Dear Readers:
This past week, I joined 500 other immigration lawyers in Washington attending a National Day of Action sponsored by the American Immigration Lawyers Association. We visited hundreds of congressional offices to talk about the value immigrants provide America and the need for fixing a broken system that is not delivering the way it should.
Obviously, the immigration system is under pressure in a way we haven’t seen in this country in generations. And Congress is choosing to largely do nothing. In my meetings I raised issues like the need for a permanent solution for DACA recipients. I talked about the injustices faced by skilled immigrants, particularly those from India and China, who face massive green card backlogs and are now worried about their H-4 spouses losing work authorization. I also talked about the difficulties employers are facing with a massive uptick in requests for evidence and denials of employment-based visa applications. And there were many other subjects my colleagues and I raised.
For the most part, people seemed to understand and I think many were sympathetic, even if they are Red State Republican offices. But what you hear in private conversations differs, unfortunately, with how members of Congress vote. And members of Congress vote based on political forces they’re feeling. We’ll see if elections in November change the calculations.
But at least while Congress is not doing much, they’re also not proactively messing with the immigration system like the Trump Administration. Almost on a daily basis, we’re seeing massive changes in immigration procedures. Much of it comes unannounced and many times is unwritten. This also makes it vulnerable to litigation. And litigation really seems to be working so the number of cases being filed is accelerating. Some are very high profile – the travel ban and sanctuary city policies, for example. But many are quietly being filed and lawyers are winning – a lot.
Immigration lawyers have been getting educated on how to be litigators and clients are also less afraid to go to court than used to be the case. And judges are generally not politicians who go along with the Administration because of partisan loyalties. Many – regardless of who appointed them – are not having it and are siding against the Administration. So expect to see more and more challenges in the weeks and months ahead.
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In firm news, we welcome Johnna Main Bailey as Siskind Susser’s newest attorney. Johnna is an experienced removal lawyer who is highly regarded in the Memphis community and we’re excited she has joined our team. Welcome Johnna!
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As always, we remind readers that Siskind Susser welcomes new clients and we handle immigration matters in a variety of areas and across the US. Please feel welcome to request a consultation by completing the form at www.visalaw.com/consultation.
Regards,
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.