Recent Blog Posts
What are Expert Advisory Letters and How Can You Get One?
Expert advisory letters, also known as expert opinion letters, are formal documents written by a recognized authority in support of an immigration petition. Expert advisory letters are used to prove an applicant’s expertise, authority, or achievements to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). These letters carry a great deal of weight as they… Read More »
FAQs About Immigration Bonds
When people are arrested for a crime in the United States, they can often post bond, commonly known as bail, and be released from custody until their trial or other court appearances. The same is sometimes true when immigrants are arrested and placed in custody. These individuals may also be eligible for bond, but… Read More »
Timelines and Fees for Premium Processing
When a foreign national is applying for employment-based immigration, it is sometimes necessary to expedite the process so they can enter the United States faster. In these instances, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers premium processing to help with these situations. Premium processing can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to… Read More »
What are the Arguments For and Against 287(g) Agreements?
A 287(g) agreement is a program that allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to authorize sheriffs, local police officers, and other law enforcement officers to perform certain duties under federal immigration law. The program is intended to promote public safety by removing criminal offenders with no official immigrant status from communities. However,… Read More »
Can ICE Detain U.S. Citizens?
Although American citizens cannot be deported, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials sometimes accidentally detain citizens. For example, ICE may detain American citizens based on outdated records, misidentification, or confusion regarding a person’s immigration status. If you are a United States citizen and are stopped by ICE, it is critical to know what to… Read More »
Understanding Your Rights if You Encounter ICE
Every person in the United States has rights, regardless of their immigration status. Unfortunately, this does not mean that those rights are always upheld by law enforcement officials or immigration authorities. The rights of immigrants today seem to be under increasing threat, particularly if you have been approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement… Read More »
Avoiding RFEs: Common Pitfalls
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) may issue a Request for Evidence (RFE) if there is not sufficient evidence to approve your immigration application but they also do not believe there is no clear reason to deny your application. An RFE can result in delays, additional stress, and even a potential denial of… Read More »
Strategies ICE Uses to Gain Access to Homes and Individuals
Over recent months, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have ramped up their efforts to arrest and detain individuals. ICE agents are very aggressive in their tactics and they often use deceptive strategies to gain entry into homes and other locations so they can detain individuals. Below, our Tifton deportation defense lawyer explains some… Read More »
What is Expedited Removal?
Expedited removal is nothing new in the United States. However, the Trump Administration expanded the use of expedited removal and changed who may be subject to it. For any immigrant, expedited removal is very detrimental. It allows them to be quickly deported without attending a hearing before an immigration judge and denies them their… Read More »
Judicial Warrants vs. Administrative Warrants
Under the Fourth Amendment, everyone in America has protection from unlawful search and seizures, including non-citizens. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and other immigration officials want to search a non-citizen’s person or property to determine if they are illegally in the country, they must first obtain a judicial warrant that grants… Read More »