ILRC comments on Texas House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety Testimony on SB 602.

This toolkit is for advocates looking for guidance on how to engage in legislative advocacy, also known as lobbying. Legislative advocacy is building support for an issue or cause that you believe in through engaging legislators and advocating for or against certain legislation, or proposed laws. The aim of legislative advocacy is to influence the outcome of a legislator’s vote on a proposed legislation or a bill. This type of advocacy can also be for the purpose of building a legislative champion and public voice on the issue you care about.

On August 12, ILRC provided feedback to USCIS on recent changes made to the acquisition of citizenship portion of the USCIS policy manual. ILRC commended the agency for providing clarity in some of the sections and provided suggested language that should be incorporated into the policy manual to ensure that all eligible applicants – including those who were previously denied and are now eligible due to changes to USCIS policy – are able to access the process now and obtain proof of their acquired citizenship.

On August 12, 2024, ILRC provided comments to USCIS on proposed changes to the application forms for T Nonimmigrant status. The comment urged USCIS to make additional changes to the form including removing the requirement for disclosure of juvenile adjudications and vacated criminal records and implementing uniform confidentiality and privacy language on the forms to ensure that the applicant’s sensitive information is protected.
Tags: U Visa/T Visa/VAWA

Immigrant survivors of domestic violence face significant barriers in seeking both domestic violence support services and immigration legal assistance. Lack of lawful status, fear of deportation, and language barriers make it difficult for immigrant survivors to access critical services. These challenges can be even more acute in underserved and rural areas, such as California’s San Joaquin Valley. This project aims to fortify the economic stability of immigrant survivors of domestic violence in California’s rural San Joaquin Valley by facilitating access to lawful immigration status, employment authorization, and public benefits for immigrant survivors, thus reducing their risk of poverty and homelessness.

On July 23, 2024, the ILRC provide comment on the Biden Administration’s proposed re-scheduling of marijuana. The ILRC advocated for the complete de-scheduling of marijuana instead of rescheduling. The comment highlighted the racist impacts of maintaining marijuana on the schedule of controlled substances and the lack of any mitigating effect that rescheduling will have on immigration consequences of marijuana-related crimes

On July 15, 2024, the ILRC along with Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) provided comment on Form N-648, Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions. ILRC and DREDF urged the agency to remove a question that conflates the disability exceptions for English and civics testing with waivers for the oath of allegiance.

On May 17, 2024, the ILRC provided comment to USCIS on proposed changes to the forms to apply for a U Visa. This is the second time that ILRC provided comment on proposed changes and USCIS accepted some of our previous comments in the newest version. We reiterated some previous requests in response to the agency’s changes and also requested that USCIS extend grace periods for the old forms to mitigate the harm to applicants who would have had to get new law enforcement certifications on new forms, which USCIS granted.