Roa Immigration

06/05/2026

This week, our client came home after six months in immigration detention.

Six months ago, he drove his wife to the hospital as she prepared to give birth to their son. He never made it into the delivery room. Instead, he spent the next six months separated from his family while his newborn grew from a baby he had never held into a six-month-old little boy.

This week, they met for the first time.

His release was made possible through the tireless advocacy of the National Immigrant Justice Center and the attorneys who fought for justice in the Nava and Castañon Nava litigation. Their work continues to serve as a critical safeguard against unlawful detention and prolonged family separation.

We are also deeply grateful to Mutual Aid 19, whose unwavering support for this family throughout this ordeal demonstrated the power of community-based advocacy. Organizations like theirs ensure that families are not left to navigate these challenges alone.

Immigration detention does not affect only the person in custody. It affects spouses, children, parents, employers, and entire communities. Every day of unnecessary detention is time that can never be returned to a family.

Families belong together. Due process matters. And no parent should lose six months with their child because of unlawful detention.

Today, a father is home. We keep fighting everyday to end unlawful detention of our community members.

HumanRights EndImmigrantDetention

05/29/2026

⚠️Important update⚠️: There’s a lot of fear circulating about the new USCIS adjustment of status memo (PM-602-0199), so let me offer some clarity.

Here’s what the memo does not do: it does not ban adjustment of status, it does not automatically deny anyone, and it is not a new law. Form I-485 still exists. Adjustment is still a path to a green card.

What it does do is reframe adjustment as a discretionary form of relief and direct officers to scrutinize cases more closely, especially where there’s been an overstay or other negative factors. That’s a real shift, and it deserves to be taken seriously. But “more scrutiny” is not the same as “the door is closed.”

The memo leans heavily on the idea that adjustment should be reserved for “extraordinary circumstances.” The problem is that it never clearly defines what that means, which hands adjudicating officers a great deal of subjective discretion. That makes how you present your case more important than ever.

If you have a pending case or were preparing to file: this is not the moment to panic or to make sudden decisions. It is the moment to have your specific facts reviewed carefully. Individual circumstances matter more now than ever, and being well prepared for your interview is crucial. The shift in how officers are questioning applicants has already begun.

And for what it’s worth, in our view this memo is not consistent with the statute Congress wrote. Policy memos can be challenged, and we expect lawsuits to come out of this.
———————————————————————————
Hay mucho temor circulando sobre el nuevo memorando de USCIS sobre el ajuste de estatus (PM-602-0199), así que permítanme ofrecer algo de claridad.

Esto es lo que el memorando no hace: no elimina el ajuste de estatus, no niega automáticamente a nadie y no es una nueva ley. El Formulario I-485 sigue existiendo. El ajuste de estatus sigue siendo un camino hacia la residencia permanente.

Lo que sí hace es redefinir el ajuste de estatus como una forma de alivio discrecional e indicar a los oficiales que examinen los casos con mayor rigor, especialmente cuando ha habido una estadía vencida u otros factores negativos. Ese es un cambio real y merece tomarse en serio. Pero “mayor escrutinio” no es lo mismo que “la puerta está cerrada”.

El memorando se apoya mucho en la idea de que el ajuste de estatus debería reservarse para “circunstancias extraordinarias”. El problema es que nunca define claramente qué significa eso, lo que les otorga a los oficiales una gran discreción subjetiva. Por eso, la forma en que usted presenta su caso es más importante que nunca.

Si usted tiene un caso pendiente o se estaba preparando para presentar su solicitud: este no es el momento de entrar en pánico ni de tomar decisiones precipitadas. Es el momento de que un abogado revise cuidadosamente los detalles de su caso. Las circunstancias individuales importan más que nunca, y estar bien preparado para su entrevista es fundamental. El cambio en la forma en que los oficiales interrogan a los solicitantes ya ha comenzado.

Y vale la pena decirlo: en nuestra opinión, este memorando no es coherente con la ley que el Congreso escribió. Los memorandos de política pueden ser impugnados, y esperamos que surjan demandas a raíz de esto.

On 5/21/26, USCIS issued a new policy memo asserting that adjustment of status is an exceptional form of relief. This policy brief explains how this new policy raises significant legal, policy, and practical concerns and leaves applicants, their families, and their employers uncertain of the future.

05/29/2026

This issue deserves more attention—and our clients are living it right now.

People in immigration proceedings are already navigating an overwhelming number of hurdles: detention, separation from family, language barriers, and a system that moves faster than anyone caught in it can.

A “failure to appear” warrant for a hearing someone had no power to attend is one more unnecessary and devastating obstacle stacked onto an already unfair position.

We’ve watched a Cook County judge deny a request to quash a warrant even after counsel attempted to produce the client via Zoom—and ICE is unwilling to produce him on a writ either. Nobody on either side will make the appearance happen, yet our client is the one penalized for not appearing.

The result is a catch-22: realistically, in this climate, immigration judges will not release someone on bond while an outstanding warrant exists. So the person stays detained because of the warrant—while detention itself prevents them from resolving it.

And it’s worth remembering that even where a warrant stems from a pending case, that’s an allegation, not a conviction. But the immigration system rarely extends the presumption of innocence; the mere existence of the charge gets used against the person.

For anyone inclined to doubt that this matters: everyone deserves their day in court. That principle doesn’t come with an asterisk.

If you or a loved one is facing immigration detention or a warrant like this, you don’t have to navigate it alone. Call us for a consultation, we’re here to help. 💙
—-————————————————————————————
Este tema merece más atención, y nuestros clientes lo están viviendo en este momento.

