Musings on Immigration

By:  Hiba Ghalib, Esq. Associate Attorney TPS (Temporary Protected Status) is a temporary immigration status available to foreign nationals present in the United States whose home countries are designated by the Department of State to be temporarily unsafe or extraordinarily dangerous.  On March 23, 2012, it was announced that Syria would join the list of nations currently designated TPS status.  During the period for which a country is designated, TPS beneficiaries from that country may not only remain in the United States lawfully, but they may also obtain work authorization. TPS differs from asylum because while it allows its beneficiaries to remain in the United States to avoid a forced return to their home country’s unsafe conditions, it is not a way to obtain permanent residency status in the United States. By its very nature, TPS is temporary. While the initial approval is generally for 18 months, the Department may designate a particular count...

The Georgia State Senate acted recently to pass an anti-immigration measure aimed at stopping 300 Georgia residents who happen to not have legal status from attending public colleges and universities in Georgia, despite the fact that they are paying out-of-state tuition.  The Georgia House is moving to pass similar legislation at the behest of House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee Chair, Cobb County resident, and AllState Insurance Attorney Rich Gollick. THE RATIONALE The rationale behind this bill (besides the red herring argument that local governments needed clarification on whether they could accept electronic copies of "secure and verifiable documents"), is that the undocumented students are somehow using taxpayer dollars and taking spots from U.S. citizens.   You heard these arguments from all the sponsors of this bill  in the Senate.  These reasons for supporting this bill are not based in either reality or facts.  In Georgia, no undocumented student ca...

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