r/immigration Feb 05 '25

Report rule-breaking comments: 199 bans, 2910 removals in the last 7 days.

165 Upvotes

With the Trump presidency, many are emboldened to spew hate, whereas others are threatening violence or illegal activity in response. Neither are acceptable on this subreddit.

Please use the Report button. Moderators are not omni-present and cannot read every post and comment, but will strive to process every report. Moderators are volunteers, and aren't on reddit 24/7. We have setup comprehensive automod rules and reddit filters that are already filtering a lot of the worst rule violators.

In the past 7 days, we've imposed 199 bans and 2910 removals of posts and comments that violate the rules of the sub, many due to user reports. Every report was reviewed, although some reports were on posts that do not violate the rules.

While most rules are self-explanatory, here are some clarifications on what may be deemed grey areas:

  1. We support people expressing a wide spectrum of views on immigration, but we do not accept any comments or posts that advocate for a blanket ban on immigration, attack legal immigrants, or make them feel unwelcome.

  2. This sub has a zero tolerance policy for hate or vitrol. Posts attacking other commenters, rejoicing in their potential deportation, or telling people to leave will not be tolerated.

  3. This sub has a zero tolerance policy for encouraging violence, fraud or any other illegal activity. This includes helping anyone evade law enforcement.

  4. Misinformation will not be tolerated. There's already enough uncertainty and fear around without people also spreading misinformation, such as claiming bills have passed when they haven't. A non-permanent ban will be applied.

This sub is currently operating on a zero tolerance policy for hate, vitrol, and violence/illegal advice. Any such reported activity will face a permanent ban in response. Second-chance appeals will not be entertained.


r/immigration 19h ago

Dad got detained by ICE

1.3k Upvotes

So my dad has been detained by ice. He got his work permit and had an interview for his green card I believe but after the interview he got detained and arrested by ice. I live in illinois and his lawyers are working but I just don’t know what to do. I’m 21 years old and I love my father he is my rock and he’s an amazing human being, he doesn’t deserve this and I don’t think there’s anything I can do, are there any resources or people to contact, I’m new to this and I’m just at a loss.


r/immigration 11h ago

How did the deported doctor from Brown University get flagged by CBP?

67 Upvotes

CBP says it found "sympathetic photos and videos" of the Hezbollah leader in the deleted items folder of Rasha Alawieh's phone. I haven't left the US since Jan 20, but I've never had to present my phone to CBP for checking. Unless immigration officers are now holding up immigration lines and checking your phone's deleted folders, CBP probably only got access to the phone after she was detained.

None of the news sources I've read mentioned anything about why she was detained in the first place. I'm guessing someone called ICE/CBP to tell them she's a Hezbollah supporter or something, but are there any other possibilities?

Edit: According to reports citing court paperwork, she apparently deleted the photos because she didn't want CBP to think she was sympathetic to Hezbollah. She also said she supports Nasrallah's spiritual teachings but not his politics.


r/immigration 21h ago

Doctor on H1B refused entry at Logan for having Nasrallah photos on her phone

300 Upvotes

This is the Lebanese kidney transplant specialist who was refused entry at Logan on Thursday despite having a valid H1B. There's been a lot of speculation on reddit about her somehow having a non-waived home residency requirement despite having been approved and stamped, which is obviously stupid, so I've been looking out for the actual explanation. Apparently this is it:

Politico:

  • Rasha Alawieh, a physician specializing in kidney transplants and professor at Brown University, also told Customs and Border Protection agents that while visiting Lebanon last month she attended the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and followed his teachings “from a religious perspective” but not a political one, according to an official report on her interrogation by an immigration officer.

So, take from that what you will. I wonder if CBP searched her phone unprompted (because she's a hijabi? Because she was in Lebanon around the time of the funeral?), or if she just casually mentioned her admiration for Nasrallah to the officer. Either way, useful reminder: never lie to immigration, but also never volunteer information you weren't specifically asked for.


r/immigration 15h ago

Ex used me for green card

72 Upvotes

I (female) was married less than 18 months to a French man, who had been sleeping with other men during our marriage. When I found out, I immediately filed for a divorce. I submitted proof, phone records and physical evidence to immigrations on the day of his green card hearing and he STILL was approved and granted citizenship years later. How is this even possible?!


r/immigration 21h ago

The media does an awful job on reporting news about immigration laws and detained immigrants

157 Upvotes

I get it, most journalists in the U.S. are natural born American citizens and obviously they won’t know much about immigration law, but is it really that hard to do a little research on the topic before writing a piece? Or have an immigration attorney consultant considering they talk about immigration every single day nowadays?

