Shannon Dooling

WBUR

 
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Becoming A U.S. Citizen Just Got More Difficult

by Shannon Dooling
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It costs $725 for green-card holders to apply for U.S. citizenship. It’s a burden many low-income immigrants can’t afford.
A Massachusetts non-profit helps immigrants apply for fee waivers, eliminating the financial obstacle to naturalization. But as of today, those fee waivers will be harder to come by.

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Civil Rights Advocates Sue Trump Administration Over Medical Deferred Action

by Shannon Dooling

The ACLU of Massachusetts and other civil rights advocates are suing the Trump administration to try to restart a process that has historically allowed non-citizens with serious illnesses to stay in the U.S. to get medical treatment. Last month Boston-area immigrants received letters from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) saying their applications for the process known […]

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As Feds Reopen Some Medical Deferral Cases, Boston Patients Find Hope

by Shannon Dooling
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The federal government has decided to re-consider the requests from some non-citizens to stay in this country for medical treatment — including from a number of Boston-area immigrants. After saying last week that it would no longer process what are called “medical deferred action requests,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services now says some cases will be re-opened, but patients remain in limbo.

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Feds Can’t Agree On Which Agency — If Any — Handles Medical Deportation Deferrals

by Shannon Dooling

Agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have offered contradictory accounts of how requests to a humanitarian program known as medical deferred action are now being handled, and by whom — throwing the future of the decades-old program into question. Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Wednesday she may call for a congressional oversight hearing into […]

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After Receiving Denial Letters, Immigrants Fear End Of Medical Deferral Program

by Shannon Dooling

Dismaying immigrants and advocates, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) sent out letters saying the agency will no longer consider most deferrals of deportation for people with serious medical conditions, documents show. The agency is now saying those decisions will be made by another agency: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). That was not made clear to […]

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Local Asylum Seekers Face Longer Wait Times As Boston Immigration Officials Head To Border

by Shannon Dooling

Asylum seekers in the Boston area can expect longer wait times, as local resources are being shifted to the southern border. U.S. Customs and Immigration Services notified local immigration attorneys that asylum officers from Boston will be sent to the southwest border with Mexico to address the influx of asylum seekers there.An email to members of […]

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New Immigration Rule Could Affect Half A Million Mass. Residents

by Shannon Dooling

The Trump administration on Monday introduced a new rule vastly expanding the list of public benefits federal immigration officials may take into consideration when determining whether an individual should be allowed to enter the country or obtain permanent residence. A Boston-based group estimates that it could affect more than 500,000 residents in the state.Known as the “public charge” provision, the process evaluates […]

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ACLU Says Forcing Immigrants To Prove They Are Not A Danger Is Unconstitutional

by Shannon Dooling
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These are happy days for Gilberto Pereira Brito and his family. Inside the kitchen of their Brockton apartment, his three young children climb all over him like he’s a human jungle gym. Four-year-old Taliyah’s eyes light up when she talks about the fireworks they watched together on the Fourth of July. But just beneath the surface […]

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Mass. County Sheriffs, State DOC Will Re-Up Contracts With Federal Immigration Officials

by Shannon Dooling
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There’s an ongoing battle over just how much Massachusetts authorities can legally partner with federal immigration officials. A Supreme Judicial Court decision in 2017 appeared to offer some clarity. But now, three county sheriffs and the state’s Department of Correction are pushing the limits of that legal decision. They’re all re-upping contracts for what’s known as the 287(g) program. The contracts […]

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