Immigration Law Changes Predicted Under the Biden Administration

Here is my latest video discussing changes in immigration law and procedures that I, a Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer, predict will be coming in 2021, under the new administration. I talk about the Muslim travel ban, the public charge requirements, etc., all of which I predict will be extinguished in 2021.

Bruce Coane is Board Certified in Immigration Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has over 35 years of immigration law experience. He may be reached at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800. The law firm website is http://www.coane.com.

Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a 2020 Update on Immigration Law

In this video, I talk about my personal experiences and meeting with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I also provide an update on some of the latest news in the world of USA immigration law. In this ever-changing field of law, there are new rules, regulations, interpretations and laws coming out on almost a daily basis.

Bruce Coane is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and is a Miami immigration lawyer and a Houston immigration lawyer with offices in both cities. He may be reached at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800, or by email at bruce.coane@gmail.com. The law firm website is http://www.coane.com.

Separation of Immigrant Children

In this video Houston immigration attorney and Miami immigration attorney, Bruce Coane, speaks about the government‘s separation of immigrant children at the southern border of the United States. He also talks about what the Bible has to say about immigrants. Mr. Coane is Board Certified in Immigration & Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.  Click to view video.

For further information, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer can be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com, 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800.

Immigration decisions Threaten Rule of Law

With the President‘s proclamation of Buy American-Hire American and with “no tolerance” declarations coming from Homeland Security and the Attorney General, the immigration service (USCIS) has been issuing illogical decisions in many cases which fail to follow the rule of law.

Our immigration system is based on laws and federal regulations. As a Board Certified Immigration lawyer I am hearing reports  from immigrants and their attorneys across the country that the government is ignoring the law and denying otherwise approvable immigration cases. In cases of legal immigrants that were previously approved, such as non-immigrant investors, intra-company transfers and other temporary workers these people are seeing their renewal applications denied. The law has not changed, but the government is too often choosing to ignore the law or otherwise is giving the law a skewed interpretation never seen in historical precedent.

At my office, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer has seen cases based on clear evidence being denied. The USCIS in many cases is completely ignoring the evidence and denying cases with no reasonable or logical explanation, thereby making a mockery of the rule of law. I am seeing this trend across the board, from deportation cases, to business immigration cases, to immigration marriage cases and to student visa cases. It is also seeping into the political asylum process and every other type of immigration case.

It used to be that if a case is mistakenly denied or denied because the government overlooked certain evidence, a person could file a Motion to Reopen or Motion to Reconsider. Unfortunately, that process is also being made into a mockery. Either the USCIS chooses to ignore such motions to fix a denial, by letting them sit there for years with no decision (while the person remains subject to deportation while waiting), or they  deny the motion on improper and wrong technical grounds without considering the merits of the motion. At this point, I often tell my clients not to bother with such motions.

What is an American spouse or  sponsoring company to do when they follow all the rules and receive an unfair decision? For years, the final answer for my clients has been litigation. For many years, I have filed lawsuits against Homeland Security and other government agencies for wrongful denials of immigration cases. While these have been few and far between over the years, the recent uptick in illogical, unfair, and, dare I say–illegal—denials, warrants the need for more  immigration lawsuits to be brought.

Ultimately, a federal judge has the ability to order the reversal of a decision if it is arbitrary, capricious or not in accordance with the law. I encourage immigrants, non-immigrant workers, companies, American spouses of foreign nationals, immigrant students and others to challenge these improper denials by taking their cases to federal court and asking a federal judge to consider the evidence (something that USCIS is all-to-often failing to do).

For further information, this Houston immigration lawyer (713.850.0066) and Miami immigration lawyer (305.538.6800) may be reached by phone or via email at bruce.coane@gmail.com.

 

Dreamers and the End of DACA, with Board Certified Immigration Attorney Bruce Coane

Who are the “Dreamers” that we hear about in the immigration debate? What is DACA? I explain it all in this short video.

As a Houston Immigration Lawyer and Miami Immigration Lawyer, I use these words at work on almost a daily basis. There are hundreds of thousands of young people who got work permits under President Obama’s Executive Order called DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals).

These young adults, who came here illegally as young children and dream about one day being “legal” in the U.S. are known as Dreamers. Many of them already have a work permit thanks to DACA, but President Trump canceled the DACA program as of March 5, 2018, and these young adults can no longer get their work permits or their legal “DACA” status renewed.

For more, check out my video.

 

For further information, I can be reached at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800, or by email at bruce.coane@gmail.com

Colapso Inmigratorio… ¿TPS? Soñadores? ¿Migración de cadena?

