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Immigration Questions Answered on Univision: DACA, Asylum Travel, Attorney Negligence, and Immigration Reform
This morning, I joined journalist Jorge Cancino on Univision‘s La Voz de la Mañana to answer immigration questions from viewers. We discussed several concerns affecting immigrant families, including attorney negligence, delayed DACA renewals, the risks of domestic air travel while awaiting an asylum decision, and the possibility of immigration reform following the recent congressional elections.
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What happens when an immigration attorney makes a serious mistake?
One viewer explained that an attorney’s office allegedly failed to pay a required USCIS filing fee, creating serious complications in an immigration case.
I explained that individuals who believe their attorney acted negligently can file a complaint with the appropriate state bar association. These organizations have procedures for investigating allegations of professional misconduct and determining whether disciplinary action is warranted.
It is equally important to understand that filing a disciplinary complaint does not, by itself, resolve an immigration problem. Anyone facing a filing error, missed deadline, or possible loss of immigration status should promptly seek an independent legal review.
Can DACA recipients face deportation?
Another viewer had been waiting seven months for a work permit renewal and wanted to know whether an arrest could lead to deportation.
DACA provides deferred action, but it does not grant lawful immigration status. Some recipients also have existing removal orders, making their individual circumstances especially important.
A pending renewal or work permit application should not be assumed to provide the same protection as an approved DACA grant. I encourage individuals experiencing significant renewal delays or facing enforcement concerns to have their immigration records reviewed.
Is domestic air travel safe for asylum applicants?
We also discussed reports of immigration enforcement at U.S. airports involving people with pending asylum applications.
An important distinction is that having identification acceptable for domestic air travel does not necessarily eliminate immigration enforcement risks. A valid employment authorization document also does not, by itself, establish lawful immigration status.
People awaiting asylum decisions should evaluate their particular circumstances before making travel arrangements, especially if they have previous immigration violations, pending removal proceedings, or other complications.
Could immigration reform become a reality?
Finally, Jorge and I discussed the possibility of immigration reform following the November 2026 midterm elections.
The bipartisan Dignity Act, introduced by Representative María Elvira Salazar and other members of Congress, remains a legislative proposal rather than an enacted law.
Although the election results have renewed discussions about immigration policy, there is no guarantee that Congress and the administration will reach an agreement. Statements expressing openness to negotiations should not be confused with a commitment to approve a particular bill.
I believe it is important to remain informed and hopeful while recognizing that meaningful changes require legislative action.
I thank Jorge Cancino and the team at La Voz de la Mañana for bringing these questions to the public. Understanding the difference between current immigration law, individual risks, and proposed reforms can help families make better-informed decisions.
Disclaimer: This article provides general information and is not individualized legal advice. Immigration laws, policies, and enforcement practices may change, and each case requires an individual assessment.
Martha L. Arias, Esq.
Immigration Law Attorney
For immigration questions involving your individual circumstances, call my office in Miami. Arias Villa, PLLC assists businesses, individuals and families with U.S. immigration matters.
Spanish Transcript:
JORGE CANCINO:
Buenos días y feliz viernes. Hoy nos acompaña la abogada de inmigración Martha Arias para responder las preguntas de nuestra audiencia. Abogada Arias, buenos días. Muchas gracias por estar en La Voz de la Mañana.
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
Gracias a usted por invitarme. Buenos días a usted y a toda la audiencia.
JORGE CANCINO:
La primera pregunta es de Wilma. Dice: «La oficina del abogado que llevó nuestro caso cometió un error grave. Tenía una visa O-1 válida hasta el 2028, pero, al hacer el cambio de estatus, no pagaron la tarifa de presentación obligatoria de USCIS y cancelaron la solicitud. La firma apeló la decisión, pero pasaron 180 días para responder que ya expiraron. Ahora nos recomiendan vender todo e irnos. ¿Cómo denunciamos la negligencia del abogado?».
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
Bueno, la negligencia de un abogado se puede denunciar en la barra de abogados del estado donde esté licenciado. Cada estado tiene una barra de abogados que le da la licencia: Florida, Nueva York, Nueva Jersey y California.
La persona va a la página web de esa barra de abogados, busca cómo presentar una queja en contra de un abogado. Hay unos formularios que cada agencia o cada una de estas organizaciones tiene para que ellos diligencien, escriban qué pasó y presenten la queja ante la barra de abogados.
Ellos tienen un proceso de revisión donde le mandan al abogado esa, esa queja para que el abogado conteste. El abogado va a contestar y dar su versión de los hechos.
Y, finalmente, si hay mérito para una sanción disciplinaria, se manda entonces a un consejo o un grupo ético y un comité ético de la misma barra de abogados. Yo fui parte de ese comité aquí en el sur de la Florida y, de ahí, ya si es una cosa muy grave, puede ir a la Corte Suprema del estado para una sanción más fuerte en contra del abogado.
JORGE CANCINO:
Ese es el camino a seguir. Max pregunta, dice: «Soy dreamer, protegido por DACA. Tengo siete meses esperando la renovación de mi permiso de trabajo. Si me arrestan, ¿me pueden deportar?».
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
Sí, a una persona… Los dreamers, hemos visto, gracias a Dios, no mucho, pero una persona que está con DACA puede ser deportable.
Recuerde que hay muchos DACA que tienen orden final de deportación. No todos, pero más aún los que tengan esa orden final pueden ser sujetos de una deportación.
Tienen que tener cuidado, protegerse. Es cierto que los están deteniendo y, pues, más bien tratar de estar fuera del radar. Cuidarse.
JORGE CANCINO:
Cuidarse. Carmen pregunta: «¿Es cierto que quienes esperamos nuestra cita de asilo, tenemos permiso de trabajo vigente y licencia de conducir válida, no podemos viajar en avión dentro del país?».
