Once in a while, common sense rules the day in immigration law.

As a Riverside immigration lawyer, it seems like these days are like a burst of sunlight in the middle of week-long thunderstorms.

But they happen.   And when they do, like the recent ICE policy change regarding needless deportation and removal hearings, the government deserves praise.

I don’t get it.

As an immigration lawyer in Hemet, where we just went though an excruciating debate over supporting Arizona SB 1070, I wonder why other states want to create potentially explosive social divisions among its citizens.

After expressing my views on the City Council’s actions as an immigration lawyer, Corona, Lake Elsinore, and Perris residents, many against my position, rose up to let their opinions heard.  The public display of something far less than good manners wasn’t very nice to watch.

Reaction created counter-reaction, instigating counter-counter reaction, in a never-ending cycle of insults continuing today.

Human trafficking, a form of modern day slavery, is growing.

It’s growing across the globe. It’s growing across the United States. Now, it’s growing locally. Recent news reports confirm its arrival in the Inland Empire and Southwest Riverside.

As an immigration lawyer whose practice takes me into various regional communities, I sensed its growing presence based on tell-tale signs a few months ago.

According to a San Diego Union-Tribune news report earlier today, Escondido has become the first city in Southern California to integrate the help of immigration agents in local police activities.  Escondido is located in Northern San Diego County.

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers now work out of the Escondido Police Department offices and accompany police officers on certain calls.  It is not clear which types of matters the ICE officers are tracking.

The debate over immigration reform, during the past week, exploded in Riverside County.

A decision by the Hemet City Council to endorse a hotly disputed and constitutionally defective Arizona law triggered other Inland Empire and Southwest Riverside cities to join the bandwagon.

Practicing immigration law in Riverside County, I’m glad immigration reform has become a leading issue. It’s long overdue.

But I’m disappointed at the negative twist it has taken.

Due process, a cornerstone of American jurisprudence, cannot be applied selectively. Even if the beneficiaries are immigrants who have already been deported.

That’s the word from the Supreme Court.

In Caruchi-Rosendo v, Holder, the government was stopped from automatically deporting green card holders for minor drug possession convictions.

For lawful permanent residents, the decision represents a a major immigration appeals victory, and perhaps turning point in the ongoing battles against the ill effects of current deportation law.

The Cuban Adjustment Act (CAA) of 1966 is one of our most unique immigration programs helping immigrants earn green cards and win permanent resident status.

Like many immigration programs, the Cuban Adjustment Act was created in response to our political policies.  Back in 1966, the U.S. was furious at the Cuban government.  As a result, the Cuban Adjustment Act was passed to help Cubans fleeing their country due to political dissension.

As an immigration attorney, I know the barriers immigrants face to obtain a fair trial in immigration court.

They’re huge.

However, they’re small compared to the obstacles they face to get a fair trial in the arena of public opinion.

What advocate for those from other countries has not heard the deliberate misuse of labels about immigrants?

It’s not quite summer, but the Riverside heat wave has already started.

Wild fires, the immigration variety, have erupted in cities and states across the nation.

The fires were lit by Arizona.

As a result, it was no surprise when the the immigration reform debate spread to the City of Hemet this week.

Actually, it was not the immigration debate which arrived in the small relatively unknown Southwest Riverside city. It was the anti-immigrant circus promoted by hate-based groups.

And like politicians in other places, the mayor of Hemet could not avoid the misguided temptation to grandstand for political purposes.