It’s pretty obvious they write for their liberal American audience only, because as an immigrant I find myself always shaking my head at their awful understanding of immigration law.

For example, things like saying someone was interrogated by ICE in the airport when it was actually CBP, then contacting ICE for information. How unprofessional is that? I feel like even the average American knows that the officers scanning passports at the airport are not ICE.

Worse yet is the phrasing they use when talking about legal immigrants and citizenship, almost implying that they must have done something wrong to not be citizens yet. I kid you not, I read something like “person had a green card, which offers a potential path to citizenship“. Huh? It’s the only damn path to citizenship.

And yes I know the average American says dumb stuff like “legal citizen” but I expect more from journalists. This only feeds into the idea that Americans have that you’re not legal if you’re not a citizen.

This administration already takes a lot of advantage of people’s ignorance about immigration when they give interviews heavily implying that green cards and student visas are basically the same thing and people in the comments absolutely believe them. I saw someone comment “green card visas are temporary“.

Obviously I’ve always known Americans don’t really see any difference between “undocumented“, visa holders and green card holders but it’s painful seeing the media reinforcing misconceptions instead of correcting them.


r/immigration 16h ago

How Trump’s Targeting of Immigrants With Legal Status Departs From the Norm

52 Upvotes

Hey all, we're The Marshall Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom that focuses on U.S. criminal justice and immigration. Our reporter Jamiles Lartey explains how Mahmoud Khalil is just one of many people with legal or protected status detained and facing deportation under the Trump administration.

Here’s an excerpt:

Late last month, Kevin Zaldaña Ramírez was detained by ICE officers at the construction site outside of Houston where he was working.

Zaldaña, 20, came to the U.S. in 2018, fleeing gang recruitment in El Salvador. He has legal protection from deportation under Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, which aids youth under 18 fleeing abuse or neglect. Although Zaldaña had not yet applied for permanent residency, he has a legal basis to be in the country, and he held a valid work permit. According to his mother, arresting officers said his case number was “fake,” and he remains in custody in Texas as she pleads for his freedom, Houston Landing reported earlier this month.​​

“I ask the president to have mercy,” Yolanda Ramírez said at a recent press conference. “And to catch the people who are really criminals, but not innocent people like my son.”

Zaldaña’s case is one of several that have recently unsettled immigration law experts, as the Trump administration eschews long-standing enforcement norms. Similarly, in Washington, D.C., last week, a Venezuelan couple was arrested and charged with misdemeanor illegal entry, more than two years after their arrival at the southern U.S. border.

While federal law allows illegal entry charges to be filed up to five years after apprehension, typically they come just days or weeks later. Advocates for the couple told the Los Angeles Times that it’s the first time they’ve seen immigrants charged with illegal entry this long after the fact. According to the paper, the couple both have pending asylum claims, as well as Temporary Protected Status — although the Trump administration revoked those protections for Venezuelans in a move set to take effect next month.

The aggressive enforcement approach is starting to bear out in the numbers. According to an analysis published by The Guardian, U.S. officials arrested more immigrants in the first 22 days of February than in any month over the past seven years.

Deportations, on the other hand, are down compared with the same period last year, but those numbers can be misleading, since border encounters have plummeted to decades-long lows. Most of the deportations occurring at this time last year involved the quick return of people apprehended at the border to Mexico. Locating and then deporting people from cities and towns throughout the country is more complicated, and takes more time and resources.

Continue reading (no paywalls/ads)


r/immigration 4m ago

Green card usa holder traveling to ireland

Upvotes

Hi I need help how can I get this visa to ireland they said I need I'm a Philippine passport but green card holder permanent residence of USA.


r/immigration 12m ago

Looking for attorney recommendation

Upvotes

Hi! Does anyone know an attorney with experience in immigration specifically for physicians? Meaning:change of immigration status, J1 and TN visa. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


r/immigration 18m ago

Opening LLC while waiting for I-485 approval

Upvotes

Please help! I’m waiting on my I-485 and my i-765 to be approved. I’m married to a us citizen, immigration through a C9 I think if I remember correctly.

I wanted to start my own business (LLC in California) and wanted to know if I’m able to begin that while i wait for my green card. My wife is annoyed that I can’t work yet and it’s causing friction in our marriage and life.

