Obama al rescate….o no?

En las semanas después de que el gobierno anuncio su plan para las cortes de inmigración, yo he recibido muchísimas llamadas telefónicas de personas que quieren saber cómo les afectara. La prensa ha hablado mucho sobre este anuncio, y desafortunadamente no ha reportado correctamente. Notarios, “consultantes de inmigración” y abogados sin escrúpulos ahora están en una posición de tomar ventaja sobre nuestra población vulnerable. Permítame entonces escribir unas cuantas palabras sobre el anuncio y quienes serán afectados.

El 18 de agosto la Jefa del departamento de Seguridad Interna escribió una carta a un miembro del Congreso influyente, describiéndole el plan que el gobierno de Presidente Obama va a implementar para aliviar el estrés sobre el sistema de cortes de inmigración en el país. En la actualidad, hay más que 300,000 casos de inmigración pendientes en las cortes de inmigración en los estados unidos. La Jefa dijo que está mandando que haya una revisión de todos estos casos pendientes para determinar cuáles casos son de “baja prioridad.” Ella hizo énfasis sobre las personas quienes hubieron calificado para una visa bajo el DREAM Act si el Congreso lo hubiera aprobado.

En breve, bajo el propuesto DREAM Act, jóvenes quienes fueron llevados a los estados unidos como niños, quienes se han graduado del colegio, no tienen antecedentes criminales, y están asistiendo la universidad o están sirviendo en las fuerzas armadas podrían entrar en un camino largo para eventualmente llegar a ser residentes del los estados unidos.  El Congreso rechazo esta ley en diciembre del 2010.

Las personas que se encuentran en el proceso de deportación frente al corte de inmigración que están dentro de la categoría previamente describidla podrían posiblemente recibir un pare del proceso de deportación por un tiempo indeterminado. Sin embargo, no hay ninguna garantía que esto pasara.

Quienes son los que no son afectados? Parece que las personas que no hubieron calificado para una visa bajo el DREAM Act no serán incluido en este lista de casos de “baja prioridad.” Todavía no se sabe si personas que tienen órdenes de deportación o salida voluntaria podrían reabrir y terminar sus casos en el corte de inmigración.

Hay una gran preocupación entre mi comunidad de abogados de inmigración que notarios van a tomar ventaja sobre inmigrantes desesperados para un amparo. El gobierno NO ha implementado NINGUN plan para otorgar permisos de trabajo a personas. Los notarios serán capaces de defraudar miembros de nuestra comunidad y hasta empeorar su situación.

Como todo asunto relacionado con inmigración, siempre es una buena idea consultar con un abogado de inmigración. Muchos de los abogados que son de más confianza son miembros de una asociación nacional llamada American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).  Pregunta su abogado si él o ella está afiliada con esta organización profesional.

What is unlawful presence and how can it keep my spouse from becoming a resident?

I often meet with potential clients who are married to United States Citizens, and who are anxious and excited to finally be able to "get legal", as the talking heads scream from the airwaves for them to do. If the immigrant was admitted to the Untied States with a visa, he or she can generally apply for adjustment of status, and become a Lawful Permanent Resident. Likewise, if the immigrant came into the United States without a visa, he or she could still eventually adjust their status to permanent residence if an immigrant petition was filed on their behalf before April 30, 2001.

However, there is a third group of immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens: those who entered the United States without a visa and did not have an immigrant petition filed on their behalf prior to April 30, 2001. For these immigrants and their families, often the only route to legal status takes them out of the United States and to the U.S. consulate in their home country. Many families eagerly file the necessary paperwork to obtain an appointment at the appropriate U.S. consulate in order to get the desired immigrant visa. Tragically, many of these well-intentioned actions end in devastation for the family due to an unaccounted-for bar to immigration: unlawful presence.

The Immigration and Nationality Act has established a bar to admissibility for immigrants who have accrued a certain amount of "unlawful presence" in the United States. An immigrant who enters the United States without a visa begins to accrue unlawful presence from the date of the unlawful entry. Immigrants under the age of 18 do not accrue unlawful presence. However, the law currently states that an immigrant over the age of 18 who has accrued between 6 months to a year of unlawful presence in the United States, then leaves the United States, will face a 3 year bar, prohibiting the immigrant from receiving an immigrant visa. An immigrant who has accrued a year or more of unlawful presence in the United States following his 18th birthday, then departs the United States, faces a 10 year bar from receiving a visa.

