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Eligible Nationals of Somalia: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) extended

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Somalia (and eligible individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Somalia) for an additional 18 months, effective Sept. 18, 2015, through March 17, 2017.

Please call the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota with any questions or to schedule an appointment. (651) 641-1011.

Current TPS Somalia beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from June 1, 2015, through July 31, 2015. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible once the 60-day re-registration period begins. USCIS will not accept applications before June 1, 2015.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible TPS Somalia beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of March, 17, 2017.

To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit:

Applicants may request that USCIS waive the Form I-765 application fee and/or biometrics fee based on an inability to pay. To do so, applicants must file a Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or submit a written request. Fee waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation. USCIS will reject the TPS application of any applicant who fails to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee waiver request.

All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.

Additional information on TPS for Somalia —including guidance on eligibility, the application process and where to file—is available online at uscis.gov/tps. Certain individuals who are not current TPS beneficiaries may be able to apply late for TPS under the Somalia designation. Information on Late Initial Filing is also available at uscis.gov/tps. Further details about this extension of TPS for Somalia, including the application requirements and procedures, appear in a Federal Register noticepublished today.

Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).

The House Approves DHS Budget Without Harming New DAPA or DACA

Oliver Douliery/EPA
The House voted to approve a measure Tuesday, March 3, 2015 to fund the Department of Homeland Security through September, the rest of the fiscal year. The bill, which originally passed the Senate on Friday, is a “clean” funding bill without any amendments attempting to defund President Obama’s executive actions on immigration reform. The House vote was 257-167, with only Republicans voting against the measure.
The President signed the funding measure on Wednesday, March 4, 2015.
Read more in this NYTimes article.

MN Business Immigration Coalition Supports Driver’s License Bill

The Minnesota Business Immigration Coalition is publicly supporting the Minnesota Driver’s License Bill. We are thankful for their support and proud to say that they have strengthened our coalition and our efforts to pass this important legislation before the end of session.

You can read their letter of support here.

Read a letter of support from Representatives Kurt Daudt and Paul Thissen here.

Read multiple letters of support from a variety of law enforcement officials throughout Minnesota here.

ILCM Helps Client to Stay with His Wife and Children in the U.S.

Elizabeth Flores/ Star Tribune

Our client, Mr. Jacobo Gabriel Tomas, learned at a check-in with ICE only six days before Christmas that he, his wife and his young U.S. citizen children will remain together for Christmas this year and longer!

After fleeing the violence of El Salvador and journeying to the U.S. at age 16, and after 22 years of working and forming a family in the U.S, Jacobo faced imminent deportation before President Obama announced an expansion of the use of deferred action on November 20th. Jacobo’s case was featured on the front page of the Star Tribune, and has come to illustrate the long-overdue need for just and humane changes to our immigration system for millions of people. In a wonderful turn of events apt for the season, on December 19th, Immigration officers agreed with us that Jacobo is not a priority for deportation, and he was granted time to apply for deferred action for parents of U.S. citizens (DAPA).

We are thankful for the crucial support through Familias Juntas, hundreds of on-line signatures, letters in support from faith leaders and employers, as well as advocacy by Senator Franken and Representative Walz. Jacobo said he didn’t allow himself to make plans for Christmas with his family until after his check-in, but now his plans include not only being together for the holidays but also acquiring legal status and protection from deportation in 2015. ILCM thanks all of our supporters for your trust, which is crucial to help us deliver life-changing representation like we did for Jacobo and his wife and children.

The BBC Reports on Thousands of Karen Refugees in South Dakota

More than 2,000 Karen refugees from Myanmar have settled in South Dakota. They are an ethnic and religious minority that have been persecuted in the country formerly known as Burma.

Their migration has transformed the small community of Huron; while some locals are struggling with the new arrivals, the town’s turkey factory has welcomed the new workforce with open arms.

You can read the article here.

ILCM Opposes U.S. House Vote Against Executive Action

    Stephen Crowley/The New York Times

The U.S. House took a “symbolic vote” against Executive Actions taken by President Obama. The Senate will not, and it will have no real impact. The country is still waiting for the House’s ideas on how it plans to fix our broken immigration system.

The American Immigration Council’s article is found here. 

Read ILCM’s opposition letter here. 

New Profile of Unauthorized Immigrant Population in Minnesota Released

The Migration Policy Institute has released detailed data profiles for the U.S., 41 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the 94 counties with the largest unauthorized populations.

Learn about the estimated 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. Where do they live? When did they arrive in the United States, and from which origin countries? What are their levels of education, top industries of employment, incomes, parental and marital status, health care coverage, and more? And how many are potentially eligible for relief from deportation via deferred action? This unique data tool provides detailed sociodemographic profiles for the U.S., 41 states and D.C., and 94 counties with the largest unauthorized populations.

Click here to view Minnesota’s profile.

Click here to view other U.S. state profiles.

