4 Sep 2024

The Loop Fantasy Football Report: Week 1

by | posted in: News | 0

You spent an unseemly amount of August fretting over your top fantasy draft picks. Then you’ve spent the past week patting yourself on the back for your uncanny acumen.

Yet as September begins, you face a vexing question: Should I start ALL my top players in Week 1?

You never want to overthink your lineup. But because of nagging injuries, contract holdouts and general rust, you don’t necessarily want to follow your draft rankings religiously in the openers.

Here are some headliners to watch, and maybe keep on your bench, this weekend:

Brandon Aiyuk (49ers WR); His holdout nearly sent him packing, but Aiyuk is still in Santa Clara, where we’re guessing he spends most of Monday night watching other Niners matriculate the ball down the field against a formidable Jets defense.

FILE – San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk (11) warms up during a practice ahead of the Super Bowl 58 NFL football game Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys WR): He’s now a very rich guy, and the unquestioned No. 1 wideout from last season. But the risk of the dreaded soft tissue injury could mean Dallas breaks him in slowly, especially against a good Cleveland defense.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb works out during an NFL football practice at the team’s training facility, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024, in Frisco, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals WR):  Another holdout in danger of showing rust, if he signs at all, the former LSU great would be seeing a very mediocre New England defense. So he could go off. Or he could be constantly off the field because Cincinnati locks up a W in the first 15 minutes.

Cincinnati Bengals’ Ja’Marr Chase stands on the sidelines prior to an NFL preseason football game Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Jeff Dean)

Jahmyr Gibbs (Lions RB): He’s a borderline first-round pick facing an ordinary Rams defense. But he was injured most of the preseason and is in a bit of a timeshare with David Montgomery anyway. You’ll be starting him most of the year, but not right away.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs runs the ball during an NFL football practice in Allen Park, Mich., Monday, July 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Justin Herbert (Chargers QB): The former phenom looked shot the second half of ‘23, and he may not be much healthier in ‘24. Does he have ANY reliable receivers? We’d wait for some on-field evidence, even though he’s looking at a meager Las Vegas on Sunday.

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert warms up before a preseason NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

Aaron Rodgers (Jets QB): Now no real fantasy maven would dare start the elderly narcissist against one of the NFL’s top defenses. But some fanboys won’t be able to resist taking a shot with the Achilles Heel. Start one of the two dozen better options instead.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on during a preseason NFL football game against the New York Giants Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Sitting stars

A season opener in the “football” hotbed of São Paulo, Brazil? Everything about this NFL cash grab screams low-scoring slog, especially if the soccer field starts getting torn up. So be very wary of most Packers and Eagles. … Jets RB Breece Hall will get off to a slow start vs. Niners. … Same for Chiefs RB Isiah Pacheco vs. Baltimore. … You probably should watch a game or two before declaring winners in committee backfields in Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Washington. … And until Miami’s backfield situation clarifies, think twice about starting Raheem Mostert.

New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) looks on during an NFL football joint practice with the Carolina Panthers Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

Matchup game

We’re not very high on Vikings RB Aaron Jones, except this week against the Giants. … Carolina’s limited defense will cause strong starts for the Saints’ Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave. … Vegas RB Zamir White will run through the Chargers. …With uncertainty surrounding Chase in Cincy, Tee Higgins will likely score at least once vs. Patriots. … QB Joe Burrow will also thrive against the NFL’s worst team. … Niners will rely heavily on Deebo Samuel and George Kittle against the Jets. .,, And neither rookie QB phenom has a tough matchup, so roll the dice on Bears’ Caleb Williams vs. Tennessee and Washington’s Jayden Daniels against Tampa Bay.

FILE – Minnesota Vikings running back Aaron Jones (33) is seen after an NFL football training camp, July 27, 2024 in Eagan, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)

Injury watch

Universal No. 1 draft pick Christian McCaffrey nursed an injury the past few weeks, but you MUST start him forevermore. … The list of questionables is filled with standouts likely to play: Rams WR Puka Nacua, Miami WR Jaylen Waddle, Vegas wideout Davante Adams, Jaguars WR Christian Kirk, Chicago receiver Keenan Allen, the Vikings’ Jordan Addison, Steelers RB Jaylen Warren and three tight ends: Detroit’s Sam LaPorta, Cleveland’s David Njoku and Raiders rookie Brock Bowers.

