The U.S. has a new president. Immigrants, documented and undocumented, have been put on notice: during this administration the new policy is “America First.” An atmosphere of fear and uncertainty has descended on our immigrant communities. The new slogan carries an unsavory historical pedigree characterized by hostility and callousness toward those who seek safe harbor…
To our clients, Wednesday morning we woke up to find ourselves in a new political era. Although we are deeply disappointed in the outcome of the election, we look forward to the challenges ahead. The President-Elect, Donald Trump, has proposed to build a wall, deport millions, and close our doors to people fleeing persecution and…
Ever since our ancestors first migrated out of Africa about one hundred thousand years ago, we humans have continued our search for a better life elsewhere. Sometimes that meant a place nearby, but often enough it meant some far off place where we were strangers in a strange land. In the last few centuries, migrants…
As President Obama enters the last year of his presidency, his legacy begins to come into focus. He made some big promises to move immigration reform forward, but he’s had trouble delivering. His efforts in exercising his executive powers to move the clock forward have brought limited results. Throughout Obama’s presidency, deportation numbers have been…
Last November, President Obama began a political firestorm when he announced a new executive order for immigration reform. In many ways this was a follow-up to the two-year-old program known as DACA, which covered young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children and grew up in this country. The one unveiled in…
Immigration and visa controls by the wealthy countries of the world – those that comprise perhaps fifteen percent of humanity such as Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia – can be characterized as a system of exclusion, discrimination, and exploitation. While the citizens of the wealthy countries can travel and work in nearly any part…
We’re on the radio! Listen to George discuss current immigration issues, the importance of reform, and immigrants as the fabric of the US in his conversation with Bert Martinez on Money for Lunch. The entire episode can be found below, and George’s segment begins at 33:20. Happy listening! You can find George’s segment HERE.
Below is a statement of the philosophy of our firm, which I wrote more than 10 years ago. It applies not only to our commitment to ourselves as attorneys, but to our responsibilities to our clients. I continue to stand by it today: 1. The highest value in the workplace is humanity, not efficiency. …
The following thoughts don’t have much to do with our current day to day work as immigration professionals. But from time to time, it’s good to look at the bigger picture. It helps us clarify our understanding about often unmentioned and unexamined roots of the social/political/moral forces at work in our field. Humans, like many…
