Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) expires two years from the date of approval. Since DACA is renewable, recipients should review the information below to begin preparing and gathering documents and fees in advance.
Thanks to our partners at Educators for Fair Consideration (E4FC) for these terrific resources.
Please check the USCIS Deferred Action webpage for future DACA renewal updates.
For Immediate Release
Contacts: Marie Vincent, marie[at]pangealegal.org
Community and family celebrate stay of removal of Felipe Valdes.
Background: Felipe de Jesus Valdes Lozano immigrated from Mexico to the United States +20 years ago. A hard worker and regular US taxpayer, Mr. Valdes is also the founder of a local soccer league that supports several referee jobs. He is a loving father, husband, and a grandfather to a 4-year-old girl. Today, Mr. Valdes is the primary support for the family of five. His son has serious spinal abnormalities and depends on specialized chiropractic and medical care. Mr. Valdes' oldest daughter, Mayra, is pregnant and is due to have her second baby in early December. Her father’s immigration situation has been extremely stressful for her and has placed her health at risk.
Since his family does not have health insurance, they depend on Mr. Valdes to cover the high costs of medical care. His two older children, who are DACA approved-DREAMers are enrolled in college, and dream of having their dad see them graduate.
For more than ten years, Mr. Valdes has been a victim of notario fraud and shoddy attorney representation. He has been eligible for a strong U Visa for the last 10 years and was never advised to apply until recently. He currently has a U Visa application pending and is on his way to becoming a lawful resident of the United States.
In late October 2013, Mr. Valdes received a letter from Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), asking him to report for deportation to Mexico on November 18, 2013.
Accompanied by Pangea Attorney, Marie Vincent, his family and many community members, Mr. Valdes complied with his reporting obligation on November 18th and appeared at ICE in a timely fashion. His attorney entered the ICE building with Mr. Valdes to submit a detailed and well-supported application for a stay of removal, while community members chanted and voiced their support during a vigil outside of the building with his family and friends.
ICE granted a one-year stay, the maximum length possible and agreed not to detain Mr. Valdes. He will now watch his second grandchild be born and his son graduate from high school in the United States while he supplements and awaits the processing of his U Visa application.
Mr. Valdes is a prime example for the reason just immigration reform is necessary. His courage to come forward and share his case with the public will hopefully serve to empower others like him to come out of the shadows and stand for the right to keep our families together.
For coverage of this story on Telemundo TV, please click here.
Marie Vincent (on left) and Felipe de Jesus Valdes (on right), entering ICE at 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco, CA to request a Stay Motion, at the brink of deportation.
From the SF Immigrant Rights Defense Committee
Community pledges to vigorously monitor implementation
San Francisco – Today, November 08, 2013, the landmark “Due Process for All” ordinance officially goes into effect in San Francisco, one month after it was signed. The signature on the measure, authored by Supervisor John Avalos, came after two unanimous votes at the Board of Supervisors and a powerful campaign led by undocumented community members, including survivors of domestic violence.
Immigrant rights organizations and community members are celebrating the policy’s implementation today and are looking forward to the swift and full implementation of the policy by the city’s local law enforcement leaders.
"With due process now a reality, many more of our families will be united instead of torn apart by deportation,” said Cinthya Muñoz, lead organizer with Causa Justa::Just Cause. “This victory is proof that everyday people can make history when we organize. We will work to make sure of the full implementation of this historic policy and we will continue to challenge unjust deportations locally, statewide, and across the nation."
Beverly Upton, Executive Director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, commented: "We are so grateful for this groundbreaking legislation. It is a huge step toward safety and justice."
The ordinance will strengthen community confidence in law enforcement, protect immigrant crime victims and witnesses, and guard against separation of local families by severely limiting cruel and costly immigration "holds" in San Francisco. These are potentially unconstitutional detentions of immigrants in the local jail for extra time, at local expense, at the request of federal immigration authorities.
The ordinance’s effective date comes days after Santa Clara County preserved an even stronger policy, a decision which San Francisco advocates are hailing
“Each and every ICE hold risks violating the constitution and undermining our cherished principle of equality under the law. We commend Santa Clara County for upholding the strongest standard in California,” said Angela Chan, Senior Staff Attorney at Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus.
While the counties surrounding San Francisco and Santa Clara currently lack any protections from abusive immigration holds, that will change come January 1, when the TRUST Act goes into effect across California. That bill creates a compromise, minimum standard limiting holds across the state.
Under the San Francisco policy, which also represents a compromise, holds are only allowed where an adult has both a recent, prior conviction for certain felonies, and also faces a current charge under one of those statutes if a judge has found probable cause for such charge. Even in those circumstances, the Sheriff may consider positive equities such as rehabilitation and community contribution. These exceptions are to "sunset" within three years or upon the approval of national comprehensive immigration reform, whichever is sooner. Additionally, the exceptions do not apply to youth under the age of 18.
