No Discretion, No Justice: The Irresponsible, Destructive HALT Act

No Discretion, No Justice: The Irresponsible, Destructive HALT Act

Ariadna Recinas, a single mother, small business owner, and the sole breadwinner for her six children, including four US citizens, was granted cancellation of removal, an important form of immigration relief that allowed her to stay in the U.S. and continue to support and care for her family. The Board of Immigration Appeals concluded that, in this particular case, deporting her to Mexico would cause exceptional and extremely unusual hardship to her children. But under Rep. Lamar Smith’s (R-TX) “Hinder the Administration’s Legalization Temptation” (HALT) Act, Ms. Recinas would have no immigration options and would certainly be deported, thereby leaving four U.S. citizen children with no parent in the U.S.