Being a San Bernardino immigration lawyer, I was recently asked by a local church to participate at a public forum on immigration issues.

“Are we as Christians,” asked the moderator, “called upon to love our less fortunate brothers and sisters?”

“Are we as Christians called upon to love those sitting next to us, even if they are here as undocumented immigrants?”

I liked his direct approach.

Immigration reform is not just a political and social issue.  It’s about morality.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have documented a recent surge in human trafficking incidents throughout the Inland Empire.

Moreno Valley.  Perris.  Rubidoux.  Palm Desert. Riverside.

Beaumont. Rialto. Victorville. Yucaipa. San Bernardino.

The list goes on and on.

Many women and children are trapped in its web.

The problem of modern day slavery is global in nature.

Yet, experts assert that if you know the signs of modern day slavery, you would notice that it is closer to you than you ever imagined.

The immigration judge stared at me with one of those “Do you think I’m stupid?” looks.

He had asked me why my client had been placed in custody.

I explained my client was driving to church on a Sunday morning around 7:30 a.m. with his two U.S. citizen daughters when he was stopped by a police officer. The officer had passed my client driving in the opposite direction.  He made a quick u-turn, put his lights on, and pulled him over.  The officer said it looked like my client did not have his seat belt fastened.

Not believing me, the judge turned to the government attorney. His notes confirmed the seat belt story.

Will California move to the forefront of recognizing the many positive contributions of immigrants?

After all, as my mother used to say, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

And if Arizona insists on claiming state privileges regarding immigration policy, so can California.

When it comes to crimmigration issues, immigrants need as many allies as possible.  Governor David Paterson of New York was one such ally.

In December, prior to leaving office, Person pardoned 33 immigrants.  The immigrants pardoned were lawful permanent residents who had been convicted of minor crimes several years ago.

Without the pardons, most of them faced nearly automatic removal from the United States.

“Sometimes the biggest gifts,” my mother would tell me, “arrive in the smallest packages.”

This is true not just in day-to-day life, but also in immigration cases.

Recently, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals provided such a gift for immigrants fighting deportation and removal from the United States.

Somalia Temporary Protected Status Update

Re-Registration Period For Current Beneficiaries: March 18, 2023 – May 12, 2023

First Time Registration Period: March 18, 2023 – September 24, 2023

Current Expiration Date: September 24, 2024

Temporary Protected Status For Somalia is our country’s oldest TPS program. Yet, conditions have not improved enough for Somalis to return safely to their homeland.

On January 12, 2023, Alejandro Mayorkas, director of the U.S Department of Homeland Security, extended and redesignated Temporary Protected Status for Somalia because the conditions in Somalia that prompted the original TPS designation remain ongoing and have been exacerbated in recent years.

“Longstanding conflict, along with natural disasters and disease outbreaks, has worsened an already severe humanitarian crisis. Somalia continues to be affected by terrorism, violent crime, civil unrest, and fighting among clan militias. These conditions prevent Somali nationals and habitual residents from returning safely.”

Based on this review, the Department of Homeland Security determined the 18-month extension was appropriate.

Facing deportation at immigration court, many undocumented immigrants learn about a “hardship” defense for the first time.

So what is hardship?

For most lawyers, it’s an easy concept to grasp.  But difficult to explain.

In short, it means the negative effects which a person will experience if a loved  one is removed from the United States.  It’s the amount of suffering a parent, child, or parent will go through after an immigrant is deported or removed from the United States.

A few months ago, the Escondido Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) entered into a secretive agreement.  Under this partnership, two ICE agents work out of the Escondido Police Department office and regularly travel on patrol with Escondido officers.

As I wrote in Escondido Police Teams With ICE: How Will It Affect Immigrant Detentions?, the partnership was hatched in the dark.  Or more precisely, those who should have know about the program origins and goals claimed ignorance.