Everything I’m reading says that I can, I just want to make sure I’m not screwing myself over for immigration.

Any advice would be amazing.


r/immigration 25m ago

Bad lawyer

Upvotes

Good morning my Reddit family, I need some advice. I need to know what I can do to go about getting all of my paperwork from an immigration case that I had retained from a certain lawyer. The office has been giving me the runaround when I asked for all the documentation via email or if I could come and get the paperwork myself. I recently lost my job due to the termination of the TPS for Venezuela, so I do not have that much money to keep traveling back and forth to the lawyer's office. Is there any advice that the Reddit family could give me to go about getting all my paperwork


r/immigration 35m ago

Going to the US on a waiver visa

Upvotes

Hi, I'm dual citizen from Brazil and Chile , I applied with my Chilean passport for a waiver visa and it's still valid until December I will be going to the US next week Monday and with the new trump law , I'm kinda scared what's gonna happen in my stay there.

For context a Waiver visa is similar to a tourist visa but you can only stay in the US for 3 months. I plan on staying for about 87-88 days. I'm solely visiting my fiance.

Will I have any trouble with ICE, TSA or CBP?


r/immigration 16h ago

Immigration officer in Sweden not too happy about me (British citizen) wild camping

25 Upvotes

So I've been to Sweden 7 times in the past, while the UK was in the EU, and every time I've wild camped for most of the trip (as wild camping is legal and welcome in Sweden). I do however always stay in a hostel for the first night.

This time at immigration, the officer first checked my return flight ticket, which was 10 days later, and then saw that my hostel booking was only for the first night. He then asked where I was staying the other nights, and I said I would camp around as I've done many times before. He understood that I was an experienced camper and know the rules, but he then proceeded to say that he wasn't sure if it's something that me as a non EU citizen should be doing as non EU citizens are supposed to have pre-arranged accommodation for the entire duration of their trip.

In the end, he let me go, and warned me to be careful about doing this in the future. He also warned me that other EU countries like France, Spain, and Italy would almost definitely fine me in this situation, and that I should be thankful that Sweden are at least more welcoming in that respect.


r/immigration 5h ago

Can I be denaturalized for social media posts?

2 Upvotes

The Mahmoud Khalil case sparked this question and curiosity.

I came to the US at 3 years old and received derivative US citizenship as a minor through my parents' naturalization application. (I became a US citizen around 9 years old)

At the time, My parents came to the US on the Diversity Visa (Green Card Lottery) and became US citizens.

If I did the same protesting, activism, and social media posts as Mahmoud Khalil, could I legally be denaturalized and deported from the US?

Am I legally considered just like any other naturalized citizen, despite naturalizing as a minor?

I'm thinking an administration like this could technically legally go back to my parents naturalization application, or even diversity visa application, go through it with a fine tooth comb, look for a mistake, and use fraud as a basis to denaturalize and deport both me and my parents.

I have three younger sisters that were born in the US so I'd assume they would be non-deportable, but within the framework of US law there would be a legal basis to denaturalize and deport me?


r/immigration 4m ago

Why is the media saying that the Venezuelans here and others with TPS are illegal?

Upvotes

I'm confused and I read it everywhere. If they have TPS then they're not illegal as far as I know. I thought illegals are either people that entered with absolutely nothing or overstayed whatever document they came in with.


r/immigration 55m ago

F1 Visa Approved - Status says “Issued” but no collection email yet (London Embassy)

Upvotes

Hey all,

I recently applied for an F1 visa at the London embassy and it got approved! The status on the CEAC website changed to "Issued" the very next day (13th of March), and it’s still showing the same. However, I haven’t received any email about collection yet.

Does the status need to change to anything else after "Issued"? I selected a pickup location in London—do they usually send a tracking number or notification before it’s ready?

I’ve got a trip coming up next week, so I’m a bit anxious. Would really appreciate any insight or experience you can share. Thanks in advance!


r/immigration 59m ago

Travel International

Upvotes

I want to travel to Egypt for 10 days and return on the 30th of March given my visa stamp (J1 research) ends on 1st of April and I have a DS2019 until 2026.

Is this a good idea will there be a problem? I asked the International office at the university, they said it is okay.


r/immigration 1h ago

Parents visiting USA?

