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Ukrainian and Russian Seafarers Denied U.S. Entry

Plus: This court case helps limit immigrants’ time spent waiting for bail hearings, and more immigration news

This summary was featured in Documented’s Early Arrival newsletter. You can subscribe to receive it in your inbox three times per week here.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian and Russian crew members working on mostly commercial ships have been denied entry into the U.S. at several ports. Border officials are reportedly afraid the sailors will overstay their visas to avoid returning home. A group of shipping organizations recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas outlining their concerns with the denials. “There are some field offices that are prohibiting disembarkation of Russian and Ukrainian crew members even though they may have valid U.S. visas,” said the letter. “This is creating…operational challenges for the shipping community.” The Wall Street Journal

In other national immigration news…

This Court Case Helps Limit Immigrants’ Time Spent Waiting for Bail Hearings

📍Documented Original
The latest addition to Documented’s Glossary — a resource guide full of information on the U.S. immigration system — is a detailed examination of the court case Lora v. Shanahan, which created the rule that detained immigrants must have a bail hearing within 6 months. Alexander Lora, a green card holder from the Dominican Republic, was convicted for cocaine possession in 2010, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested him in 2013. The case led to a federal appeals court decision that upheld due process rights for lawful permanent residents when detained following their conviction of a crime and after their release. Take a look at the case on Documented.

Ukrainian Family Crossed Into U.S. After Being Turned Away at U.S.-Mexico Border

A Ukrainian woman and her three children aged 6, 12 and 14 were finally able to cross into the U.S. from Mexico after being turned away a day earlier. They had tried to claim asylum at the San Ysidro port of entry in southern California, but Customs and Border Protection officials denied them entry, citing the Title 42 pandemic expulsion policy. The family arrived in Mexico on Monday after fleeing the war in Ukraine. Ukrainians seeking entry into the U.S. have generally flown to Mexico, where it’s easy to obtain a travel visa, and then gone to ports of entry along the U.S. southern border instead of trying to cross unlawfully. CNN

Immigrants Find Long and Complicated Road to Citizenship

Claudio Vazquez traveled to the U.S. on a tourist visa in 1997 and planned to become a permanent resident. When his tourist visa expired, he found himself living undocumented in the U.S. while he sought legal status. For nearly a decade, Vazquez lived in fear while waiting for his application to be processed. He contemplated leaving the U.S., but finally his worker permit arrived in 2004, then a green card in 2005. Another seven years would pass before Vazquez was able to become an American citizen, allowing him to visit Mexico for the first time in a decade. “It’s a different kind of freedom,” he said. But while things worked out for him, Vazquez has numerous friends still living in the shadows of society and knows options are very limited for them. Tennessee Lookout

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