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Issue 26
Washington, DC 
August 1, 2009
 
202-331-3074 

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In This Issue
Washington District Office NEW Drop Box for RFEs and Non-Fee Filings
Asylum for Battered Women
Brian M. O'Leary Appointed Chief Immigration Judge to the BIA
How to Care for Aging Parents
Number of NOIs Issued by ICE has Increased

Washington District Office NEW Drop Box for RFEs and Non-Fee Filings

 

Drop Box

 
The Washington District Office (WAS) has created a drop box for documents being submitted in response to Requests for Evidence (RFEs), giving filers the option to submit documents personally, as opposed to mailing them.  The drop box has been placed at the end of the triage counter near the exit and is open from 7:30 am to 4 pm.  To be able to drop off documents, filers must:
1.      Go through security, but not the triage line;
2.      Collate all documents and attach a cover
         page which lists the alien's name, A# and
         receipt number; 
3.      Put all documents into a sealed envelope and
         put filer's address as mailing address, so that
         the envelope can be returned if filed 
         incorrectly; 
4.      Stamp envelope with the date stamp
         machine located on top of the drop box
         before dropping in the envelope - this will
         count as the filing date.  
 
For more information, please visit AILA's website at http://aila.org.

Asylum for Battered Women

 

battered woman

 
President Obama has put a new policy into action that will allow women who have been domestically abused to receive asylum.  However, this will not be an easy process. The abused women will have to prove:
1.      Their abusers treated them like subordinates  
         and almost like property;
2.      That domestic abuse goes unpunished in their
         country;
3.      There is absolutely no place in their own
         country where they could seek refuge from
         their abusers;
4.      There is no one single institution in their
         country that they could turn to for help.

Among some of the most extreme cases was a woman in Mexico who was assaulted by a wealthy and influential man when she was only fourteen years old.  He then forced her to live with him and engage in intercourse, all the time threatening to end her life if she refused.  Moreover, he attempted to set her on fire upon learning that she had gotten pregnant.  He also stole all the money she made working as a teacher and then stole her teacher's license. This woman was denied asylum by an immigration judge in 2006, but the case has now been sent back to the immigration court for further review.  Now there is a chance that she will be granted asylum after all.
Fact:  In 2008, 22,930 people were granted asylum in the United States; the number   people being granted asylum has been decreasing throughout the past several years.

For more information, please read the New York Times article entitled "New Policy Permits Asylum for Battered Women"

Brian M. O'Leary Appointed Chief Immigration Judge to the BIA



  
gavelHonorable Immigration Judge O'Leary was appointed the position of the Board of Immigration Appeals Chief Immigration Judge this July.  As he will no longer be serving as Arlington Immigration Judge.  His replacement is Honorable Immigration Judge Roxanne C. Hladylowycz.  Judge Hladylowycz is detailed for six months from EOIR headquarters.  Prior to this, she served as an Immigration Judge in New York for eleven years and was in private practice before that.


For more information, please visit http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/sibpages/ICadr.htm

Advice Column

 How to Care for Aging Parents
 

aging parents

 
There are around 44.4 million Americans who take care of their aging parents.  As parents lose the ability to take care of themselves, their children take it upon themselves to make sure their parents get the care they need.  Consequently, more and more adults are having to build their schedules around their parents' needs.  Not only can this be stressful, but time-consuming, as an average caregivers spends approximately 21 hours per week taking care of aging relatives or friends.  There are a number of ways of making this situation less stressful:

1.      To avoid sacrificing productivity time that
         should be spent at their jobs, the family
         members who are taking care of their aging
         parents can hire a professional caregiver to 
         help take care of their parents.
 
2.      Because there are special facilities designed
         for aging people, there are many seniors 
         who choose to live there and have help
         available on hand, should they need it. 

3.      For those who choose to take care of their
         aging parents or relatives themselves, it
         can be a great relief to know that they are
         not alone.  It is stress-relieving for them to
         be able to connect with others who are
         going through the same situations as they 
         are.  

4.      People who do choose to stay home full-
         time and take care of their parents should
         be sure to make some time to socialize
         outside of their home, whether it be
         spending time with friends or joining a local
         book club.

5.      Caregivers can turn to the Church, which, in
         most cases, is very willing to help out,
         whether it be financially or morally. 
 
6.      Friends and neighbors are encouraged to
         invite the senior to special events, such as
         barbecues or ball games. It is also important
         to make the senior feel like an important
         member of the community - some good 
         ways of doing that include asking them to
         watch your cat while you go on vacation
         for a few days or asking them to serve on a
         board. 

7.      Neighbors of caregivers can help out by
         offering to take care of the senior for a few
         hours every week or by helping the
         caregiver with household chores and
         errands.  


Number of NOIs Issued by ICE has Increased



 
On July 1, 2009, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued 652 Notices of Inspections (NOIs) to businesses all over the United States.  The number of NOIs issued has significantly gone up from 503 last year.  Upon receiving a Notice of Inspection, employers must fill out I-9 forms for all of their employees that were hired after November 6, 1986.  Employers must act quickly because they will only have three days from date of receipt to submit the I-9 forms to ICE.  ICE will then review these forms to determine the legal status of each employee.  All illegal employees will be deported and employers will be heavily fined for any violations of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. 

Photos taken from: http://filipeamador.com/images/Drop_Box.gif 
http://www.tncp.net/Portals/21/istock%20photos/domestic_violence.jpg
http://www.noblood.org/gallery/images/1/large/1_gavel.jpg
http://www.tefldaddy.com/Aging_7.jpg

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Revised Filing Instructions for I-90s
USCIS's revised filing instructions for Form I-90, Application to Replace Permanent Resident Card, require Permanent Residents to now submit supporting documentation with their application prior to their biometrics appointment. 
 
The application and supporting documentation must be sent to:  USCIS, P.O. Box 21262, Phoenix, AZ 85036.  If using USPS or Express Mail service or a courier service, the address is:  USCIS, ATTN: I-90, 1820 Skyharbor Circle S Floor 1, Phoenix, AZ 85034.

For more information, please reference Bender's Immigration Bulletin, Volume 14, No. 12.