Virtual Office Attorney

What was missing during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address Tuesday night? I believe one of his biggest omissions was a credible commitment to border security and immigration reform.

via www.mysanantonio.com

I respectfully disagree with Senator Cornyn (my representative in the U.S. Senate) on many issues.

However, I agree that the country needs President Obama's courageous leadership on immigration. I say courageous, because of the complexity and emotions tied into the issue that affects many.

Mr. Obama -- Please the country needs immigration reform -- NOW.

Editor's note: Daniel Altschuler is a Copeland Fellow at Amherst College in Massachusetts and doctoral candidate in Politics at the University of Oxford. He has written recent pieces on the politics of immigration reform for Americas Quarterly.

via edition.cnn.com

This is a concise explanation of what the DREAM Act proposes and why.

Also, why it is useful to any political candidate to tread carefully with regard to any issue important to Latinos. Especially Latinos that have the desire and ability to vote.

Senator Harry Reid, the Democratic majority leader fighting to hold his seat in Nevada, said on a taped television appearance on Sunday he planned to bring legislation that would create a path for some illegal immigrants to gain legal status to a vote in the post-election session of Congress.

via thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com

This may be Mr. Reid's best change to get re-elected tomorrow. Note bringing it up for a vote is a LONG way from getting legislation passed.  

Dear Mr. President,

via www.huffingtonpost.com

All I can say is WOW!. Brought to the states at age 3. Later deported, even though a green card was available. This family is really suffering.

Please call or write your Member of Congress (US representative) or Senator to support a path to legalization for undocumented aliens who are in college or serving in the military.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged Congress to pass a long-shot immigration measure that would give legal status to undocumented young people who attend college or join the military, saying it would be a boon for the nation.

via www.cqpolitics.com

More support for the undocumented aliens to have a path to legalization if they serve in the military or attend college for two years.

Thanks Mr. Duncan

PHOENIX – The U.S. Justice Department is filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Arizona's new law targeting illegal immigrants, setting the stage for a clash between the federal government and state over the nation's toughest immigration crackdown.

via news.yahoo.com

This is long overdue action by the US government. Immigration laws made and approved by the federal branch of the government are the SUPREME LAW of the land. NOT state and local governments creating laws in response to their (understandable) frustration of the lack of action by the feds on the immigration issue.

For those of you who have not been to law school and studied the constitution, the doctrine that supports this is called the Supremacy Clause. Federal areas where this doctirne applies include: immigration, taxation, patent laws, etc. Otherwise, there would be no consistency in the areas of regulation that area reserved for the federal government exclusivity.

Fee Increase for Immigration Papers Proposed - NYTimes.com.

Some fees are proposed to go up:  application for legal permanent residency (green card), application for employment authorization, and fingerprinting and biometric fees.

On the other hand, some fees are proposed to go down: fees for temporary immigrants to become permanent residents. 

Maine Business Is Shut Without a Renewed Visa - NYTimes.com.

An example of business -owning, tax-paying, law-abiding, English-speaking immigrants who HAVE followed USA's laws, who can't get their E-2 visas renewed.

Now that the business is closed, there will be some effect to the local economy.  This includes the lost jobs for the waiters the business employed.  Indirectly, lost business for the vendors the business purchased supplies from.

What about immigration reforms for these folks too?

According to the Department of Homeland Security, all removals to Haiti are effectively halted.

Although recently rejected for Haitians, this most recent natural disaster may also have effect on those immigrants seeking TPS status in the United States. 

DHS: Statement by Deputy Press Secretary Matt Chandler.

Folk who think you've fooled the USCIS with a fake marriage pay attention to the following paragraph from the article below:

But authorities aren't done with their investigation. They are now trying to track down the scores of immigrants who used sham marriages to obtain permanent residency.

USCIS is looking for the immigrants so that they can remove their green card status.  Worst case scenario, I'm seeing deportation in some immigrants future.

Why....so much time has passed?  The immigrants have their green cards.  Can't we let bygones be bygones?

The law says anyone who fraudulent receives some immigration benefit (green card, citizenship, etc.) can have it taken away.  For example, if you marry someone to get a green card and later on divorce them.  Later you re-marry and help that person get a green card.  All could lose their status. 

Best course of action if you are tempted to marry to get a green card -- Just don't do it! 

Feds: Texas green card scam was all in the family | Houston & Texas News | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle.