The Government Services Administration is currently planning to move the Twin Cities USCIS office for immigration services to a location with limited public transportation options

The legislation, authored by Klobuchar and cosponsored by Franken, would require the Government Services Administration (GSA) to verify that the public transit requirement specified in a lease solicitation is met and that public transportation runs regularly throughout the business hours of the building; Ellison will introduce companion legislation in the House of Representatives

Klobuchar, Franken, and Ellison also joined with Representatives Peterson, McCollum, Walz, and Nolan in sending a letter urging the GSA to find alternatives to the proposed Twin Cities USCIS office relocation.

More information on the bill can be found here.

On August 25, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security announced that current TPS registrants from Haiti have until October 26, 2015 to apply to extend their TPS status. The 18-month extension would allow the individual to have TPS through July 22, 2017.

Please call ILCM if you have questions or need assistance: (651) 641-1011

TPS for nationals of Nepal in the U.S. announced! Please call ILCM for assistance: (651) 641-1011. “Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson announced his decision to designate Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months based on the conditions resulting from the devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, and the subsequent aftershocks. As a result, eligible nationals of Nepal residing in the United States may apply for TPS with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).”

Visit the website of USCIS for more information: http://goo.gl/dI2ZDA

Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson has extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible nationals of Somalia (and eligible individuals without nationality who last habitually resided in Somalia) for an additional 18 months, effective Sept. 18, 2015, through March 17, 2017.

Please call the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota with any questions or to schedule an appointment. (651) 641-1011.

Current TPS Somalia beneficiaries seeking to extend their TPS must re-register during the 60-day re-registration period that runs from June 1, 2015, through July 31, 2015. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) encourages beneficiaries to re-register as soon as possible once the 60-day re-registration period begins. USCIS will not accept applications before June 1, 2015.

The 18-month extension also allows TPS re-registrants to apply for a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Eligible TPS Somalia beneficiaries who re-register during the 60-day period and request a new EAD will receive one with an expiration date of March, 17, 2017.

To re-register, current TPS beneficiaries must submit:

• Form I-821, Application for Temporary Protected Status (Re-registrants do not need to pay the Form I-821 application fee).
• The biometrics services fee (or a fee waiver request) if they are 14 years old or older.
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, regardless of whether they want an EAD.
• The Form I-765 application fee or a fee waiver request, but only if they want an EAD. If the re-registrant does not want an EAD, no application fee is required.

Applicants may request that USCIS waive the Form I-765 application fee and/or biometrics fee based on an inability to pay. To do so, applicants must file a Form I-912, Request for Fee Waiver, or submit a written request. Fee waiver requests must be accompanied by supporting documentation. USCIS will reject the TPS application of any applicant who fails to submit the required filing fees or a properly documented fee waiver request.

All USCIS forms are free. Applicants can download these forms from the USCIS website at uscis.gov/forms or request them by calling USCIS toll-free at 1-800-870-3676.

Additional information on TPS for Somalia —including guidance on eligibility, the application process and where to file—is available online at uscis.gov/tps. Certain individuals who are not current TPS beneficiaries may be able to apply late for TPS under the Somalia designation. Information on Late Initial Filing is also available at uscis.gov/tps. Further details about this extension of TPS for Somalia, including the application requirements and procedures, appear in a Federal Register noticepublished today.

Applicants seeking information about the status of their individual cases can check My Case Status Online, or call the USCIS National Customer Service Center at 1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833).

The Minnesota Business Immigration Coalition is publicly supporting the Minnesota Driver’s License Bill. We are thankful for their support and proud to say that they have strengthened our coalition and our efforts to pass this important legislation before the end of session.

You can read their letter of support here.

Read a letter of support from Representatives Kurt Daudt and Paul Thissen here.

Read multiple letters of support from a variety of law enforcement officials throughout Minnesota here.

^{Elizabeth Flores/ Star Tribune}

Our client, Mr. Jacobo Gabriel Tomas, learned at a check-in with ICE only six days before Christmas that he, his wife and his young U.S. citizen children will remain together for Christmas this year and longer!

After fleeing the violence of El Salvador and journeying to the U.S. at age 16, and after 22 years of working and forming a family in the U.S, Jacobo faced imminent deportation before President Obama announced an expansion of the use of deferred action on November 20^th. Jacobo’s case was featured on the front page of the Star Tribune, and has come to illustrate the long-overdue need for just and humane changes to our immigration system for millions of people. In a wonderful turn of events apt for the season, on December 19^th, Immigration officers agreed with us that Jacobo is not a priority for deportation, and he was granted time to apply for deferred action for parents of U.S. citizens (DAPA).

We are thankful for the crucial support through Familias Juntas, hundreds of on-line signatures, letters in support from faith leaders and employers, as well as advocacy by Senator Franken and Representative Walz. Jacobo said he didn’t allow himself to make plans for Christmas with his family until after his check-in, but now his plans include not only being together for the holidays but also acquiring legal status and protection from deportation in 2015. ILCM thanks all of our supporters for your trust, which is crucial to help us deliver life-changing representation like we did for Jacobo and his wife and children.

More than 2,000 Karen refugees from Myanmar have settled in South Dakota. They are an ethnic and religious minority that have been persecuted in the country formerly known as Burma.

Their migration has transformed the small community of Huron; while some locals are struggling with the new arrivals, the town’s turkey factory has welcomed the new workforce with open arms.

You can read the article here.

Read ILCM’s opposition letter here. 

The Migration Policy Institute has released detailed data profiles for the U.S., 41 states and the District of Columbia, as well as the 94 counties with the largest unauthorized populations.

Learn about the estimated 11.4 million unauthorized immigrants living in the United States. Where do they live? When did they arrive in the United States, and from which origin countries? What are their levels of education, top industries of employment, incomes, parental and marital status, health care coverage, and more? And how many are potentially eligible for relief from deportation via deferred action? This unique data tool provides detailed sociodemographic profiles for the U.S., 41 states and D.C., and 94 counties with the largest unauthorized populations.

Click here to view Minnesota’s profile.

Click here to view other U.S. state profiles.