California Immigration Lawyer Blog

Last weekend I spoke at a conference for Social Security attorneys along with my colleague, David Wright. Our talk was about immigration issues that arise when representing applicants for SSI and/or SSDI. We gave examples from our own cases and discussed issues such as refugees applying for SSI, temporary residents applying for SSDI and the pitfalls that can occur when permanent residents apply for disability. There have been some recent changes to eligibility for SSI by certain groups of immigrants and we highlighted those changes.

You may find a copy of our written materials on my blog here.

Attorneys were interested in our presentation and now know some of the questions they should ask their clients before taking on representation.

Photo by CNR CLLNS

In 1910, an immigration station began operation on Angel Island. At that time, it was used primarily to detain Chinese immigrants. It was touted as the "Ellis Island of the West, because of the location. Angel Island is the largest island in the San Francisco Bay, located one mile south of the Tiburon Peninsula. It is accessible only by commercial ferries and private boats. It was considered ideal because of its isolation. From 1910 - 1940, it was the landing point for most Chinese immigrants and approximately 175,000 people came to Angel Island. According to the website for Angel Island's Immigration station, the average detention was two to three weeks, but many stayed for months and few were forced to remain on the island for two years.

The station fell into disrepair for many years and the island was used for other purposes. In 2000, California voters passed a proposition to repair the station. It has now re-opened although the renovation process is not yet complete. A museum is now opened in the old barracks buildings. It includes a re-creation of one of the dormitories and features some of the poems that were carved into the walls by people who were detained there.

The Immigration station is worth a visit for anyone wishing to know more about this period in our immigration history. According to the Immigration Station's website, the museum is open on the weekends from April to November. You can also arrange for a private tour by calling the Angel Island State Park Volunteer Coordinator at 415-435-3522.

If you would like to visit Angel Island, you may travel there by any one of commercial ferries. You can access ferry information and other general information about Angel Island on their website.

On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed into law the 2009 Children's Health Program Reauthorization Act (CHPRA H.R. 2) . This law reauthorizes the Children's Health Program which provides money to the states for children's health. Included in the law is also a provision which removes the five year waiting period for legal immigrant children and pregnant women to access health coverage It does this by granting federal money to the states so that they may provide health coverage through CHIP and Medicaid.

This is a welcome development at a time when people may be losing health insurance as a result of a job layoffs.

Photo by US Army Korea IMCOM

Today, United States and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a fact sheet on the naturalization process for members serving in the military. Individuals who serve in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, certain components of the National Guard and the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve may be eligible for expedited naturalization.

The fact sheet, Naturalization process for the military, specifies the requirements for naturalization in peace time and in war time. It also contains information on the documents an applicant needs to submit in order to apply for naturalization.

Also of interest are the statistics on the number of military personnel naturalized. For instance, since 2001, USCIS has naturalized 45,019 service men and women serving both in and outside of the United States. In addition, USCIS has granted posthumous citizenship to 188 members of the U.S. Armed forces since September 2002. There are additional statistics available on the fact sheet such as naturalization by country of origin.

It is nice to have all the information about military naturalization in one place.