Mexican Consulate in MN Presents Director of ILCM with Ohtli Award

 

Thank you to the Mexican Consulate in Minnesota Consulado De Mexico for organizing an amazing event in Saint Paul to celebrate Mexican Independence Day! The Consulate presented John Keller, the director of ILCM, with the prestigious Ohtli Award. It is the highest honor given to an individual who has shown remarkable dedication towards the empowerment and development of Mexican and Mexican-American communities. Take a moment to read John’s thoughts about receiving this incredible award: 
 Thank you!
Parents – my mom, 91 and my father who we lost 19 years ago. You taught me to love and to care…lessons that I’ve fortunately never forgotten.
My wife Maria, Gabriel, Johanna, Ana – my Peruvian American family, for being my rocks, my support, and my sanity through so many years. I truly would not be here without you.
My strong extended family both in MN, Ann and Jane, and my large adopted family in Latin America.
I thank my brilliant and so very dedicated co-workers, both those who’ve been there 26 years or 26 days, for putting up with me and for making ILCM a place full of hope, value and inspiration. I thank our board of directors who do the hard work to keep our office running, growing, serving, and treating everyone who enters our office with respect and dignity…day after day.
I also thank all that came before me at ILCM – SMRLS, Karen Ellingson our founder, countless attorneys, legal assistants, interns, volunteers, directors, and board members who first dreamt Oficina Legal and stood by it all these years.
I also give thanks to the wonderful community and the many great leaders in so many definitions of that word who are in the room tonight: leaders who are elected, faith, labor, family, community, federal, state and local government – even at ICE, leaders in the workplace, in the foundation and philanthropic community, and all throughout the levels of education and social services. So many of you are my dear friends and colleagues who have made this journey for the last 16 years a true labor of love that has blessed me more than I can say and more than I would have ever imagined.
Finally I thank Consul Alberto Fierro Garza and all in the Mexican Consulate and the Government of Mexico, I thank former consul Ana Luisa Fajer for also being wonderful – to all of you – your beautiful award tonight recognizing the work of ILCM over these many years is a true honor – I, WE, are very grateful for it and humbled by it.
THE AWARD-
The Ohtli award recognizes those who help to open a path to others. I can’t think of a better description for what ILCM and everyone who works there is all about. We open paths to progress…
To give you an example – through the support of the Mexican Consulate and others we have been able to help over 1,400 young people, the majority Mexicans, from all over the state get immigration status for the first time through DACA. Each and every one of those young people’s lives is a validation of their value, their long-overdue recognition by our federal and state government of their place in our community. We are not done but so much promise comes from DACA.
Thanks also to the Mexican Consulate – we can help women and children who are victims of domestic or sexual violence not only get out of danger but get immigration status and get on a path to a greencard and citizenship.
Finally – with support from the Mexican Consulate, we at ILCM can keep families together. One of the most compelling cases we have seen at ILCM was a husband and wife who were working hard to provide adequate medical attention to their young daughter who was struggling with multiple disabilities. All three members of the family were undocumented, living quiet and hardworking lives in the shadows. One day, the father was suddenly arrested and detained by ICE, threatening the future and the health of his daughter who required expensive health care. Upon learning about the case, the Consulate asked ILCM to represent the entire family. ILCM took the case and was able to not only work with our counterparts at ICE to get the father out of deportation proceedings but to eventually help the entire family get deferred action and legal work authorization cards for the first time ever. OPENING UP A PATH –
One of the reasons I am so honored by this award and the life’s work that ILCM has allowed me to do these last 16 years is because my personal values and those of ILCM are in such close alignment. WE believe in the following:
• Fairness and equality for all people regardless of national origin, immigration status, your economic or political background, your choice in who you love, your gender, politics, or religion,
• We believe in being excellent public servants — especially in providing the highest quality legal immigration, education, and advocacy services to as many people as possible to help them find their own paths build their own dreams in Minnesota and America,
• We believe in families – pure and simple. We believe that our broken immigration system must return to the core principal of keeping families together so they can thrive and continue to build strong neighborhoods, schools, communities, businesses and leaders.
• Finally, we believe in community. We believe we all have different gifts, that no one has all the answers, that together – when we talk and work and trust one another – we are all deeply enriched.
• Lastly, we believe that Justice needs champions who will enter and use all of their wits and resources to work to defend and empower those who have been intentionally or unintentionally left without voice or power.
There is so much left to do to truly build these beliefs into reality.
• We must never cease our efforts to reform our immigration system to make it a thriving, healthy, welcoming system deserving of the ideals and accomplishments of the world’s people who are already here and who will come through a more humane process in the future.
• We must demilitarize our border, our detention system, we must dedicate ourselves to no more deaths in the desert or the use of deadly force on our border or on sacrificing border communities in immigration legislation. Further, we must hold every use of force to the strictest standard – just like we demand from any law enforcement agency – beginning with justice for 16 year old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez shot and killed by U.S. Border Patrol in Nogales in 2012 after allegedly throwing rocks.
• We must honor all of our obligations to provide due process and human rights protections to children fleeing some of the most unspeakable violence of the 21st Century. ( HIPGive Campaign !!: www.hipgive.org/campaign/detail/3415 ),
• We must reform our federal and state health care systems to provide equal access to healthcare to all regardless of status,
• Finally, we must double our efforts to work with and demand from our public servants and public services respect for immigrants and refugees as full members of our communities in the Metro and Greater MN as well as the U.S. No better way to get about doing this than to start promoting more candidates and leaders who understand and come from immigrant and refugee experiences.
These beliefs turned to new, more sustainable policies will open paths, they will protect paths, they will shed light on paths that have gone dark or have rarely seen light, and they will hold us accountable to you all; our brothers and sisters. For truly we are not on some singular journey of the individual or the ego…We are part of building a more perfect community in every sense of that word.
Alberto – and all, muchismas gracias!

 

USCIS Offices Will Stay Near Public Transit

The General Services Administration announced that they will NOT be moving the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services offices to a location that lacks access to public transportation! Thank you to Senator Amy Klobuchar, Senator Al Franken, Representative Keith Ellison, our amazing task force, and everyone who wrote letters or called on behalf of this issue. Thank you all for being a part of this coalition and helping to keep the “path to citizenship” a positive and welcoming experience for all. 

You can read more about the announcement in this Star Tribune article.