February 28, 2025

MOMENT OF ZEN:

CRCKY has already helped more than 75 US citizen children of immigrants receive passports, so that if their parents ever have to leave the country, the family can be reunited. Usually, we get passports one at a time but last Froday, Martha Kikoko (pictured above), received 13 passports at once. It was a happy day at CRCKY!



CRCKY has also been helping immigrant parents complete Special Power of Attorneys (POAs). These documents allow parents to appoint a custodian so that if they are not able to take care of their children for any reason, the custodian can make educational and medical decisions for them. Custodians also have the authority to put a child on a plane. If a parent is deported, the combination of a passport and a POA prevents them from being permanently separated.

Need far outpaces capacity for both passports and POAs. CRCKY is very fortunate to have partnered with Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary, training their staff and volunteers to do passports and POAs. We are deeply grateful to them for supporting us in this work.

CHANGING POLICIES:

EXPEDITED REMOVAL & ALIEN REGISTRATION

EXPEDITED REMOVAL

Expedited Removal is the policy that allows the ICE officials to quickly deport immigrants without having the opportunity to present their case to an immigration judge.  Expedited removal used to be utilized exclusively at U.S. borders (or within 100 miles of one), as a way to quickly deport people who had entered the U.S. without documentation. Since January 25th, this policy has been used much more frequently and aggressively, throughout the interior of the U.S. ICE agents are now empowered to deport a person who cannot prove they have been in the U.S. for at least two years, or who has no proof of legal status on their person. Expedited removal is very quick: individuals in this type of removal may not have the opportunity to contact their loved ones or a lawyer.

To avoid expedited removal, immigrants now need to carry copies of whatever proof of legal status they have on them. US passports, employment authorizations, green cards: if they have them, immigrants must carry a paper copy with them at all times. To prove two years of presence in the US, immigrants can show old utility bills, a lease, school records, etc. For more information about who is subject to expedited removal and what documents immigrants need to carry to be safe, click here. Please note that it is better to carry a copy of these documents than the originals: some may be hard to replace if lost and ICE could take whatever you carry away from you.

Carrying these documents may not stop you being deported. However, it could give you the chance to present your case before an immigration judge.

"ALIEN REGISTRATION"

The Trump administration is now requiring all foreign nationals 14 years old and older to register. This requirement will force many people in the U.S. to make a difficult choice between two potentially very risky options. For immigrants who are considered "registered" already, they risk prosecution if they are 18 or older and fail to carry their papers on them at all times.

Asylum seekers, parolees, immigrants with NTAs (Notice to Appear in immigration court) will NOT have to register. Immigrants who have an Alien number and have sent an immigration documents to the government, have had a biometrics appointment, have employment authorization, etc., they are considered already registered.

For those not already registered with the government, failure to comply will result in criminal and civil penalties, up to and including misdemeanor prosecution and the payment of fines. The administration is making it a federal crime to fail to register and/or carry proof of registration.

Immigrants who need to register include:

• People who entered the U.S. without inspection
• Canadians who entered the US at land ports of entry and were not issued evidence of registration
• DACA and TPS recipients whose application has not yet been approved and who have not been fingerprinted. DACA and TPS recipients who have been approved/fingerprinted do not need to register

The actual form/website for registering is not yet posted yet. But USCIS states it will have to be done through an online USCIS account, which applicants must create if they don't already have one.



Are you upset about current immigration policies? Do you want to take action to support immigrants? Sign up to become a CRCKY volunteer.

If you don't have the time to volunteer, consider becoming a monthly CRCKY donor. Monthly donations can be of great help, even if they are small.