The identity of the United States is firmly rooted in the idea that this country is a “nation of immigrants.” In fact, up until February 22, 2018, the mission statement for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services governmental agency (“USCIS”) described “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants.” While the wording of this mission statement has been changed, this country nonetheless continues to be a nation of immigrants and a nation of nations. No revision to a mission statement will change this.
While we may be a nation of immigrants, no two immigrants have the same story. Rather, each of their unique stories help make up the multicultural, melting pot narrative of our country.
For today’s post on the Kuck | Baxter Musing on Immigration Blog, we’re going to do something a bit different than our usual blog postings. At the immigration law firm of Kuck | Baxter, we have a diverse arsenal of attorneys and staff, including many with immigrant backgrounds. One of our amazing paralegals, Raymond Partolan, was born in the Philippines and came to the U.S. with his family at just fifteen months old. In 2012, he became a beneficiary of President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA). He was granted a two-year reprieve from deportation and was able to obtain a work permit and driver’s license. Mr. Partolan, who self-describes as a proud Filipino-American, has contributed in countless ways to his community. He was salutatorian of his high school class and student body president at Mercer University. After graduating from college with a near perfect GPA, he worked as a Program Associate for Atlanta’s Asian Americans Advancing Justice, the first nonprofit law and advocacy center dedicated to the civil, social, and economic rights of Asian immigrants and refugees in Georgia and the Southeast. In 2017, he left his role at Asian Americans Advancing Justice to pursue a career in immigration law and joined Kuck | Baxter Immigration Partners as an immigration paralegal. He works in the Family Practice Immigration Group, helping clients with a wide array of family immigration law matters.
Mr. Partolan says he first wrote down his personal immigration story right after the Presidential Election of 2016. After having so many people ask him about his immigration story and the challenges faced by being an undocumented immigrant in this country, he decided to write down his story in his personal blog—a story that he importantly and emphatically notes is still being written.
Click here to read Mr. Partolan’s immigration story as self-published on his blog named “Outside of the Shadows”.
*The above hyperlink will direct you to Mr. Partolan’s blog. The materials and blog posts on his website and any related links are provided for informational purposes only. They are not intended as and do not constitute legal advice and should not be acted on as such. The materials and links are neither the legal opinions of Kuck | Baxter or any of its attorneys, staff, or clients nor are the materials represented as being all-inclusive, correct, complete, or up-to-date. You should not rely on any information on this website or its links. If you hare having an immigration law issue we suggest you seek the advice of a skilled immigration attorney.
We are proud to have Mr. Partolan as part of the Kuck | Baxter team. While Mr. Partolan’s educational and professional success is exceptional, the fact that he is an immigrant is not. After all, foreign-born residents now living in the United States make up approximately 15 percent of the U.S. population.
Are you facing an immigration law issue and need legal guidance? With incredibly high stakes and an immigration law system that is both littered with bureaucratic red tape and is notoriously difficult for laypersons to navigate, we know how disruptive and stressful immigration law issues can be on individuals and their loved ones. We strongly recommend that no one try to go at it alone but rather work with an experienced immigration lawyer. The exceptional team of immigration attorneys at Kuck | Baxter handles a wide array of immigration law matters for individuals, families, small and large business, and investors.
We stand by you throughout the entire process, doing everything in our power to help you achieve a favorable outcome. While we cannot guarantee results, your chances of success are significantly higher when working with a skilled immigration attorney rather than going at it alone.
To learn more about Kuck | Baxter Immigration Partners and the immigration law services we provide our clients or to schedule your consultation with one of our immigration attorneys, contact us using our website’s online contact form or you can reach us at:
Kuck | Baxter Immigration Partners LLC
365 Northridge Road
Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30350
Tel: (404) 816-8611
Kuck | Baxter Immigration Partners LLC
367 Prince Avenue #3
Suite K
Athens, GA 30606
Tel: (404) 816-8611
