November 02, 2023

Expert: Immigration Crackdown Would Require "Massive" Spending

Camilo Montoya-Galvez, CBS News, Nov. 2, 2023 "The vow to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history would face potentially insurmountable operational barriers. The deportation branch of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, for example, has around 8,000 employees. The agency also does not have the funds to carry out the massive roundups and deportations Trump has previewed. The largest annual ICE...

November 01, 2023

Catching Up With Angelo...

I've neglected Angelo Paparelli's " Nation of Immigrators " blog for too long. Here are some of his latest posts: Tipping the Scales of Immigration Justice USCIS Take Notice: Here’s How to Revise Form G-28 (Notice of Entry of Appearance as Attorney) Telling My Story — the Birth of An Immigration Lawyer “Imagine” the Improbable: John Lennon, the Supreme Court, and the Resurrection...

November 01, 2023

White Paper: National Security Depends on Leveraging Immigration to Strengthen Workforce

CNSI, Nov. 1, 2023 "The Council on National Security and Immigration (CNSI) today released a white paper on the need to leverage our immigration system to reinforce our workforce, offset current negative labor and demographic trends, and protect our national security interests. The paper, authored by CNSI leaders Theresa Cardinal Brown and Margaret Stock details how ongoing labor shortages and adverse demographic...

November 01, 2023

An Alternative Approach to Immigration Reform

Stuart Anderson, Forbes, Nov. 1, 2023 "The current immigration flow to the U.S. border represents an unprecedented refugee crisis in the Western Hemisphere caused by political and economic crises in Venezuela and elsewhere in the region. Traditional border approaches designed to deter individual Mexican workers are unlikely to be effective. A National Foundation for American Policy (NFAP) analysis of Border Patrol...

October 31, 2023

Reforming Asylum for the 21st Century: A Podcast with Immigration Expert Muzzafar Chishti

Melissa del Bosque, The Border Chronicle, Oct. 31, 2023 "Muzzafar Chishti, a lawyer, is a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and director of MPI’s office at New York University School of Law. He specializes in immigration policy and has spent years researching and writing about the United States’ outdated asylum system, which he says is “built on a 1952 architecture...

October 31, 2023

Biden's AI Executive Order Has Visa Implications

See Sec. 5.1 of the Executive Order : "5.1. Attracting AI Talent to the United States. (a) Within 90 days of the date of this order, to attract and retain talent in AI and other critical and emerging technologies in the United States economy, the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security shall take appropriate steps to: (i) streamline processing times of visa petitions and applications, including...

October 30, 2023

Migrant Bus Conditions "Disgusting and Inhuman" Says Veteran Who Escorted Convoys

Nicco Quinones, Ashley Schwartz-Lavares, Allie Weintraub, ABC News, October 24, 2023 "A retired veteran hired to work security for migrants being bused out of Texas alleges he witnessed pervasive mistreatment during the long trips to other cities. David Dillard claims he saw migrants being misled about their destinations amid "disgusting and inhuman" conditions on board. He also claims he received an...

October 30, 2023

Church Alleges Religious Rights Violations in Leader's Immigration Case

Phaedra Haywood, Santa Fe New Mexican, Oct. 28, 2023 "A Santa Fe County church known for its use of a hallucinogenic tea has filed a federal lawsuit against the Homeland Security secretary, alleging the agency’s failure to process immigration forms for the group’s leader violates his religious rights. Jose Carlos Garcia oversees nine U.S. congregations of Centro Espírita Beneficente União...

October 27, 2023

Experts: Border Terrorist Watch List Hype Needs Context

Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact, Oct. 27, 2023 "U.S. immigration officials have encountered rising numbers of people on the watchlist. But not everyone on the list is a terrorist, and not everyone encountered is allowed to enter the country. Terrorism and immigration experts say that the threat of attacks in the U.S. and Israel are incomparable. "They both involve borders, but the comparison ends there,"...

October 27, 2023

Managing Maritime Arrivals: MPI Policy Beat

MPI, Oct. 25, 2023 "The Biden administration’s immigration playbook has become increasingly clear. Amid record arrivals of asylum seekers and other migrants coming without prior authorization to enter the United States, it is limiting access to protections for people arriving between ports of entry, opening alternative legal pathways for people fleeing difficult situations, and working with other countries...

October 25, 2023

A Fiefdom on Long Island

Safe Harbor Clinic, Brooklyn Law School "The New York Asylum Office is one of 11 asylum offices around the country. Year after year, the New York Asylum Office grants asylum at one of the lowest, if not the lowest rates in the country, significantly lower than asylum offices in Texas and Florida. According to FOIA and other publicly available data, in FY 2020, the New York Asylum Office granted just 5% of applicants...

October 24, 2023

Free Webinar, Nov. 7th - The Migrant Surge: What’s Different About It This Time?

Cornell Law School - register here "Nov 7, 2023 10:15 AM in Mountain Time (US and Canada) A conversation between Muzaffar Chishti , senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute, and Stephen Yale-Loehr , Professor of Immigration Law Practice, Cornell Law School. Join Mr. Chishti and Professor Yale-Loehr as they discuss the history of migration to the United States, the current migrant surge at the border...

