Ann R. Peters, Esq.
Having worked with diverse populations from all over the world, Ms. Ann Peters provides not only representation, but compassion for her clients. Ann is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and regularly volunteers with the immigration clinic at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS). Ann has served on the New York County Lawyer’s Association (NYCLA) Law –Related Education Committee, teaching immigrant students in ESL classes about U.S. Law. In 2012 and 2014, Ann received recognition from CVLS for her commitment to pro bono work and her efforts to further equal access to justice. Ann remains active as a volunteer with AILA, and with CVLS, while running her private practice in Chicago.
In her private practice in Chicago, Illinois, Ann regularly represents detained and non-detained clients in the Chicago Immigration Court as well as before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Asylum Office. Ann represents clients who are facing removal, or applying for a benefit affirmatively, seeking Asylum, Withholding of Removal, Protection under the Convention Against Torture, U-Visa protection for victims of crimes, and those self-petitioning under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), in addition to other areas of removal defense and family-based immigration.
As of January 2015, new Enforcement Priorities have allowed Ms. Peters to apply for Prosecutorial Discretion for clients who qualify, and stateside I-601A waivers continue to be a relatively new remedy for those who qualify under the provisional waiver program. The original Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program continues to help those who entered the U.S. as children. However, with a 2015 District Court injunction, the 2014 Executive Action programs for new DACA and DAPA (Deferred Action for Parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents) are on hold and in the courts currently.
The November 20th, 2014 announcement by President Obama that new executive action programs would provide new forms of discretion and deferred action, are partly still being utilized and the new DACA and DAPA programs are on hold. Ann will continue to use the new tools that are available to help her clients, as prosecutorial discretion and deferred action are sometimes possible when no other forms of relief are available.
Most recently, Ms. Peters has been explaining the new Enforcement Priorities of November 20th’s announcement by President Obama which came into effect in January of 2015, and clarifying misinformation surrounding the 2015 injunction which has put the new DACA and DAPA programs on hold. New immigration policy to help parents of U.S. Citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents as well as loosening the age requirements of DACA will work its way through the courts, and Ms. Peters will continue to counsel clients on the parameters of the programs and eligibility to put clients in the best position possible should these programs survive, as is expected by many immigration advocates, and hoped by millions who wait to see what the courts will decide.
Federal immigration enforcement priorities announced by the President continue to add to the immigration practice of Ms. Peters until Congress acts on Comprehensive Immigration Reform. After the broad changes the President announced in November of 2014, and the disappointing hold on many of these changes as of early 2015, the need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform is stronger than ever. With the reality of immigration laws which have not in fact been changed in 2014 or 2015 by Congress, the surviving executive actions continue to give relief to many individuals and families in the immigration community. If the new DACA and DAPA programs are restored by the courts in the following months, many people will benefit in our communities — lessening a constant fear of deportation and separation from those they love and must be here in the U.S. to care for.
The law office of Ann R. Peters is ready to help those who are facing removal, those who want to help their family members stay in the U.S. or come to the United States from abroad, and those who simply want to know their options and the options of their loved ones. In an immigration system that is often confusing, and even more often intimidating, the office of Ann R. Peters aims to provide clarity and calm for those with immigration questions and concerns, both for themselves, and for their families.
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