The Ecuadorean woman had two paths toward gaining legal status after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border several years ago, but with deportation looming, her time was running out.
In the past, her attorney, Iris Ramos, said she would have asked the federal government to allow the woman to remain in Minnesota with her family while waiting to hear if she could stay permanently. But as an immigration court date neared, Ramos decided it wasn’t worth it.
“I knew the government would be opposed every step of the way,” Ramos said.
Under the Trump administration, federal officials have balked at putting deportation cases on hold, even if immigrants have pending visa or green card applications. That’s a reversal from the final years of the Obama administration, when the number of those indefinite reprieves exploded. In Twin Cities immigration court, such reprieves, called administrative closures, make up 6 percent of outcomes so far this fiscal year, compared with almost a third of all rulings two years ago, according to data compiled by Syracuse University.
Supporters of reducing immigration have cheered the shift, reinforced by a legal opinion issued in May by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, saying the government has no obligation to wait to find out if those who had broken immigration laws might gain legal status down the road.
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