The Aguirre Law Firm

From: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2013 9:28 AM
Subject: Workload Transfer from Vermont Service Center to Nebraska Service Center

On February 13, 2013, USCIS transferred some casework from the Vermont Service Center to the Nebraska Service Center to balance overall workload with processing capacity at the centers.
The affected casework includes the following forms:
• I-821D, Consideration of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
• I-765, Employment Authorization (when filed concurrently with the I-821D)
• I-765 Worksheet (when filed concurrently with the I-821D)

Effect on Customers As a result of these changes, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) requestors may receive a letter from USCIS letting them know their request for DACA is now pending at the Nebraska Service Center instead of the Vermont Service Center. Customers do not need to take any action.

www.aila.org/content/default.aspx?docid=43476&utm_source=AILA+Mailing&utm_campaign=f97eea8ea9-AILA8_2_28_13&utm_medium=email

The Violence Against Women Act is finally heading to the president’s desk this week after a dragged-out political fight over expanding protections to Native American, LGBT and immigrant victims of abuse.

The House voted 286 to 138 on Thursday to pass the bipartisan Senate version of VAWA. President Barack Obama praised the House for passing the broader Senate bill and said he’ll sign it into law as soon as possible.

“Today’s vote will go even further by continuing to reduce domestic violence, improving how we treat victims of rape, and extending protections to Native American women and members of the LGBT community,” Obama said in a statement. “Renewing this bill is an important step towards making sure no one in America is forced to live in fear, and I look forward to signing it into law as soon as it hits my desk.”

The House’s action means that VAWA will be reauthorized for another five years, with $659 million being provided for various programs targeting domestic violence. Congress failed to reauthorize VAWA when it expired in October 2011, due in large part to House Republican opposition over the new provisions in the Senate bill.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/28/violence-against-women-act_n_2781433.html

The draft features an earned path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, so long as they meet certain requirements. Qualifying immigrants would be able to apply for a green card within eight years, according to USA Today. The bill also contains provisions related to border security and a mandatory system to make sure businesses check the work eligibility of their employees, USA Today reported.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Obama administration stressed that the administration bill was neither final nor an attempt to derail a reform effort by a group of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate.

“We continue to work in support of a bipartisan effort, and while the president has made clear he will move forward if Congress fails to act, progress continues to be made and the administration has not prepared a final bill to submit,” White House spokesman Clark Stevens told USA Today.

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/Politics/leaked-white-house-immigration-bill-puts-pressure-senate/story?id=18524947

Immigration advocates, backed by the White House, have begun a nationwide lobbying campaign, including rallies in more than a dozen cities and a planned demonstration on the Mall.

The loosely coordinated effort is aimed in part at influencing an ongoing debate in the Republican Party over whether to provide a path to citizenship for more than 11 million illegal immigrants, organizers said.

Clarissa Martinez de Castro, an official with the National Council of La Raza, told reporters in a conference call this week that the Republican tactic creates a “false choice” between the extremes of mass deportation and immediate citizenship. In reality, she said, both Obama and a bipartisan Senate working group have advocated a fairly arduous route that would require illegal immigrants to pay back taxes and learn English, among other requirements, before some would earn citizenship.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/immigration-advocates-push-republicans-to-support-path-to-citizenship/2013/02/07/04459f88-714d-11e2-8b8d-e0b59a1b8e2a_story.html

Be Inspired everyday by Living Examples of other’s relentless Will to Succeed.. Act Now and Join Dreamers by Applying for your Work Authorization now!

He praised the bipartisan principles, which mirror the White House’s 2011 blueprint for immigration reform. “At this moment, it looks like there’s a genuine desire to get this done soon,” he said in his speech from Nevada. “And that’s very encouraging.” As one of his four principles of immigration reform, the president called for improvements to the nation’s immigration system because it no longer “reflects the realities of our time.”

During his speech, Obama pointed out that what he was suggesting was not that different than what former Sen. Ted Kennedy (MA) and former President George W. Bush supported in 2007. And it is very close to the Senate’s starting point for an immigration reform bill. The bipartisan principles are clear on immigration reform, but if Congress does not move forward on immigration quickly, Obama said, “I will send up a bill based on my proposal and insist that they vote on it right away.”

If you missed Obama’s Talk on Immigration here is the complete video, short and sweet..

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-lays-out-immigration-reform-plan/2013/01/29/a8782f7c-6a4e-11e2-95b3-272d604a10a3_video.html

President Lays Out His Vision For Immigration Reform

The White House and a bipartisan group of senators will launch an effort next week to jump-start negotiations to overhaul the immigration system, an issue that has languished in Washington for years.

The Senate working group is also aiming to outline its proposals at about the same time, according to a Senate aide.

Even before those plans are formally unveiled, there is emerging consensus on several components, most notably the need for some kind of pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States.

The aim of the Senate group is to draft an immigration bill by March and pass legislation in the Senate by August, said the aide, who was not authorized to discuss private deliberations and requested anonymity. The Republican-controlled House would also need to pass the legislation before it went to the White House for the president’s signature.

Obama pledged to make overhauling the system a top second-term priority. “I think we have talked about it long enough,” Obama said during an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” in December. “We know how we can fix it. We can do it in a comprehensive way that the American people support. That’s something we should get done.”

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/white-house-senators-starting-push-immigration