Herbert A. Weiss Immigration Law Blog

The November 14 edition of El Diario reminded me that this week marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, more commonly known as IRCA.  President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law.  Its chief sponsors in the Congress were Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming and New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino who chaired the House Judiciary Committee (from May through July 1974) during the Nixon impeachment... Read More

Many readers have undoubtedly either read or heard by now of President Obama’s plan to provide relief to deportable aliens by having their deportation proceedings administratively closed and even granting employment authorization to some of these deportable persons.  Some estimate that up to 300,000 undocumented persons could be helped under this plan that calls for U.S. Immigration to exercise prosecutorial discretion as to whom they will actively seek to deport and... Read More

Citizens of Metropolis, USA. By now many of you have undoubtedly heard of the unfortunate news that Superman recently decided to appear before the United Nations (UN) to renounce his U.S. citizenship.  His reason for this drastic action was that, in his own words, he was “tired of having my [his] actions construed as instruments of U.S. policy.”  Superman lamented:  “Truth, Justice and the American Way” – It’s Not Enough... Read More

President Obama was in Texas last week to offer his thoughts on comprehensive immigration reform.  One part of this reform is the implementation of an amnesty program.

Many would agree that our immigration system currently suffers from some major problems.  Most can agree on the problems.  It is the solutions on which many disagree.

Many pundits and Washington insiders believe that the President’s recent speech in Texas supporting... Read More

On February 6, 2011 America celebrated the centennial of Ronald Reagan’s birth.  I had the good fortune on March 22 of attending a conference sponsored by the prestigious Manhattan Institute that was entitled “Supply-Side Economics:  From The Reagan Era to Today” and that was devoted to examining the leadership and legacy of Ronald Reagan’s economic policy.  There were many distinguished guests and speakers and the discussion was quite fascinating... Read More

As those familiar with my blog know, my articles have concentrated on describing U.S. immigration law from an historical perspective.  This enables me to satisfy my twin passions which are my profession as an immigration lawyer and studying American history. One of my more recent articles discussed The Steerage Act of 1819 and how it is related to immigration record-keeping and the ability nowadays to retrieve immigration records from the past.  Before The Steerage Act, the... Read More

I hope all my readers enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday, filled with good food, good cheer, and the warmth of spending quality time with family and friends.  Personally, it is my favorite secular holiday for many reasons, one of which is that it is a celebration of the American success story.  The Pilgrims who left the Old World and disembarked at Plymouth Rock in 1624 in pursuit of religious freedom were the first to celebrate Thanksgiving.  Even schoolchildren know... Read More

If you’re like me, you enjoy sifting through old family photos and documents in order to piece together your family history.  I have spent countless hours trying to locate and examining old documents relating to the lives of my parents and my in-laws to gain a better understanding of their historical experience.  Not only have I been rewarded with a deeper understanding of their circumstances, but it has satisfied both an intellectual and emotional curiosity about the... Read More

Mention the word “deportation” to a foreigner residing in our midst and you could witness a meltdown.  Deportation from the United States incites such reactions even among those foreign nationals who reside here lawfully.  Knowing how much they have to lose by banishment from our shores, it is not surprising that that those with green cards fear such a fate possibly even more than undocumented aliens.   In Ng Fung Ho v. White, expulsion from... Read More

Lately I am much enamored of reading American history, particularly the era in which our Founding Fathers lived.  I have enjoyed immensely two biographies, the first about Benjamin Franklin written by Walter Isaacson, the second a Pulitzer Prize-winning book about John Adams by David McCullough who also penned the marvelous “1776.”  These biographies provide the reader with insight regarding the enormous trials faced by our great American patriots who risked their... Read More