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
No es que no puedan. Lo pueden hacer si tienen una licencia válida.
El problema que está ocurriendo con eso es que el gobierno sí está deteniendo a las personas que tienen una petición de asilo pendiente, sobre todo a los que entraron por la frontera sin inspección.
Entonces, eso es lo grave. Hemos visto muchísimos casos de esto.
Entonces, no es que no puedan, sí pueden, pero no deberían para protegerse.
JORGE CANCINO:
Por la pregunta. Hay videos en las redes que dicen que después de las elecciones vendrá algo bueno, como una reforma migratoria. ¿Será posible o solo quieren confundirnos?
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
Yo creo que es posible. Hoy el proyecto está, el Proyecto Dignidad de la, de la representante María Elvira… No, bueno, todavía no sabemos si quedó o no, pero ese proyecto está presentado en el Congreso.
El gobierno… Ella misma, en su campaña, decía que, de ella ser reelegida, estaba segura y afirmaba que ese proceso iba a pasar.
El presidente también en algún momento ha expresado su apoyo o posible apoyo a ese proyecto.
De hecho, las últimas elecciones, donde se demostró que el Partido Demócrata cogió mayoría en el Congreso, el gobierno, a través del presidente, salió y anunció que no descarta una posibilidad de apoyar una reforma migratoria.
Así que todos estamos pensando que, de pronto, Dios quiera, eso venga.
JORGE CANCINO:
Aunque mejor esperar, ser cautelosos. Y cuando veamos los números y las cifras de datos del Congreso, pues ahí entonces estar más tranquilos.
Gracias a Martha Arias, abogada de inmigración, por, por acompañarnos en La Voz de la Mañana y responder a estas preguntas. Gracias, Martha.
ABOGADA MARTHA ARIAS:
Con mucho gusto.
JORGE CANCINO:
Y antes de despedirme, quiero recordarles que la información presentada puede no ser aplicable a su situación legal particular y no debe ser considerada como un sustituto del consejo legal profesional.
English Translation:
JORGE CANCINO:
Good morning and happy Friday. Today we are joined by immigration attorney Martha Arias to answer questions from our audience. Attorney Arias, good morning. Thank you very much for being on La Voz de la Mañana.
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
Thank you for inviting me. Good morning to you and to the entire audience.
JORGE CANCINO:
The first question is from Wilma. She says: “The office of the attorney who handled our case made a serious mistake. I had an O-1 visa valid until 2028, but when they filed the change of status, they did not pay the mandatory USCIS filing fee, and the application was canceled. The firm appealed the decision, but 180 days passed before they responded that they had already expired. Now they are recommending that we sell everything and leave. How do we report the attorney’s negligence?”
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
Well, an attorney’s negligence can be reported to the bar association of the state where the attorney is licensed. Each state has a bar association that grants the license: Florida, New York, New Jersey, and California.
The person goes to the website of that bar association and looks for how to file a complaint against an attorney. There are forms that each agency, or each of these organizations, has for people to complete, write down what happened, and submit the complaint to the bar association.
They have a review process where they send the attorney that, that complaint so that the attorney can respond. The attorney will respond and give their version of the facts.
And finally, if there are grounds for a disciplinary sanction, it is then sent to a council or an ethics group and an ethics committee of that same bar association. I was part of that committee here in South Florida and, from there, if it is something very serious, it can go to the state’s Supreme Court for a stronger sanction against the attorney.
JORGE CANCINO:
That is the path to follow. Max asks, he says: “I am a Dreamer, protected by DACA. I have been waiting seven months for the renewal of my work permit. If I am arrested, can they deport me?”
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
Yes, a person… Dreamers, we have seen, thank God, not many, but a person who has DACA can be deportable.
Remember that there are many DACA recipients who have a final deportation order. Not all of them, but even more so, those who have that final order can be subject to deportation.
They have to be careful, protect themselves. It is true that they are detaining them and, well, rather try to stay off the radar. Be careful.
JORGE CANCINO:
Be careful. Carmen asks: “Is it true that those of us who are waiting for our asylum appointment, have a valid work permit and a valid driver’s license, cannot travel by airplane within the country?”
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
It is not that they cannot. They can do it if they have a valid license.
The problem that is occurring with this is that the government is indeed detaining people who have a pending asylum application, especially those who entered through the border without inspection.
So that is the serious part. We have seen very many cases of this.
So it is not that they cannot, yes, they can, but they should not, in order to protect themselves.
JORGE CANCINO:
Regarding the question. There are videos on social media saying that after the elections something good will come, such as immigration reform. Will it be possible, or are they just trying to confuse us?
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
I think it is possible. Today the proposal is there, the Dignity Act of the, of Representative María Elvira… No, well, we still do not know whether she won or not, but that proposal has been introduced in Congress.
The government… She herself, during her campaign, said that if she were reelected, she was certain and affirmed that this process was going to pass.
The president has also, at some point, expressed his support or possible support for that proposal.
In fact, the latest elections, where it was demonstrated that the Democratic Party gained a majority in Congress, the government, through the president, came out and announced that he does not rule out the possibility of supporting immigration reform.
So we are all thinking that perhaps, God willing, that will come.
JORGE CANCINO:
Although it is better to wait, to be cautious. And when we see the numbers and the figures from Congress, well, then we can be more at ease.
Thank you to Martha Arias, immigration attorney, for, for joining us on La Voz de la Mañana and answering these questions. Thank you, Martha.
ATTORNEY MARTHA ARIAS:
With great pleasure.
JORGE CANCINO:
And before saying goodbye, I want to remind you that the information presented may not be applicable to your particular legal situation and should not be considered a substitute for professional legal advice.
