Deferred Action

Federal Judge Restores DACA Program Pending A 90-Day Stay

A federal judge in Washington D.C. has ruled that the decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful and must be set aside. However, the judge stayed his order for 90 days, and gave the Department of Homeland Security the opportunity to better explain its reasoning for canceling the program, or accept new applicants. This is great news for those individuals who are eligible...

LGBT Immigrants – The Current Landscape

We have come a long way since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), and allowed us to reunite thousands of same-sex bi-national couples. While LGBT U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents can now sponsor their same-sex couples for immigration benefits, and benefit from the changes made to assisted reproductive technology laws, there remain plenty of hurdles for LGBT individuals seeking...

Time Is Now For Executive Action On Immigration

Today, in Washington D.C., 11 undocumented immigrants formally requested that President Obama expand his expected administrative action on immigration to include the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants. The request was accompanied by another legal memo outlining that the President has the authority to grant relief from deportation to a broad number of people.  The President should authorize the Department of Homeland Security to swiftly grant the deferred action requests filed today, and expand...

USCIS Releases Handy DACA Toolkit

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has belatedly created a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) toolkit for applicants. The comprehensive 34-page document should answer many of the questions that you have about the DACA program, and the renewal process. It is available here. USCIS is still accepting initial requests for DACA. An individual may be considered for initial DACA if he or she: Was under the age...