Dear Friends,
During these difficult times, we would like to remind you that our immigration, criminal defense and personal injury lawyers at FitzGerald Law Company are here to answer your questions and provide guidance. We know that there is a great deal of uncertainty regarding what the future holds, and something that adds to that uncertainty is the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against immigration. The most recent action taken by the administration against immigrants is the Presidential Proclamation issued on April 22, 2020 [1].
The Proclamation took effect at 11:59pm on Thursday, April 23rd, and will remain in effect for 60 days. After no more than 50 days, the government will determine whether or not to extend the Proclamation. The immigrants who are affected by the Proclamation are the following:
- Immigrants who are outside of the U.S. as of April 23, 2020; and
- Immigrants who do not have an immigrant visa that is valid as of April 23, 2020, or another document that permits them to enter the U.S. (such as advance parole / travel permit—I-131 [2]) that is valid as of April 23, 2020.
It is very important to note that both conditions must be met for the Proclamation to affect a person.
There are several exceptions to the Proclamation, that identify individuals not affected by it. For example, spouses of U.S. Citizens are not affected by the Proclamation even if they are currently outside of the U.S. and do not have a visa or travel document. Other exceptions include Lawful Permanent Residents of the U.S [3]., children of U.S. Citizens, and immigrants entering the U.S. to work as medical doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.
Although the Proclamation is full of references to the economy, current unemployment rates, and an apparent objective to assist U.S. workers affected by the COVID-19 crisis, this is a ruse. The Trump administration has already closed the land borders with Mexico and Canada, and U.S. consulates and embassies suspended all routine operations, including appointments for immigrant and non-immigrant visas, on March 20, 2020. There does not appear to exist any need for the new Presidential Proclamation other than political ones, namely, this year’s presidential election.
Therefore, it is important to remember the Trump administration’s constant attacks of the immigrant community and that all eligible U.S. Citizens vote in November and choose a candidate that respects our immigrant community. Immigrants will be indispensable to rebuilding our economy, performing some of the most difficult and unpopular jobs; being an integral part of our health care workers and scientist community, and as entrepreneurs that have created small and large companies that provide employment and have grown our economy over the years. As Newsweek reported last year, 45% of Fortune 500 companies were founded by immigrants and their children [4], including giants such as Google and Amazon.
If you are looking for legal assistance and would like to schedule an appointment with one of immigration [5], criminal defense [6] and personal injury [7] attorneys in Boston., please call: 617-303-2600 [8] or fill out our online appointment request form [9]. We are scheduling conference call and video conferences until we are able to open our office for in-person appointments.
Sincerely,
Desmond P. FitzGerald &
The FitzGerald Law Company Team