News and updates about immigration law.
The America His Father Believed In: Shahid Haque's Immigration Advocacy | Super Lawyers 2024
In the latest edition of Super Lawyers - Mountain States 2024, the spotlight is on Shahid Haque, an immigration attorney committed to fostering a more equitable environment for immigrants in Montana. Inspired by his father’s belief in the American dream and his own early experiences handling asylum cases during law school, Haque has dedicated his career to advocating for immigrant rights.
Podcast: The Rational Middle
Video: What is Open Borders?
The app is available now in both English and Spanish on the Web, Android, iPhone/iPad, and Mac.
Evaluate your case with Open Borders, the free immigration guide!
Download Open Borders on the Web, Android, iPhone/iPad, and Mac!
Shahid Haque Speaking at 2021 AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law
We will be presenting on a panel at the 2021 AILA Annual Conference on Immigration Law on June 9–12, 2021.
U.S. Supreme Court Decision Should Allow New DACA Applications Soon!
DACA should be back for new applicants again soon! Today, the U.S. Supreme Court held that President Trump’s administration acted arbitrarily and capriciously when it ended DACA — one of the first things the President did to fulfill campaign promises. Since then, we have only been able to renew applications for those who had DACA already. Once the legal issues are sorted out from this decision, we should expect a chance to submit new applications at some point in the coming weeks or months. This is a major victory to be celebrated!
If you think you may be eligible, please contact us right away!
Montana Supreme Court: Local police can’t make immigration arrests
Montana joined several other states Wednesday by making it clear that local law enforcement officials may not arrest and detain people under federal immigration detainers. The Montana Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that the state had violated its own laws when a law enforcement officer in Lincoln County detained a man for possible immigration violations after his arrest on suspicion of burglary. Ramon filed a lawsuit against Lincoln County sheriff Darren Short, represented by the ACLU of Montana, the ACLU and Border Crossing Law Firm.
Article: Finding home: UM soccer coach's journey to U.S. citizenship
We recently spoke with Dante Filpula Ankney of the Montana Kaimin about UM soccer coach Chris Citowicki’s immigration journey.
Article: Congress looks to remove ‘illegal alien’ from federal use
“The term [illegal alien] is a problem because you would think if someone is an illegal alien, that means they are all in the same boat,” Shahid Haque, an immigration lawyer in Montana, said, adding that “illegal alien” is overly simplistic and legally inaccurate. He also said the word can do a lot of harm in the way immigrants are treated. “It allows characterization of a large group of people to be less entitled to compassion or dignity,” Haque said. “It allows people to dehumanize the immigrants themselves and cast their entire existence as illegal.” “The broader the term is used, the more it’s meant to demonize immigrants and portray them as criminals,” he said.
Featured in MEL Magazine: How "Illegal Alien" Became a Lightning Rod Issue in America
Shahid Haque is an immigration lawyer in Montana who a decade ago published a blog post arguing that “illegal alien” is a dehumanizing phrase. The key shift from the origin of the word “alien” is that in 2019, it’s used as a shorthand to categorize black and brown immigrants. “The average American conjures a common image: a Mexican person. It’s a phrase that makes people feel better than another group, and makes it easy to blame ‘illegals’ as the source of problems,” Haque tells me.
Video Statement on ICE Subpoenas for Montana State Employment Data
Yesterday, an employee of the Montana Department of Labor quit in protest over the fact that his employer was about to give out confidential employment information to Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE”), so that they could use that to raid businesses in search of undocumented immigrants. In this video I law out some of the important background information on this issue.
Urgent: Stop ICE from deporting a Mexican national who was sexually assaulted in their custody!
ICE is moving to immediately deport a Mexican national who was sexually assaulted in their custody. Please sign a petition to help stop it.
Firm Prevails: Montana Supreme Court strikes down entirety of anti-immigrant law!
Thanks to the efforts of the Border Crossing Law Firm, the Montana Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision striking down the entirety of an anti-immigrant law, which was placed on the 2012 ballot by the Montana legislature and approved by 80% of voters.
Representing Immigrant Victims of Domestic Abuse
Every immigration case implicates matters of family unity or separation, and can dramatically impact a client’s livelihood and quality of life. Immigration matters involving domestic violence and abuse are often the most challenging — but also the most important — types of cases for immigration practitioners.
Firm Prevails in Lawsuit Against Montana Highway Patrol's Racial Profiling of Latinos
On April 4, 2014, the Border Crossing Law Firm prevailed in its class action lawsuit against the Montana Highway Patrol, which was brought because the Montana Highway Patrol was engaging in a practice of detaining Latino drivers and passengers for the purpose of checking into their immigration status.
Attorney General Tim Fox is Wasting Taxpayer Dollars on Ideologically-Driven Challenge to President Obama’s New Immigration Policies
Today, Attorney General Tim Fox joined in a lawsuit to challenge President Barack Obama’s recent executive action on immigration, which will protect hundreds of Montana children from being separated from their undocumented parents. Shahid Haque, an immigration attorney in Helena, believes that “it is disappointing that the Attorney General is once again wasting taxpayer dollars and his office’s limited resources by pushing his own ideological agenda.”
Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Obama's New Immigration Policies
President Obama just announced exciting new immigration policies that will protect some immigrants from deportation and prevent them from being separated from their loved ones. Here are the top 10 things you need to know.
President Obama’s New Immigration Policies Will Protect Many Montanans Who Are Here Without Immigration Status
Tonight, President Obama announced exciting new immigration policies that will shield hundreds of Montanans from deportation and prevent them from being separated from their loved ones. He is calling these new laws the "Immigration Accountability Executive Actions.”
Victory: Firm Prevails in Challenge to Montana Anti-Immigrant Law!
The Border Crossing Law Firm won a victory for immigrants in Montana by striking down the vast majority of Montana's voter-approved law requiring state agencies to determine an applicant’s citizenship or immigration status before granting a wide variety of state services.
Client Sexually Assaulted in Immigration Detention in Montana
As an immigration attorney and President of the Montana Immigrant Justice Alliance ("MIJA"), Shahid Haque is representing and advocating for Audemio Orozco-Ramirez, who was the victim of a sexual assault while in immigration detention in Montana. Audemio courageously shared his story the Great Falls Tribune.