
TPS Work Permits Extended for El Salvadorians
*Updated on 12/11/2019 to correct posting from Ecuador to El Salvador.* El Salvador was originally designated for TPS in 2001 due a series of very destructive earthquakes. The Trump Administration had originally planned to end TPS for El Salvadorians on January 2, 2020. However, the Trump Administration announced on Monday that it agreed to extend the TPS work permits for El Salvadorians through January 4, 2021 as well as that it will give protected El Salvadorians an additi

Trump Extends the Liberian DED Wind-Down Period Just in Time
If you recall from Trump Administration Announces Liberia's Loss of Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) Designation Today, the Trump Admin

U.S. Department of State Corrected by Judge- Citizenship at Birth Case
You may have seen a puzzling article in the news some time ago about the U.S. government determining that one of the twins of a same-sex couple was a U.S. citizen and that the other was not. Fortunately, this story now has a happier ending. To provide some background information- Although the twins were born only minutes apart, one of the children was genetically related to the U.S. citizen dad and the other was genetically related to the non-U.S. citizen dad. The U.S. Depar

The U.S. Government Shutdown & DACA
This past Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court did not accept the Trump Administration's request to review the constitutionality (i.e., did not grant certiorari) of the Administration's action of repealing DACA/ the legality of DACA. The Court's inaction means that the injunctions of the lower courts will allow DACA to remain in place in the meantime. The next opportunity that the U.S. Supreme Court may grant certiorari to one of the DACA cases is February 17, 2019, and, even th

December Asylum Update
Background Information: U.S. Asylum claims are based on persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. (INA section 101(a)(42)(A)) Recent Development (December 17-19, 2018): Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan for the U.S. District Court in Washington ordered asylum seekers be given another chance at the credible fear interview/making their asylum claim due to it finding tha

DACA TO BE FULLY RESTORED?
Therefore, generally, it is advised that all eligible DACA renewal applicants file their applications as soon as possible (before August 8th

(At Least) Momentary Good News for DACA!
In case you have not heard, on Tuesday, April 24, 2018, in National Association for the Advancement of Colored People v. Trump, the U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, Judge John Bates, ordered that the Trump Administration's decision to rescind DACA be vacated (this would require the reinstatement of DACA including the acceptance of applications from new DACA applicants). Judge Bates based his decision on the Trump Administration's lacking justification

Breaking News: Another Nationwide Injunction Issued to Maintain DACA
Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York ordered a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the upcoming recision of DACA. The judge's reasoning for granting the injunction was that although the Trump Administration does have the power to revoke DACA that it must do so with "legally adequate reasons," and, Judge Garaufis concluded that based on the record before the court, the Trump Administration did not rescind DACA justi

TPS Designation Extended for Syria
Yesterday, January 31, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that Syria's TPS designation would be extended for 18 months (i.e., until September 30, 2019). The U.S. government specifically considered the original reasons for granting Syria TPS- armed conflict and extraordinary and temporary conditions- and whether these conditions continue to exist in deciding to extend the TPS designation. There are about 7,000 people who receive Syrian TPS. To be eligi

Some Long Overdue Good News for DREAMERS (for now)
Over the weekend, USCIS made its announcement regarding the effect of U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup's decision on January 9, 2018 to effectively keep DACA in place as it is being litigated. This update only affects those individuals previously granted DACA. According to the announcement, DACA will resume operations in accordance with the terms that were in place before it was rescinded on September 5, 2017 (except for those differences outlined in the announcement