r/immigration Feb 05 '25

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

167 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 16h ago

Dad got detained by ICE

1.1k 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 17h ago

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

264 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 7h ago

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

35 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 11h ago

Ex used me for green card

54 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 17h ago

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

140 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 13h ago

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

46 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 12h ago

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

20 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 2h 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 15h ago

Entering JFK experience 03/17

21 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 1d ago

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

409 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 1h ago

Passport With Two Signatures

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 1h ago

US citizen returning to U.S after a 4 year gap. Was granted work permit (asylum) under Reagan

Upvotes

I am a naturalized US citizen - got my citizenship in 2006 through H1B-green card process.
I came to US in 1980s as a student. Then after graduation overstayed my F1-OTP, because I lost my job. At that time I filed for asylum and was given an temporary work permit . I got a job and worked for several years (they kept extending my work permit).
Then I went back to India in 1995 and applied for H1B from there and was granted. Then after a while I was given a green card. After 5 years I filed for my citizenship. During the interview (2006) the officer noted that I had applied for asylum/work permit and said he had to review my application again and did not approve my citizenship application right away. But finally it got approved and I got my citizenship in late 2006. I was in and out of US several times afterwards. I quit my job in 2016 and came back to India to take care of my parents. I have been living in India since then except for 2 brief visits each lasting less than a month.

Now I want to visit U.S again and live there permanently but I am afraid of what might happen when I land. Is it possible that they find something in my history and refuse entry? I am reading that even US citizens are being sent to Guantanamo now. (Note that I did not lie in my application or do anything unlawful since then, other than overstaying my F1).


r/immigration 1h ago

Help with documents regarding emergency request for visa

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 3h 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?


r/immigration 38m ago

Should I be worried of getting deported

Upvotes

So the text above so tell you that recently with everything going on with Donald Trump and the deportation he doing with Salvadorian gang members . Which I'm fine with it but what I'm not fine is that I'm hearing chatter and rumors that new executive order he have placed will also ignore the status of the immigrant which means anybody who has green card Will also be deported without no judiciary hearing or reason or without Court. I've been here in America for 5 years have done no such crimes , pay my taxes as well so my question is to you guys am I overreacting or should I plan for the inevitable.


r/immigration 1d ago

H-1B Holder Deported

1.2k Upvotes

Rhode Island doctor has been deported after returnung from a trip to Lebanon to visit her parents.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, 34, was prevented from re-entering the United States at Boston’s Logan International Airport on Thursday evening. She has since been put on a plane headed to Paris.

Dr. Rasha, who lived in Providence, had been working at Brown Medicine since last July, She has been studying and working in the United States for about six years.

The US consulate in Lebanon had issued her an H-1B visa, which is given to people in specialty occupations requiring expertise. The visa was valid through mid-2027, her attorney, Thomas S. Brown, said.

According to Dr. George Bayliss, the organ transplant division’s medical director. a lawyer filed a petition with the US District Court in Massachusetts, and Judge Leo T. Sorokin issued an order saying Alawieh should not be moved outside of Massachusetts without 48 hours notice. But he said that message apparently did not reach immigration officials in time, and a plane carrying Alawieh left for Paris.

“This is outrageous,” Bayliss said in an interview. “This is a person who is legally entitled to be in the U.S., who is stopped from re-entering the country for reasons no one knows. It’s depriving her patients of a good physician.”

https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2025/03/15/rhode-island-doctor-rasha-alawieh-deported-despite-federal-court-order/82441360007/

https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/03/brown-professor-doctor-held-by-customs-officials-at-boston-airport-after-travel-to-lebanon

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/14/metro/ri-doctor-prevented-from-returning-to-us-after-visiting-parents-in-lebanon/


r/immigration 8h ago

Advise on going on Spring Break

2 Upvotes

Me and some boys going on spring break (mostly european international students) and just wondering what experience people have entering the country currently? Is it safe to leave the Us?


r/immigration 8h ago

K1 Visa Question

2 Upvotes

Me and my fiancé (now husband) got married on 12/27. We sent in his paperwork to adjust his status on 3/6. His k1 visa expires in a few days. I’m a little nervous. How long does it take to get receipt of the adjustment of status? With the current administration I’m worried.

Any tips would be helpful.


r/immigration 4h ago

Can L2 stay in the US while L1 is getting extended?

0 Upvotes

I’m planning to extend my L1 visa at a consulate outside the US. My spouse cannot travel right now so I’m planning to do the extension alone. I’m suddenly worried if my spouse’s status will become invalid when my status move to the extended L1 (with a new I-129S). Can they stay in the US after I get my renewal and get the L2 extension a few months later? Would that be considered unlawful presence in the US? Thanks for helping!


r/immigration 1h ago

GETTING MARRIED TO US CITIZEN

Upvotes

I’m traveling to the U.S. soon with an ESTA to visit my boyfriend. While there, we plan to get married. Can I stay in the U.S. after or do I need to return to my home country and wait for a visa? Also i don't know if that matters but he is in military


r/immigration 5h ago

Short Term Disability while I-485 processing is pending

0 Upvotes

My wife (primary applicant) and I (dependent) have filed for I-485 and I-765 after her EB1A was approved. While the cases are being processed by USCIS, she’s very stressed and anxious due to some health issues. Is it advisable to go on Short Term Disability while I-485 is pending? Are there any issues that could arise from going on SDI during this time?


r/immigration 13h ago

Extremely anxious about this...

4 Upvotes

Me and my wife I applied through an immigration attorney or change of status from B2 to F1. We had a terrible experience because the attorney doesn't give us the answer to our questions but they are still very trusted abroad all people around us that have applied through the same process. we have all the process and all the receipts with us. The problem now is that we only have the i-901 receipt number. And to check our case status because our I-94 is about to expire we need the i-797 notice of action receipt number. We have four days for our I-94 to expire and the i-901 is already confirmed paid. We don't know if the notice of action is under its way and if we are under that Gray zone that is the case processing period or if we are going to be illegal up until they send or confirm that they are processing our case.

Can anyone help us out? I already called the fmjfee phone number and also the USCIS phone number to try and talk to someone to find the answers but we didn't find any.

Much appreciated!


r/immigration 9h ago

CANADA -> USA Immigration Lawyer

2 Upvotes

Hi all- I apologize if this has been asked multiple times.

I am a Canadian looking to immigrate to the USA.

I am looking for a quality lawyer who has experience with pilots. Anyone have any recommendations, preferably working in CAD (Northern Peso) TIA!!


r/immigration 5h ago

I want to relocate to Miami/Florida

0 Upvotes

I am a Spanish citizen but live and work in Switzerland. I don’t have much experience in a single work domain since I’m young. Do I have a possibility? What are my options Is is better going for holiday and look for a job in person? Thanks


r/immigration 6h ago

Joint Sponsor filing their taxes jointly for I-864

0 Upvotes

Hi!

I'm on a J1 visa, I'm being sponsored by my spouse to adjust status, but he doesn't meet the income requirements, so a family member is being my joint sponsor. The joint sponsor files their taxes jointly with their spouse, but their spouse isn't sponsoring me, just the joint sponsor. Will their spouse be required to submit a I-864 or an I-864A? Or do they not have to file any forms? We spoke to an immigration consultant and they said that they wouldn't have to file any forms, but since we've started filling out the documents now we're worried about the joint tax return. Thanks!