Dear Readers:
Since our last issue, immigration continues to remain one of the top items in the news. The President held an event at the White House where he endorsed one of the most anti-immigration bills in nearly 100 years. Under the RAISE Act, legal immigration numbers would drop by an estimated 50% with hundreds of thousands of people who have been waiting patiently in various green card lines suddenly out of luck. The bill doesn’t seem to be gaining much traction in Congress, however. For the details of what is in the RAISE Act, please read the Siskind Summary article in this issue.
The President also continues to push for other items that were in his campaign platform including seeking funding for a dramatic expansion in the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol agents. Coupled with the House approving a spending bill that has funding for a border wall, it is fair to say that the President is making headway on his immigration promises.
One bright spot is the President’s continuing the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that allows certain undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children to get a work card and protection from being deported. However, the DACA program is being challenged in court by anti-immigrant states. Congress is considering legislation to allow DACA recipients to continue in that status. The White House has so far signaled it is not interested in signing the bill, something that makes little sense given their current willingness to continue the program.
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In Siskind Susser news, we invite you to visit our firm’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/siskindsusser/. Our lawyers have started hosting Facebook Live events and also posting content there as well as on our web site. Several of our lawyers have been speaking at various events this summer. Three of us spoke on panels at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. I spoke on a panel with three judges at the Memphis Bar Association’s Bench Bar conference held this year in New Orleans.
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As always, we invite readers to contact us if they are in need of legal help with an immigration matter. You are welcome to complete the form on our web site at www.visalaw.com/consultation or call us at 901-682-6455.
Regards,
Greg Siskind
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.