Photo by Reuters

There is hope for those in America affected by strict immigration policies. An announcement was made in July revealing future efforts of the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to prioritize cases and remove others based on factors that largely focus on criminal behavior. 

Reform Immigration for America has helped provide ten important things you should know about the DHS's announcement:

1)  Senior DHS officials will be reviewing all 300,000 cases that are currently in deportation proceedings. Immigration judges and ICE trial attorneys will be reviewing these cases on a daily and weekly basis to make sure they are all consistent with DHS enforcement priorities.

2)  The DHS is now aiming to remove "low-priority" cases to focus on individuals who pose serious dangers to American communities.

3)  "High-priority" individuals include, but are not limited to: those who pose a threat to national security, serious felons and repeat offenders, known gang members, and those with a record of repeated immigration violations.

4)  "Low-priority" individuals include, but are not limited to: veterans, long-time lawful residents, DREAMers and others brought to the US as children, pregnant women, victims of domestic abuse and other serious crimes, spouses, as well as LGBT spouses.

5)  "Low-priority" individuals will receive a letter from the DHS that their case has been administratively "closed." 

6)  Those whose cases are closed will then be able to apply for a work permit program.  Decisions about work permits will be decided on a weekly basis. If you are an undocumented immigrant not in deportation proceedings you cannot seek a work permit. 

7)  Individuals SHOULD NOT try to be placed in deportation proceedings in order to apply for a work permit.  

8) If implented properly, these individuals will not be placed into deportation proceedings in the future for as long as this policy is in place.

9)  Programs such as 287g and Secure Communities will not be changed by this announcement.

10)  These changes are by no means "back-door amnesty" but rather a procedural change in the implementation of the DHS's efforts to only target those who pose serious threats to the US including those with long criminal records.

While the DHS has not provided information on when this review process would be implemented, Immigration Impact encourages visiting the website of the American Immigration Lawyers Association to find an immigration lawyer or accredited representative to to speak to regarding your case. DO NOT rely on the advice of immigration consultants or rumors from friends, neighbors or coworkers.

For more information regarding new immigration policies, please visit the American Immigration Lawyers Association website.