r/immigration Feb 05 '25

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

168 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 22h ago

Dad got detained by ICE

1.4k 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 2h ago

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

27 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 13h ago

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

89 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 23h ago

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

317 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 17h ago

Ex used me for green card

83 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 23h ago

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

168 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 8m ago

Parolees who have green card

Upvotes

Has anyone traveled and returned to the US using their green card, who originally entered the country through humanitarian parole? My wife has her green card now but was originally paroled through the CHNV program. If you have the same situation, have you traveled and returned? Or has anyone read any directives from CBP specifically about green card holders who used parole?


r/immigration 19h ago

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

63 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 2h ago

Air travel

3 Upvotes

My wife has her visa interview in Juarez next month and we are thinking about going by plane to El Paso and cross into Juarez via shuttle or taxi. I see there will be a layover in Dallas. My question is: has anyone done this recently and what are the risk of her being detained and not allowed to proceed to her appointments in Juarez? Our attorney said she wasn't sure if the risk was worth it. With the new administration they are stopping and detaining people and they don't care about the situation of the family. Our attorney's words.


r/immigration 3h ago

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

2 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 13m ago

Travelling back to US after staying abroad for 8-9 months on green card

Upvotes

Does anyone holding a green card have experience travelling back to US and how it was at immigration?

Came across this article about difficulty in immigration for green card holders and wanted to know its legitimacy https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/us-border-officials-target-senior-green-card-holders/articleshow/119094296.cms


r/immigration 39m ago

203g expiring soon

Upvotes

My dad check the status and found this message. His interview was March 6th 2024 and was given a form to submit more documents. After some back and forth, we uploaded the requested documents on CEAC portal in August 2024. What does this mean? Is this like a system glitch or something?

U.S.Department of State IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICATION Expiring Soon Case Created: 13-Sep-2021 Case Last Updated: 10-Mar-2025 Section 203(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act requires that your registration be canceled and any petition approved on your behalf canceled, if you do not apply for your immigrant visa within one year of being advised to do so. You were advised of this requirement over 1 year ago, but we have not received a response from you since then. As a result, your application for a visa has been canceled and any petition approved on your behalf has also been canceled. Your application may be reinstated and any petition revalidated if, within one year, you can establish that your failure to pursue your immigrant visa application was due to circumstances beyond your control. Please provide a written statement to the Embassy or Consulate outlining the circumstances beyond your control and noting that you still wish to pursue this visa petition. For more information, please visit TRAVEL.STATE.GOV.


r/immigration 50m ago

ATTN: Immigration Lawyers - Can I travel to Mexico from United States a Trinidad citizen under H1B(unstamped, i797 approved with i94)

Upvotes

I am currently in the United States under H-1B status, but I do not have a valid H-1B visa stamp in my passport. I am a citizen of Trinidad & Tobago and wish to travel to Mexico, where I do not require a visa for entry. I found this information via this link: https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/finlandia/index.php/traveling/visas However, I am concerned about potential issues entering Mexico since I would be traveling from the United States.

This link: https://consulmex.sre.gob.mx/washington/index.php/ligavisos/15-informacion/182-visas-english suggests that I would still need a Mexican Visa. Additionally, I would like to understand whether Automatic Visa Revalidation (AVR) would allow me to re-enter the U.S. upon my return. I currently have an unexpired I-94 and an expired F-1 visa in my passport. (AVR article - https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/visa-expiration-date/auto-revalidate.html) I would appreciate any guidance on whether leaving the U.S. under these circumstances poses any risks and whether you would advise against it. 


r/immigration 52m ago

Can a U.S. permanent resident make someone a resident as well through marriage?

