As the Trump administration continues intensifying its attacks on immigrants, federal authorities just recently rejected citizenship to 2 immigrants exclusively due to the fact that they operated in Colorado’’ s legal cannabis market. The relocation has actually rapidly ended up being questionable, as activists and progressive legislators stress that the federal government may start utilizing marijuana laws in weed-legal states as a pretext for targeting immigrants.

.Immigrants in Denver Denied Citizenship.

In current weeks, 2 immigrants residing in Denver were rejected citizenship. And in both cases, migration authorities mentioned the exact same factor: both had actually operated in Colorado’’ s legal cannabis market.

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One of the immigrants rejected citizenship is from Lithuania. To date, this private’’ s name has actually not been revealed due to issues over their present work status.

The other is 30-year-old Oswaldo Barrientos, who presently works as growing supervisor at The Dab, a completely legal marijuana business in Denver .

Barrientos found his interest for marijuana when his mom was identified with Stage 3 cancer malignancy skin cancer . In the wake of her medical diagnosis, he stated he instantly started looking into medical cannabis.

““ I checked out and studied whatever I could,” ” he informed High “Times. “ I simply actually saw the medical worth marijuana holds and I really think in it. That’’ s what catapulted me into the market.””

. Allured by USCIS?

A resident and Green Card holder, Barrientos has actually resided in the United States because he was one, when his mom immigrated to the U.S. from her native El Salvador.

In November 2018, as part of his citizenship application, Barrientos finished an interview with authorities from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Leading up to this interview, Barrientos stated he aced all the tests needed for citizenship. And for the many part, the interview worked out, too.

But then things took an unforeseen turn. According to Barrientos and his legal representatives, at the end of the interview, USCIS authorities all of a sudden made him check out a variety of files, consisting of things like the legal meaning of a Schedule I compound and what certifies as criminal production and circulation of prohibited compounds.

They then penetrated him on his work at The Dab. By the end of the interview, Barrientos stated, the USCIS authorities had actually generally required him to admit to breaking federal drug laws.

““ That part of the interview, it’’ s what I call basically entrapment,” ” Bryce Downer of Novo Legal Group and among Barrientos’ ’ attorneys informed High Times.

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Then, on February 7, 2019, Barrientos got a letter from USCIS notifying him that he was not qualified for citizenship.

““ Because of your admission concerning an illegal drug infraction,” ” the letter “stated, “ you are not able to show that you are an individual of excellent ethical character; for that reason, you are disqualified for naturalization at this time.””

.What ’ s Next for Barrientos.

Barrientos stated he, his household, and his neighborhood were stunned when he got the letter.

““ I marvelled and a little terrified. I was questioning does this mean I’’ m going to get deported?” ” he informed High “Times. “ I never ever believed I would be put in a circumstance like this. I fit the description of what an immigrant ought to appear like when they’’ re obtaining citizenship.””

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He described: ““ I pay my taxes year in and year out. I have no rap sheet, I entered into the interview presuming that I was a shoo-in. I’’ ve never ever broken the law in any method or been detained. And after that suddenly they’’ re putting me in a bracket where to the feds I’’ m distributing and making a Schedule I drug.””

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At this time, Barrientos is not being charged with a criminal offense. Downer stated that the rejection of citizenship might make Barrientos susceptible to future detention or prosecution. In specific, if Barrientos takes a trip outside the nation, authorities might apprehend him when he returns to the U.S.

““ What they ’ re doing is teeing him up for future prosecution by the enforcement arm of migration,” ” Downer informed “High Times. “ They are doing this with an eye concentrated on prosecution.””

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Barrientos and his attorneys stated they prepare to appeal the choice. Furthermore, they stated they would think about taking their case to federal court if essential.

.Is The Federal Government Using Legal Gray Area to Target Immigrants?

The circumstance in Denver is raising some worrying concerns. If the federal government will start utilizing the legal gray location of state marijuana laws as a pretext for going after immigrants, one of the most significant is.

Basically, that gray location exists in the confusion in between federal laws and state law. On the one hand, marijuana stays prohibited at the federal level. On the other, it is legal in a growing number of states, consisting of Colorado.

To make matters worse, there is confusion amongst federal firms. Most significantly, in between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Historically, the DOJ has actually mostly followed a policy of not meddling in state cannabis laws. The DHS is obviously taking a really various technique, pointing out as it did in Denver federal marijuana laws as premises for rejecting citizenship.

““ It ’ s simply a double message,” ” Downer informed High Times. “ You have the DOJ which is stating something about the legal marijuana market and after that you have the Department of Homeland Security stating another. And it’’ s just to the bias of immigrants.””

. “ This isn ’ t’an anti-cannabis relocation.”It ’ s an anti-immigrant relocation. ”.

Now, numerous fear that migration companies will utilize federal marijuana laws as a legal pretext to target, bother, and prosecute immigrants residing in weed-legal states.

““ This is sort of an extension of the present method by this administration of installing any and all obstructions to keep individuals from ending up being people” ” Cristian Solano-C órdova, Communications Manager at Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition, informed High Times.

““ This appears like an extension of that, trying to find any and all possible methods to restrict legal migration. This isn’’ t an anti-cannabis relocation. It’’ s an anti-immigrant relocation.””

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So far, USCIS authorities insist they are merely following federal law. They state their choice to reject citizenship to the 2 Denver homeowners comes from issues over federal marijuana laws, not a crackdown on immigrants.

But for numerous, this story isn’’ t really persuading.

““ If the executive branch is so bent on maintaining federal law, you would see the U.S lawyer’’ s workplace prosecuting every cannabis company owner, everyone who operated in the market,” ” Aaron Elinoff, Barrientos’ ’ other lawyer, just recently informed The Denver Post . ““ But they ’ re not. Rather, they’’ re simply targeting immigrants.””

The post Immigrants Denied Citizenship Because They Work in Legal Marijuana Industry appeared initially on High Times .

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