Curran & Berger LLP

Introducing Margaret Wheeler, Curran & Berger LLP's new attorney

Curran & Berger LLP is excited to welcome Margaret Wheeler.

Margaret received her J.D. degree from New England School of Law in 1989 and completed her LL.M. in International and Comparative Law at The George Washington University Law School in 1997. Prior to joining Curran & Berger LLP,  Margaret worked as Immigration Counsel for the University of North Carolina  in  Chapel Hill, NC.  She has practiced immigration law since 1997 in a variety of settings, including Flynn and Clark, P.C., the Law Offices of Allen E. Kaye, P.C.  and Microsoft Corporation.

Margaret is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and is a member in good standing of the Massachusetts and District of Columbia Bar Associations. Prior to joining our firm, she has specialized in university counsel and business immigration law. Margaret has volunteered her time for several non-profit organizations, including Ayuda, Amnesty International and Centro Presente.

We are pleased to welcome Margaret to our firm.

In December 2009, the Puerto Rican government in collaboration with U.S. Department of State and U.S. Department of Homeland Security, enacted Law 191 of 2009 which states that all Puerto Rico birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010 will be invalidated. This law is in response to the fraudulent use of Puerto Rico-issued birth certificates to unlawfully obtain U.S. passports, Social Security benefits, and other federal services. Puerto Rican birth certificates are increasingly popular on the black market, their value ranging between $5,000 and $10,000. Potentially, anyone using a stolen Puerto Rico birth certificate could enter and move about the U.S. more easily, which could also pose security problems.

It is important to understand that there is no need to rush out and get a new birth certificate on July 1. It is suggested that only people who have a specific need for their birth certificate for official purposes need request a new birth certificate right away. Those Puerto Rican-born living in the states will be able to request and receive their new birth certificates through a simple process by mail. The fee is $5, but will be waived for people over 60 and veterans.

For more information, please see these websites:

Fact sheet and frequently asked questions: http://www.prfaa.com/docs/prfaafactsheetfaq.pdf

http://www.prfaa.com/birthcertificates/

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Puerto-Rican-Birth-Certificates-Invalid-After-July-1-85988872.html

To apply for a new birth certificate, fill out this form:

http://www.salud.gov.pr/Programas/RegistroDemografico/Documents/Birth%20Certificate%20Application.pdf (English)

http://www.salud.gov.pr/Programas/RegistroDemografico/Documents/Solicitud-nac.pdf  (Spanish)

On February 8, the American Bar Association called on Congress to create a new independent court for immigration cases. Immigration courts, which are within the Department of Justice branch, are overloaded with immigration cases due to the crackdown on illegal immigrants. Of the 378,582 immigrants detained by Homeland Security in 2008, more than 358,000 were deported.  Although immigration judges are performing their work rather quickly, their backlogs are growing and this is leaving immigrants stranded in costly detention centers throughout the country. The American Immigration Lawyers Association said that it would review the American Bar Association's proposal and recognized that the courts are in need of more resources immediately.

For more details, please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/us/09immig.html