free legal assistance to the immigrant community. 

 http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/12/15/nyregion/new-york-city-to-aid-immigrants-amid-stalled-national-reforms.html?mwrsm=LinkedIn&_r=0&referer=http://lnkd.in

 

Bill enhancing Visa Waiver Program passes in the House

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On Tuesday, December 8, 2015, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill which places restrictions on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Generally, the VWP allows citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for 90 days or less without a visa. This bill prohibits anyone who has travelled to Iraq, Syria, Iran and Sudan within the last five (5) years from participating in the Visa Waiver Program, among other measures meant to tighten security measures in wake of the Paris terror attacks. 

 http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/house-passes-bill-enhancing-security-of-72002/

 

Penalties (time bars) for unlawful presence in the United Sates

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Generally, the term "unlawful presence" in the United States refers to time spent in the United States after an unlawful entry or visa overstay.

The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) punishes people who have stayed in the United States unlawfully, or accumulated unlawful presence in the United States, by barring those persons from re-entering the United States if they leave and attempt to return legally. The length of the person's bar depends on the length of time he/she remained unlawfully in the United States.

In general, the time bars for unlawful presence in the United States are as follows:

* If you accrue unlawful presence of more than 180 continuous days but less than one year, but you leave before any official, formal removal procedures (i.e. deportation) are begun against you, you will be barred from reentering the United States for a period of three years.

* If you accrue unlawful presence of more than 365 continuous days, then leave prior to any deportation or other formal procedures being started against you, you will be subsequently barred from reentering the United States for a period of ten years.

* If you accrue unlawful presence of more than one year total (in the aggregate, not necessarily continuous), or are ordered removed (deported) from the U.S., and then subsequently enter or attempt to enter without inspection (for example, are smuggled across the border), you will be permanently barred from the U.S., -- possibly for your entire life, though after ten years, you can request special permission to apply for a visa or green card.