Areas of Expertise

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) immigration attorneys’ expertise focuses on family-based immigration, humanitarian relief, naturalization and citizenship, immigration enforcement, and removal defense.

Since 1979 we have helped expand the immigration expertise of attorneys, nonprofit staff, criminal defenders, and others assisting immigrant clients.

In addition to authoring the ILRC’s practice manuals, our expert attorneys have been published by Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), ILW.com, Huffington Post, Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Center for Law and Social Policy, The Hill, LexisNexis Emerging Issues, and Fox News Latino.
 
We have also provided training to National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, Federal Bar Association, The State Bar of California, Legal Aid Association of California, Judicial Council of California and more.

DACA Rescission Case Summary: A Legal Summary of Regents of Univ. of Cal. V. Dep’t of Homeland Security
DACA
On January 9, 2018, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an important ruling on the termination of the DACA program.  The court granted plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction, putting the rescission of the DACA program on hold until a final determination is made in the case.  The court ordered USCIS to resume accepting DACA renewal applications.  This resource provides a legal summary of issues that were decided and what they mean moving forward.

Federal Court Decision Halting End of DACA is Temporary Victory, Recipients Must Stay Vigilant, Says Immigrant Legal Resource Center

For Immediate Release: January 11, 2018

Contact: Jareyah Bradley, jareyah@balestramedia.com, 908.242.4822

 

Federal Court Decision Halting End of DACA is Temporary Victory, Recipients Must Stay Vigilant, Says Immigrant Legal Resource Center

 

TPS for El Salvador Frequently Asked Questions
Community Resources
Temporary Protected Status
On January 8, 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for El Salvador. This TPS designation was supposed to expire on March 9, 2018.  DHS has extended TPS for El Salvador for a final 18-month period (until September 9, 2019) and has not indicated that they plan to extend or renew TPS for El Salvador past that date. On January 18, 2018, DHS published a notice in the Federal Register explaining how TPS holders from El Salvador can re-register and re-apply for work permits, or Employment Authorization Documents (EAD). This is a summary of what you can do now.

The Rise of Sanctuary
Enforcement
Sanctuary policies have continued to grow over the first year of the Trump administration.  This detailed report describes what sanctuary policies are and how they are enacted across the country, detailing the changes in 2017 and providing context to the public discourse about local policies related to immigration.

New Report and Map: Sanctuary Policies Strengthened in 410 Counties Across the Country in 2017, Finds the Immigrant Legal Resource Center

For Immediate Release: January 25, 2018
Contact: Jareyah Bradley, jareyah@balestramedia.com, 908.242.4822

New Report and Map: Sanctuary Policies Strengthened in 410 Counties Across the Country in 2017, Finds the Immigrant Legal Resource Center

ILRC Decries Trump’s Extreme Immigration Agenda: Recycled and Repackaged for the State of the Union but Still the Same

For Immediate Release: January 30, 2018 
Contact: Courtney Holsworth, courtney@balestramedia.com, (989) 572-8162

Immigrant Legal Resource Center Decries Trump’s Extreme Immigration Agenda: Recycled and Repackaged for the State of the Union but Still the Same

Understanding Extreme Hardship in Waivers: What Extreme Hardship Is and How to Prove It
Family-Based
This advisory is a follow-up to the ILRC’s free webinar on hardship in waivers from the fall, 2017. Given the volume of questions received during the webinar and overall strong interest in this topic (over 1,000 people registered for this webinar!), this advisory covers the basics and also incorporates frequently asked questions. In this practice advisory you will find an overview of hardship in waivers: when you need to prove hardship, whose hardship counts, and what is hardship. It also covers tips and strategies for analyzing and proving “extreme hardship” in your case by using USCIS guidance, case law, and working closely with your client.

Chart of Stop-and-Identify State Statutes
Enforcement
This table provides state law statutes and descriptions of existing laws that require people to identify themselves to law enforcement officers—also known as Hiibel laws or Stop-and-Identify laws. The nuances of requirements under these laws may vary, but the chart provides a preliminary survey and research of statutes across the country, to educate individuals about their own state requirements and provide a first step for deeper research.

Clean Slate for Immigrants: Reducing Felonies to Misdemeanors Using Penal Code § 18.5, Prop 47, Penal Code § 17(b)(3), & Prop 64
Crimes
Post-Conviction Relief
In the past four years, California voters and the California Legislature have created many new mechanisms for people to reclassify, vacate, and resentence offenses to eliminate the ongoing impact of criminal convictions. This advisory discusses how these new laws can benefit immigrants and can erase or mitigate certain criminal grounds of removability.

TPS for Haiti FAQs
Community Resources
Temporary Protected Status
On November 20, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it terminated the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti. This TPS designation was supposed to expire on January 22, 2018. DHS has given TPS holders from Haiti an additional 18 months of TPS status (until July 22, 2019) and it is unlikely that TPS for Haiti will be extended past that date.

The Search for Leadership and Governance Continues as Congress Shuts Down Government Again Without a DACA Fix

For Immediate Release: February 8, 2018
Contact: Courtney Holsworth, courtney@balestramedia.com, (989) 572-8162

The Search for Leadership and Governance Continues as Congress Shuts Down Government Again Without a DACA Fix, Says Immigrant Legal Resource Center