Watch Univision's Coverage of this story here.
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During the second week in October, San Francisco's Mayor Ed Lee signed the Due Process for All Ordinance . The ordinance eliminates ICE holds for individuals in San Francisco unless narrow and specific conditions are met. This ordinance addresses the negative impact of Secure Communities (S-Comm), a massive federal detention and deportation program that has torn apart communities, left children as orphans, and destroyed families. The Due Process Ordinance offers a powerful example of a "ceiling" as one of the nation's strongest policies addressing the problems with S-Comm. In rejecting the vast majority of ICE holds, our local ordinance will ensure equal treatment under the law.
In addition, over the last few weeks, California's Governor Brown signed into law several important immigration-related bills that are designed to protect immigrant rights statewide. These new laws represent a major victory for California immigrants and their families.
Pangea Legal Services and our members have supported these policies (especially the Due Process Ordinance and the Trust Act) since the beginning of this year and for several years prior. Our participation was present through strategizing on the principles and language of the laws, submitting opinion articles, writing and signing numerous petitions, organizing community members to meet with lawmakers and other leaders, involving our clients to testify in hearings to educate leaders about the impact on our community, and many other advocacy efforts. We are proud of our strong-collaborative networks, our unified team work, and the opportunity to have been a part of the powerful advocacy efforts that led to the results we saw this month.
Pangea and community celebrate passage of SF Due Process Ordinance after supervisor vote at City Hall, San Francisco, CA
As we gear up for the next vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, Pangea is still in celebratory mode with all the community members and advocates who came together to move the SF Due Process Ordinance forward. While amendments were introduced to the original blanket policy, they are very narrow and will only affect few members of the community, if any. The full text of the Due Process Ordinance with Amendments, which was passed unanimously, is available here and on the SF Board of Supervisors website.
In sum the policy prohibits law enforcement officials from detaining individuals on the basis of a civil immigration detainer after they become eligible for release from custody, except for individuals who have a prior conviction for a violent felony within a certain period of time, and are currently being charged with a violent felony.
The second and final round of voting on this law will take place on Tuesday, October 1, 2013. Here are the details:
What: 2nd and Final Vote by the SF Board of Supervisors on the Due Process Ordinance (full text of the version passed on Tues. 9/24 is available here)
When : Tuesday, October 1st @ 2-6pm -- the vote will occur around 2-4pm, followed by Celebration and Food until about 6pm
Where : City Hall, Room 250, the Legislative Chamber (CityHall is located at: 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl, SF, CA 94102)
What happens after this vote? Mayor Ed Lee will either sign the policy into law or veto it. However, he has publicly stated that he supports the Ordinance
Please come out, support, and celebrate this historic time with us on October 1st!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 5. 2013
CONTACT: Lorena Melgarejo, San Francisco Organizing Project
PICO California Works to Melt the ICE and Keep Father of U.S. Citizens with his Children : National faith-based network is turning up the heat on 30 House members with “Summer for Citizenship"
What: SF faith leaders, Pangea Legal Services, immigrant advocates, and family members will gather at the SF ICE office to ask to stop the deportation of Jaiderman and the use of prosecutorial discretion
When: Monday, August 5th, 2013 at 12 p.m. PDT
Where: San Francisco ICE office, 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco
Who: Bay area clergy who will deliver a letter signed by many clergy to ICE, undocumented Americans who will participate in the PICO Pilgrimage for a Pathway to Citizenship by walking 285 miles for 21 days to lift up the need for immigration reform, immigrant advocates, family members, including Jaiderman's brother who will share the story of the pain that Jaiderman's 5 and 7 year old US citizen children are feeling with all this uncertainty
Visuals: Jaiderman’s Guatemalan band, photos of his children and the family signs, clergy in vestments.
On June 26, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in United States v. Windsor, holding that Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. The decision opened a range of immigration benefits to same-sex couples that were previously unavailable, including fiancé(e) visas.
Post-DOMA, U.S. citizens can petition for their foreign, same-sex fiancé(e) living abroad, upon a showing 1) that they met at least once within two years prior to filing the petition; and 2) that they intend to marry within 90 days of the foreign fiancé(e) entering the United States.
As Pangea Attorney, Marie Vincent, prepares to file one of the country's first same-sex fiancée visas for a lesbian couple, we are thrilled to serve as an instrument in the joining and uniting of immigrant families in our LGBT community.
