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By Laura Williams-Tracy – Contributor, Charlotte Business Journal Sep 30, 2022 Twenty-five years ago, attorney Stefan Latorre traded his position as an international tax lawyer to help Spanish-speaking immigrants – many of them undocumented workers – who were helping to build Charlotte during a period of growth. Latorre crossed the language barrier and brought aggressive representation to a group who were overlooked. Along the way, Latorre helped change case law in the state, making it possible for undocumented workers to be paid worker’s compensation for injuries on the job. Even while he was changing the legal landscape for workers’ compensation, Latorre also developed uptown’s restaurant and nightclub scene, introducing Latin food that went beyond a traditional Mexican restaurant. The now-closed Latorre’s and later, Aquavina, provided upscale dining on par with what was available in Miami at the time. Today, Latorre’s focus is on his law firm, which has grown to ...
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More than 20,000 people died in car accidents throughout the United States in the first six months of 2021, an 18.4% increase over the same time period last year, according to the Department of Transportation. https://www.foxnews.com/us/united-states-sees-18-4-rise-in-traffic-fatalities-in-first-half-of-2021-largest-increase-on-record ...
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Hispanic Heritage Month is a celebration of Hispanic heritage beginning on September 15 to October 15 in the United States.  This month is reserved to honor the influence, contribution, culture, history and more importantly the achievements of Hispanic and Latin Americans in the United States. September 15 is significant because it is anniversary of the independence from Spain for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico also celebrates their independence on September 16th and Chile on September 18th. Columbus Day or Día de la Raza is on October 12th. The celebration started in 1968 under President Lyndon B Johnson for a week but was later turned into a monthlong celebration in 1988 under President Ronald Reagan. It is important that we celebrate this rich culture and history.  I am proud of my Hispanic roots, so this month holds a special significance in my own life. My experience growing ...
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As a result of recent court decisions regarding DACA, Immigration is accepting initial DACA requests again.  As a reminder, initial DACA requests were phased out by President Trump in September 2017, triggering many lawsuits.  In June 2020, the Supreme Court blocked President Trump’s changes to DACA and in July 2020, Immigration maintained that initial DACA requests would still not be accepted.  This month, a federal judge ruled that initial DACA requests must be accepted prompting Immigration to update its policy and accept initial DACA requests. USCIS updated their website confirming it is:

• Accepting initial DACA requests again;

• Accepting DACA based Advance Parole again;
• DACA approvals and EAD’s will be issued for 2 year terms again.

 INITIAL DACA QUALIFICATIONS – To qualify for an initial DACA applicants must meet ALL of the below requirements:

1. Over age 15;

NOTE: Applicants who are in removal proceedings/have a ...
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) UPDATE: Immigration Offices, Courts and Consulates Temporarily Closed to the Public: USCIS Field Offices AND ASC Offices:

• Offices closed until 04/01/2020
• USCIS will reschedule the affected interviews/appointments/oaths

Immigration Court:

• Charlotte NC: Closed until 04/10/2020
• Other Courts: Detained cases will be heard as scheduled

Immigrant Visa Interviews at Consulates Abroad:

• All non-urgent immigrant and non-immigrant visa appointments suspended until further notice
• Appointments will need to be rescheduled after the consulates resume visa appointments

...
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