Robert Gibbs talks to KIRO7 News about President Obama's Executive Action on immigratoin. (more…)
Seattle Federal Court Finds USCIS and Department of State Manipulated the Record and Abused the Judicial Process in J-1 Waiver Litigation, and Awards Bad Faith Attorney’s Fees
In a recent federal court case in Seattle, District Judge Ricardo Martinez harshly criticized the USCIS and State Department for manipulating the record and consistently making misrepresentations to the court about the evidence that it considered in a J-1 waiver adjudication. The court awarded over $50,000 in attorney’s fees to...
Seattle Times article by former GHP client: My journey from an undocumented immigrant to Harvard Medical School
By Carlos Estrada Alamo The Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.com/html/opinion/2025110355_alamoopedimmigrationreform27xml.html?from=win_phone_8 AFTER years of delay, President Obama has finally acted on immigration reform. This is a watershed moment in my life and the life of my community in Seattle. These days I am studying for a doctor of medicine degree at Harvard Medical...
Senator Patty Murray makes the case for immigration reform, highlighting the case of one of GHP’s clients, Benjamin Nunez:
In my home state of Washington, I’ve heard from hundreds of families and businesses who have been directly impacted by our broken system.“Businesses like the West Sound Lumber Company on Orcas Island – a small sawmill owned by the Helsell family for more than four decades. “West Sound Lumber is...
The power of one little story among 11.7 million undocumented immigrants
A few weeks ago, the Western Washington Society of Professional Journalists chapter (of which I am a board member) hosted its annual awards gala to honor some of the Northwest's best journalists. This year, the board selected Danny Westneat as Journalist of the Year. In his speech that night, Danny...
Seattle Times Editorial: Benjamin Nuñez-Marquez’ deportation highlights need for immigration reform
http://seattletimes.com/html/editorials/2023376125_immigrationreformbenjaminnunezmarquezedit15xml.html BENJAMIN Nuñez-Marquez’s deportation, scheduled for April 29, underscores the urgent need for Congress to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. An operator at a sawmill on Orcas Island immigrated to the U.S. illegally, but he has proved himself an irreplaceable worker and trusted neighbor. Hundreds of local residents and at...
Orcas Island tries to protect skilled immigrant facing deportation
Robert Gibbs was quoted on the following Seattle Times article. http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023341545_undocumentedorcasxml.html By Lornet Turnbull Seattle Times People on Orcas Island are uniting around the sole operator of a small family-run sawmill there, saying his scheduled deportation to Mexico this month could force that business closed and harm the region’s economy....
Federal Court Rules Immigrant Detainees Must Be Given Bond Hearings
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2014 Contact: Matt Adams, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, 206-957-8611, matt@nwirp.org Inga Sarda-Sorensen, ACLU, 212-549-2666; media@aclu.org SEATTLE – A federal court ruled late yesterday that a class of immigrants detained at the Tacoma-based Northwest Detention Center must be given bond hearings. The court's decision comes at the same...
Detained immigrants must have bond hearings, judge rules
The Seattle Times http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/03/detained-immigrants-must-have-bond-hearings-judge-rules/ A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. government cannot keep certain immigrants locked up at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma without granting them a bond hearing. The Department of Homeland Security routinely detain immigrants it apprehends for months, sometimes years –in one case a...
Reminder: Deadline for Requesting Reopening of DOMA-Based Denials Is March 31, 2014
Shortly after the Supreme Court issued its decision in United States v. Windsor, striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) as unconstitutional, USCIS issues a series of FAQs explaining how the change in law would impact future applications and petitions for immigration benefits based on marriages...