Immigration Equality

[Sparkle]

Victory for Monica & Cristina! Government Closes Deportation Case Against Married Lesbian Couple in New York

http://www.stopthedeportations.com/b...-new-york.html

/snip

This is the first time the government has asked an immigation court to close removal proceedings against the gay or lesbian spouse of an American citizen since the formation of an inter-agency prosecutorial discretion working group began its work on November 17 with the goal of finding and closing all “low-priority” deportation cases.

/snip

"We are thankful to Immigration & Customs Enforcement and to Immigration Judge Terry Bain for closing this case and stopping the deportation of Monica Alcota. Although the Department of Homeland Security has declined numerous requests in recent months for specific, LGBT-inclusive guidance on deportation cases, this action demonstrates that existing guidelines that weigh “family relationships” and “ties to the community” can be properly applied to protect married lesbian and gay binational couples. After a courageous battle, Monica and Cristina have arrived at the end of a long journey that began when Monica was pulled off a Greyhound bus in July 2009 and held in an ICE detention facility for three months while we fought for her release. That nightmare ends today. Monica and Cristina can now turn to the business of building a future together without living in constant fear of deportation."
- Lavi Soloway, Attorney, Founder of Stop the Deportations

This is good news.
Now to the business of making this the rule, not the exception.

[Novelafemme]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

Victory for Monica & Cristina! Government Closes Deportation Case Against Married Lesbian Couple in New York

http://www.stopthedeportations.com/b...-new-york.html

/snip

This is the first time the government has asked an immigation court to close removal proceedings against the gay or lesbian spouse of an American citizen since the formation of an inter-agency prosecutorial discretion working group began its work on November 17 with the goal of finding and closing all “low-priority” deportation cases.

/snip

"We are thankful to Immigration & Customs Enforcement and to Immigration Judge Terry Bain for closing this case and stopping the deportation of Monica Alcota. Although the Department of Homeland Security has declined numerous requests in recent months for specific, LGBT-inclusive guidance on deportation cases, this action demonstrates that existing guidelines that weigh “family relationships” and “ties to the community” can be properly applied to protect married lesbian and gay binational couples. After a courageous battle, Monica and Cristina have arrived at the end of a long journey that began when Monica was pulled off a Greyhound bus in July 2009 and held in an ICE detention facility for three months while we fought for her release. That nightmare ends today. Monica and Cristina can now turn to the business of building a future together without living in constant fear of deportation."
- Lavi Soloway, Attorney, Founder of Stop the Deportations

This is good news.
Now to the business of making this the rule, not the exception.

This is excellent news! Thank you for sharing, Linus!!

[Linus]

So I saw this yesterday and it made me go

So now we want to eliminate the legal path into the US as well? Really? I already have an issue with the way that the US treats undocumented individuals and not providing a path for those who have been here for a while to become documented. Now we want to make it even harder for legal immigrants from coming in?

Looking at this report ( http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/jus...us-labor-force ) , there is an interesting comment:

As other, more detailed analyses have confirmed, this suggests that immigrants and natives are filling different niches in the U.S. labor market and are therefore not in direct competition with each other for most jobs.

[greeneyedgrrl]

Originally Posted by Linus

So I saw this yesterday and it made me go

So now we want to eliminate the legal path into the US as well? Really? I already have an issue with the way that the US treats undocumented individuals and not providing a path for those who have been here for a while to become documented. Now we want to make it even harder for legal immigrants from coming in?

Looking at this report ( http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/jus...us-labor-force ) , there is an interesting comment:

thanks for sharing, i haven't seen it up here yet. it makes my heart hurt... but i'm not surprised...when things suck target the most vulnerable populations, don't address the actual issues right?? i wonder who funds this group....

[Kätzchen]

Hi, Good morning!

I just had a private conversation with another member here about the political climate surrounding Immigration Law and how it's being construed in the US state of Georgia.

I have a series of questions this morning, since learning that Georgia has been aggressively rewriting or over-writing current law at a state level in Georgia:

• How is it that lawmakers in Georgia are getting away with doing this?
• Would you say the process is isomorphic in that currently construed law mirrors the will of the people of the state of Georgia?
• Are people in positions of power there that hateful?
• Who's feeding their coffers that enables and allows this type of social injustice?

I ask these questions on behalf of my Femme friend, Vlasta. She is suffering dire consequences to the structure of her family life and the life of her sons' very existence. She and her family stand to suffer significantly if the state of Georgia is successful in ousting her son from the face of the population in Georgia. I worry for my friend and what options she is able to exercise on behalf of her son's best interest. I fail to see how the state of Georgia is allowed to exercise this type of authority and power in coercive and racially motivated ways.