FILE – San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey before a preseason NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Santa Clara, Calif., Aug. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez, File)

Deepest sleeper

Hard to pick a universally undrafted dude for Week 1, but how about Dallas’ Jalen Tolbert? The Cowboys’ No. 3 wideout could see many more targets if Lamb winds up being a very expensive decoy. He could be roaming free in the Browns’ secondary all day, which may or may not be noticed quickly by newbie color commentator Tom Brady.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (1) warms up before playing against the Los Angeles Rams in an NFL preseason football game, Sunday, Aug.11, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. Rams defeated the Cowboys 13-12. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis)

The Thursday/Friday picks

Ravens at Chiefs (-2½)
Pick: Ravens by 3

Eagles vs. Packers (+1½)
Pick: Eagles by 3

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones during the first half of the AFC Championship NFL football game in Baltimore, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024. Kirk Cousins, Chris Jones and Mike Evans are among the best players who will be available on the open market unless their teams use a franchise tag by March 5. They’ll be joined by running backs Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley and Josh Jacobs, edge rushers Josh Allen, Brian Burns and Danielle Hunter and several other talented players.(AP Photo/Terrance Williams, File)

You can hear Kevin Cusick on Wednesdays on Bob Sansevere’s “BS Show” podcast on iTunes. You can follow Kevin on Twitter — @theloopnow. He can be reached at kcusick@pioneerpress.com.

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4 Sep 2024

Election 2024 Latest: Trump and Harris zero in on economic policy plans ahead of first debate

by | posted in: Politics | 0

The two presidential nominees are using the week before their debate to sharpen their economic messages about who could do more for the middle class. Vice President Kamala Harris will discuss her policy plans on Wednesday in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while Donald Trump will address the Economic Club of New York on Thursday.

Harris will use the New Hampshire campaign stop to propose an expansion of tax incentives for small businesses, a pro-entrepreneur plan that may soften her previous calls for wealthy Americans and large corporations to pay higher taxes. Trump, meanwhile, is betting that Americans crave trillions of dollars in tax cuts — and that growth will be so fantastic that it’s not worth worrying about budget deficits.

The candidates will debate next week in what will be their first meeting ever. The nation’s premier swing state, Pennsylvania, begins in-person absentee voting the week after. By the end of the month, early voting will be underway in at least four states with a dozen more to follow by mid-October.

In just 62 days, the final votes will be cast to decide which one of them will lead the world’s most powerful nation.

Here’s the Latest:

Takeaways from AP’s report on JD Vance and the Catholic postliberals in his circle of influence

Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s 2019 conversion to Catholicism helped shape his political worldview, he has written.

It has also put him in close touch with a Catholic intellectual movement, viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings, that has been little known to the American public.

That’s changing with Vance’s rise to the national stage as the Republican vice presidential nominee and running mate to former President Donald Trump.

The professors and media personalities in this network are generally known as “postliberal.” Vance has used that term to describe himself as well.

Here are some takeaways from the AP’s reporting.

Harris is visiting New Hampshire, away from bigger swing states, to tout her small business tax plan

Vice President Kamala Harris is using a New Hampshire campaign stop on Wednesday to propose an expansion of tax incentives for small businesses, a pro-entrepreneur plan that may soften her previous calls for wealthy Americans and large corporations to pay higher taxes.

She wants to expand from $5,000 to $50,000 tax incentives for small business startup expenses, to eventually spur 25 million new small business applications over four years.

Harris is expected to stop at Throwback Brewery in North Hampton, outside Portsmouth, and meet with co-founders Annette Lee and Nicole Carrier. Their brewery got support to open its current location through a small business credit and installed solar panels using federal programs championed by the Biden administration, according to the Harris campaign.

The New Hampshire trip is a rare deviation for a candidate who is spending most of her time in Midwest and Sun Belt states with pivotal roles in November’s election.

Read more here.

JD Vance’s Catholicism helped shape his views. So did this little-known group of Catholic thinkers

By his own account, Ohio Sen. JD Vance’s 2019 conversion to Catholicism provided a spiritual fulfillment he couldn’t find in his Yale education or career success.

It also amounted to a political conversion.

Catholicism provided him with a new way of looking at the addictions, family breakdowns and other social ills he described in his 2016 bestselling memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.”

“I felt desperate for a worldview that understood our bad behavior as simultaneously social and individual, structural and moral; that recognized that we are products of our environment; that we have a responsibility to change that environment, but that we are still moral beings with individual duties,” he wrote in a 2020 essay.

