Our Blog

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Immigrant Will Be Deported: Ruled Notice to Appear Did Not Require Hearing Date and Time

On May 20, 2019, the 7th Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals ruled that a Mexican immigrant who has lived continuously in the United States since 1999 can be deported despite his Notice to Appear not stating the...

Illinois Immigration Uncategorized

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Will Illinois Ban For-Profit ICE Detention Centers?

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is reviewing a proposal to ban private detention centers to house ICE detainees, reports the Chicago Tribune. The Illinois Senate approved House Bill 2040. A private company in Virginia, Immigration Centers of America, wants to construct...

Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Research: No Correlation Between Undocumented Immigrants and Crime

The New York Times reports the Pew Research Center has released estimates of undocumented populations sorted by metro area to analyze how unauthorized immigration has affected crime rates since 2007. Because there is no exact count of unauthorized immigrants living...

Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

What is a Waiver Of Inadmissibility?

If your visa application to enter the United States has been denied and you have been declared inadmissible and refused a green card or other immigration benefits, you can appeal the decision and request an I-601 Waiver of Inadmissibility. A...

Illinois Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

How will Census Citizenship Questions Affect Illinois Immigrants

The United States Supreme Court heard arguments on April 19, 2019, about adding census citizenship questions to the upcoming 2020 Census questionnaire. The US Census Bureau is required by law to count the country’s total population every 10 years. The...

Illinois Immigration

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Illinois Bill Would Allow Undocumented Immigrants to Get Financial Aid

On Wednesday, May 8, 2019, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants to receive taxpayer-funded financial aid to attend college. The bill passed 35-15 and is waiting for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker to sign it into...

Removal

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

USCIS More Likely to Refer Denied Applicants for Removal Proceedings

A June 28, 2018, USCIS policy memorandum (PM 602-0050.1) expands the conditions under which USCIS issues a Notice to Appear (NTA), the document that initiates removal (deportation) proceedings, to include situations "where, upon issuance of an unfavorable decision on an...

ICE

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

New ICE Policy Could Lead to More Immigration Holds

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday announced a new program that would allow local law enforcement officers to start arresting and temporarily detaining immigrants on behalf of the agency, even if established local policies prevent them from doing so....

Visa

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

Visa Overstays to Receive New Scrutiny

The Trump Administration announced today that it will instruct the Department of Homeland Security to step up enforcement of removal proceedings for people who overstay visas. This is unwelcome news. About 700,000 travelers to the United States overstayed their visas...

Immigration News

Mario Godoy - Owner/Attorney

United States Supreme Court Backs Mandatory Detention for Certain Aliens

On March 19, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Nielsen v. Preap, 586 U.S. _____ (2019). The court rejected challenges to mandatory detention of certain non-citizens, even those who have lived uneventfully for several years after criminal conviction(s). Justice Alito...