IMMIGRATION NEWS

A federal judge is preparing to hold a hearing in a packed Phoenix courtroom on whether Arizona's immigration law should take effect next week. U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton first will lead a Thursday morning hearing on whether the law should be put on hold and whether a lawsuit challenging the crackdown should be dismissed. That's in a case filed by civil rights groups and others.She will hold a separate hearing in the afternoon on the U.S. Justice Department's request for a preliminary injunction blocking implementation.

About 120 spectators gathered in the courtroom, some standing in a second-floor gallery. Approximately 30 protesters prayed outside the courthouse before the hearing.

If your family member or someone you know has been arrested and placed in immigration detention in San Diego, they have the right to contact an immigration lawyer.  The San Diego immigration law firm of McHenry & Associates will speak with you to determine if we can secure the detainee’s release from immigration detention through what is known as an immigration bond hearing. 

In San Diego, there are two detention centers where a non U.S. citizen may be held: 1) Otay Mesa (CCA) or 2) El Centro (ICE).  If you are trying to help someone being held in either the Otay Mesa or El Centro detention facilities, call the Law Office of McHenry & Associates today to speak with an experienced immigration lawyer.  We will speak with you to determine whether the person in custody may be eligible for release through an immigration bond.

Arizona shouldn't have to suffer from the country's broken immigration system when it has 15,000 police officers who can arrest illegal immigrants, state attorneys argued Thursday in the first major hearing on challenges to a strict new immigration law.

John Bouma, an attorney representing the state, said federal authorities haven't done an adequate job of lessening Arizona's immigration woes, such as criminal immigrants who have assaulted police officers.

But allowing Arizona to carry out its own immigration law violates all court decisions that hold that only the federal government can handle immigration, said Stephen Montoya, an attorney for Phoenix police Officer David Salgado, who filed the lawsuit.

The federal judge who will decide whether to block Arizona's sweeping new immigration law has dealt with the realities of the state's porous border for nearly 10 years.

Susan Bolton sentenced a Mexican smuggler to 16 years in prison for leading 14 illegal immigrants to their death in the broiling Arizona desert.

She decided in 2002 that Border Patrol officials had legal immunity and couldn't be sued for their part in a 1997 immigrant roundup that led to 430 arrests and drew complaints that Hispanics who were U.S. citizens were harassed because of their appearance.

Now Bolton, a former state court judge appointed to the federal bench in 2000 by President Bill Clinton, finds herself in the thick of the biggest question in immigration in years: Whether states frustrated with federal border efforts can dig into the fight against illegal immigration.

A San Diego immigration lawyer's job is not simply completing the correct immigration forms.  A thoughtful strategy must be developed for each immigration case in order to obtain the best possible result. Careful analysis from the outset allows us to evaluate your case and estimate the likelihood of success.  You can expect excellence when you retain McHenry & Associates to represent you for your immigration matters, including deportation defense, green cards, immigration and naturalization. Call us for a free initial consultation 1-800.525.9948 or browse our website for further information.

According to a Press Release: The Justice Department hasn't ruled out filing a second lawsuit challenging Arizona's immigration law if evidence shows racial profiling at work, Attorney General Eric Holder says.

The Obama administration sued Arizona last week, arguing that the state is impinging on federal responsibilities for dealing with immigration. The state law requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question a person's immigration status if there's reasonable suspicion the person is in the country illegally. It also requires legal immigrants to carry their immigration documents.

The suit didn't deal with concerns about racial profiling so that it could focus on the most serious problem with the law, Holder said in an interview broadcast Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation." In six months or a year, his department might look into the law's impact on racial profiling, he said.

If you currently have legal permanent resident (Green Card) status and are interested in becoming a U.S. citizen (naturalizing), the San Diego Immigration Law Firm of McHenry & Associates can help.  Based in San Diego, California we help legal permanent resident (Green Card) clients anywhere in the United States and around the world naturalize.  We provide prompt, personalized and practical legal services to all those wishing to gain the benefits of U.S. citizenship.

According to a Press Release:  Gov. Jan Brewer has called off a September border conference in Phoenix due to Mexican governors' objections to Arizona's tough new immigration enforcement law, though some officials are discussing holding the annual gathering elsewhere.

It was Arizona's turn to host the 28th annual U.S.-Mexico Border Governors Conference for four U.S. governors and six from Mexico. But Brewer said Wednesday the meeting was canceled because the Mexican governors planned to boycott it.

Brewer said she was disappointed about the boycott and hoped the governors of New Mexico, Texas and California would support her decision.

"The people of Arizona and the people of America support what Arizona has done," Brewer said. "For them to basically not attend here because of that, I think is unfair."

However, the governors of New Mexico and California are trying to go ahead with the conference in another state, with or without Arizona's participation, spokesmen said.

This San Diego immigration attorney blog is published by McHenry & Associates. This blog provides discussion of immigration issues such as San Diego deportation, green cards, immigration and naturalization, news, legal developments, and resources for those seeking information about their immigration matters. If you are tackling an immigration issue, do not hesitate to call us today at 1-800.525.9948 to schedule a consultation with an immigration lawyer in San Diego.

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