U.S. Abandons Allies…Again…
This last week has been tough. My 19 year old daughter recently joined the Virginia National Guard. My wife (2014/15) and I (2017/18) both worked in Afghanistan, with wonderful Afghans that risked their lives every day to help the US Mission in Afghanistan. The USG abandoned them in 2021 with a horribly executed pullout and now they will all be re-victimized and either sent back to the taliban to be executed or left in Afghanistan to be hunted…for helping save American soldiers. So what happens next time the US wants help from another country? Are we trustworthy anymore in the international space? This year, we abandoned all AID to developing countries in order to spend that money buying bombs to blow up fishing boats. These developments sink us deeper into a moral deficit. Growing up during the cold war, the Americans were always the heroes, the good guys, those committed to kindness, protecting others, sheltering those in need and rescuing those repressed by the oppressors of the world. The shine is gone. I mourn the loss of Sarah Beckstrom’s life from this past week. She is a hero. The National Guard should not have been deployed at all, but also the shooter should not have done what he did. He would likely have carried out this act regardless of who he was able to shoot. But his act should not generate a death sentence for the more than a quarter million Afghans that helped the US military in Afghanistan. I know I’m old and even old school. A person’s “word” should matter. Americans have always been self-made, strong, honorable, with a strong moral compass that begins and ends with the value of a firm handshake and homegrown integrity. The country is now ruled by too many fake tough guys.
Know Your Rights: ICE Check-Ins – Trends, Risks, and Practical Tips
The following is a summary of recommendations from colleagues working daily at detention centers with ICE. It is essential that you know your rights and you seek legal counsel if you have any questions. You can find a great lawyer in your area here. What Actually Helps Prevent Detention From what we’ve seen, two factors consistently help mitigate detention: Primary or sole caregiver of a U.S. citizen minor child, particularly when the child lives with the client. Severe or life-threatening medical or mental-health conditions, supported by documentation, demonstrating that detention would prevent access to needed treatment. In these cases, ICE may choose Alternatives to Detention (ATD)—like ankle monitoring—rather than custody. Current Detention Trends We’re Seeing Across numerous recent check-ins, the following patterns have emerged: Likely to Be Detained Single men with no serious medical conditions who have never been released by an IJ before. Pending applications do not reliably help. Those with outstanding removal orders on OSUP who lack strong mitigating factors and do not have a motion to reopen pending. Less Likely to Be Detained (but may be placed on ATD) Single women, especially those with children—unless there is criminal history. Single men who are sole or primary caregivers of a minor child (especially a USC child) with no criminal history. Best practice: Bring the child to the check-in when possible. (But be prepared if they still detain you. Make sure you have a plan for someone to come rescue the child) If not possible (e.g., the child is in school), bring school documentation and proof of caregiving responsibilities. Medical-Based Mitigation Single men with serious medical conditions—physical or mental health, including PTSD—may avoid detention if the condition is thoroughly documented. Evidence matters: Bring full medical records, medication lists, diagnoses, and proof of upcoming appointments. Make the severity clear. If possible, obtain a doctor’s letter stating the client cannot access equivalent care in detention. Prior release by a judge helps. For Individuals With Removal Orders In my experience: ICE stays are generally ineffective and not worth the time or expense. A motion to reopen with a stay of removal from EOIR or the BIA helps—but does not guarantee freedom from detention. Ankle Monitors: What We Learned Who gets an ankle monitor. Their answer: Pregnant individuals and those with health conditions that would be worsened by a monitor are less likely to receive one—but only with a doctor’s letter explicitly linking the device to the medical risk. Conditions like heart disease or diabetes may qualify. PTSD or other mental-health issues generally do not, in their view (its been tried).