His conversion also put Vance in close touch with a Catholic intellectual movement, viewed by some critics as having reactionary or authoritarian leanings, that was little known to the American public until Vance’s rise to the national stage as the Republican vice presidential nominee.

Read more here.

Federal judge rejects Donald Trump’s request to intervene in wake of hush money conviction

A federal judge on Tuesday rejected Donald Trump’s request to intervene in his New York hush money criminal case, thwarting the former president’s latest bid to overturn his felony conviction and delay his sentencing.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled that Trump had not satisfied the burden of proof required for a federal court to take control of the case from the state court where it was tried.

Hellerstein’s ruling came hours after Manhattan prosecutors raised objections to Trump’s effort to delay post-trial decisions in the case while he sought to have the federal court step in.

In a letter to the judge presiding over the case in state court, the Manhattan district attorney’s office argued that he had no legal obligation to hold off on post-trial decisions and wait for Hellerstein to rule.

Read more here.

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4 Sep 2024

Opinion: Permanent Housing is the Way Forward as Communities Overheat 

by | posted in: Society | 0

“While it becomes more dangerous to live outside without reprieve from the heat, the city has doubled down on penalizing the homeless instead of focusing on housing initiatives.”

An unhoused migrant freshens up at a water fountain in a Brooklyn park in August 2023.

CityViews are readers’ opinions, not those of City Limits. Add your voice today!

A few weeks ago, during one of the hottest summers in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams proclaimed: “When I grew up as a kid—air conditioner? I didn’t even know what that was.”

He joked that his mother told him to stick his head in the refrigerator. This was the mayor’s response to the fact that many of the city’s migrant shelters lack stable air conditioning while the city is enduring record-breaking heat this summer. While the mayor’s suggestion to use fans and paper fans is lukewarm (pun intended), at best, the real hot topic here is the lack of adequate housing in New York City, and the increased risk of death due to rising temperatures.

As summers get hotter, people might die from the lack of adequate permanent housing policies in the city. The National Weather Service reports that heat is the leading cause of weather-related death and injury, surpassing floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. And, people experiencing homelessness are 200 times more likely to die of heat-related causes than people with housing. 

Thus far, a majority of the mayor’s rhetoric and policies towards asylum seekers in the city have resorted to divisive tactics to create a competition between domestically unhoused New Yorkers and asylum seekers. The reality is that New York City is experiencing a massive housing shortage, which affects all of us. Consequently, housing policies that expand the permanent, affordable housing stock will benefit all New Yorkers.

The mayor’s comments come on the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Grants Pass v. Johnson, granting states and cities the ability to criminalize homelessness, even when cities do not have adequate shelter beds available. This ruling will make matters worse for more than 205,000 asylum seekers in New York City, who have few legal protections, little to no access to permanent housing in the city, are not all guaranteed shelter, and now have to grapple with unsafe temperatures. As of today, about 65,000 asylum seekers remain in city run shelters, as many have been exited under the city’s new shelter policies and have had to live outdoors, inside subways, cars, and buses. 

While it becomes more dangerous to live outside without reprieve from the heat, the city has doubled down on penalizing the homeless instead of focusing on housing initiatives. In less than two years, the city conducted 8,000 encampment sweeps and forcibly removed 2,308 individuals sleeping outdoors. However, only three of them were permanently housed from these sweeps. 

Rental vacancy rates for units below $1,650 per month have fallen below one percent, while the vacancy rate for market rate units is less than 1.4 percent. At the same time, the shelter systems are overburdened. The status quo simply cannot hold, something is going to break. Before it is too late, policymakers must create a plan for building fully affordable housing quickly and expand the eligibility of tenants to include asylum seekers as the crises of homelessness and global warming compound and worsen. 

In the short term, the city should roll back its shelter exit policies and expand its “right to shelter” policy to include asylum seekers. In the medium term, the city can also expand the eligibility of housing vouchers like CityFHEPS to include asylum seekers. The city should also provide cash transfers to support the housing costs of asylum seekers who are actively seeking permanent housing. 

In the long-term, the city must explore innovative, expedient, and cost-effective building solutions such as modular housing. It is less expensive to build than regular brick and mortar housing, and the practice of assembling building components itself is not new to New York. In fact, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the city had created a blueprint for the use of modular housing to rehome displaced New Yorkers. They even built a prototype that stands in Brooklyn today. 

