Immigrants seek clarity on U.S. residency rules at …
marko georgiev/staff photographer
Attorney Rudy Rodas holding a seminar at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson on President Obama's executive immigration order.
Members of some 25 immigrant families gathered in Paterson on Saturday morning to get advice on navigating the shifting landscape of securing documented residency in this country.
They sat in an auditorium at Kennedy High School, listening and taking notes as attorneys discussed the application process and also provided free one-on-one legal advice.
"Part of what we're seeing is that people are confused about what's going on," said attorney Farrah Irving, who works at a Rutherford law firm.
There's plenty of reason to be confused.
Two weeks ago, a federal judge in Texas ordered a halt to President Obama's executive order offering work permits and quasi-legal status to 4 million people in the country illegally, which has been severely criticized by congressional Republicans and other advocates of tougher enforcement of immigration rules. On Monday, the Justice Department appealed the judge's decision and asked for it to be stayed pending the appeal.
The judge on Tuesday gave the 25 states that had sought the injunction a week to submit their opposition to a stay.
As the legal battle plays out, many people - like those who gathered in Paterson on Saturday - are left wondering about the future.
Some 204,000 people could be eligible for deportation waivers under Obama's order, out of 528,000 unauthorized immigrants in New Jersey, according to the non-partisan Migration Policy Institute. Of those eligible, an estimated 24,000 live in Bergen County and about 18,000 in Passaic County, according to the institute.
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Immigrants seek clarity on U.S. residency rules at ...