As you no doubt have read and seen in the media, the situation across Houston is dire and is posing challenges to the entire community due to the ravages of Hurricane Harvey and the aftermath of the storm. Many of our friends across southern Texas have been impacted by this terrible storm, and we continue…

IR-2017-138, Aug. 30, 2017 WASHINGTON —The Internal Revenue Service today announced that 401(k)s and similar employer-sponsored retirement plans can make loans and hardship distributions to victims of Hurricane Harvey and members of their families. This is similar to relief provided last year to Louisiana flood victims and victims of Hurricane Matthew.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has stated that it is not conducting immigration enforcement at relief sites such as shelters or food banks. In the rare instance where local law enforcement informs ICE of a serious criminal alien at a relief site that presents a public safety…

USCIS has posted George Harrison’s 90-page A-file online in the Reading Room.

Republican Sens. David Perdue of Georgia and Tom Cotton of Arkansas will unveil legislation that proposes a skills-based immigration system and seeks an overall lower level of legal immigration according to the Washington Examiner. Perdue and Cotton have called for a return to “historic” levels of permanent legal immigration. A top Senate aide with knowledge…

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is joining Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to try again to pass the Dream Act to provide a way for certain young immigrants who arrived or stayed in the country illegally to become legal permanent residents. The 2017 bill introduced Thursday would make young immigrants eligible for lawful permanent residence, a step toward citizenship….

The Department of Homeland Security announced on Monday, July 17, 2017, that it would allow fifteen thousand (15,000) more seasonal workers into the country. Generally, seasonal workers enter the country with H-2B visas which are capped at sixty-six thousand (66,000) each fiscal year.  Incidentally, Texas had the highest number of H-2B jobs certified by the…

According to the decision by the court travel ban instituted by the executive order may go into effect “with respect to foreign nationals who lack any bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States”. But the justices “leave the injunctions entered by the lower courts in place” for individuals who can…

On June 15, 2017 the U.S. Department of Homeland Security by issuance of a memorandum rescinded the November 20, 2014 DAPA memorandum. The DAPA memorandum directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) “to establish a process, similar to DACA, for exercising prosecutorial discretion through the use of deferred action, on a case-by-case basis,” to certain…

Texas’ New Immigration Crackdown Appears to Be Headed Straight to Court HuffPost reports that the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) plans to file a lawsuit in the coming months that could block Texas Senate Bill 4’s implementation in September. The lawsuit will be based on pre-emption issues regarding immigration policy. On Monday, the League of…