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 […]
November 25, 2015|Contributed by: kirby@immigrationissues.com
Last September, I wrote a blog about the Syrian refugee crisis. Multiple stories of migrant deaths, including young children, had been reported in the media. I, along with other people in the country, advocated that the U.S. needed to welcome a greater number of Syrians. Then, attacks in Beirut, Paris, and Egypt happened, not to […]
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 […]
