Steve Li series

Melania Trump’s parents used “chain migration” that president says brings “truly evil” people to U.S.

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Melania Trump’s parents used “chain migration” that president says brings “truly evil” people to U.S.

After much sidestepping, a lawyer representing Melania Trump’s parents has confirmed that they obtained U.S. citizenship on Thursday through “chain migration,” an immigration program that allows U.S. citizens to sponsor immediate family members for legal residency and that President Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to end. Michael Wildes, the lawyer for the first lady’s parents Viktor and Amalija Knavs, would not comment when reporters outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York…

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U.S. immigration bill proposal a top story for one country abroad

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
U.S. immigration bill proposal a top story for one country abroad

While the Boston Marathon bombings and fertilizer plant explosion in West Texas had Latin American news outlets scouring for wire reports, press from one Spanish-speaking country maintained a physical presence in Washington for the bipartisan immigration bill introduced Wednesday morning. Yes, it’s obvious – Mexico. Like media in the U.S., El Universal, one of the largest newspapers in Mexico City, published a straightforward piece titled, “Immigration reform plan presented before the Senate.” Unsurprisingly, the paper first…

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Steve Li stuck in immigration ‘limbo’

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Steve Li stuck in immigration ‘limbo’

When Steve Li recently stepped into the Asian Law Caucus office for an unexpected visit, he was greeted with, “It’s the legendary!” followed by several hugs. But Li never wanted this notoriety, which has come at a steep personal cost. Li was a student at City College of San Francisco when immigration officials came to his Ingleside neighborhood home in September 2010 and took him away, eventually to a detention center in Arizona. It turned out his…

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Freed student Steve Li returns to S.F.

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Freed student Steve Li returns to S.F.

The past three days have been like a dream for Steve Li. After spending more than two months at a detention center in Arizona, Li, who was on the verge of being deported to Peru, is back in San Francisco – the only place he’s ever considered home. “Finally, this nightmare was over, but it’s still surreal to me,” the 20-year-old City College student said Monday. “I’ve been everywhere lately, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster.” Since his return…

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Steve ‘Shing Ma’ Li freed as Feinstein intervenes

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Steve ‘Shing Ma’ Li freed as Feinstein intervenes

It seemed that all odds were against Steve “Shing Ma” Li, a City College of San Francisco student who has been incarcerated for more than two months, awaiting deportation to a country where he had no friends or family. But Friday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced plans to release Li from a detention center in Florence, Ariz., where he has been in custody since Oct. 8. His destination is not Peru, his country of…

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Feinstein seeks to block Steve Li’s deportation

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Feinstein seeks to block Steve Li’s deportation

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has asked immigration authorities to halt the deportation of City College of San Francisco nursing student Steve “Shing Ma” Li while she considers introducing a bill that would allow him to stay in the United States temporarily, her office said Sunday. The California Democrat‘s effort came as Li’s attorney said his removal flight to Peru would no longer happen today, as initially planned. The lawyer, Sin Yen Ling, said the immigration officer that…

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Steve Li fears he’ll be deported Monday

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Steve Li fears he’ll be deported Monday

When Steve “Shing Ma” Li saw he had a message waiting from his lawyer Thursday evening, he was hoping for good news. The 20-year-old San Francisco City College student has kept in touch daily with his lawyer and mother since he was taken to a detention center in Florence, Ariz. He knew that they, along with thousands of others, had been advocating against his deportation to Peru. But his lawyer’s voice gave it away. He wouldn’t be…

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Steve Li, City College student, awaits deportation

Posted on by Jessica Kwong
Steve Li, City College student, awaits deportation

Steve Li was living up to his – and his parents’ – American dream until his untold past caught up to him. The 20-year-old City College of San Francisco student was chasing his goal to open a medical clinic serving the immigrant community, when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials knocked on the door of his Ingleside apartment more than a month and a half ago. Now he faces deportation to a country where he has no…

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