He told them they could become citizens by getting adopted. Now he’s going to jail
Helaman Hansen, a charismatic Elk Grove businessman who defrauded 471 undocumented immigrants out of their savings by promising them they could be adopted into citizenship, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison Thursday. “He has hurt so many people, and even today he still believes he’s done what he could for these people,” said […]
Meet El Salvador’s growing middle class: Deportees from the U.S.
The smell of slow-cooked Texas barbecue wafted over the outskirts of San Salvador as Jose Reyes cracked open another beer. It was Super Bowl Sunday, and Reyes had gathered with several dozen friends in a parking lot outside a stadium where the game would be screened. Dressed in baggy NFL and college jerseys, they traded jokes […]
When Shelly Blanco, 42, voted for Donald Trump, she never expected his push to deport “bad hombres” would land her husband in jail.
Shelly Blanco stands in the dining room of the family home in Perry, Fla., on Friday, May 19, 2017. “We are ready for Rudy to come home,” said Blanco of her husband, seen with their daughter in the background, who is being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in Wakulla, Fla. (Photo: Joe Rondone, The […]
Trump’s decision on ‘Dreamers’ could spell fate of immigration reform
President Trump’s forthcoming decision on the fate of so-called Dreamers – unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the U.S. before adulthood – could have far-reaching consequences not only for his quest for immigration reform and an impenetrable border wall. As the Washington Examiner reported last week, Trump is under mounting pressure to terminate or phase […]
U.S. Citizen Who Was Held By ICE For 3 Years Denied Compensation By Appeals Court
Davino Watson told the immigration officers that he was a U.S. citizen. He told jail officials that he was a U.S. citizen. He told a judge. He repeated it again and again. There is no right to a court-appointed attorney in immigration court. Watson, who was 23 and didn’t have a high school diploma when […]
Immigrant Military Recruits Wait in Limbo As Defense Program’s Future Unclear
Min Zhao saw the Army as an exciting opportunity when she decided to change her career and leave marketing in 2016. In March of that year, she signed an enlistment contract as a combat medic and was scheduled to begin basic training six months later. But more than a year since she signed her agreement, […]
Judge blocks deportation of 1,400 Iraqis; latest court to thwart Trump immigration plans
A federal judge late Monday issued an order blocking deportation of some 1,400 Iraqis — many with serious criminal records including murder — ruling that the government sprung a sneak-attack on them, and they must be given a chance to reargue their deportation cases. Judge Mark A. Goldsmith, an Obama appointee to the federal bench, sided […]
James Naismith 1861-1939
The Canadian-born physical education instructor James Naismith made an indelible mark on sports history when he invented the game of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts, in December 1891. With a soccer ball, two peach baskets, a ladder, and ten written rules, Naismith created the sport within two weeks, after he was asked to come up with […]
An Immigration Firm You Can Count On
Saman Movassaghi Gonzalez, Managing Attorney at the U.S. Immigration Law Counsel®, with over 13 years of experience in immigration law has acquired the necessary skills to successfully navigate through the complex U.S. immigration laws we are currently facing. My team caters to both corporate and individual clients with an emphasis on 601A Provisional Hardship Waiver […]
‘Invisible’ Crime: Immigrant Scams Are Big Business In South Florida, But Few Crooks Caught
Infamous as the setting for many cases of high-profile financial fraud and chicanery, South Florida is also home to a relatively unknown scam that targets the region’s large immigrant population, bilking many of them for thousands of dollars for “expert” immigration services that are never delivered, a Florida Bulldog investigation has found. The victims […]
