Español Throughout the campaign, Trump was clear about his intention to dramatically increase immigration enforcement, promising mass deportations on Day One. While it is unlikely that the new administration will have the ability to deport large numbers of people immediately after taking office, we will certainly see a significant shift in immigration enforcement, with all individuals in the United States without a lawful status viewed as a priority for removal, regardless...

Below, please find the latest information regarding COVID 19 related office closures as of May 15, 2020 Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR): Non-detained Cases postponed through June 12, 2020 On May 15, 2020, EOIR announced that hearings in non-detained cases are postponed through June 12, 2020. This order applies to all non-detained cases nationwide. The Denver Immigration Court – located at 1961 Stout Street, Denver, Colorado – is still open...

Below, please find the latest information regarding COVID 19 related office closures as of April 28, 2020 U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): - Temporary office closures extended through June 04, 2020 USCIS announced on April 24, 2020 that they are extending the temporary suspension of in-person services at least through June 04, 2020. USCIS advised that Local Field Offices and in-person services at local offices and support centers are preparing...

We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy.  In an effort to keep you informed and up-to-date with applicable COVID-19 related closures and delays at the various immigration agencies, we plan to provide regular blog posts and updates. Below, please find the latest information as of April 2, 2020: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS): Temporary office closure extended through at least May 03, 2020. USCIS announced on...

As the coronavirus continues to spread throughout the United States, the federal government has implemented a number of restrictions and office closures in an effort to help slow the spread of the virus. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS):Local Field Offices and Application Support Centers Closed until at least April 07, 2020 (On March 25, 2020, USCIS extended closures from April 1, 2020  to April 7, 2020). Starting on March 18,...

On December 4, 2018, Mr. Carlos Rojo-Ramirez, of Colorado, through his attorneys David. L. Kolko and Jennifer Casey (Kolko & Associates, P.C.), challenged President Trump’s unlawful designation of Matthew G. Whitaker as Acting Attorney General of the United States. In Rojo-Ramirez v. Trump, et. al., (18-cv-03125), filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, Mr. Rojo-Ramirez asserted that U.S. Immigration Judges are temporarily operating without any legal authority...

Moving can be a stressful and tiring event. Remembering to have mail forwarded and updating your address is often low on the priority list for people. But if you move, remember to tell your attorneys, too! We will want to update our records, as well as make sure that you are in compliance with the law when it comes to updating your address with the government. American immigration law requires non-citizens,...

Children in deportation proceedings in immigration court, even those as young as three or four years old, have no right to a government-appointed lawyer. As a result, many children are forced to represent themselves in front of an immigration judge and face deportation to countries where they face abuse, human trafficking, and targeting by gangs and criminal groups. Most of the children appearing before our immigration courts are eligible for protections...

Over the past two years, due to a major shift in priorities by the Department of Homeland Security, as well as a very understaffed court, the Denver Immigration Court put thousands of cases on hold and set hearings out to a “place holder” date of November 29, 2019. In recent weeks, the Colorado Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association has been informed by the Court that it will begin resetting...

Here at Kolko & Associates, we really love our job. Each of us truly love coming to work and we love that it is our job to help families stay together, help employers bring in necessary employees to further their business, help individuals avoid deportation and help those fleeing harm find a safe life in the United States. For many of our clients, their primary goal is to obtain lawful permanent...

The Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) recently reported that the backlog for the immigration courts grew to an astounding 445,607 as of April 30, 2015, nationwide. The backlog appears to be the result of a changed focus for the courts to hearing cases involving recent arrivals and unaccompanied minors. Representing 15.7% of the docket, unaccompanied minors cases appear to be moving quickly as there were just over 700 fewer cases at...

The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has selected several of our attorneys to participate on national committees related to the practice of immigration law. It is an honor for our Firm to have nationally-known attorneys be recognized for their work and selected as leaders in the community. Managing Partner David Kolko has been asked to join the USCIS Field Operations Liaison Committee. The committee operates as a liaison between AILA and...

In July of 2014, as a response to the so-called “surge” of foreign nationals arriving at the southern border, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a directive instructing all U.S. Immigration Courts to prioritize the following removal cases: 1) recently arrived unaccompanied children 2) recently arrived families with children released on an Alternative to Detention program; 3) detained families with children; 4) other detained foreign nationals in removal proceedings. For...

Respondents in removal proceedings have been having their upcoming hearings rescheduled in recent months, to a date in 2019. This date happens to be the day following Thanksgiving in 2019. Over the past several months, many immigration courts around the country, including Denver, have been vacating or cancelling scheduled hearings and resetting those hearings to November 29, 2019. This date, however, is merely a “place holder” on the court’s docket to...

Nearly one year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in United States v. Windsor, striking down Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) has announced that it will agree to reopen removal proceedings for individuals previously ordered removed from the United States who are now eligible for immigration relief based on a lawful, bona fide, same-sex marriage...

Earlier this month, while attempting to access the Denver Immigration Court located in the Byron G. Rogers Federal Building, Managing Partner David Kolko was denied entry to the public lobby of the federal building and the Denver Immigration Court when he declined to show photo identification to federal agents guarding the building. Mr. Kolko fully agreed to proceed with regular and necessary security screening, including the use of a metal detector...