A medida que nuestro sistema de inmigración continúa siendo noticia de primera plana, he observado como todo el sistema se derrite literalmente. Como Abogado de Inmigración Certificado por la Junta directiva, mi trabajo consiste en encontrar soluciones como una barricada tras la barricada puesta ante mis clientes individuales y comerciales. En este reciente artículo en la revista Playboy, fui citado en relación con la revocación de TPS y permisos de trabajo para más de 200,000 personas de El Salvador en los Estados Unidos.

http://www.playboy.com/articles/what-could-happen-if-the-president-actually-tries-to-deport-200-000

No, estas 200,000 personas no son miembros de la pandilla MS-13, más bien han sido completamente investigados y pasaron todos los controles de seguridad. A medida que el presidente y sus designados revocan programa tras programa y cierran caminos para la inmigración, los ciudadanos regulares se defienden. Como mencioné en el artículo anterior, hay soluciones disponibles para los salvadoreños, pero ninguna será tan fácil como simplemente renovar su estatus TPS y permisos de trabajo como lo han hecho durante más de una década.

Con respecto a los Dreamers, el problema ha estado causando la amenaza de cierres del gobierno. Por supuesto, todo el asunto fue creado cuando nuestro Presidente revocó el estado Dreamer (DACA) para los cientos de miles de jóvenes que salieron de las sombras para solicitar este beneficio del gobierno, con la promesa de permisos de trabajo al registrarse. A diferencia de TPS, su servidor, abogado de inmigración de Houston y abogado de inmigración en Miami les informa que no hubo nada “temporal” sobre el programa DACA. Fue establecido por una orden ejecutiva del Presidente Obama, que el actual Presidente ha revocado, creando así el problema DACA.

No es mi trabajo criticar al presidente, así que permítanme señalar que estoy de acuerdo con él en que debería haber una solución permanente para DACA, pero revocar y cancelar el programa puede no haber sido la mejor manera de llegar a esa solución. Por otro lado, tal vez el Presidente lo vio como una forma de presionar al Congreso para tratar el tema, aunque a expensas de los cientos de miles de jóvenes que tienen que preocuparse diariamente por su estatus migratorio.

Finalmente, está la noción de inmigración en cadena, una frase que jamás escuché en mis décadas de experiencia como abogado de inmigración en Houston. Quizás debería comenzar por decir que me especializo en la migración en cadena, junto con mis otras especialidades de inmigración, pero a decir verdad, esa frase no existe en ninguna parte de la ley. Como Abogado de Inmigración Certificado por la Junta Directiva, no tengo idea de qué es la migración en cadena.

Según algunos de los discursos del Presidente, al parecer se refiere a nuestro sistema de inmigración basada en la familia. Según nuestras leyes, hay dos formas principales de inmigrar a los Estados Unidos, De acuerdo a nuestras leyes, la inmigración basada en negocios y la inmigración basada en la familia. También hay otras formas, como los refugiados, etc., pero estas son las dos formas principales de inmigrar.

La inmigración basada en la familia es nuestro sistema legal donde los ciudadanos estadounidenses pueden traer a su cónyuge, padres y / o hijos. Un ciudadano de EE. UU. También puede patrocinar a un hermano o hermana, pero esa categoría de inmigración generalmente toma de 15 a 25 años, dependiendo del país de origen. Por lo tanto, mediante la migración en cadena, ¿el régimen actual trata de evitar que un ciudadano estadounidense patrocine a su esposo o esposa nacido en el extranjero para que viva con el en los EE. UU? ¿Pretenden evitar que los hijastros nacidos en el extranjero o los abuelos que a menudo cuidan a los niños, vengan a los Estados Unidos? Esta es una cuestión aun sin responder.

Como la frase “migración en cadena” no existe en la ley, tal vez signifique revocar toda inmigración basada en la familia, o tal vez sea un concepto en desarrollo revocar la mayor cantidad de leyes posible que permitan la inmigración basada en la familia. Cabe recalcar que las mismas leyes basadas en la familia que permiten a mis clientes de Noruega patrocinar a sus padres o hijos para venir a Estados Unidos son las mismas leyes que permiten a mis clientes haitianos y filipinos patrocinar a su cónyuge e hijos y padres para que vengan a los Estados Unidos

Espero que este artículo les ayude a entender el debate actual sobre inmigración. Es importante saber exactamente qué dicen realmente la ley y las regulaciones federales, en lugar de generalizar y afirmar que todos los que cruzan la frontera ilegalmente son traficantes de drogas y pandilleros MS-13 (¡no podría estar más lejos de la verdad!), O que todos los inmigrantes (o un gran porcentaje) son criminales. Estoy seguro de que el mismo pequeño porcentaje de la población inmigrante que es criminal, coincide (o es incluso menor) con el porcentaje de estadounidenses nativos que son criminales. Notarás que aquellos que buscan detener la inmigración legal a este país no citan ningún estudio o estadística válida, sino que citan un accidente automovilístico o un asesinato cometido por un inmigrante, mientras que miles de incidentes similares, tristemente, son cometidos por estadounidenses nacidos aquí todos los días.

