LOS ANGELES (Jan. 6, 2012) — The Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, applauds the Obama Administration for adopting a new process – which will be implemented in the coming months – that will direct certain visa applicants to file their applications for family unity waivers in the United States.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 9, 2012) — South Asian Americans Leading Together, a national immigrant and civil rights organization, welcomes the recent proposed changes announced by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service that would promote family unity in certain immigration cases.

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WASHINGTON (Nov. 30, 2011) — The Asian American Justice Center, a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, applauds the Obama Administration for recently taking two positive steps towards protecting the rights and well-being of immigrants.

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Washington D.C. (Nov. 21, 2012) — Last week, the Executive Office for Immigration Review issued new guidance addressing the “asylum clock.”

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The APACL short-animated film in online on YouTube.

LOS ANGELES (Nov. 10, 2011) — The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of the Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, has unveiled an animated video short to inform the general public about the exploitation of immigrant workers here in the United States.

The informative, animated short is based on the true-life harrowing story of 72 Thai laborers who were held captive and forced to work 18-hour days for many years in a Southern California sweatshop.

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WASHINGTON (Nov. 17, 2011) — Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Principal Legal Advisor directed all ICE attorneys to begin a systematic review of immigration cases to determine whether pursuing deportation in each case is consistent with the Administration’s enforcement priorities.

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On August 18, 2011, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that, together with the U.S. Department of Justice, DHS is creating an interagency working group to review all pending deportation cases to ensure that persons facing deportation are among DHS’s highest priorities for removal.

This group will conduct a case-by-case review of all individuals currently in deportation proceedings. DHS indicated that individuals determined to be low priorities will have their cases administratively closed and will be eligible to apply for work permits with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

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The final Student Visas & Citizenship Workshop will be held Oct. 8, from 8:30 a.m. to noon in the main auditorium of Hennepin Technical College — Brooklyn Park Campus, 9000 Brooklyn Boulevard, Brooklyn Park.

Anyone interested in information and processes for receiving F-1 student visas, green cards, and citizenship should attend the forum. Legal permanent residents who want to become US citizens are encouraged to attend the forum. The event is sponsored by Hennepin Technical College’s Multicultural/International Office.

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WASHINGTON (Sept. 16, 2011) — Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director John Morton today announced a new initiative to streamline the international student visa process for foreign students seeking to study in the United States.

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Washington D.C.  (Sept. 29, 2011) — Yesterday, Judge Sharon Blackburn failed to enjoin major portions of Alabama’s extreme anti-immigrant law, HB 56, leaving many dangerous sections open to implementation. Local police, for example, are required to act as federal immigration enforcement agents by demanding proof of legal status from anyone who appears to be foreign. Other provisions—that go further than Arizona’s law—insist public school administrators check the legal status of students and their parents and create confusing and burdensome new restrictions on contracts between the state government and immigrants and between private citizens and immigrants. It’s unclear how far the restrictions on contracts will go, but at a minimum they will limit access to housing and utilities for anyone who cannot produce the proper documentation.

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