Legalized Marijuana, Non-Citizens And Immigration Risks

Article publisher: 
Smith Amundsen
Article date: 
25 August 2019
Article category: 
Colorado News
Tags: 
crime
drugs
enforcement
illegal immigration
Article link: 
Excerpts are included below - read the original complete article
Medium
Article Body: 
In May, we reported on Illinois becoming the eleventh state to permit recreational marijuana beginning January 1, 2020. Noncitizens in these eleven states and the District of Columbia may reasonably conclude that using marijuana in accordance with state law will have no bearing on immigration status. Unfortunately, that is a wrong assumption. Federal law controls immigration, and it remains a federal offense to possess marijuana. For the unsuspecting foreign national, this is a legal distinction that many will not understand. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers at the nation’s borders are the first line of defense in preventing illegal importation of narcotics, including marijuana. U.S. federal law prohibits the importation of marijuana and CBP Officers will continue to enforce the law.
 
For immigrant [and illegal alien] marijuana users, federal law prohibits the use of federal funds to prosecute state-legal medical cannabis, but allows funds to prosecute state-legal recreational cannabis, thus creating an enforcement distinction. There will also be increased scrutiny relating to travel outside the U.S. for green card and Naturalization applicants.
 
In some jurisdictions such as Colorado, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) is adding questions to the Adjustment of Status (green card) interview and medical examination process to determine if a foreign national uses marijuana or has in the past....
 
CAIRCO Notes
 
The article then proceeds to tell immigrants and illegal aliens how to avoid USCIS scrutiny regarding use of marijuana. Go figure.
Article final link: 
The above article contains excerpts - we encourage you to read the complete original article
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