Boulder Immigration And Naturalization Law Blog

When you decided to come to Colorado to build a new life in the United States for yourself and your family, you likely encountered various challenges as you navigated the immigration process. It is crucial that you fully understand all regulations that apply to your situation to avoid major delays or problems as you bring your immigration plans to fruition.

While there are many support networks in place to help you overcome immigration obstacles, there are also a lot of entities whose motives are less than pure when it comes to supposedly helping people in your situation avoid complications regarding their legal statuses. In fact, immigration fraud is a major concern in Colorado and most other states.

Immigrants living in Colorado or elsewhere may be deported if they lose their legal status even if they have served in the military. A 39-year-old man was deported back to Mexico after his application for citizenship was denied because of a previous felony drug conviction. The man had arrived in the United States legally as a child, but he chose to continually renew his green card rather than become a citizen.

The green card was revoked in 2010 after he was convicted of giving an undercover police officer more than 2 pounds of cocaine. He claims that the drug addiction started after his second tour of Afghanistan and intensified when he returned home to Chicago. His military service began just before 9/11, and that second tour of Afghanistan took place between May and October 2003. After being convicted of the felony drug charge, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Many immigrants in Colorado and across the country are facing increased concerns about the threat of deportation and removal. However, the case of one active veteran provides some inspiration of the possibility of avoiding deportation through community action and involvement. One man who was born in Pakistan and lived in Australia before coming to the United States has been engaged for nine years in a battle to stop his deportation.

The man married his wife, a U.S. citizen, in 2001 and became a lawful permanent resident of the country. Both he and his wife are active in a range of community and charity organizations, including peace groups and activities to help the homeless. He served for several years in the National Guard and received multiple commendations. However, in 2009, immigration authorities began their bid for deportation and removal with a claim that he had made false statements when applying for residency.

Protections offered as part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program were scheduled to be phased out starting in March. This could have implications for 700,000 young adults living in Colorado and elsewhere who are covered by DACA. However, on Feb. 26, the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of an injunction issued on Jan. 9 by a federal judge in San Francisco.

The DACA program allows individuals known as "Dreamers" to remain in the country and obtain work permits that are valid for two years. As part of the district judge's ruling, the government must continue to process renewals of permits that are scheduled to expire. In his ruling, the judge found that parties challenging the end of DACA were likely to succeed in their assertion that the program was ended arbitrarily. While the Supreme Court refused to hear the case for now, it said that the denial was without prejudice.