¡HICA! DENOUNCES NEW USCIS FEE RULE
On Friday, July 31st, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced their new immigration fees with an outrageous increase in prices. Naturalization and asylum applicants are highly disadvantaged by the final rule.
El viernes 31 de julio, los Servicios de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de EE. UU. (USCIS por sus siglas en ingles). Anunciaron sus nuevas tarifas de inmigración con un aumento escandaloso en los precios. Los solicitantes de naturalización y asilo están altamente desfavorecidos por la regla final.
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¡HICA! is outraged by the current USCIS memo regarding new DACA applications
¡HICA! is outraged by the current USCIS memo stating that they will “reject all pending and future initial requests for DACA, reject all pending and future applications for advance parole absent exceptional circumstances, and shorten DACA renewals.” This memo is in defiance of the Supreme Court and is unconstitutional. USCIS must accept new DACA applications and extend legal protection for two full years, in accordance with SCOTUS and the U.S. District Court in Maryland.
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¡HICA! response to Census memo
Last week, President Trump released a memorandum, demanding that undocumented immigrants not be counted in the 2020 Census, thus, not being counted towards congressional apportionment. This action is unconstitutional. Under Section 2 of the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, “representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding Indians not taxed.”
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Remembering Congressman John Lewis
Today, the world lost a superhero. Congressman John Lewis was my hero. When we met for the first time in Montgomery, Alabama in 2012, we were gathered at the Civil Rights Memorial for the annual Wreath Laying Ceremony. I chose to go that weekend because the year before, Alabama passed the most hateful immigration law in the country, HB56, which encouraged immigrants to “self-deport themselves.”
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DACA recipient praises Supreme Court decision; more permanent status needed
For the first time since my family immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico when I was five, I could enjoy some of the privileges that my American-born peers took for granted. Having that sense of security made me all the more eager to invest in my future here. And I have. As the office coordinator at HICA in Birmingham, which champions economic equality, civic engagement and social justice for the Latinx population, I help community members access the resources they need to be successful.
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¡HICA! applauds the decision of the Supreme Court to preserve DACA
Today was a monumental day for not just our community but for the nation. ¡HICA! applauds the decision of the Supreme Court which will preserve DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and allow DREAMERS to stay in the country.
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A MESSAGE FROM ¡HICA!
The past few weeks have weighed heavily on our hearts. As we work to combat the health disparities of COVID-19, the high profile murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd have brought to the forefront of our collective consciousness the brutality that our black brothers and sisters encounter in their lives.
Las últimas semanas han pesado mucho en nuestros corazones. Mientras trabajamos para combatir las disparidades de salud del COVID-19, los asesinatos de alto perfil de Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor y George Floyd han llevado a la vanguardia de nuestra conciencia colectiva, la brutalidad que enfrentan nuestros hermanos y hermanas negros en sus vidas.
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IRS: ECONOMIC IMPACT PAYMENTS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - PAGOS DE IMPACTO ECONÓMICO: LO QUE DEBE SABER
Check IRS.gov for the latest information: No action needed by most people at this time
Verifique IRS.gov para información reciente: mayoría de personas no necesitan tomar ninguna acción
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ACTUALIZACIÓN: REPROGRAMACION DE CITAS CON USCIS UPDATE: RESCHEDULING USCIS APPOINTMENTS
If you have a renewal application for a work permit, USCIS will use your prints and photos on file. This means, as an example, if a DACA beneficiary applied for the renewal of their benefit and work permit and did not receive an appointment for their fingerprints before the Application Support Centers closed or if their appointment was canceled due to the closure of the public of these centers, your request will still be processed.
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ORDEN OFICIAL DE SALUD DEL CONDADO DE JEFFERSON POR EL RIESGO DE INFECCIÓN DE COVID-19
ORDEN OFICIAL DE SALUD DEL CONDADO DE JEFFERSONSUSPENDIENDO CIERTAS REUNIONES PÚBLICAS Y EL CIERRE DE NEGOCIOS Y SERVICIOS NO ESENCIALES POR EL RIESGO DE INFECCIÓN DE COVID-19
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¡HICA! PERMANECERÁ ABIERTA VIRTUALMENTE - ¡HICA! REMAINS VIRTUALLY OPEN
¡HICA! permanecerá abierta virtualmente durante esta crisis de salud. Servir a nuestra comunidad y garantizar su bienestar es nuestra única prioridad.
¡HICA! will remain virtually open during this health crisis. Serving our community and ensuring their wellbeing is our only priority.
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HUD PROVIDES IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR HOMEOWNERS AMID NATIONWIDE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE
Suspends all foreclosure and evictions for the next 60 days
Suspende todas las ejecuciones hipotecarias y desalojos durante los próximos 60 días.
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COVID-19 and Public Charge
“USCIS encourages all those with symptoms that resemble Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (fever, cough, shortness of breath) to seek necessary medical treatment or preventive services. Such treatment or preventive services will NOT negatively affect anyone as part of a future Public Charge analysis.”
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¡HICA! responds to COVID-19
Due to COVID-19 outbreak and the growing number of cases in the state of Alabama, ¡HICA!’s office will be closed for in-person assistance until April 6th.
¡HICA! staff are available by telephone and email. Call us at 205.942.5505. Use “our team” directory under the “who we are” tab for staff email contact information.
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Mayor Woodfin Opposes Trump Administration Fee Hike Proposal
Proposed Rule Would Price out Working Class and Low-Income Immigrants who Already Struggle with High Cost of Application Fees for Citizenship, DACA, Asylum, and Other Immigration Benefits [Birmingham, AL] – Today, Mayor Randall L. Woodfin joined over 50 mayors in sending the Trump administration a letter in opposition to a proposed regulation that would increase immigration application fees, eliminate most fee waivers, and transfer funds from application fees to immigration enforcement.
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ICE presence in Bessemer, AL
Early this morning, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (¡HICA!) and the Alabama Coalition of Immigration Justice (ACIJ) were notified by members of the community that there was Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) activity in Bessemer, AL.
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¡HICA!, ACIJ, and NPNA Encourage Eligible Immigrants to Apply for Citizenship and Take a Stand Against Second Wall
The Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (¡HICA!) and the Alabama Coalition of Immigrant Justice (ACIJ) call on eligible lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to apply for citizenship and demand that the Trump Administration undo the bureaucratic bottleneck that is keeping hundreds of thousands of eligible LPRs from becoming citizens and voting in the 2020 presidential elections. ¡HICA!, ACIJ, and NPNA partners’ goal is to reach one million eligible lawful permanent residents by 2020.
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¡HICA! Responds to President Trump's Oval Office Address
President Donald Trump delivered a nationally televised address riddled with distortions, falsehoods, and fallacies. This president seeks to sow discord, division, and fear to build a wall that would be ineffective, impractical, and costly.
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