2021: Year of U.S. Immigration

By Chris M. Ingram, LL.M., ESQ

Back to News Home Page

First of all, Happy New Year! Thank you to all of the clients we had join us on this journey towards permanent U.S. settlement. America is like a great marriage, some years are awesome, some years are ok, and some years you just want to forget, but at the end of the day, the love is there, the passion is there, and you cannot imagine your future being anywhere else.

Year of Immigration

I’ve been practicing immigration law for almost 18 years now. When I started, Bush was in office, then we had Obama, then Trump and now Biden. I’ve seen over that time the highs and lows of U.S. Immigration and I can tell you we’re about to hit a golden age of U.S. Immigration and here is why.

President Biden on Immigration

President-Elect Joe Biden has openly and repeatedly declared his passion and belief that America is at its best – an America with strong welcoming immigration policies. President-Elect Biden has expressed utter disgust as to the current President’s treatment of immigrants and has vowed to reverse every single anti-immigrant Executive Order that Trump signed immediately upon taking office. What does that actually mean?

– Ending the pause on L-1A Intra-Company visas

– Ending the pause on H-1B Graduate visas

– Ending the pause on the issuance of Green Cards for aliens outside the U.S.

– Ending the Muslim Travel Ban 3.0

– Restoring Asylum Seekers’ Rights to a pre-Trump era

– Reuniting children separated from their parents at detention centers

– Introducing Comprehensive Immigration Reform in his first 100 days

I’m not sure I’ve covered it all, but the horror and the havoc President Trump unleashed on would–be immigrants to the United States is about to come to an end.

Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris

Vice President-Elect (VP-E) Kamala Harris’ parents were immigrants to the United States, mother from India and father from Jamaica. Kamala’s parents met while at equal rights protest rallies fighting for justice. Kamala’s entire career, until she became a U.S. Senator, has been in public service as a lawyer, first as a District Attorney in San Francisco, then Attorney General for California, then Senator and now VP-E. My point is, if there is any child of black and brown immigrants, besides former President Barack Obama, who understands the benefit that immigrants can bring to the U.S. it is VP-E Kamala Harris.

It’s clear that VP-E Kamala Harris will be an active champion of legislating Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Incoming Department of Homeland Security Alejandro “Ali” Mayorkas

The first thing you need to know about Alejandro (Ali) is that he was born in Cuba and his family had to flee Cuba to escape the communist regime there and they arrived as refugees in America. Ali’s father was a Cuban Jew of Sephardic background and his mother was a Romanian Jew whose family escaped the Holocaust and made it to Cuba in the 1940s. The reason why I’m sharing these facts is to give you an insight as to how Ali’s views about immigration are built. Ali knows first-hand what it is to be a refugee and how that feels; the desperation and the hope that America has to offer, and when given just the slightest chance to take part in the American Dream, what can be made of that opportunity.

Ali served as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California, then as the head of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), then United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and is now the nominee of the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. 

There are many things I absolutely love about President-Elect’s cabinet and senior level appointments. The first aspect is that all the candidates have relevant impeccable credentials in the field to which they have been asked to serve – (not the case by far in the current administration). Secondly, the overall selection of these appointments has a very diverse ethnic background to reflect the diversity of America. President-Elect Biden specifically said this was what he was going to do, and he has been one hundred percent true to his word. In other words, if you are going to ‘Make America Great’, it’s best to include representations from all of Americans, not just white millionaire and billionaire men with almost no experience in the fields to which they have been asked to serve.

Control of Congress: The House of Representatives and the Senate

In order to pass any legislation a bill must pass the House of Representatives, and the Senate and then it goes to the President for signing into law or vetoing the same. The last time the Democratic party controlled all three branches of government (The White House, The House of Representatives and the Senate) was in 2008, when Barack Obama first became President.

So, now that the pro-immigration Democratic party controls all three branches, the anti-immigrant Republican party cannot stand in the way of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, no matter what they have to say. President-Elect Biden has promised Comprehensive Immigration Reform in his first 100 days.

Why It’s Important To Pass Major Legislation Quickly

There are Senate and House elections every two years and at any time after those elections the Senate and/or the House can flip from Democrat to Republican being in the majority. So, it’s critically important to get your biggest manifesto promises legislated into law as quickly as possible and the first 100 days are traditionally seen as the most consequential.

The Future of America

When Biden and Harris were declared the winners of the 2020 Presidential election there was dancing in the streets of America, because for the first time in a long-time, Americans felt united for a brief moment – like a family again. The future looked so much better under leaders who genuinely cared about every American and those who aspired to become American.

This Is Not Who We Are

I never thought that in my lifetime I’d witness sedition and an insurrection in America live on T.V. I’m thankful to God that more lives were not lost, and that Trump came out with a message to send them home. It was a reminder to all Americans that we can never take our liberty for granted, it can be stolen at any time. I hope that under this new administration time will be spent shoring up the values we believe in by codifying (making into law) all of the “norms” that were routinely broken during this current administration.

I wish President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris every success in their Presidency. America is depending on them, whether they were voted for or not, as everyone wants to live in a stable, secure and prosperous America.

One last point before I go. I want to congratulate all of my clients who persevered and succeeded in getting their green cards with us. It was far from easy, but we got there. Congratulations to you! To all of our clients who are still in the battle (and yes, it is a battle), I want to encourage you that we’re right there with you and will always be there with you until we secure the visa and/or green card of your choice – that is my personal promise to you.

Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram

US Immigration Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram
Chris M. Ingram LL.M., ESQ – Immigration Attorney
Admitted in New York.
Practice Specializing in US Immigration Law
401 Wilshire Boulevard, 12th Floor,
[Cross Streets 4th and Wilshire]
Santa Monica,
California 90401
Tel: 310 496 4292

Specializing in the E2 Visa, EB1 Green Card, L-1A Visa and O1 Visa and K1 Visa Marriage-Based Immigration. Attorney Chris M. Ingram is dedicated to providing the very best in US Immigration legal representation. Enjoy our website.

Important Notice: Please note that all videos created by the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram are intended as general information only and not specific legal advice pertaining to your case. If you would like specific legal advice on any immigration matter please do not hesitate to contact this law office accordingly. All pictorial images used in these videos and the website, in general, are licensed stocked images and not portraits, or otherwise, of anyone from the Law Offices of Chris M. Ingram, nor of its clients unless otherwise indicated by name. All images are used solely for illustrative purposes only. Copyright 2010-2021 All Rights Reserved.