February 19, 2016|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
On February 13, 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia passed away after 30 years of service on the Supreme Court. Justice Scalia’s passing leaves the Court with eight justices. While Justice Scalia was undoubtedly an influential member on the bench, his absence is unlikely to affect the pending case regarding the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) […]
January 28, 2016|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
Noncitizens with certain criminal convictions may be inadmissible to the U.S., deportable from the U.S., or unable to obtain U.S. citizenship through naturalization. The categories of criminal convictions which cause immigration problems have grown over time, sometimes through new laws written by Congress and sometimes because of how courts interpret existing laws. Two U.S. Supreme […]
January 27, 2016|Contributed by: Courtney E. Butler, Esq.
As the 2016 election fast approaches, and in light of recent terror attacks, it is difficult to avoid the ever-increasing anti-immigrant rhetoric. Much of this rhetoric revolves around the misplaced presumption that immigrants are “criminals.” However, statistical studies indicate that, in the United States, “immigrants are far more law-abiding than natives, regardless of race, class […]
January 22, 2016|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
Starting in the beginning of January 2016, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents began an operation to apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants across the United States. These raids target adults and children who crossed the southern U.S. border within the previous year, and represented the first large-scale effort to deport families fleeing violence in Central […]
January 19, 2016|Contributed by: Jennaweh Hondrogiannis, Esq.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Tuesday that it will hear oral arguments regarding President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. In November of 2014, President Obama announced his plan to implement a program called Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents, or DAPA, as well as the expansion of the current program called […]
January 12, 2016|Contributed by: Koby L. Polaski, Esq.
For fiscal year 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) again approved the statutory maximum of 10,000 petitions for U-1 nonimmigrant status (U visas). This marks the seventh straight year that USCIS has reached its statutory maximum. The U visa is available to certain immigrant crime victims who assisted law enforcement to investigate or prosecute […]
December 28, 2015|Contributed by: Koby L. Polaski, Esq.
As another year comes to a close, I naturally begin to reflect back on the events of 2015: the triumphs and defeats; ups and downs; and breakthroughs and obstacles that we must still overcome. The last year was a particularly tumultuous one in the immigration world. From the ongoing litigation over President Obama’s Executive Action […]
December 22, 2015|Contributed by: Aaron C. Hall, Esq.
The Department of Justice has agreed to pay $125,000 in attorneys’ fees after losing a class action lawsuit in Washington for its unlawful refusal to consider releasing noncitizen detainees without a cash bond. Congress gave immigration judges (IJs) to release certain noncitizen detainees in removal proceedings upon a payment of at least $1,500 bond or […]
December 22, 2015|Contributed by: Courtney E. Butler, Esq.
On December 8, 2015, H.R. 158 – the Visa Waiver Program Improvement Act of 2015 (“the Act”) – passed the House of Representatives and is now before the Senate. The Act will impose additional restrictions on the Visa Waiver Program, making it harder for visitors from Iraq, Syria, and other designated countries to travel to […]
December 16, 2015|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
Farms and ranches that hire sheepherders from abroad using the H-2A visa will want to take note of the recent Tenth Circuit case Saenz Mencia v. Allred. Congress created the special visa category for sheepherders and goatherders because of the unique demands of the occupation, where employees work around the clock caring for flocks in […]
