Brewers and immigrants bracing for impacts of partial government shutdown

The closure of most immigration courts around the country promises to further stress the courts, already dealing with a record high backlog of more than 800,000 cases.

Palm Desert immigration attorney Alberto Sobero is watching the situation closely.

“It has always been a backlog of cases. Immigration courts are something different. There is always delays,” said Sobero.

While there aren’t any immigration courts in the valley, Sobero tells us that those courts in Los Angeles, San Diego and El Centro are now only handling “emergency hearings”, because of the budget deadlock in Washington.

For some people, the attorney say any slowdown is a positive development, allowing undocumented immigrants more time to remain in the country, and more time to prepare their citizenship paperwork.

For some, he says the delay could be up to 18 months.

“My advice would be to, if you have a hearing, do show up in court. Whether or not they tell you the government is shut down or not. If you miss your immigration hearing, there could be serious legal consequences for those,” said Sobero.

Sobero urges those who have any hearings or proceedings currently scheduled to still show up for those appointments.

Valley brewers are among the businesses bracing for potential impacts of the partial government shutdown.

The General Manager of Coachella Valley Brewing Company talked about how his business could be affected.

“At first, the government shutdown was going to be a little bit of an issue and it seems it would be for a long time,” said Pete Yakubek.

The brewery is one of about half a dozen operating in the valley and the high desert.

Any of them who want to begin shipping products across state lines, must do so under the authorization of the TTB, or the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, which is currently closed.

While Coachella Valley Brewing Company is not currently shipping to other states, they could, with a new product they plan to launch in a month.

“We need to get certain approvals to cross state borders for that, which is where the TTB comes into play,” said Yakubek.

Finally, an official at the FIND Food Bank tells News Channel 3 they could be affected.

A possible reduction in Cal Fresh benefits in February could increase demand for food distributed by FIND.