Welcome to Summer!
The month of June is filled with holidays. Flag Day, a holiday to that honors the U.S. flag’s adoption, is celebrated on June 14th. We celebrate the husbands, fathers, grandfathers, and uncles in our lives on Father’s Day, which falls on June 21st this year. June 21st also officially marks the first day of summer. Happy celebrating!
IMMIGRATION EXECUTIVE ACTION UPDATE
In May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals convened to decide whether the Obama administration’s emergency request to lift the lower court’s injunction placed on his Executive Action plan to provide deportation relief to 5 million undocumented immigrants would be approved. The Appeals Court voted 2 to 1 to deny the Obama administration’s request, leaving the injunction in place. Following this ruling, the administration opted not to ask the Supreme Court for an emergency stay on the injunction, so that the Federal government can focus on the larger issue regarding whether key parts of the President’s Executive Action are legal. The Appeals Court is scheduled to hear arguments about this larger court issue in early July. Since the 5th Circuit is generally considered to be the most conservative Federal appeals court, analysts suspect that the final decision could be in the hands of the Supreme Court, where the Obama administration would have a better chance at receiving a positive ruling in its favor.
DEBATE OVER DREAMERS’ ABILITY TO ENLIST IN THE MILITARY
Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego proposed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would ask the Department of Defense to consider allowing undocumented DREAMers to enlist in the military if they have work authorization. The House of Representatives voted 221 to 202 against the amendment and there was a lot of debate surrounding this decision. Republican Representative Mo Brooks was the lead spokesperson against the provision, citing it as a jobs issue since the military is currently downsizing. Proponents for the provision, such as Hillary Clinton, argued that DREAMers who want to serve the country “should be honored and celebrated, not discriminated against.”
U.S. IMMIGRATION RELIEF FOR NEPALI NATIONALS
On April 25th, there was an earthquake in Nepal that killed over 7,000 people and injured over 15,000 more. In light of this natural disaster, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has offered relief measures for Nepalese nationals who have been affected by the earthquake. For questions about whether you are eligible to apply for relief measures, please contact the office.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office!