President Trump Announced the End of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals with a 6-month Delay

President Trump announced that he is rescinding the Executive Action issued by President Obama in 2012 known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or “DACA”, leaving thousands of children and young adults in limbo.

As of Sept. 5, 2017, the Government will reject any new initial DACA applications.  If your initial DACA application was accepted for processing prior to September 5, 2017, your application will still be adjudicated and reviewed under relevant guidelines.

Deadline to file for DACA renewals

If your current DACA expires between September 5, 2017 and March 5, 2018, you are still eligible to file a renewal request as long as the renewal request is received and accepted for processing by October 5, 2017.

Work Permits/Travel Documents

Your work permit will not be revoked and will remain valid for the stated validity period. You have the right to work legally until your work permit’s expiration date.

Previously approved applications for a travel document will be honored for their stated validity periods. However, it is important to review your case with your attorney before traveling outside of the United States. No new travel document applications will be accepted.

For more information, please contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Entered an Order Partially Allowing Texas to Enforce SB-4

Last month, a federal judge in San Antonio blocked Texas from enforcing the ban on sanctuary cities. The order prevented the law from taking effect on September 1, 2017, while a lawsuit against it goes forward.   Unfortunately, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals entered yesterday an order partially allowing Texas to enforce SB-4.  For instance, the requirement to comply with an immigration “detainer” will be allowed to enter into effect.   However, the Court explains that this mandate does not require compliance with “every ICE detainer” request, but with those that are issued “according to existing ICE detainer practice and law.”

Senate Bill 4, or SB-4, is the law that prohibits cities and counties from adopting policies that limit immigration enforcement, allowing police officers to question the immigration status of anyone they detain or arrest and threaten officials who would violate the law with fines, jail time, and removal from office.

For more information, please contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.

The U.S. Government Offers a New Civics Test Study Tool: a New Mobile App is Now Available!

The U.S. Government now offers a new way to study for the Civics Exam. This new study method is an official application designed to help you study for the civics portion of the naturalization interview. You can now download the mobile app for free on Google Play: https://goo.gl/Qm9Z3W and the iTunes store: https://goo.gl/DDGJ7Y.

The application lists all 100 possible questions and answers that may be asked during the actual civics test, keeps your old tests for review, and has a question challenge game to help you study. You can also switch between English and Spanish.

For more information, please contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.

Houston Police Department Implements a New U-Visa Certification Policy

There is a new U-visa Certification Policy that has been implemented at the Houston Police Department. An applicant’s U-Visa certification will be denied if:

• The crime is not within the statute of limitations or currently under investigation;
• The victim refused to cooperate at any point during the investigation;
• The victim has a pattern of criminal behavior (i.e. documented gang member/lengthy criminal history);
• The crime is not a qualifying crime.

All decisions made by the Houston Police Department are final and will not be reviewed unless requested by an outside agency, such as the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

For more information, please contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.

Lawful Permanent Residents who file the online Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, without the assistance from an attorney, can now file the form and upload evidence entirely on their mobile device. The new mobile-responsive design provides a method for answering questions, navigating through sections, and uploading evidence on the mobile device. There are no substantive changes to the policy or content of the form. To access the online Form I-90, you can create an online account at https://myaccount.uscis.dhs.gov/. Setting up an account is available at no charge.

For more information, please contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.

The Visa Bulletin for October 2017 has been released by the U.S. Government. For more details, go to https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en/law-and-policy/bulletin/2018/visa-bulletin-for-october-2017.html.

If you have questions about the October 2017 Visa Bulletin, contact the experienced immigration attorneys at Monty & Ramirez LLP at 713.289.4546 or via email at info@montyramirezlaw.com.