Finalmente, prometí mencionar el “colapso”. A medida que el régimen actual cancela los programas de inmigración y busca nuevas leyes para deportar a tantas personas como sea posible, también se están desacelerando y luchando contra la aprobación de casos legales de inmigración en todo el país. Para las empresas con trabajadores extranjeros aprobados, el gobierno ha anunciado que volverán a visitar esas aprobaciones y, en muchos casos, están reclamando errores en las aprobaciones y cancelando permisos de trabajo o revocándolos. Esto se ve en todo el país con los permisos de trabajo válidos H-1B y L-1. En nuestro bufete de abogados, afortunadamente, hemos tenido éxito en la lucha y en mantener a nuestros trabajadores extranjeros de nuestros clientes legítimamente empleados, pero no es fácil y es costoso. En otros casos, se acumularon grandes retrasos en la inmigración legal, mientras que al mismo tiempo, el gobierno ha insistido en acelerar los casos de deportación.

Para obtener más información, su servidor,  abogado de inmigración de Houston y abogado de inmigración de Miami puede ser contactado en bruce.coane@gmail.com, o al 713.850.0066 o 305.538.6800.

Immigration Meltdown…..TPS? Dreamers? Chain Migration?

As our immigration system continues to be front-page news, I’ve been watching the entire system literally melt down. As a Board Certified Immigration Lawyer, it is my job to come up with solutions as roadblock after roadblock is placed before my individual and business clients. In this recent article in Playboy magazine, I was quoted in connection with the revocation of TPS and work permits for over 200,000 people from El Salvador in the U.S.

http://www.playboy.com/articles/what-could-happen-if-the-president-actually-tries-to-deport-200-000

No, these 200,000 people are not MS-13 gang members, rather they have been fully vetted and passed all security checks. As the president and his appointees revoke program after program and shut down paths to immigration, regular citizens are fighting back. As I mention in the article above, there are solutions available for Salvadorans, but none will be as easy as simply renewing their TPS status and work permits as they have done for over a decade.

With regard to Dreamers, this issue has been causing the threat of government shutdowns. Of course, the whole issue was created when our president revoked Dreamer status (DACA) for the hundreds of thousands of young people who came out of the shadows to apply for this government benefit, with the promise of work permits for registering themselves. Unlike TPS, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer reports that there was nothing “temporary” about the DACA program. It was established by an executive order of President Obama, which the current president has revoked, thus creating a DACA problem.

It is not my job to criticize the president, so let me point out that I do agree with him that there should be a permanent solution to DACA, but revoking and canceling the program may have not been the best way to reach that permanent solution. On the other hand, perhaps the president viewed it as a way to put pressure on Congress to deal with the issue, albeit at the expense of the hundreds of thousands of people who have to worry daily about their immigration status.

Finally, there is the notion of chain migration, a phrase that I never heard before in my decades of experience as a Houston immigration lawyer. Perhaps I should start saying that I specialize in chain migration, together with my other immigration specialties, but truth be told, that phrase exists nowhere in the law. As a Board Certified Immigration Lawyer, I have no idea what chain migration is.

According to some of the president’s speeches, it apparently refers to our system of family-based immigration. Under our laws, there are two main ways to immigrate to America, namely business-based immigration and family-based immigration. There are other ways too, such as refugees, etc, but these are the two main ways to come here.

Family-based immigration is our legal system where U.S. citizens can bring over their spouse, parents and/or children. A U.S. citizen can also sponsor a brother or sister, but that category of immigration typically takes 15 to 25 years, depending on country of origin. So, by chain migration, does the current regime seek to stop a U.S. citizen from sponsoring their foreign-born husband or wife from living with them in the U.S.? Do they seek to stop foreign-born step-children or the grandparents who often babysit, from coming to the U.S.? This is an open question left up to anyone’s guess.

