Askonim Issue Travel Warning After Harrowing Immigration Incidents

With the Yom Tov travel season approaching and thousands of families preparing to fly, immigration askanim are issuing an urgent warning to the community: if there is anything questionable, unresolved, or incorrect with your immigration status or documents, do not go to the airport before having your situation reviewed by a qualified immigration attorney.

According to askanim directly involved in assisting heimishe families with immigration matters, they have dealt with more than 70 cases involving members of the community in just the past month, including individuals who were detained by immigration authorities.

Of particular concern, askanim say, are cases that arose when people arrived at airports to travel — and not only when leaving the United States.

Several of the situations involved people traveling domestically, from one U.S. city to another.

The message from askanim is therefore clear: do not assume that because you are taking a domestic flight, an immigration problem cannot catch up with you at the airport.

Those who have overstayed a visa or ESTA admission, have an extension or change of status still pending, have questions regarding their current immigration status, or have any discrepancy in their immigration documents should not simply arrive at the airport and hope everything will be fine.

Askanim also caution against a common misconception: having a pending application or USCIS receipt does not, by itself, necessarily mean that a person has lawful immigration status or is protected from enforcement. Every case is different and must be reviewed based on its individual circumstances.

Another serious issue askanim say they have encountered involves non-U.S. citizens who mistakenly registered to vote or voted in a U.S. election.

According to askanim familiar with recent cases, immigration problems related to voting have surfaced involving green card holders and visa holders, including cases in which individuals were arrested at airports.

The issue can be extremely serious for a noncitizen. At the same time, not every voting-related situation is legally identical. The consequences can depend on exactly what occurred, including whether someone registered, actually voted, how it happened, and other circumstances.

Anyone who is not a U.S. citizen and believes he or she may have mistakenly registered to vote or cast a ballot should therefore speak with a qualified immigration attorney and should not wait until arriving at an airport to discover whether there is a problem.

The warning is particularly timely ahead of the Yomim Tovim, when many families will be flying to spend Yom Tov with parents and children, attend simchos, or travel for other family needs.

Askanim are urging people to take a few minutes now to make sure everything is in order.

If you have an expired visa or ESTA, a pending immigration application, an unresolved status issue, a discrepancy in your documents, or any concern involving voter registration or voting, have the situation properly reviewed before traveling.

The purpose of the warning is not to create panic, askanim stress, but to prevent a manageable immigration issue from becoming a far more serious situation once someone is already at the airport.

The message ahead of Yom Tov is simple: if anything about your immigration status or documents is not 100% clear, do not wait until you reach the airport to find out where you stand.