At this point in time, no one knows what a Trump presidency will mean for immigrants. What we do know, is what Trump has said throughout his campaign regarding taking a hardline stance against immigrants. Here we have written out some pointers as a sort of damage control for immigrants:
- We are expecting the mass deportation of individuals who do not have legal status. For this reason, now is a really good time to contact our office to see if there is anything we can do to help you before Trump takes power.
- Those individuals with DACA (deferred action for childhood arrivals) should contact our office to see if they have any possibility of acquiring a type of permanent status. For example, we might be able to obtain permanent resident status for individuals who are married to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. This is important because DACA is not law, DACA was an executive order by Obama. This benefit could be gone as soon as Trump takes power if he so chooses.
- If you entered illegally and are in the country illegally and you are married to a lawful permanent resident or a U.S. citizen, you could be eligible for a waiver which would ultimately result in permanent residence in the U.S. It is essential that you contact our office to see if you are eligible and if you are eligible to apply as soon as possible because again, this special type of waiver is authorized by an Obama regulation. Although this is not an executive order, Trump could attempt to revoke this area of law, but it would require that his administration go through an administrative process before the I601a waiver is revoked.
- Lawful permanent residents should apply for their U.S. Citizenship. This will allow you to vote in the next election and could potentially benefit any relatives who need immigration status as well.
Although no one knows exactly what the future holds, we do know immigration is going to get tougher. We have extensive experience and knowledge precisely in this area of law and we will always be here to fight for our clients, this is our passion and our life’s work.