Las personas en procesos de inmigración ya enfrentan un número abrumador de obstáculos: la detención, la separación de su familia, las barreras del idioma y un sistema que avanza más rápido de lo que cualquiera atrapado en él puede seguir.

Una orden de arresto por “no comparecer” a una audiencia a la que no tenían posibilidad de asistir es un obstáculo más, innecesario y devastador, sumado a una situación de por sí injusta.

Hemos visto a un juez del condado de Cook negar una solicitud para anular una orden de arresto incluso después de que la defensa intentara presentar al cliente por Zoom, y ICE tampoco está dispuesto a presentarlo mediante una orden judicial. Ninguna de las dos partes hace posible la comparecencia, y sin embargo es nuestro cliente quien recibe el castigo por no comparecer.

El resultado es un círculo vicioso: siendo realistas, en este clima, los jueces de inmigración no liberan a alguien bajo fianza mientras exista una orden de arresto pendiente. Así que la persona permanece detenida a causa de la orden, mientras que la detención misma le impide resolverla.

Y vale la pena recordar que, incluso cuando una orden surge de un caso pendiente, eso es una acusación, no una condena. Pero el sistema de inmigración rara vez extiende la presunción de inocencia; la mera existencia del cargo se usa en contra de la persona.

Para quienes duden de que esto importa: todos merecen su día ante el tribunal. Ese principio no viene con un asterisco.

Si usted o un ser querido enfrenta una detención migratoria o una orden de arresto como esta, no tiene que enfrentarlo solo. Llámenos para una consulta—estamos aquí para ayudar. 💙

Cook County prosecutors are asking judges to issue warrants for people who were no-shows in traffic court — because they had already been deported.

03/08/2026

Hoy celebramos la fuerza, resiliencia y liderazgo de las mujeres que abren camino todos los días.

Orgullosa de compartir este camino con mujeres increíbles.
💗 Feliz Día Internacional de la Mujer de las mujeres de Roa Immigration Law

02/24/2026

Why does habeas corpus matter right now?

Because detention law is shifting.

A federal court recently vacated Matter of Yajure-Hurtado in Maldonado Bautista v. Santacruz, a decision that had been used to restrict bond hearings for certain detained individuals.

That shift matters.

At the same time, we are seeing prolonged detention and limited review within the immigration system.

Habeas corpus allows someone in immigration custody to ask a federal judge to review whether continued detention is lawful.

It does not decide the immigration case.
It does not guarantee release.

But it creates an independent check on detention when bond or other remedies are unavailable.

General information, not legal advice.

⸻
¿Por qué el habeas corpus es importante en este momento?

Porque el panorama de detención está cambiando.

Una corte federal recientemente anuló Matter of Yajure-Hurtado en el caso Maldonado Bautista v. Santacruz, una decisión que se estaba utilizando para restringir audiencias de fianza en ciertos casos.

Ese cambio es significativo.

Mientras tanto, seguimos viendo detenciones prolongadas y opciones limitadas de revisión dentro del sistema migratorio.

El habeas corpus permite que una persona detenida pida a un juez federal que revise si la detención es legal.

No decide el caso migratorio.
No garantiza la liberación.

Pero crea una revisión independiente cuando la fianza u otros recursos no están disponibles.

Información general, no asesoría legal.

⸻

02/19/2026

AVISO URGENTE 🚨

Estamos viendo que USCIS está programando entrevistas casi inmediatamente después de presentar los casos de asilo

Eso significa:
• No hay tiempo para “prepararse después”
• No hay espacio para solicitudes incompletas

Si presenta su caso, debe estar listo.

La preparación comienza antes de enviar la solicitud — no después.

Esto no constituye asesoría legal.

⸻

URGENT NOTICE 🚨

We are seeing USCIS schedule interviews almost immediately after filing asylum application.

That means:
• No time to “prepare later”
• No room for incomplete filings

If you file, you must be ready.

Preparation starts before submission — not after.

This does not constitute legal advice.

02/12/2026

Recent decisions in the Fifth Circuit have limited access to federal habeas relief in certain states.

If your loved one is detained, do not wait for a transfer to Texas, Louisiana, or Mississippi to seek legal help.
Venue can change your options.

Act early. Strategy matters.

—

Decisiones recientes en el Quinto Circuito han limitado el acceso al hábeas corpus federal en ciertos estados.

Si su familiar está detenido, no espere a que lo trasladen a Texas, Luisiana o Misisipi para buscar ayuda legal.
El estado donde se encuentre puede cambiar sus opciones.

Actúe con tiempo. La estrategia importa.

—

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Esta información es solo con fines educativos y no constituye asesoría legal.

02/12/2026

Most immigration cases eventually require full representation.

But not every situation requires it on day one.

Limited-scope representation allows you to stabilize your case, respond to urgent notices, and avoid irreversible mistakes — while paying only for the services you need.

Think of it as legal triage.

Real attorney guidance.
Targeted strategy.
Focused action.

And remember: non-lawyers cannot legally represent you — whether for full representation or limited-scope services.

Protect your case the right way.

02/03/2026

02/03/2026

Good news! Today, we’re celebrating the reunion of Albeiro Ropero Romelina with his family, over a month after ICE agents unlawfully detained him in Hyde Park.

We are beyond grateful to our incredible community for your support in making this happen - you helped raise $32,000 to support him and his family, and over 2000 of you signed a petition urging your senators to demand Ropero Romelina’s immediate release. You all made a huge difference, and now one immigrant family is back together. We will not stop fighting until all immigrants and their families are safe and sound in their own homes.