Modular housing, which can be built for multifamily use, has several advantages. These homes can utilize portable air conditioning, they are safer, larger, and more dignified than tiny homes, they are less costly to build and to live in, and there are suppliers in the tri-state area who can help build thousands of modular homes in the span of two or three months. 

In peak winter this year, several emergency shelters were at risk of a major storm. Mayor Adams relocated hundreds of asylum seekers from Floyd Bennett Field to a high school in Brooklyn. When he faced backlash for interrupting school, the mayor said: “We’re not going to say in the city that when we have an emergency that impacts migrants, we’re not going to use our school buildings.”

The lack of available affordable housing is undoubtedly the city’s biggest emergency. Modular housing offers the best option for the city to act quickly and proactively to ensure that all New Yorkers, including asylum seekers have access to housing, respite from unsafe, life-threatening climate conditions, and a shot at what they came here for: the American Dream. 

Rudrani Ghosh is a storyteller and an advocate for migrant rights in New York City, hailing from the city of Kolkata, in India. She is a policy entrepreneur at Next100, where she focuses on increasing access to affordable and dignified housing for refugees and asylum seekers.

4 Sep 2024

Lo que necesita saber sobre: ¿Cómo cónyuges indocumentados pueden aplicar al programa Manteniendo a las Familias Unidas?

by | posted in: Politics | 0

El 19 de agosto, el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos (USCIS por sus siglas en inglés) empezó a aceptar solicitudes para el primer paso del permiso de permanencia temporal (parole in place) en el país como parte del programa Manteniendo a las Familias Unidas (Keeping Families Together).

Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith

El Presidente Joe Biden y la Primera Dama Jill Biden llegan al salón Este de la Casa Blanca el 18 de junio de 2024, cuando anunciaron el programa Manteniendo a las Familias Unidas (Keeping Families Together).

Este artículo se publicó originalmente en inglés el 29 de agosto. Traducido por Daniel Parra. Read the English version here.

El 18 de junio, el Presidente Joe Biden anunció el programa Manteniendo a las Familias Unidas (Keeping Families Together) para crear una nueva vía que permita a algunos cónyuges indocumentados de ciudadanos estadounidenses ajustar su estatus para la residencia permanente legal, sin tener que abandonar el país.

La nueva norma aplica a quienes lleven en Estados Unidos de forma ininterrumpida desde el 17 de junio de 2014 y se hayan casado antes del 17 de junio de 2024. El 19 de agosto, el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos (USCIS por sus siglas en inglés) empezó a aceptar solicitudes para el primer paso del proceso: diligenciar el formulario I-131F para el permiso de permanencia temporal.

Sin embargo, varios estados liderados por los republicanos presentaron una demanda en menos de una semana. Y el lunes 26 de agosto, un juez federal en Texas suspendió temporalmente el permiso de permanencia temporal, que da la opción de quedarse a los inmigrantes que entraron sin inspección y continúan en el país.

“Ese fallo es incorrecto”, dijo Biden en un comunicado en respuesta a la decisión judicial. “Estas familias no deberían ser separadas innecesariamente. Deberían poder permanecer juntas, y mi administración no dejará de luchar por ellas”.

La orden del juez ha detenido temporalmente la concesión de permisos a los solicitantes pendientes mientras se desarrolla la disputa legal, y actualmente no está claro cuándo –o cómo– se resolverá el caso. Mientras tanto, USCIS seguirá aceptando solicitudes presentadas y programando citas biométricas, según un aviso en el sitio web de la agencia. 

En el pasado, los cónyuges indocumentados de ciudadanos estadounidenses, en casi todos los casos, debían regresar a su país de origen y esperar a ser procesados en el extranjero. Con el permiso de permanencia temporal, el gobierno de Biden creó una nueva vía para que los cónyuges indocumentados pudieran permanecer en EE.UU. sin dejar atrás a sus familias, lo que provocaba separaciones de años o incluso décadas.

“Quería aclarar que el permiso de permanencia temporal actual no ofrece una nueva forma de alivio de inmigración permanente o estatus per se”, explicó María Huel, asistente legal de New York Legal Assistance Group de Nueva York (NYLAG), añadiendo que entrar sin inspecciones es una barrera para quienes buscan la residencia permanente. Así que “el permiso de permanencia temporal les permite cumplir el requisito de ‘inspeccionado y admitido o con permiso de permanencia temporal para ajustar su estatus”, añadió Huel.

