A new lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California now allows Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applicants to challenge long standing delays in receiving their immigration records from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The U.S. District Court has certified two class action lawsuits allowing FOIA applicants…
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ICE Announces Expedited Removal of Guatemalans
On August 20, 2019, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced “enhanced coordination” efforts to remove Guatemalan adults and families arriving at the border more quickly. These efforts have been implemented to discourage Central Americans from attempting to enter the United States illegally and to deter human smuggling. Acting Associate Director…
Trump Administration Seeks to End Flores Agreement and Detain Undocumented Families for Indefinite Period of Time
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced a proposal that will change the settlement agreement reached in Flores v. Reno, an agreement that limited the amount of time and conditions under which the U.S. government could detain immigrant children. Reno v. Flores prevented the government from holding immigrant children in detention…
This Week in Immigration News: Immigration Raids and USCIS International Field Office Closures
USCIS International Field Offices On August 9, 2019, USCIS announced its plans to maintain seven international field offices open in Beijing, Guangzhou, Nairobi, New Delhi, Guatemala City, Mexico City, and San Salvador. As previously reported, all other USCIS international field offices will close between now and August 2020. Functions performed…
Where does DACA stand today?
Photo: Christian Leo SenoFlickr The United States Supreme Court has announced that it will decide the fate of DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, during its next term, beginning in October, with a decision likely to be handed down by the Court in early 2020. The Court’s decision to take…
DHS and DOJ Announce Interim Final Rule Limiting Asylum Eligibility
Today, July 16, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice issued a joint interim Final Rule that has been published in the Federal Register and is effective immediately. The interim Final Rule aims to place additional restrictions on the asylum application process and limit the eligibility of…
This Week in Immigration News: Immigration Raids Cancelled, Digital FOIA System, and More
Immigration Raids Cancelled for Two Weeks In a new turn of events, President Trump announced on Saturday, June 22, 2019, that he would delay the immigration raids that were set to begin on June 23, 2019, for a period of two weeks to give Congress more time to make changes…
White House Issues Presidential Proclamation to Tighten Asylum Process
The White House recently issued a Presidential Memorandum to strengthen asylum procedures and safeguard the asylum system against fraud. The Presidential Proclamation specifically orders the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security to take several measures to enhance the security of the asylum system by July 28, 2019. These measures…
House Democrats Introduce Dream and Promise Act 2019
Flickr: mollyktadams House Democrats are making a move to help Dreamers achieve permanent residence. A new bill dubbed HR 6, the Dream and Promise Act, seeks to provide undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, the opportunity to obtain permanent residence. In addition, the bill includes a…
Immigration Courts feel the pinch of the Government Shutdown
A new report released by CBS news estimates that the immigration court system could face a staggering backlog of more than one million cases, if the government shutdown extends into February and March. According to the report, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky in particular will be the most affected, owing to…