Raslan Pla & Company

04/03/2025

03/01/2025

We are thrilled to celebrate the Hilow Family as the esteemed recipients of the AABAR-OHIO 2025 Trailblazer Award! Their long-standing dedication to legal services has made a profound impact, setting a standard of excellence and commitment to justice. This well-deserved recognition reflects their unwavering service, integrity, and leadership in the legal community. We are all incredibly proud of their achievements and the legacy they continue to build.

You can purchase your tickets or become a sponsor to join us in celebrating the Hilow Family by visiting this link https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/2025-aabar-ohios-third-annual-banquet

03/14/2024

Please buy tickets early. They sell out fast.

06/09/2023

Dear Members,

We are very excited about our upcoming summer events, and we are looking forward to seeing many of you. If you're planning on attending, please purchase your ticket as soon as possible as they are selling quickly.

On July 20th, we will be boarding the Nautica Queen in Cleveland for an unforgettable cruise. To purchase your tickets, please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aabar-ohio-nautica-queen-cruise-event-tickets-638782735357

AABAR Ohio Nautica Queen Cruise Event
Please join us for a sunset dinner cruise on Lake Erie while taking in the sights of Cleveland's skyline.
www.eventbrite.com

Then on August 9th, we’ll be cheering on the Guardians at their home game. For tickets to the game, please follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/aabar-ohio-guardians-game-event-tickets-638785995107

AABAR Ohio Guardians Game Event
Join us to watch the Cleveland Guardians take on the Toronto Blue Jays.
www.eventbrite.com

We can’t wait to see you there! Please let us know if you have any questions or need more information.

Thanks,



The Arab American Bar Association of Ohio
(w) www.arabamericanbarohio.org
(e) [email protected]



Click here to join AABAR-OHIO today or renew your annual membership.

We know that our strength lies not only in the words we stand by, but most importantly through the actions of our initiatives. Since 2010 Arab American attorneys have met regularly to network and socialize on an informal basis.  The experience proved that by working together we could overcome our...

03/19/2021

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended and re-designated Syria for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months from March 31, 2021 through September 30, 2022.

Those who currently have TPS must re-register between March 19, 2021 and May 18, 2021 to keep their TPS. Current Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) expiring March 31, 2021 and obtained through TPS are automatically extended through September 27, 2021.

Those individuals filing for TPS for the first time must register between March 19, 2021 and September 15, 2021. They must also establish continuous residence in the United States since March 19, 2021 and continuous physical presence in the United States since March 31, 2021.

TPS Designated Through: Sept. 30, 2022

02/12/2021

Federal Court Upholds Legality of 2016 OPT STEM Extension Program

In 1992 the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) issued a regulation creating a 12-month Optional Training Program (OPT) for foreign students. OPT is a program available to foreign students upon the completion of their degrees to work in the United States and gain practical training in their field.

Then, in 2008, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an interim rule that allowed foreign students with a qualifying STEM degree to extend the period of their OPT for up to 17 months.

The Washington Alliance of Technology Workers union (WashTech) brought a lawsuit against DHS in 2014, challenging INS’ 1992 regulation and DHS’ 2008 interim rule, alleging both were outside DHS’ statutory authority.

In 2016, DHS issued a final rule permitting foreign students with STEM degrees to apply for extensions of their OPT program for up to an additional 24 months, instead of 17 months. At that time, WashTech’s lawsuit was dismissed on appeal as moot.

Soon afterwards, however, WashTech filed a new lawsuit, this time challenging the 2016 STEM OPT rule, asserting DHS does not have statutory authority to create or maintain any kind of post-completion OPT program.

On January 28, 2021, the district court issued an order dismissing WashTech’s claims, finding that DHS’ issuance of the 2016 STEM OPT rule was a lawful part of its authority.

02/12/2021

Biden Administration Announces It Will Review the Deportations of Veterans and Military Family Members

The Biden Administration announced that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be reviewing the removals of veterans and military family members.

According to a 2019 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, about 250 veterans were either deported or placed in removal proceedings between 2013 and 2018. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers encounter a potentially deportable veteran, their own policies require them to take additional steps. The report found, however, that ICE did not consistently implement those policies and has not developed a policy to identify and document all military veterans it places in removal proceedings.

02/12/2021

Senators Reintroduce the SECURE Act

A group of Democratic Senators, led by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) have introduced the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act (SECURE Act), which would provide a path to permanent residence for those with Temporary Protected Status (TPS). That would include an estimated 411,000 individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

*NOTE: THIS IS ONLY PROPOSED LEGISLATION. IT HAS NOT BEEN ENACTED INTO LAW. MANY HAVE TRIED IN THE PAST TO ENACT SIMILAR IMMIGRATION REFORMS WITHOUT SUCCESS. WE WILL PROVIDE ANY UPDATES AS NEEDED.

To qualify, an individual must not only meet the requirements of TPS but must also:
1. Be physically present in the United States;
2. Have been physically present in the United States for at least 3 years; and
3. Not be inadmissible or deportable from the United States on criminal, national security, or other related grounds.

A limited exception would exist for some who were removed from the United States or departed the United States on or after September 28, 2016, as long as they meet other eligibility requirements.

This legislation, if enacted, would also permit spouses and children of TPS holders to apply for permanent residence.2

02/12/2021

President Biden Orders Full Review of Trump Administration’s Immigration Policies

On February 2, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order requiring a full review of all immigration policy actions taken during the Trump Administration, including any regulations, policies and guidance limiting legal immigration and naturalization.

Among other things, President Biden ordered an interagency review by the Department of State (DOS), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of the Trump Administration’s expanded “public charge” rule.

Under U.S. immigration law, noncitizens are not admissible to the United States, if they are found to be a public charge. In other words, with limited exceptions, a noncitizen can be denied permanent residence, a visa, or admission to the United States if they are found likely to become dependent on government assistance in the future. During the Trump Administration, public charge was significantly expanded, allowing a finding of public charge based on a range of factors, including noncitizen’s age, English language ability, level of education, work experience, and health, even if a noncitizen had never sought or received public benefits in the United States.

President Biden also revoked Trump’s May 23, 2019, executive order (“Enforcing the Legal Responsibilities of Sponsors of Aliens”), which was purportedly introduced to ensure agencies enforced the requirements that sponsors reimburse the government if the noncitizen they sponsored received public benefits they were not entitled to. President Biden also ordered a review of any investigations or compliance actions initiated under that order and, if necessary, a suspension of those investigations, as well as revised guidance on enforcement.

President Biden also announced a Task Force on New Americans to ensure immigrants, including refugees, are welcomed, supported, and integrated and included at the federal, state, and local level. The Task Force will include members of those agencies that implement policies affecting immigrant communities. He also ordered the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Secretary of Homeland Security to review existing regulations, orders, guidance, policies, and other agency actions that may be inconsistent with that policy, including those that impede access to immigration benefits and fair, efficient adjudication of those benefits, and those that fail to promote access to the legal immigration system

Finally, President Biden ordered the Secretary of State, Attorney General, and Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a plan for reducing processing times, reducing barriers, and increasing accessibility in the naturalization process, including reviewing current procedures for fingerprinting, background and security checks, interviews, and the civics and English language tests. This also includes facilitating the process for those who are members of the U.S. military and reviewing the expanded denaturalization and passport revocation practices of the Trump Administration.

On February 2, 2021, President Biden issued an executive order requiring a full review of all immigration policy actions taken during the Trump