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The Emerald Isle Immigration Center's highly qualified staff assists clients in many aspects of immigrant life and law. The EIIC prides itself on the extraordinary services it provides.

Traveling to the U.S. in the coming days or weeks?

Based on what we know of the January 27, 2017 Executive Order, and its application in recent days, here is a guide for those traveling in the coming days and weeks.

The Executive Order highlighted 7 countries: Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.  If you were not born in or are not a citizen of one of these 7 countries, the Executive Order should not impact you.

The Executive Order created 3 potential outcomes regarding travel to the U.S. for current/former citizens of these 7 countries:

  1. Permission to travel to and entry to the U.S.;
  2. Permission to travel to the U.S., but may be subject to questioning on arrival; or
  3. Not permitted to travel to the U.S.

Which of these 3 outcomes you can expect depends on your nationality and legal status

within the U.S.:

Please be aware that where an adult is accompanied by a minor, and the adult is stopped or questioned, the minor will have to remain with the adult regardless of the status of the minor, including if the minor is a U.S. citizen.

If you are questioned by or detained by immigration officers, do not panic.  The practice of questioning by immigration officers has been in place for years, happens every day, and can happen to anyone of any visa status.  Remain calm, and cooperate with the officer(s); though, under no circumstances should you sign a form I-407.  To put yourself in the best position:

  • Have ALL your travel documentation in order and with you (not at home in a drawer or in your checked luggage).
  • The use of phones for any purpose (calls/texts/email/Twitter/Facebook/etc.) is prohibited from when you enter the Immigration & Customs hall until you exit the secure area.  Therefore, prior to take-off in your departure location, notify whoever may be meeting you upon arrival that you have boarded the plane.  Also, if you have service, and prior to shutting down your phone and entering the Immigration hall, notify them of your arrival in the U.S.  This way, if you fail to exit in a reasonable time, someone will be aware of your detention and can raise the matter with appropriate personnel.  The following may be helpful for them in assisting you if you are detained:Online detainee locator: https://locator.ice.gov/odls/homePage.doInformation about detainees: https://www.ice.gov/contact/ero

    To source free legal advice:
    Emerald Isle Immigration Center: (718) 478-5502 (www.eiic.org)
    New York Immigration Coalition (212) 627-2227 (www.thenyic.org)
    International Refugee Assistance Project info@refugeerights.org (www.refugeerights.org)

    We will continue to monitor the situation and will modify this guide as new developments come to light.

Press Release – EIIC Statement

Press Release – EIIC Statement

While the goal of protecting the country remains a common one for all, targeting immigrants and refugees of one religion with little regard for their legal rights, creates uncertainty and fear for immigrants of all nationalities/religions and undermines longstanding principles of due process and individual rights that keep all Americans safe.

EIIC remains committed to supporting the needs of our community with quality legal resources and will be here to provide assistance to immigrants from all countries as we have for almost thirty years.

January 30, 2017

Further updates will be posted on the EIIC website www.eiic.org.

President Trump Signs Three Executive Orders on Immigration

 

On January 25, 2017, President Trump signed two executive orders–one addressing border security and enforcement and the other addressing interior enforcement. On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed a third executive order relating to visa issuance, screening procedures, and refugees.

In the first two executive orders, the President announced that he would order the Department of Homeland Security to construct a Southern border wall, increase the size of the enforcement agencies, and require that states and localities engage in immigration enforcement to supplement federal efforts. “Sanctuary” cities will now be at risk of losing federal grant funding. The President also drastically altered the current immigration enforcement categories, eliminating guidance that directed officers to prioritize the most dangerous individuals for removal. The order reinstates the Secure Communities program that resulted in the widespread unlawful detention and subsequent removal of numerous individuals for traffic stops and other civil violations. The announced enforcement actions will take Secure Communities of the past even further by directing law enforcement to focus their attention on individuals who have not even committed a crime. Over the next few weeks and months, we expect the President’s cabinet and agencies’ staff to begin implementing the directives in these orders.

Late Friday, the President issued another executive order announcing an immediate four month suspension of the entire U.S Refugee Resettlement program, a reduction of the annual refugee admissions ceiling by more than half, and a ban on the admission of all Syrian refugees for the immediate future. In addition, the President will impose an immediate 90-day ban on nearly all admissions of nationals from the seven designated Muslim-majority countries: Somalia, Libya, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan.

The US Department of Homeland Security provided further details of the travel ban in a recent statement:

“For the next 90 days, nearly all travelers, except U.S. citizens, traveling on passports from Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Iran, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen will be temporarily suspended from entry to the United States. The 90 day period will allow for proper review and establishment of standards to prevent terrorist or criminal infiltration by foreign nationals.

Importantly, however, Lawful Permanent Residents of the United States traveling on a valid I-551 will be allowed to board U.S. bound aircraft and will be assessed for exceptions at arrival ports of entry, as appropriate.  The entry of these individuals, subject to national security checks, is in the national interest. Therefore, we expect swift entry for these individuals.

In the first 30 days, DHS will perform a global country-by-country review of the information each country provides when their citizens apply for a U.S. visa or immigration benefit. Countries will then have 60 days to comply with any requests from the U.S. government to update or improve the quality of the information they provide.

DHS and the Department of State have the authority, on a case-by-case basis, to issue visas or allow the entry of nationals of these countries into the United States when it serves the national interest.  These seven countries were designated by Congress and the Obama Administration as posing a significant enough security risk to warrant additional scrutiny in the visa waiver context.

The Refugee Admissions Program will be temporarily suspended for the next 120 days while DHS and interagency partners review screening procedures to ensure refugees admitted in the future do not pose a security risk to citizens of the United States.

The Executive Order does not prohibit entry of, or visa issuance to, travelers with diplomatic visas, North Atlantic Treaty Organization visas, C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations, and G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 visas.

The Department of Homeland Security along with the Department of State, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will develop uniform screening standards for all immigration programs government-wide.

Upon resumption of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, refugee admissions to the United States will not exceed 50,000 for fiscal year 2017.

The Secretary of Homeland Security will expedite the completion and implementation of a biometric entry-exit tracking system of all travelers into the United States.”

Any inquiries can be made to the Emerald Isle Immigration Center (EIIC) at their Woodside, Queens’s office at (718) 478-5502 or at their Woodlawn, Bronx office at (718) 324-3039.

Further updates will be posted on the EIIC website www.eiic.org.