NATIONAL—This is an update from the National Immigrant Youth Alliance on the status of the Dreamers who were detained yesterday at the Nogales Port of Entry:
The Dreamers were taken to Florence Detention Center late last night. They were moved to Eloy Detention Center this morning due to a lack of bed space. They are in high spirits and are making plans to organize inside the detention center. A ninth Dreamer was taken with the group to Eloy; biographical information on the ninth is forthcoming.
We are urging our supporters to call their representatives and ask them to support the Dreamers trying to come home. We have also launched a petition asking the Obama Administration to allow them to home home: http://action.dreamactivist.org/bringthemhome
The ICE Principal Legal Advisor Peter Vincent can be reached for comment at 202.732.5000.
Background: For more than three years, the discredited S-Comm deportation program has roiled San Francisco, separating families and creating a chilling effect for witnesses and survivors of crimes who want to work with local law enforcement but fear deportation.
What: Domestic violence survivors, advocates, and their supporters will hold a “Women Against S-Comm” rally and press conference to call for an end to a controversial deportation program which has destroyed trust between local law enforcement and survivors of domestic violence.
Following the event, anti-domestic violence advocates will deliver public comment before the Board of Supervisors as Supervisor John Avalos introduces a new ordinance to repair S-Comm’s continuing, negative impact on public safety San Francisco. The measure, co-sponsored by eight supervisors, will strengthen community confidence in law enforcement, preserve local resources, and uphold the fundamental principle of due process. The text of the legislation will be unveiled at noon on Tuesday.
A recent University of Illinois at Chicago scientific survey of Latinos in four major cities highlights the growing damage caused by entangling local police and sheriffs with broken federal deportation policies. The study found that 70% of undocumented Latino immigrants are less likely to contact law enforcement authorities if they were victims of a crime– as are over a quarter of US-Born Latinos.
Maria Carolina Morales, Programs Co-Director at Community United Against Violence, stated, “We cannot have immigration enforcement procedures be tied to policing practices that already have high rates of error, especially when responding to domestic violence in the LGBT community."
Juanita Flores, Executive Director of Mujeres Unidas y Activas added: “This program creates a separate punishment for immigrant women surviving domestic violence when they call the police and we cannot stand for that.”
Who: Supervisor Malia Cohen, one of the women co-sponsors of the new legislation is hosting the event with the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium. Affected domestic violence survivors, anti-domestic violence advocates, city supervisors, and community members will come together to introduce the new Due Process Ordinance, including:
Date: Tuesday, July 23rd
Time: 12:00pm
Location: Steps of City Hall, on Polk St., San Francisco (between Grove St. and McAllister St./Civic Center Bart)
Organized by: The San Francisco Immigrant Rights Defense Committee, Domestic Violence Consortium, Mujeres Unidas y Activas, El/La para TransLatinas, San Francisco Women Against Rape and Community United Against Violence
Join us in giving the community support as we stand up for and move forward local immigration reform to protect our immigrant community, especially women and survivors of violence.
Pangea immigration attorney, Niloufar Khonsari, was featured on KIQI AM 1010, San Francisco’s Multicultural Radio Station on Thursday, June 11, at 10am. With Marcos Gutierrez, executive producer and host of radio program “Hecho en California,” Khonsari informed Spanish-speaking immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area about consequences of notario fraud in the context of comprehensive immigration reform.
Highlighting the importance of receiving consultations from attorneys and nonprofit organizations, Khonsari encouraged immigrants to seek second opinions and provided specific information about the pending immigration reform bill. The interview began with Khonsari distinguishing the term “Notario” as defined in the United States with its meaning in Latin America. Khonsari and Gutierrez concluded with a call-in Q&A session for tuned-in listeners for whom Khonsari explained various legal matters and reiterated that the immigration reform bill is not yet final.
For more information on Marcos Gutierrez and “Hecho en California” of KIQI, please see: http://www.hechoencalifornia1010.com/.
San Francisco – Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi will hold a press conference on comprehensive immigration reform today at 3:00 p.m. following a roundtable discussion with a coalition of labor, faith, and advocacy groups. Leader Pelosi will highlight the need for comprehensive immigration reform and give an update on its progress in Washington.
WHO: Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Putri Siti, Asian Students Promoting Immigrant Rights through Education (ASPIRE); Olga Miranda, President, SEIU Local 87; Father Richard Smith, San Francisco Organizing Project (SFOP)
WHAT: Press Conference on Immigration Reform
WHEN: Friday, June 21, 2013 at 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: San Francisco Federal Building, 90 7th Street, B-110, Basement Level, San Francisco
PRE-SET: For b-roll of the roundtable, press must be set at 2:30 p.m.
NOTE: Please allow ample time to proceed though Federal Building security.
Press must RSVP to evangeline.george@mail.house.gov
