January 30, 2020|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
ICE recently released the 2019 National Detention Standards for Non-Dedicated Facilities, making significant changes to detention standards that had been in place for about two decades. The revisions lower oversight requirements and strip safeguards meant to ensure adequate medical care. One change that has gotten less attention is to the policy regarding detainee requests to […]
January 29, 2020|Contributed by: Shana D. Velez
On January 24, 2020, the regulations that govern B non-immigrant visas (tourist visas) were amended to specifically exclude travel for the “primary purpose of obtaining United States citizenship for a child by giving birth to the child in the United States.” The regulations now permit an overseas consular officer to deny a tourist visa to […]
January 27, 2020|Contributed by: Zachary New
On January 27, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote “stayed,” or effectively ended, the nationwide injunction barring the Government from implementing new public charge rules – rules which are meant to prevent the admission of certain immigrants who are or who are likely to become dependent on public benefits in the United […]
January 6, 2020|Contributed by: Zachary New
In line with the Trump administration’s mission to restrict eligibility for asylum, on Thursday, December 19, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security, home to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Department of Justice, home to the immigration courts, issued a joint statement of proposed rulemaking, signaling the potential creation of new draconian restrictions on […]
January 2, 2020|Contributed by: Shana D. Velez
The Department of Health and Human Services, the agency that cares for unaccompanied minors who cross the border, has begun providing information to ICE to initiate removal proceedings for those individuals who do not qualify to sponsor children in HHS custody. Since the “Zero Tolerance” policy of the Trump Administration, HHS has increased scrutiny of […]
December 30, 2019|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
On December 13, 2019, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated the section of its policy manual dealing with “unlawful acts” that can prevent the agency from finding that an applicant has the required good moral character to be approved for naturalization. The new guidance states that an “act is unlawful if it violates the criminal […]
December 2, 2019|Contributed by: Jennifer Howard
On November 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the automatic extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) validity for the following countries: El Salvador; Haiti; Nicaragua; Sudan; Honduras; and Nepal. At this time, TPS beneficiaries do not need to take any action to re-register or to renew their Employment Authorization Documents (EADs). […]
November 26, 2019|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
Earlier this month, a federal district court judge in California ordered the federal government to provide free mental health screenings and treatment for parents and children who were traumatized after being forcibly separated at the border following the Trump administration’s zero-tolerance family separation policy. Under the policy, in just one month, 3000 children, “some as […]
November 26, 2019|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
On November 21, 2019, USCIS announced changes to its policy manual related to applications for adjustment of status for those whose conditional lawful permanent resident (CLPR) has been terminated by USCIS. A noncitizen can gain CLPR status based on marriage to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident where they have been married for less […]
November 20, 2019|Contributed by: Zachary New
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was first implemented by President Obama in 2012 to give individuals who were brought to the United States as children, so called “Dreamers,” an opportunity to have legal status, work authorization, and a sense of security that they would not be targets of immigration enforcement efforts by ICE, albeit […]
