Musings on Immigration

Justice was served today at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (“ICE”) office in Atlanta, Georgia.   Our clients, a mother and her minor child, were facing imminent deportation to their native country, Guatemala.   Their deportation had been scheduled for Monday at 7:00 am, but thanks to our amazing immigration attorneys, Mario Guevara from Mundo Hispanico, and the General Counsel of Guatemala in Atlanta, Georgia, our client will stay in the country and have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge. Our client and her child came to the U.S. in 2014, after fleeing her native country and fearing for her life.   She hired a local attorney, who did nothing but take her money.   He failed to request a credible fear interview, failed to submit an asylum application, and failed to inform ICE officers of our client’s fear to return to her native country.   This placed our client in a big predicament that almost got her sent b...

Going through the immigration removal process can be daunting and will likely cause many, many sleepless nights.   The same questions are often considered over and over again – what will happen if I am deported?   Will my family stay in the U.S.?   Will they return to my country with me?   If not, how will I support them?   How will they support themselves?   These are the questions that plague the individuals and family members of those going through this frightening process, often times having relatively little time to prepare for all of these life-changing decisions.   So, what happens when the immigration judge tells you that you may not be eligible to file an application before the court to remain in the U.S. and you’re facing imminent removal, or an attorney informs you that you can file an application but you don’t have a very strong case?   There was a time when that often amounted to hoping for as much time in the U.S. as possible. ...