Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Families of Immigrant Doctors Treating COVID Patients Risk Deportation
A while back, we wrote about how immigration courts were carrying on as normal during the COVID-19 crisis, putting the health and safety of immigrants, their lawyers, and the court personnel in jeopardy. It seems that the government is again ignoring the pandemic when it comes to immigrants, but this time, the immigrants that… Read More »
CARES Act Excludes Financial Relief for Immigrants and Their Families
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March, Congress passed the CARES Act. Among other things in the law, CARES provided for money for families, to assist them during this time of economic uncertainty and downturn. However, in yet another stab at immigrants, the Act had a little poison pill for many immigrant families,… Read More »
Temporary Changes to the H-2A Visa Program for Agricultural Workers
Recently, most of the news about immigration and how it’s been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has been generally negative, like stories of cramped detention holding facilities, or the refusal to delay immigration cases in recognition of the lack of social distancing in immigration law courts. But recently, some good immigration news is coming… Read More »
It’s Business as Usual in Immigration Courts During the Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic that has shut down most of the United States and the world, has put a halt to most of the country’s basic, core functions. Courts, businesses, social services, and numerous government offices have been shuttered in the name of public safety. There is, however, one place where you would think that… Read More »
Government Seeks to Curtail Birth Tourism
The U.S. Constitution clearly states that anybody born on U.S. soil, is an American citizen. It does not say that the child being born has to live in America. Many people are concerned about the rise of what is known as “birth tourism”: People who are pregnant travelling to America to have their babies… Read More »
Immigration Official’s Policies Held to be Void
A court has decided that the head of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, recently appointed by President Trump, was appointed illegally. That decision could put a number of decisions and rules implemented by the head of the agency in legal trouble, including many policies that have been very controversial. Government Position did… Read More »
Government is Using Data From Apps to Track Immigrants’ Location
Our cell phones contain our most personal information. That’s why in most criminal cases, police need a warrant to search a phone. The law recognizes that anything we put into a phone is personal, private information, and courts have even recognized that the GPS/location tracking data that cell phones transmit and track, are also… Read More »
Will Marriage Allow You to Remain in the US?
It is one of the oldest and most perpetuated beliefs in the world of immigration: simply marry someone from another country, and the non-citizen spouse will be allowed to remain here. Although there is some truth to this, it is not as easy as it may seem. Marrying a Non-Citizen Marrying someone from another… Read More »
Government’s Health Insurance Rule is Temporarily Blocked
A federal judge has blocked the government’s attempt to require immigrants show that they have or can get health insurance. Still, the fight is not over, and many immigrants remain fearful that the government’s attempts to enforce the rule will continue. The judge did not completely strike down the rule, but rather put on… Read More »
Undocumented Immigrants Gaining Rights to Obtain Driver’s Licenses
It has often been said that the right to drive is a privilege, not a right. That’s why you can have your driver’s license taken away in some cases for failure to abide by court orders, to pay child support, or for other reasons, depending on what state you live in. Many undocumented immigrants… Read More »