Vlasta's son has a new court date in early January (I believe it occurs on the 9th) and I am making inquiries here to see if other members are able to supply information they might hold about how matters of Immigration are handled in the state of Georgia. I recently learned that rules now on the books will be obsolete by the week of Vlasta's sons' court appearance and I worry that the tidal wave of change will snuff out the life of her son, and his small family (their plight) and Vlasta's life.

The questions I have listed above are important to me but the most important question I have right now, is this:

Who can a person turn to, as an advocate - other than a lawyer who specializes in Immigration Law - whose legal voice will empower them past this mine field of hate?

If anyone knows who has the power to overturn the wheels of hate in Georgia, will you please post a message here or send me note via the PM system here. The current window of time is limited to two weeks. Also, I wonder if there is a powerful lobby who advocates on behalf of those who are caught up in the web of misuse of power, such as this case that is transpiring in the state of Georgia?

Thank you in advance for any insight or help you are able to offer.

~D

[Linus]

Katzchen (sorry, I don't know how to add the two dots above the A),

You or Vlasta may want to check out http://www.immigrationequality.org/ and/or http://imeq.us/ to get some help or get resources that could help.

As for Georgia, I think that it will be interesting to see what happens in regards to Arizona and the changes they made. If the courts agree, they'll likely say that the states don't have the right to enforce immigration issues.

[Kätzchen]

Thank you Linus!

I'd be upset like Vlasta too if none of my lady friends came to my side to help me during this time of tragedy that my friend Vlasta is going through.

Thank you for the leads this morning.

~D

[AtLast]

Originally Posted by Linus

Katzchen (sorry, I don't know how to add the two dots above the A),

You or Vlasta may want to check out http://www.immigrationequality.org/ and/or http://imeq.us/ to get some help or get resources that could help.

As for Georgia, I think that it will be interesting to see what happens in regards to Arizona and the changes they made. If the courts agree, they'll likely say that the states don't have the right to enforce immigration issues.

I think the US Constitution is clear that what so many states have been trying to pull, is unconstitutional. So are all of the voter suppression actions going on in some states.

As Greyson pointed out, the Supreme Court will be ruling on legislation like what was passed in AZ. I always want to believe that our high court is actually not political (as it is defined as in the very same Constitution)- that our system of "checks & balances" does work, but, I don't know any more. After the Citizens United decision, I am just not the believer I used to be in our judicial branch.

[Vlasta]

Originally Posted by Kätzchen

Hi, Good morning!

I just had a private conversation with another member here about the political climate surrounding Immigration Law and how it's being construed in the US state of Georgia.

I have a series of questions this morning, since learning that Georgia has been aggressively rewriting or over-writing current law at a state level in Georgia:

• How is it that lawmakers in Georgia are getting away with doing this?
• Would you say the process is isomorphic in that currently construed law mirrors the will of the people of the state of Georgia?
• Are people in positions of power there that hateful?
• Who's feeding their coffers that enables and allows this type of social injustice?

I ask these questions on behalf of my Femme friend, Vlasta. She is suffering dire consequences to the structure of her family life and the life of her sons' very existence. She and her family stand to suffer significantly if the state of Georgia is successful in ousting her son from the face of the population in Georgia. I worry for my friend and what options she is able to exercise on behalf of her son's best interest. I fail to see how the state of Georgia is allowed to exercise this type of authority and power in coercive and racially motivated ways.

Vlasta's son has a new court date in early January (I believe it occurs on the 9th) and I am making inquiries here to see if other members are able to supply information they might hold about how matters of Immigration are handled in the state of Georgia. I recently learned that rules now on the books will be obsolete by the week of Vlasta's sons' court appearance and I worry that the tidal wave of change will snuff out the life of her son, and his small family (their plight) and Vlasta's life.

The questions I have listed above are important to me but the most important question I have right now, is this:

Who can a person turn to, as an advocate - other than a lawyer who specializes in Immigration Law - whose legal voice will empower them past this mine field of hate?

If anyone knows who has the power to overturn the wheels of hate in Georgia, will you please post a message here or send me note via the PM system here. The current window of time is limited to two weeks. Also, I wonder if there is a powerful lobby who advocates on behalf of those who are caught up in the web of misuse of power, such as this case that is transpiring in the state of Georgia?

Thank you in advance for any insight or help you are able to offer.

~D

thank you for everything my friend , your support means so much to me so other kind people .

love ya always <3