November 25, 2015|Contributed by: Jennaweh Hondrogiannis, Esq.
Dana Alix Zzyym, a U.S. Navy Veteran and resident of Fort Collins, Colorado who uses the gender-neutral pronouns they, them and their has sued the State Department for denying their application for a U.S. passport. The lawsuit argues that the State Department violated the 5th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and the Administrative Procedures Act […]
November 23, 2015|Contributed by: Courtney E. Butler, Esq.
On November 19, 2015, McDonald’s settled a claim of immigrant discrimination with the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division (“DOJ”). The DOJ alleged that McDonald’s had engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination in violation of the unfair immigration-related employment practices provision of 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(6). Specifically, the DOJ contended that McDonald’s had […]
November 17, 2015|Contributed by: Koby L. Polaski, Esq.
Amidst nationwide controversy related to police brutality, law enforcement agencies throughout the United States have begun to implement body cameras. The goal of the body camera is to resolve any “he said, she said” arguments between civilians and law enforcement. The body camera records civilian encounters made by law enforcement and will benefit civilians and […]
October 27, 2015|Contributed by: Courtney E. Butler, Esq.
On Tuesday, October 20, 2015, the United States Senate considered Senator David Vitter’s (R-LA) “Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act” (S. 2146). The Senate rejected the motion to proceed on the bill. The vote would have required 60 “Yea” votes to begin debate; the motion failed 54-45. So-called “sanctuary cities” are those cities that […]
October 23, 2015|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
On October 19, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) issued updated regulations for comment on the extension of Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) for F-1 students earning science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (“STEM”) degrees from U.S. universities and on “Cap-Gap” measures. The agency is doing so because similar regulations it issued in 2008 will be vacated […]
October 23, 2015|Contributed by: Koby L. Polaski, Esq.
In an important decision issued this week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals held that subsection 16(b) of the United States Code, Title 18, is unconstitutionally vague in the context of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”). Dimaya v. Lynch, No. 11-71307, slip op. (9th Cir. Oct. 19, 2015). This subsection is incorporated into the […]
October 1, 2015|Contributed by: Koby L. Polaski, Esq.
As previously reported on the Joseph & Hall P.C. Blog, the U.S. State Department published on September 9, 2015 its monthly Visa Bulletin containing major, long-awaited changes to the government’s visa issuance process. Perhaps the most substantial and welcome change was the addition of a date on which applicants can submit adjustment of status applications. […]
September 25, 2015|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
On September 25, 2015, the Department of State issued revised Visa Bulletin for October 2015. The revised bulletin supersedes the previous bulletin which had been published on September 9, 2015. The Department of Homeland Security will rely on the priority dates as listed in the newly revised version of the bulletin. USCIS anticipates many October […]
September 24, 2015|Contributed by: Courtney E. Butler, Esq.
Each month, the Department of State publishes family-based and employment-based visa availability in the Visa Bulletin, which indicates when visas are available to adjustment-of-status applicants based on their individual priority dates. Beginning in October 2015, USCIS will publish two charts. One, the “Application Final Action Dates” chart, will list the dates when visas may be […]
September 24, 2015|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
Reports about Syrian refugees have inundated the media in the last few weeks, given the recent uncontrollable surge in migration across European borders and the worsening of the crisis. Stories of migrant deaths, including young children, have been particularly grim and shocking. Earlier this week, concerned Americans were relieved to hear that the United States […]
