Defense bill immigration measures fail, despite bipartisan support Despite high hopes from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle – as well as from many young, undocumented immigrants in Texas – two recent immigration measures have failed to make it to a vote before Congress. However, both measures were proposed as amendments to a broader…

Defense of Marriage Act and Same-Sex Married Couples and the Immigration Implications – And, the Windsor Supreme Court Decision In February of 2011, president obama proclaimed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which still remains valid law, to be unconstitutional. DOMA, enacted in 1996, defines marriage as that between “a man and a woman” and…

Immigrant avoided removal, despite conviction of a serious crime If an immigrant, meaning the person has legal permanent residence in the United States, has been convicted of certain serious crimes, it may seem inevitable that that individual will be placed in removal proceeding before the immigration court and eventually deported and removed from the United…

Illegal Entries Decline, Focus on Deportations Ramps Up For the first time in decades, more people are facing deportation from inside the U.S. than are being arrested at the border for trying to enter the country illegally. Surprisingly, these records numbers have occurred during the Obama administration. In the 2011 fiscal year, which ended on…