Law Office of Shuting Chen

Criminal defenders: come hear Zachary Nightingale, Helen Lawrence, Ali Saidi, and Kirsten Haigh speak tomorrow on the ethics of representing non-citizens in criminal court and get that hard-to-get ethics CLE credit! http://www.sfbar.org/calendar/eventdetail.aspx

Bay Area friends! With reports that ICE is planning mass raids here in the coming weeks, please help us protect our community by saving these numbers in your phone to call in case you see ICE activity in progress. Trained volunteers will be dispatched to the site of the activity, and if people are arrested, attorneys will meet them at the ICE processing center. Alameda: 510-241-4011 SF: 415-200-1548 San Mateo: 203-666-4472... Santa Clara: 408-290-1144 Monterey: 831-643-5225 Fresno: 559-978-4797 Sacramento: 916-245-6773 Santa Cruz: 831-239-4289 San Jose-SIREN (SMS): 201-468-6088 See more

What's next for DACA litigation? https://www.buzzfeed.com//the-justice-department-is-going-

There are current delays almost across the board at USCIS. The stories in this article are just the tip of the iceberg. https://mobile.nytimes.com//trump-immigration-slowdown.htm

Mission Asset Funds has secured funding to cover DACA renewals in the U.S. for free. DACA recipients simply apply and MAF will send a check already written out to USCIS for payment of DACA renewal. This is not a loan and no one will be asked to pay the money back. Scholarship application found here: http://lc4daca.org/ ** Update from the folks at MAF: $1M so far set aside for application fees. They are continuing to fundraise to cover more, but as of right now, only $1M, so about 2,000+ renewals ONLY.

http://weareheretostay.org//daca-update-five-things-you-s/

new executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov//executive-order-protecting-nat

From AILA: Practice Alert: Travel Warning for Nationals of Certain Countries Designated by Executive Order AILA Doc. No. 17012670 | Dated January 26, 2017 Janua...ry 28, 2017: AILA has received clarification that DHS is currently implementing the travel ban. This was confirmed in media reports, as well. The Executive Order applies to Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs), as well as all other individuals who are "from" designated countries, including nonimmigrants and refugees. It applies to individuals who are dual nationals. It does not apply to people who merely traveled to designated countries. There appears to be some limited discretion for DHS to admit LPRs on a case-by-case basis, and following a thorough security review. On January 27, 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order relating to visa issuance, screening procedures, and refugees. The Executive Order is titled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States." (AILA Doc. No. 17012560) For more information on this and other anticipated or signed Executive Actions, please see AILA's website, Immigration 2017 - A New President and Congress. (AILA Doc. No. 16113030) Among other provisions, Section 3 of the Executive Order, "suspends" the immigrant and nonimmigrant entry of nationals from certain designated countries for 90 days from the date of the order. Designated countries are those identified in INA 217(a)(12) and later added to the list of countries with Visa Waiver restrictions and would therefore include Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Note that INA 217(a)(12) includes restrictions on people who travel to the designated countries, as well. It does not appear that the Executive Order is meant to encompass these individuals; however, it is not completely clear. The order also does not define what it means to be "from" a designated country. Thus, in an abundance of caution, it may be best to interpret the term broadly to include passport holders, citizens, nationals, dual nationals, etc. Additionally, after 90 days, travel is not automatically reinstated. Instead, DHS is required to report whether countries have provided information "needed for the adjudication of any benefit under the INA to determine that the individual seeking the benefit is who the individual claims to be and is not a security or public-safety threat." If not, the country would have 60 days to comply, or the travel ban would become indefinite. Attorneys should consider advising clients who might be affected by the Executive Order to refrain from traveling outside of the United States. AILA has reached out to CBP for information on how they are currently handling the entry of individuals from designated countries, and will update this practice alert with additional information as soon as it is available (see list of updates). Please note that the situation is fluid, and may change at any time. This practice alert is not legal advice. Attorneys and clients should discuss and make decisions based on their individual circumstances. There are many additional questions raised by the Executive Order, and we will continue to release information and analysis as it becomes available.

A step in the right direction: http://www.cnn.com//pol/obama-nseers-arab-muslim-registry/

some helpful DACA resources: https://www.ilrc.org/daca

Immigration advocates and friends in the immigrant community, come to this event hosted by the International Institute of the Bay Area to see Frank Sharry, founder of America's Voice! http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/

Filing deadline coming up for STEM OPT extension: https://www.uscis.gov//s/students-and-employment/stem-opt