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The recent Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Ramirez v. Brown, provides an opportunity for certain people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to apply to adjust status. This advisory explains the implications of the Ramirez decision, with examples to illustrate. This advisory is particularly significant for people, such as TPS holders from Nicaragua, whose TPS will end. 

Sobre la base de una reciente decisión del Noveno Circuito o viajando por Advance Parole, una persona que entró inicialmente sin inspección en los EEUU puede ajustar de estatus y solicitar la residencia permanente. Este aviso en español contiene información para personas con el estatus de protección temporal y para personas que viajaron con Advance Parole sobre cómo pueden ser elegibles para este proceso.

Alien smuggling can affect an immigrant in several different ways:  Alien smuggling is a ground of inadmissibility, a ground of deportability, a bar to good moral character, and a conviction for alien smuggling is an aggravated felony.  Screening for alien smuggling is particularly important in light of Secretary of U.S. Department of Homeland Security John Kelly’s memoranda directing his agency to prioritize immigration enforcement against alien smugglers, and U.S. Attorney General Jefferson Sessions’ directive to federal prosecutors to prioritize prosecution of alien smuggling.  This practice advisory will walk through what “alien smuggling” is, how it can affect an immigrant client in each of these contexts, and practice tips for when alien smuggling might come up in your client’s case.

Every family should have a Family Preparedness Plan. While it is our hope that you never have to use your plan, it is a good practice to have one in place to help reduce the stress of the unexpected. This packet will help everyone create a Family Preparedness Plan, regardless of immigration status. However, because of the additional challenges immigrant and mixed status families face, we also have additional advice for immigrants.

In light of the continued failure of the U.S. Congress to pass meaningful immigration reform and the continued dysfunction of our immigration system, President Obama announced a series of immigration policy changes though executive action during his presidency. This manual discusses the law, policy, and practice regarding the parts of President Obama’s executive action that have been implemented as of the time of this writing. These new changes, even if short-lived, can help many. They can provide individuals with much-needed immigration relief, and also provide a blueprint for future immigration policy and legislation. Many programs mentioned in this manual, such as parole, DACA, and the enforcement priorities, are in flux, particularly after the 2016 election. We therefore invite you to visit the Immigrant Legal Resource Center’s website at www.ilrc.org for updates and to join our education listserv by subscribing at www.ilrc.org/subscribe to receive email messages about updates to this manual as well as in-person and webinar trainings opportunities related to immigration executive actions.