Since the “chain migration” phrase does not exist in the law, maybe it means to revoke all family-based immigration, or maybe it is a developing concept to revoke as many laws as possible that allow family-based immigration. I will note that the same family-based laws that allow my clients from Norway to sponsor their parents or children to come to America, are the same exact laws that allow my Haitian and Filipino clients to sponsor their spouse and children and parents to come to the U.S.

I hope this article helps in understanding the current immigration debate. It is important to know exactly what the law and federal regulations actually say, rather than to generalize and claim that all illegal border crossers are drug dealers and MS-13 gang members (couldn’t be further from the truth!), or that all immigrants (or a large percentage) are criminals. I’m sure that the same small percentage of the immigration population that is criminal, matches (or is even less than) the percentage of native born Americans who are criminals. You will notice that those who seek to stop legal immigration to this country do not cite to any valid studies or statistics, rather they cite to a car accident here or a murder there that was committed by an immigrant, while thousands of similar incidents, sadly, are committed by local born Americans every day.

Finally, I promised to mention the “meltdown.” As the current regime cancels immigration programs and seeks new laws to deport as many people as possible, they are also slowing down and fighting the approval of legal immigration cases across the country. For businesses with approved foreign workers, the government has announced they will re-visit those approvals and in many cases, they are claiming errors in approvals and canceling work permits or revoking them. This is seen across the country with those on valid H-1B and L-1 work permits. At our law firm, thankfully, we have generally been successful in fighting back and keeping our foreign worker clients legitimately employed, but it is not easy and it is expensive. On other cases, huge backlogs have been created for legal immigration, while at the same time, the government has insisted on expediting deportation cases.

For further information, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer may be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com, or at 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800.

My Television Interview this week about Immigration Law

Earlier this week, I appeared on Houston’s CBS affiliate during the evening news, in connection with a story about TPS for El Salvadoran immigrants.

TPS is Temporary Protected Status, and the Trump administration this week announced it was ending TPS for El Salvadorans in September 2019. Once the program ends, the Salvadorans who are here with legal work permits, will find themselves undocumented and out of status.  Hopefully, before that date, Congress will come up with a solution so these individuals can stay here with their American families, employers, etc.

In the video, this Houston Immigration Lawyer and Miami Immigration Lawyer mentions some potential solutions. The last thing I would tell my El Salvadoran clients is to pack their bags, sell their home and car, and be ready to leave. Our immigration system does not work that way, so there is no emergency need to take immediate action. On the other hand, Salvadorans as well as any other nationalities who have had their TPS status terminated (Haitians and Nicaraguans) should get proper legal advice on how to take necessary steps to legally stay and work in the USA.

For further information, I can be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com or 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800.

U.S.Immigration Laws: Do Not Enter!

It didn’t take long after yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the Muslim travel ban, that I got a frantic email today concerning a Pakistani Muslim woman stopped at the Houston airport and banned from entering the U.S.

This is despite the fact that she has a valid visitor visa and that Pakistan is not even on the list of banned Muslim countries.

Prior to yesterday’s court ruling, I had already seen an uptick in unusual denials of visitor visas at USA embassies abroad. Frequent travelers who have had visas before have been going for renewals and finding that they are arbitrarily denied, and  they are being asked obscure questions about prior visits.

While the travel ban is limited to just a handful of countries, this Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer states that the practical effect is that Muslims in all countries are likely to have a much more difficult time getting a visa or entering the country. The “America First” policy, however, is not limited to excluding Muslims. I have recently seen visas denied to individuals from Ukraine, Africa and other places, where those same people had visas in the past.

For further information, I can be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com or 713.850.0066 or 305.538.6800.

 

 

Citizenship Applications in the U.S. Surge as Immigration Talk Toughens

This recent immigration article in the New York Times highlighted what I have been telling clients for many years.

I have often urged my legal permanent resident friends and clients to become a USA citizen, because having a green card, alone, may not be sufficient to guarantee unimpaired readmission to the U.S. nor may it be sufficient to avoid deportation.

The simplest of crimes, even where negligent, can cause a lawful immigrant to be deportable. Moreover, rules are constantly changing when it comes to non-USA citizens, and the non-citizen is constantly in jeopardy of losing legal rights, as compared to USA citizens. This Houston immigration lawyer and Miami immigration lawyer urges all eligible green card holders to apply for USA citizenship whenever they become eligible.

Of course, in these unusual times for our country, the naturalization process to become a citizen has become more expensive, it takes significantly longer and it it is more difficult.

For further information, I may be reached at bruce.coane@gmail.com or in Texas at  713.850.0066 or in Florida at 305.538.6800