ILCM’s new office location in Moorhead, Minnesota

ILCM is excited to announce the opening of a new office in Moorhead, Minnesota, and the addition of Martha Castañon to ILCM’s legal team at this office. This expansion is made possible by funding from the Blandin Foundation and the State of Minnesota Office of Justice Programs. Martha brings more than 35 years of experience in immigration law to ILCM. As a life-long member of the Moorhead community, Martha has witnessed the changing demographics of Moorhead as immigrant groups arrived: During the 1970s, the area saw the growth of the Latino community, and in the 1980s, increases in Hmong, Vietnamese, and Cambodian populations. Over the years, Bosnian, Somali, and Kurdish populations in Moorhead have also expanded as these groups were granted refugee status and resettled in Minnesota.

 

ILCM’s new Moorhead office location increases access to comprehensive immigration legal services for low-income immigrants and refugees across Northwest Minnesota, especially as these groups seek legal assistance with citizenship, DACA, immigration relief for victims of violence, and family reunification. The office is also an important resource for the community as new immigration programs are announced, as geographic limitations often prevent immigrants in rural areas from accessing accurate information.

 

As a legal staff member of ILCM, Martha enjoys her work because she witnesses her clients’ ability to participate more fully in their communities, particularly as they gain access to worker’s permits, driver’s licenses, and social security numbers. These gains are life-changing for the immigrants and refugees of northwest counties, and their advancements directly improve local-level governments and communities, as well as the broader state of Minnesota.

Source: Commondreams.org

On November 20 and 21, 2014, President Barack Obama announced a series of administrative reforms of immigration policy, collectively called the Immigration Accountability Executive Action. The centerpiece of these reforms is an expansion of the current Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) initiative for the parents of U.S citizens and lawful permanent residents who meet certain criteria. Together, these initiatives could provide as many as 5 million immigrants with temporary relief from deportation. Moreover, DAPA and expanded DACA is expected not only to keep families united, but also to increase U.S. gross domestic product, increase tax revenue, and raise wages.

Read more from the American Immigration Counsel here.

Source: Minnesota State Bar Association

This April, ILCM’s Associate Director Melissa Pfeiffer was honored at the 2016 Minnesota State Bar Association’s annual Bernard P. Becker Awards.

These awards are presented to attorneys, paralegals, administrators or other staff employed by a private, nonprofit agency that provides legal services to low-income and disadvantaged eligible clients. Recipients must have a demonstrated commitment to provision of zealous and skilled legal representation for low-income and disadvantaged clients.

Congratulations, Melissa!

^{Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota/Pictured are Henry Jimenez (left), Senator Ray (center), and John Keller (right)} 

This spring, ILCM advocated for the Immigrant Task Force Bill in the Minnesota Senate.

SF 3405, or the Immigrant Task Force Bill, seeks to create an immigration integration task force to research state laws and rules that negatively impact immigrants. It aims to create methods to ensure that future proposed laws and rules consider the impact of proposals on Minnesota’s immigrant communities. The task force would include five members appointed by the governor to represent Minnesota’s various immigrant communities, two members from the House of Representatives, two senators, and both a chair and co-chair.

Though SF 3405 was approved without dissent in early April and moved to the Senate Finance Committee, it did not receive a hearing  in the House. ILCM is now asking the Governor to convene this task force through executive action.

Above, Senator Patricia Torres Ray is pictured testifying on the bill. Henry Jimenez, from the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs, also provided strong testimony.

More information on the bill can be found here.

 

^{Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota/Pictured are Jamael Lundy (left), House Representative Rosa (center left), Zamzam Ahmed (center right), and John Keller (right)}

ILCM’s intern, Zamzam Ahmed provided testimony for the Citizenship Tax Credit Bill, HF 3560. The Bill creates a state tax credit of $680 to cover the cost of filing for citizenship for low-income students and workers; it will allow some of the 80,000 green card holders in Minnesota to naturalize sooner. Zamzam provided testimony of her personal story: she was eligible to apply for citizenship, but did not possess the financial means to apply, especially as a college student.

The tax credit bill is a part of the broader “Minnesota New American Integration Act,” which includes tax credits, education grants, and new business assistance; these bills attempt to increase both education and economic opportunities for new immigrants. The bills associated with the Act also involve HF 3563 (creation of Task Force), HF 3559, and HF 3560.

More information on the “Minnesota New American Integration Act” can be found here.

The Supreme court could decide on the constitutionality of President Obama’s executive order from 2014 in the case United States v Texas as soon as this summer. The case concerns the expanded DACA and DAPA.

The expanded DACA eliminates the age gap for DACA, changes the date of entry for DACA eligibility purposes, and grants work authorization for a period of three years instead of two. More information on the expanded DACA can be found here.

In Minnesota, 12,810 (Center for Immigration Studies) individuals are eligible for the original or expanded DACA program. If the Supreme Court decides in favor of President Obama’s administration, more students could gain the opportunity to obtain proper work authorization. 

 

^{Citizens League, Capitol Pathways 2016 Legislative Cohort} 

ILCM, along with organizations including the Office of the Secretary State, Education Minnesota, MinnCAN, Fresh Energy, Minnesota Environmental Partnership, and NAMI Minnesota, will serve as a host site for a Minnesota Capital Pathways intern.

The internship seeks to increase diversity in the Minnesotan government by allowing students of color to access the Minnesotan capitol so that they can engage in matters that impact their respective communities; students will work with their host sites as they build relationships with established capitol leaders and gain exposure to different careers in policy.

Erika Idrovo-Cuesta, ILCM’s Spring 2016 intern, is currently working with Executive Director John Keller on policies such as the MinnCare Expansion Bill.

More information on the internship can be found here.

The Government Services Administration is currently planning to move the Twin Cities USCIS office for immigration services to a location with limited public transportation options

The legislation, authored by Klobuchar and cosponsored by Franken, would require the Government Services Administration (GSA) to verify that the public transit requirement specified in a lease solicitation is met and that public transportation runs regularly throughout the business hours of the building; Ellison will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives

Klobuchar, Franken, and Ellison also joined with Representatives Peterson, McCollum, Walz, and Nolan in sending a letter urging the GSA to find alternatives to the proposed Twin Cities USCIS office relocation.

More information on the bill can be found here.

 

On August 25, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security announced that current TPS registrants from Haiti have until October 26, 2015 to apply to extend their TPS status. The 18-month extension would allow the individual to have TPS through July 22, 2017.

Please call ILCM if you have questions or need assistance: (651) 641-1011

TPS for nationals of Nepal in the U.S. announced! Please call ILCM for assistance: (651) 641-1011. “Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced his decision to designate Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months based on the conditions resulting from the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, and the subsequent aftershocks. As a result, eligible nationals of Nepal residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).”

Visit the website of USCIS for more information: http://goo.gl/dI2ZDA