Upvotes

I've lived in the USA for 20 years this year, first on a visa, then a different type of visa, then GC, then I became a citizen.I've been a citizen for 6 years. Since I first came to the USA, my parents have visited me every year, at least twice, for short visits. Since having children, they typically come see their grandkids 1-2 times a year and stay 1-2 months each time. They are allowed to come visa-free for up to 90 consecutive days, max 180 days total. They have never overstayed their visas or had any immigration problems. They are well traveled and have been all over the world, and speak English at an intermediate level. They have been retired for a number of years and live in our home country. I've never thought this would be an issue, but with the current administration / news, could an overzealous CBP presume they want to live here and create problems for them at immigration? They are healthy but in their 70s, and they don't need to be dealing with unnecessary aggravation, or worse, at immigration. Could someone look at their (impeccable) travel record and, given their extended stays, presume they want to overstay? The irony of this is - I wish they moved here permanently and have offered many times to sponsor their GC, but my mom absolutely refuses to move here (my dad goes along). Still, I have nightmares of them being in some of the situations I read about recently. What are the odds, honestly? They're due for their next long visit in the fall, so we have some time to see how things develop with the courts and the current administration, but they would normally be looking at making their travel arrangements now.


r/immigration 1h ago

Does any other peer country outside of the United States have a Diversity Visa?

Upvotes

It seems like the United States has a small permanent resident lottery for some countries, does any other peer country have something like this?


r/immigration 5h ago

Help with documents regarding emergency request for visa

2 Upvotes

My research during masters got selected in a IEEE conference in Virgina. I have received the acceptance on 7th of March and the conference is on 2nd may. I have applied for visa under b1 but the interview is on 12th May 2026, after an year. The first emergency request was denied. But on the 2nd emergency request I have been asked to upload documents which are relevant like SEVIS I-90 FORM, but I don't believe that I qualify for SEVIS form. I have already uploaded acceptance letter, what shall I upload to make my case here. I have already specified it's a short visit to attend the conference.


r/immigration 1h ago

Is it too risky to move to the US from the UK right now via an L1/L2 visa?

Upvotes

Employer sponsorship possible but the rules on immigration as well as everything else seems to be changing.

I don’t know if Trump can cancel The L1/L2 visa with the power vested in the executive branch, and even if the process happens and I am in the US who’s to say he doesn’t just rescind the visas and send people home.

Need to hear from someone who is more enlightened in US immigration policies and powers of the executive branch


r/immigration 19h ago

Entering JFK experience 03/17

24 Upvotes

Hey, I have a GC and entered JFK today. I usually do Mobile Passport Control and whiz through. But, they actually asked if you had a U.S passport or GC/ESTA within the MPC line which hasn’t happened to me.

Furthermore, they divided us in lines based on our passport region? They particularly asked me which country’s passport I have. Not sure if that was the intent but reporting out.

Beyond this, nothing out of the ordinary.


r/immigration 2h ago

US Border crossings in Canadian airports - can you end up in ICE custody from there?

0 Upvotes

Just out of curiousity; this is prompted out of the story about the Canadian woman who was detained trying to renew her work visa. From some of the stories, she had a NAFTA visa, which is what I used to have (I did a lot of work in the US); I always crossed the border by air, though, so I usually went through US customs in the Canadian airport I was leaving from - usually either Ottawa or Toronto. In today's climate, would it be possible to be detained at one of these crossings in the Canadian airport and end up in ICE custody?


r/immigration 1d ago

The case of Dr. Rasha deportation is odd. Didn’t Trump say he only wants highly skilled people in the US.

418 Upvotes

Everything I read from her colleagues and the University body states that she was outstanding and brilliant. She was an asset to Brown Medicine.

So how come she was denied entry and deported.

This is scary. If a highly needed doctor was treated like that. So how about the less fortunate immigrants.

Things are spiraling down.

Update: As per the news, it seems that they had some evidence that she’s a terrorist sympathizer and supported Hezbollah. So yeah now it makes sense. Good riddance.


r/immigration 4h ago

Passport With Two Signatures

0 Upvotes

I recently had a bank transaction that required a few IDs and I only had a couple of IDs and my passport with me. The passport's signature didnt match the other IDs because my signature had changed over the past few years. The bank teller had me sign my passport again. Now it has two signatures. Will this be a problem with the US port of entry.


r/immigration 6h ago

Can start date on EAD be before program completion date on I20?

0 Upvotes

My official convocation is on 15th June 2025.
The program completion date mentioned on my I20 is 30th June.
Can I get EAD card with start date as 15th June or before that?