Trump Administration Continues Bullying the Most Vulnerable
In a deeply troubling and unprecedented move, the Trump administration is reopening the cases of nearly a quarter-million refugees who bravely sought safety and a new beginning in the United States under the laws of the United States. According to an internal memo from USCIS, this sweeping politically motivated and patently ridiculous review threatens to strip legal protections from thousands of vulnerable refugees admitted to the US between January 2021 and February 2025, freezing applications for permanent residence and placing countless lives at risk. It is unclear how these aggressively incompetently bullies will implement this new strategy. But what is clear in their game plan is to (1) attack the most vulnerable…those that they feel cannot/will not fight back; and (2) do it in the most dehumanizing way possible. All in the name of politically motivated attacks on Former President Biden, who Trump dislikes because he beat him in a free and fair election. Biden is not innocent in his failures in protecting vulnerable populations. He abandoned millions of Afghans to the terrors of the Taliban. A massive blunder that continues to hurt Afghan allies. Biden did try and address that issue by opening the boarders for Afghan Refugees. Now Trump, who was VERY critical of Biden’s pullout of Afghanistan, is doubling down on attacking those same refugees. Shows you his character. He couldn’t care less about the things he says. He just shoots off his mouth to injure others. His actions are those of a bully. Refugees go through the most rigorous security screenings of any immigrant group. Instead of honoring this process, the Trump administration weaponizes fear and prejudice, undermining families who have already endured unimaginable hardships. This action threatens to dismantle decades of progress and compassion in U.S. immigration policy, leaving immigrant families vulnerable and abandoned. Refugees deserve more than political scapegoating—they deserve dignity, protection, and a fair chance to rebuild their lives. If the door is opened to remove any naturalized citizen on the whim of whatever sitting president, we have lost all checks/balances and put in peril the legal foundation of our great nation.
Know Your Rights: What to do if you/someone you care about is detained by ICE
This is an important issue right now. ICE has a mandate to round up as many people as possible, so they are motivate to stop anyone they think could possibly be out of status (they’d say “illegal”… humans are not “illegal”, you can be out of status as an immigrant). Here are a few tips for navigating detention: (1) Stay calm and stay quite. You do not have to answer their questions. Ultimately, this is your decision on how much to share but don’t consider ICE your friend regardless of what they say. (Not everyone in ICE is bad, but their job runs counter to your rights. So be careful. You are adversaries the moment they pick you up.) I would recommend sharing- Name, Date of Birth, and Country of Origin, but you do not have to share anything. If you are already in an immigration process and have an A-Number, you could share that. Both of these options will help your family and your attorney locate you. (2) Do not sign anything until you’ve had a chance to speak to a lawyer. (3) For family, you should be able to find the detainee here. If they have not shared anything, you may struggle to locate the detainee, but not impossible. The same webpage is user friendly and in multiple languages. If the detainee is not in the locator app, call the numbers available for your region. Be persistent. (4) Tell them you want to speak to a lawyer. For your first call to a relative, ask them to locate one. There are lots of pro bono (free) or low bono (cheap) options for detainees. A simple google search should help. Even if you welcome deportation, get a lawyer involved to protect your rights. You cannot assume that you’ll be deported to your country of origin or that it will happen in a timely manner. Protect yourself. If you are worried about being detained, make sure you do a few things: (1) get all your documents organized – passport, any immigration records (entries/exits), marriage certificates, birth certificates, tax records, etc.; (2) memorize important phone numbers, including a lawyer’s number; and (3) make sure that family members that will be navigating the system for you can find everything they need and understand your plan. This is a very confusing and difficult for people crossing boarders. Know your rights and protect yourself. Stay safe!
Know Your Rights: Stalled SIVs
If you have a stalled Special Immigrant Visa application, you do have some options. You do not need to simply wait and hope for the best. These options will not guarantee a reply but they can help escalate the issue and press for a reply. Here are three options you can pursue – (1) Submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Go to this link, create a profile and follow the steps. There may be some fees involved to gather any information about your case and wait times can be several weeks. (2) If you are stuck at COM approval, email AfghanSIVApplication@state.gov; if post-COM approval but pre- I-360, then email NVC/SIV@state.gov; and at the I-360 phase you can seek updates here. 9 FAM 103.4 allows you to be represented by legal counsel through all of these processes. Some feel that a lawyer being involved increases the likelihood of a timely response. Something you can consider, especially if you get stuck navigating these processes on your own.
Why Golden Rule Legal?
This is actually quite simple to answer. I wanted a name that reflects my values. I learned this concept as a child in Sunday school and from my parents. As a kid, I wanted to weaponize it – you shouldn’t do that to me unless you want me to do it to you. Took years of life experience to fully embrace the concept, learn empathy, and train the muscles to function properly in difficult situations. It is aspirational… not something that is easy, but gets easy the more you put it into practice. As life has taken me all over the world, I’ve learned that this concept of – The Golden Rule — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is not unique to Christianity. It is an ancient idea that crosses cultures, faiths, and philosophies. You can find references to the concept in the Bible – Mark 12:29-31, the Torah – Leviticus 19:18, and the Quran- Surah 4:36. It speaks to fairness. Empathy. Reciprocity. And most of all, it asks us to imagine ourselves in someone else’s shoes. The name/the concept is a commitment. The logo is an homage to USAID. The hands clasping, to me, have always represented service and extending a “helping hand” to those in need.