Washington Post: Immigration Reform Outlook

This Washington Post blog opines that immigration reform is still possible, although maybe not in the same sweeping fashion as the Senate bill. Read this story and more in AILA's daily immigration news clips here.

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

Speaker Boehner Ignores the Costs of Doing Nothing

Speaker of the House John Boehner reassured the far-right wing of the Republican Party and anti-immigrant activists that he would never agree to a conference to hammer out an agreement on a House immigration bill and S. 744, the Senate’s bipartisan immigration bill that passed in June. While that statement may have been reassuring to a few die-hard anti-immigration reform activists, it had the opposite effect for the vast majority of Americans. The Speaker’s statement does not stop the clock on the economic, social, and societal costs of doing nothing on immigration. It also does not honor the hard work of Democrats and Republicans who have worked in good faith to pass the Senate bill and negotiate on various fronts in the House.   

However, what Speaker Boehner's statement does do is open the door to more protests and public outrage, encourage states to continue to take the lead on immigration policy and leave the administration in the difficult situation of deciding how long they will let Congressional inaction continue before they will intervene. When Congress refuses to act they make themselves less relevant and reinforce the idea that they cannot work constructively to fix our nation's most pressing problems.

Thus, rather than tamp down the flames of reform, the Speaker’s statements will embolden those who will work to fix immigration policy on their own - for better or worse. It’s inevitable that immigration reform will happen it’s just a matter of how much our economy, communities, and the Republican Party will lose in the meantime.

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

Politico: Reince Priebus Says Immigration Reform Is Not Dead

Politico reports that Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said that his "gut" feeling is that the House will pass an immigration overhaul in the next 14 months. Read this story and more in AILA's daily immigration news clips here.

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

NBC News Latino: Third House Republican Signs On To Immigration Reform Bill, Saying "It Cannot Wait"

NBC News Latino reports that Representative David Valadao (R-CA) became the third Republican to sign on to the immigration reform bill introduced in the House of Representatives. Follow the related updates and analysis on this AILA Leadership Blog post, in this AILA Quicktake video, and on AILA's Immigration Politics 2013. Read more stories in AILA's daily immigration news clips here.

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

Immigration Relief Measures for Filipino Nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan

Please see important information below by USCIS regarding immigration relief measures for Filipino Nationals impacted by Typhoon Haiyan.

This is the CIS note:

Dear Stakeholder,

We in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) are deeply saddened by the effects of the typhoon that struck the Philippines on November 8, 2013. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this tragedy.

We have taken steps to provide relief to victims of the typhoon. Filipino nationals in the United States should visit the home page of our website to learn about a series of existing relief measures that may be available to them. In addition, we are proactively identifying and expediting pending petitions for alien relatives, the Form I-130, that have been filed by U.S. Citizens for their Filipino immediate relatives.   Our standard security checks remain in place.

A Form I-130 petitioner can check his or her case status online at www.uscis.gov or by contacting the National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 or 1-800-767-1833 (TDD assistance). In addition, a petitioner can sign up to receive automatic case status updates by e-mail as one’s case is processed. If one has filed a Form I-130 and received a request for evidence or any other type of communication from USCIS, one should read the notice carefully to ensure that one responds to the same USCIS Service Center that sent the notice.

Members of Congress and members of the community have requested that the Philippines receive a designation of Temporary Protected Status, commonly known as “TPS.” The Department of Homeland Security, along with other federal agencies, is reviewing these requests, the conditions in the Philippines, and other relevant factors in assessing whether a TPS designation is warranted.

We are monitoring the situation closely and actively considering what additional measures we can take to assist and support individuals affected by the tragedy.

Kind Regards,

USCIS Public Engagement Division

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

USCIS Launches Redesigned USCIS Website

USCIS announced that it has launched its redesigned website in English, www.USCIS.gov, as well as in Spanish, www.USCIS.gov/es.

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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.

Latino Voters Poised to Again Play Key Role in Elections

One year after the 2012 elections, in which the Latino vote  played a pivotal role in the re-election of President Obama, the Republican Party is still attempting to figure out how to attract Latinos and new immigrant voters to the fold.

Read full story from Immigration Impact
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Based in Volusia County, Florida, immigration attorneys at the firm of David Vedder, P.A. have global reach and the proven ability to handle matters at all levels of complexity. We welcome inquiries from clients of all cultural backgrounds and referrals from other lawyers. To request an initial consultation or more information on our firm's range of services, call 386-274-0044.