The ironic effect of the law establishing the unlawful presence bar is that the bar from receiving a visa is not triggered until the immigrant set foot outside of the United States. Thus, well-meaning families who leave the United States, after accruing unlawful presence, fall into a cruel trap once they find out at the consulate interview abroad that the immigrant does not qualify for the visa. The immigrant is left abroad, and the family faces disintegration. If the desperate immigrant returns back to the United States, the situation becomes desperately worse: once the immigrant crosses back into the United States without permission, the immigrant becomes subject to an unwaivable unlawful presence bar.

The best way for immigrants and their spouses to address the issue of unlawful presnece is to be prepared and informed. The INA has established a waiver of the unlawful presence bar for immigrants who can demonstrate that the United States citizen or Lawful Permenant Resident spouse or parent would suffer extreme hardship if the immigrant is not permitted to return legally to the United States. The waiver decision is extremely law and fact-intensive; it is highly reccomended that anyone who will require a waiver speak with an immigration attorney experienced in consular processing and waiver matters.

The ultimate decision on whether or not to grant the waiver can be influenced by the office where the waiver is adjudicated. Some regions of the world, such as Mexico, have relatively speedy waiver adjudication programs. In other regions of the world, waiver applicants may wait months to over a year for a decision on the waiver application.

When a United States Citizen marries an immigrant, the new family must thoroughly analyze all of the potential consequences of beginning consular processing. Receiving a grant of the unlawful presence waiver is far from a sure thing; however, a well prepared and reasoned waiver application significantly improves the chances of winning the waiver for the immigrant.

How can I get and pay for an immigration bond in removal proceesings?

If you have recently discovered that your family member or friend is being detained in jail on an immigration hold, it is important for you to know what needs to be done to get your family member or friend out of jail. The following material explains the process of requesting an immigration bond, and also helps you to understand how to pay the bond and get your family member or friend released from jail.

Requesting the Immigration Bond

 

There are two ways in which your friend or family member can get an immigration bond. The first, and quickest, path to freedom is if the deportation officer responsible for the case interviews the alien and determines that he deserves an immigration bond. If this occurs, you should expect to be able to pay the immigration bond within a week of the initial bond determination of the deportation officer.

 

In the event that the deportation officer declines to grant a bond to the alien, your family member or friend can ask the Immigration Judge to grant a bond. Be very careful when asking the Immigration Judge for a bond, because, absent extraordinary circumstances, the alien will have only one chance to convince the Judge that the alien deserves the bond. Because the decision whether or not to grant the bond has a tremendous impact on future decisions regarding removal relief, any alien seeking a bond from the Immigration Judge is strongly advised to seek the services of a competent attorney with ample experience in immigration practice before the Immigration Courts.

 

Paying the Bond

 

Once a bond is granted, a United States Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident can schedule an appointment with the local immigration office to pay the bond. In Salt Lake City, where I predominantly practice, the person who will pay the bond should call (801) 313-4260, and then dial “0”. Inform the individual answering the phone that you wish to schedule an appointment to pay an immigration bond. 

 

The immigration bond cannot be paid by cash or personal check. The best way to pay the bond is to get a cashier’s check made out to the “Department of Homeland Security.” Of course, you can also use a bail bondsman to pay the immigration bond, who generally charges a 10% fee for the services in arranging payment of the bond. On the date of your appointment to pay the bond, go to the USCIS Office and bring your original social security card and photo identification. Do not bring a copy of your social security card, and do not plan on merely reciting your social security number for the official. Expect the bond payment process to take about an hour. Once the bond has been paid, the deportation officer will send notice to the jail via fax authorizing the alien’s release from jail.

 

Once the bond is paid, go directly to the jail so that you can pick up your family member or friend. As long as the alien goes to all of his immigration court hearings and complies with the order of the judge, the bond will be returned at the end of immigration proceedings. The consequences of failing to comply with the Immigration Court are severe. The bond will be breached, the entire sum will be forfeited to the United States government, the alien will receive an order of removal, and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers will seek out the alien in order to remove him from the country. 

 

Obtaining and paying an immigration bond is the first step in a long fight against removal from the United States. Talk with an immigration attorney experienced in Immigration Court litigation for more information about the complexities of immigration law and the need for competent legal defense.