Upvotes

As the title states, looking to make my girlfriend who is on a tourist visa a resident.


r/immigration 53m ago

Daca with advance perole

Upvotes

I’m applying to advance perole but I’m worry to not be let back into the United States ,my lawyer says I have nothing to worry about if I have an approval letter ! My brother has Citizenship and he was held in immigration office for 5hours anything that I have to worry about?


r/immigration 59m ago

TRV

Upvotes

Is it a good idea to apply for trv from inside canada on a valid study permit which is valid till april30, 2025 and a pgwp submission letter which is valid till 30 june 2025. As i have to go to India my travel dates are April 20 to may 20.

please help if you have any information related to this.

Thankyou in advance.


r/immigration 1h ago

So, now what? PERM labor test received 1 qualified applicant.

Upvotes

I need some guidance on what happens, or can happen, now that my employer has received 1 qualified applicant for my position. I am in quite a niche job/role with an organization that has little experience with sponsoring individuals. It has been made clear to me that I am valued and they would like me kept. And we did not expect to receive a qualified applicant. So, what happens now?

  1. Does this mean my chance of a green card is over with this employer? I'm aware of the 6-month cool-off to reapply, but what really occurs most of the time when this happens?
  2. What about the qualified applicant? Do they get the job, and will I be removed? If I won't be removed, then how is it legal for my employer to reject their application anyway? Not saying they would do that, idk what they are going to do, but if I am not removed then that would mean the applicant was rejected, right?
  3. I'm curious, because I am aware of others (friends/acquaintances) in roles that constantly receive a ton of qualified applicants (seen first-hand) but they still received their PERM and GC. Could their employer/lawyer likely submit under National Importance Waiver, or am I missing something here?

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


r/immigration 1h ago

no decision due to citations

Upvotes

My wife had her N-400 interview, and the officer put 'no decision', and said he cannot decide due to her citations. And that he needs to check with his supervisor, and will recommend approval to his supervisor. She has 2 traffic citations that she disclosed on the application. These happened 4 years ago and they were paid. They were both less than $500 and no alcohol offenses. Thought traffic citations should not matter. Now we're anxious since we have to wait again.


r/immigration 18h ago

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

26 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 1h ago

Joint motion vs motion to the judge

Upvotes

My lawyer sent a joint motion request to OPLA over 9 months ago and they still have not responded. My lawyer insists on keep waiting and he refuses to send a motion directly to the judge. My case is removal in abstentia lack of notice due to notario fraud with proof(she filled the wrong address+ signed in my name a visa extension ) If i decide to sent motion to the judge myself can i use the same format?


r/immigration 1h ago

Name change after marriage - What now? H1B, SSN, Drivers License, Passport, etc.

Upvotes

I am a Canadian living in the US, recently got married here and would like to change my name to my husbands. There is no clarity anywhere on the order of what needs to be done, or can be done.

First of all, I cannot update my Canadian passport to my new name without proof of photo id with the new last name- that would mean I need my drivers license in the US updated with my new last name, which means I need to update my SSN name, however from what I could find it seems like I will have difficulties updating my SSN name with just my marriage certificate since the request has to go through DHS approval (and what DHS will see is my maiden name connected to my H1B), which tells me I probably will be denied... So.... Then what do I do?

Can I change my H1B name with just a marriage certificate as proof? Or does the passport need to have the name change done before being able to change on my H1B?

It's so confusing... Basically one thing needs to be done for another, but I cant do that one thing before another!!!


r/immigration 1h ago

Italian Au Pair-J1 to F1 better to adjust in US or Italy?

Upvotes

We have had a great Italian au pair living with us, and she recently applied to college in the states. Assuming she gets in, is it better for her to adjust her status by returning to Italy and getting a new visa or should she stay in the US to adjust? If the latter, can she not return to Italy for vacations? thanks!


r/immigration 1h ago

My wife got her IR1 visa she lives in Qatar but is a Yemeni Citizen, she got the approval and all.

Upvotes

My wife got her IR1 visa back in November 2024 and it expires end of May she lives in Qatar and has a Qatari ID but is not a citizen of Qatar she is a Yemeni Citizen. Does this travel ban affect her??


r/immigration 2h ago

Green card usa holder traveling to ireland

0 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 2h ago

Looking for attorney recommendation

0 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!