Las personas a las que se concede este permiso de permanencia temporal suelen recibirlo por un máximo de tres años, durante los cuales también pueden solicitar un permiso de trabajo y pasar por el nada fácil proceso de obtener una Tarjeta de Residente Permanente. USCIS indica que “La concesión de un permiso de permanencia temporal en el país no demuestra por sí misma la elegibilidad para el ajuste de estatus al de residente permanente legal”.

City Limits ha preparado esta guía para dar una visión general del primer paso del programa que consiste en llenar el formulario I-131F (Nota: esto es únicamente para fines informativos y no constituye asesoramiento jurídico. Para obtener una lista de organizaciones de la ciudad que ofrecen servicios gratuitos de inmigración, haga clic aquí).

¿Quién es elegible?

Cónyuges indocumentados de un ciudadano estadounidense que estén presentes en el país sin admisión o permiso de permanencia temporal; haber estado presentes de forma continua durante al menos 10 años antes del 17 de junio de 2024; tener un matrimonio legalmente válido con un ciudadano estadounidense anterior al 17 de junio de 2024; y no tener antecedentes penales descalificantes.

“Todos los delitos graves serán descalificantes en este proceso”, explica USCIS en su página web.

Rex Chen, director de inmigración de Legal Services NYC, dijo que este criterio es estricto. “Si has sido condenado por un delito de cualquier tipo, no te molestes, porque ellos [USCIS] te dirán ‘Gracias por tu dinero’”. 

Si la persona indocumentada tiene un hijo antes del matrimonio y se casa con un ciudadano, ese hijo —el hijastro del ciudadano— también puede optar por el programa.

“Si usted es el hijastro de un ciudadano y su padre califica, entonces el hijastro puede calificar”, explicó Chen. “Pero el hijastro tiene que estar aquí desde junio de 2024, así que están haciendo una fecha diferente para el hijastro que para el cónyuge”.

El hijastro del ciudadano debe ser menor de 21 años, no estar casado al 17 de junio de 2024, haber estado continuamente presente en el país desde esa fecha y cumplir los mismos requisitos de elegibilidad como estar presente en los Estados Unidos sin admisión o permiso de permanencia temporal y no tener antecedentes penales que lo descalifiquen.

Quienes han enviudado también pueden optar si no se han vuelto a casar, aunque deben cumplir otros requisitos de elegibilidad, según el sitio web de USCIS. Para más información, pulse aquí.

¿Cómo solicitarlo?

Sólo se puede solicitar electrónicamente mediante el formulario I-131F (también conocido como Solicitud de Permiso de Permanencia Temporal en el País para Ciertos No Ciudadanos Cónyuges e Hijastros de Ciudadanos Estadounidense).

Así que en primer lugar, cree una cuenta en USCIS. Cada peticionario debe presentar un formulario I-131F por separado y debe ser completado por el cónyuge o hijastro no ciudadano, no por el ciudadano estadounidense. El costo de la solicitud es de $580 dólares y no hay exención de tasas ni tramitación acelerada.

Dado que tanto el proceso como el formulario son nuevos, USCIS ha publicado una guía del formulario I-131F.  

¿Qué documentación hay que presentar?

Hay varias categorías de documentos necesarios para la solicitud. 

Prueba de identidad: Copia de un documento de identidad oficial que tenga foto, nombre y fecha de nacimiento, como por ejemplo: 

Licencia de conducción válido expedido por el Estado

Página de identidad del pasaporte

Documento nacional de identidad de su país de origen, con fotografía

Cualquier otro documento oficial de identidad o carné escolar con fotografía

En el caso de un hijastro, el certificado de nacimiento con el nombre del progenitor que no es ciudadano.

Ciudadanía del cónyuge/padrastro: Documentación que acredite la ciudadanía estadounidense del cónyuge, como certificado de nacimiento, certificado de naturalización, certificado de ciudadanía, informe consular de nacimiento en el extranjero o pasaporte estadounidense.

Matrimonio: Prueba de un certificado de matrimonio y documentación de la terminación de cualquier matrimonio anterior, si es el caso. En caso de pérdida del cónyuge, se requiere el certificado de defunción del cónyuge estadounidense.

Presencia continuada: Los documentos de esta categoría deben incluir el nombre del cónyuge indocumentado y abarcar un periodo de al menos 10 años. 

