I’ve long subscribed to the marketplace of ideas. As former Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote back in 1919, “The best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” I agree. No one can lay claim to alone know the truth.  And to the extent truth is left untested, it tends to become rigid dogma.  Why, then, in a nation which presumably prides itself on free speech, do people speak over others, refusing to listen to what others have to say? Related Podcasts: Episode 21: Trickle Down Hate Episode 43: Immigration Karate ..read more

The number one issue I hear when people talk about 601 waivers pertain to  economic and financial concerns. Immigrants and their spouse almost instinctively equate hardship with monetary issues. And that’s natural. But it’s too short-sighted.  Related Podcasts: Episode 66: Unclaimed Immigrant Income Taxes https://immigration-mastermind.captivate.fm/episode/immigrant-seniors Recommended Links For More Information: Four Insights About The Economic Contributions Of Immigrants 8 Tips For Winning Your I-601 Family Unity Hardship Case ..read more

Language bloat. Sentences that go on forever. Words you’ve never heard before. Phrases you don’t comprehend. Lawyers are especially guilty. This cancer – writing and speaking in ways that others do not understand – often shows up at court hearings.  Related Podcasts: Episode 89: Beware Misleading U Visa Advertising Episode 80: A Lawyer And His Mother Recommended Links For More Information: Why Do Lawyers Talk Like That? The Hidden Immigration Danger Of Deceptive Social Media Advertising ..read more

Many experts will tell you community activities of the immigrant are not important to whether a I-601 waiver is granted or denied. They’re wrong, flat out wrong. It's especially effective for immigrants who have lived in the U.S. too long without permission. It transforms the perspective of that time from a negative to a positive. Related Podcasts: Episode 102: Immigrants Do Not Come To America To Steal Jobs Episode 42: Cookies And Immigration Recommended Links For More Information: Beware The Role Of Discretion In I-601 Hardship Waiver Decision-Making Immigrants Who Give More To Others Than T ..read more

I miss old friends I will never see or talk to again.  Old friends whose life paths I know nothing about.  That saddens me.  I thought we’d be friends forever.  Now we’re just memories to each other.  Related Podcasts: Episode 90: A Small Thank You To Cafeteria Workers Episode 160: If There's A Will, There's A Way Recommended Links For More Information: Persistence Is Often The Key To Immigration Success From Cambodian Immigrant And Political Refugee To College Professor ..read more

It’s no secret. Immigration law in the United States is in need of an overhaul. I’ve long pondered whether such change will occur through politics, or whether the legal process is the only option truly available to reformers. Both approaches have limits. Related Podcasts: Episode 157: Divide And Conquer Episode 144: Flawed All Or Nothing Immigration Reform Strategy Recommended Links For More Information: Why Immigrant Advocates Should Join The War Against Smuggling Lessons From The Same-Sex Marriage Supreme Court Victory ..read more

Imagine being six years old, watching your father being killed by a firing squad. Standing there, with your mother and slightly older sister. That’s Vinnie’s story.  Related Podcasts: Episode 41: Unfair Cambodian Refugee Deportations Episode 96: The Age Of Immigration Darkness Recommended Links For More Information: What You Need To Know About Cambodian Refugee Deportations From Cambodian Immigrant And Political Refugee To College Professor ..read more

I wanted to retire. I felt unmotivated to fight. My passion for law had disappeared. My mother had passed away. Fighting my own emotional wounds, I had nothing left over to give to others. Related Podcasts: Episode 80: A Lawyer And His Mother Episode 42: Cookies And Immigration Recommended Links For More Information: The Battle For Immigration Justice: Why Compassion Matters A Tribute To My Father: An Immigrant Success Story ..read more

The Violence Against Women Act, commonly known as VAWA, provides protection for immigrant spouses and children who have suffered abuse and cruelty at the hands of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. There are two roads to protection under VAWA. The first is through filing a self-petition with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.  The second occurs by filing for VAWA cancellation of removal at immigration court.    Immigrants, facing deportation charges at immigration court, often do not know the differences, causing them to lose their cases. Related Podcasts ..read more

The immigration history of the United States has several embarrassing moments – some of which still affect immigration programs today. Many, many decades later.  . . Take the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program, (known by its acronym – FWVP) implemented by the Obama Administration on June 8, 2016.  Three years later, in 2019, Itstermination was announced by President Trump, as part of his effort to purge immigrant-friendly measures - only to be taken off the chopping block by the Biden Administration. But that’s not the real story. The real story dates back nearly 70 years ..read more