Phoenix Immigration & Naturalization Law Blog

Some Arizona residents who came to the United States under the Temporary Protected Status program may be sent back to their home countries even if they have been living in the country for decades and have children who are citizens. The Trump administration is phasing out these programs, and now, Hondurans who are in the United States with TPS status must either return home within the next 18 months or remain in the country as an undocumented immigrant.

The purpose of the program is to grant temporary residency for people whose countries have been devastated by civil war, hurricanes or earthquakes. The devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch in 1998 lead to Hondurans being allowed to settle in the country under the program. However, since then, there have been serious issues with drug cartel and gang violence, and opponents of ending the program argue that people will be sent right back into these situations. Supporters say the country has had time to recover from the hurricane and that it has always had problems with violence and poverty.

Residents in border states such as Arizona may have heard about a caravan that is looking to cross Mexico with hopes of eventually reaching the United States. According to organizers, there are roughly 200 people in that caravan, and their goal is to seek asylum once they reach the United States border. A representative from Pueblo Sin Fronteras said that this was more than twice as many as was expected.

Many in the caravan are of Central American descent and are trying to escape harsh conditions in Honduras or El Salvador. One man acknowledged that his odds of actually getting asylum were relatively slim as he had no proof of the danger that he faced back home. However, he claimed that he and his family were fleeing from a gang in Honduras that had already killed one of his relatives.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is attempting to rewrite the rules regarding who gets asylum in the United States. He says that doing so could reduce the number of immigration cases. There are currently 600,000 such cases waiting to be heard, which is triple the number of cases that were pending in 2009. Many of these involve women and children who have traveled from Central America to the United States.

Sessions also claims that his efforts could reduce the amount of fraud and abuse in the system. According to the attorney general, there is no doubt that some people try to take advantage of the immigration system. However, immigrant advocates claim that changing the system could result in victims of domestic violence or others legitimately seeking asylum being denied the protection that they need.

Immigrants in Arizona and around the country who receive SNAP benefits or other forms of financial assistance would find obtaining permanent residence more difficult under a policy being considered by President Trump. Immigration officers could check whether or not green card applicants have received or sought to receive public benefits for either themselves or their dependents under a draft policy from the Department of Homeland Security. The agency says that the rule change is needed to prevent immigrants from becoming burdens on society.

Supporters of the proposed measure say that screening immigrants based on the welfare benefits they have received encourages self-sufficiency and makes it more likely that they will go on to achieve the American dream, but critics say the draft policy could deter poor green card applicants from seeking potentially life-saving assistance. When asked about the proposal, a DHS representative said only that the Trump administration would spend taxpayer money carefully.