Puede tratarse de contratos de arrendamiento, recibos de alquiler, facturas de servicios públicos (gas, electricidad, teléfono, etc.), impuestos, expedientes escolares como certificados de notas o boletines de calificaciones, historiales médicos (que incluyan los nombres del centro médico, los médicos y las fechas de tratamiento), documentos religiosos oficiales, certificados de instituciones religiosas, sindicatos u otras organizaciones, recibos de giros postales, o registros fechados de transacciones bancarias, entre otros.

“Esta es la parte en la que creo que un poco de sentido común y creatividad tienen más sentido”, explicó Luis Mancheno, director de política de inmigración de la oficina de Manhattan de Legal Services NYC. “No hay prueba que esté de más”.

Los abogados recomendaron reunir diversos documentos como prueba de presencia en el país, y cuantos más documentos, mejor.

“Así que no me gustaría mostrar sólo un contrato de alquiler de un año. Me gustaría mostrar otros documentos durante el año”, dijo Margaret Martin, codirectora de la división de servicios para inmigrantes y refugiados de Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.

Dado que las solicitudes para el programa se acaban de abrir hace unos días, los abogados aún no han descifrado qué tipo de documentos y cuántos son los mínimos para demostrar continuidad de residencia en el país por año. “Desde luego, no tenemos a nadie en esa zona gris que se haya quedado corto”, dijo Chen. 

“[N]o existe ningún requisito de que cada día o mes de ese período se contabilice específicamente a través de evidencia directa”, dice la directriz del USCIS. “USCIS evaluará la totalidad de las pruebas para determinar si usted ha establecido la presencia física continua durante el período requerido”.

Declaración narrativa: Los solicitantes deben adjuntar una declaración narrativa (de al menos 750 caracteres) que describa por qué son merecedores de un “ejercicio favorable de discreción“.

Entre los factores positivos que deben tenerse en cuenta figuran los lazos con la comunidad; especial vulnerabilidad del solicitante debido a su avanzada edad o juventud; tiempo que lleva en el país; responsabilidades como la crianza o el cuidado de un hijo, padre anciano o familiar de un ciudadano estadounidense; condición de víctima o testigo de un delito, violación de derechos civiles o una infracción laboral investigada por un organismo laboral; y el impacto sobre otros miembros de la familia, incluidos los ciudadanos estadounidenses y residentes legales permanentes, entre otros.

“Nunca pongas pruebas falsas”, recomendó Chen. “No te inventes cosas. Sólo decimos lo que es verdad, pero si existe, pongámoslo de verdad”.

“Los factores positivos se refieren a los méritos individuales del solicitante, como sus habilidades, sus contribuciones a la comunidad y otros atributos que realzan su elegibilidad”, dijo Huel. “Los beneficios públicos significativos abarcan ventajas sociales más amplias, como el crecimiento económico, el desarrollo comunitario o mejoras en la salud pública”.

¿Hay algún paso o requisito adicional después de presentar la solicitud?

Ir a un Centro de Asistencia en Solicitudes donde toman datos biométricos como huellas dactilares, fotografías y firma, según USCIS.

“Debe imprimir su aviso de cita para los servicios biométricos y llevarlo consigo a su cita”, dice el sitio web de USCIS.

El USCIS puede emitir una Solicitud de Información (RFI por sus siglas en inglés) o una Solicitud de Evidencia (RFE por sus siglas en inglés) si se necesita más información o pruebas. USCIS también puede requerir que el solicitante comparezca para una entrevista. Cuando se le preguntó, la agencia no dijo en qué casos lo haría.

“Realmente no hay ninguna orientación sobre cuándo puede decidir USCIS hacer una entrevista”, comentó Martin. 

“Es demasiado pronto para saberlo, y acaban de ponerlo en marcha, pero podemos fijarnos en otros programas similares”, señaló Chen. “Hay bastantes posibilidades de que, si lo hacen como otros programas en el pasado, no tomen una decisión hasta que estén totalmente convencidos y, llegados a ese punto, no necesiten la entrevista”.

Con la serie de artículos llamada “Lo que necesita saber sobre”, City Limits inauguró en 2019 un espacio en el cual la comunidad latina e inmigrante de Nueva York podrá encontrar cápsulas de información práctica, sencilla y de interés general para la comunidad. ¿Hay algún tema que deberíamos abordar a continuación? Envíe sus sugerencias a Daniel@citylimits.org

Para ponerse en contacto con el reportero de esta noticia, escriba a Daniel@citylimits.org. Para ponerse en contacto con la editora, escriba a Jeanmarie@citylimits.org