October 21, 2023

Feds Aim to Protect H-2 Workers

DOL, Oct. 19, 2023 "Today, in the White House H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce report, the U.S. Department of Labor joined the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development to announce new efforts to strengthen protections for workers in the H-2B program, who are vulnerable to exploitation by their employers. Each agency involved in the task force is committed...

October 19, 2023

The Visa Apocalypse is Upon Us - Welcome to the Future

Charles Kuck, Oct. 19, 2023 "The U.S. immigration system’s complexity, combined with its systemic administrative incompetence, opaque release of information, and the known, massive backlog has profound consequences on individuals’ lives. Worse, however, is the hidden demand that is not yet reflected in the Department of State’s Visa Bulletin. A prior version of this blog focused on the coming...

October 18, 2023

DHS Announces Family Reunification Parole Process for Ecuador

DHS, Oct. 18, 2023 "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced a new family reunification parole process for certain nationals of Ecuador, advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s effective strategy to combine expanded lawful pathways and strengthened enforcement to reduce irregular migration. The Family Reunification Parole processes promote family unity, and are part of the comprehensive...

October 18, 2023

Senate Hearing: Preserving Due Process and the Rule of Law: Examining the Status of Our Nation’s Immigration Courts

October 18th, 2023 Link to video Witness testimonies: - Hon. Mimi Tsankov , President, National Association of Immigration Judges - Jeremy L. McKinney , Immediate Past President and Member of the Board of Governors, American Immigration Lawyers Association - Rebecca Gambler , Director, Homeland Security and Justice, GAO - Charles D. Stimson , Heritage Foundation

October 17, 2023

EOIR to Host National Stakeholder Meeting Seeking to Increase Pro Bono Representation for Immigration Courts with Dedicated Dockets

EOIR, Oct. 17, 2023 "SUMMARY: The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) invites immigration law school clinical communities and pro bono organizations to attend a national stakeholder meeting for an open discussion on how to increase pro bono representation in immigration courts with Dedicated Dockets. At this meeting, EOIR seeks input and recommendations on how the agency can better encourage and facilitate...

October 16, 2023

Emerging Immigration Issues Arising from Violence in the Middle East

Cyrus Mehta, Kaitlyn Box, Oct. 16, 2023 "The violence and loss of life in the Middle East this week are unspeakably tragic, and it is innocent Israeli and Palestinian citizens who stand to suffer the most in the escalating conflict. Hamas’ condemnable attack of Israeli civilians, as well as Israel’s subsequent preparations to invade Gaza to destroy Hamas, are likely to result in many Israeli and Palestinian...

October 16, 2023

Family Separation Class Action Settlement: Ms. L. v. ICE

DOJ, Oct. 16, 2023 "On Oct. 16, the United States reached a settlement in Ms. L., et al. v. ICE, et al. , a class action litigation filed in 2018 seeking injunctive relief relating to the separation of parents and children at the southwest border. The proposed settlement agreement is subject to final approval by the district court after notice to the class and an opportunity to object. “The practice of...

October 15, 2023

Expert: International Travel on Advance Parole Can Be Risky

Seth Kugel, New York Times, Oct. 13, 2023 "A Chinese scientist, an Egyptian grandmother and a Bangladeshi woman from Queens were all turned away and refused a refund despite having the U.S. government’s permission — and documents — to travel. ... “Even a green card holder is not guaranteed re-entry into the United States,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr , who teaches immigration law at Cornell...

October 15, 2023

Recommendations for Upholding and Upgrading Asylum

Human Rights First, October 2023 "Nearly three years after President Biden took office, his administration should double down on effective and humane strategies that are essential to adherence to refugee law and an orderly approach to managing migration. As detailed in Human Rights First’s full set of recommendations, the administration should: strengthen its initiatives to build regular pathways and...

October 13, 2023

Biden's Waiver of Border Environmental Laws Not Required, Will Cause Real Harm

Mark Nevitt, Lawfare, Oct. 11, 2023 "[D]id President Biden have to build this section of the border wall? Second, was waiving this flurry of environmental laws required? Yes and no. Yes: The president was legally obligated to use the money from an earlier 2019 congressional appropriation for its intended purpose—the border wall. This is nondiscretionary. Failure to do this would violate fiscal law principles...

October 13, 2023

Refugees Are An American Immigration Success Story

Stuart Anderson, Forbes, Oct. 12, 2023 "Refugees succeed in America by working hard, finding niches and increasing their education and ability to speak English, according to new research . The study finds refugees experience rapid earnings growth and commit far fewer criminal offenses than the U.S.-born."

October 12, 2023

DOJ, CFPB Joint Statement: Financial Institutions May Not Use Immigration Status to Illegally Discriminate Against Credit Applicants

DOJ, Oct. 12, 2023 "The Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a joint statement today that reminds financial institutions that all credit applicants are protected from discrimination on the basis of their national origin, race and other characteristics covered by the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), regardless of their immigration status. The Justice Department and CFPB are...

October 12, 2023

Immigration Reform Would Bring "Huge Benefits"

Kate Dore, CNBC, Oct. 12, 2023 "As the U.S. fertility rate continues to fall, there are growing concerns about the long-term economic impact : A smaller population means less tax revenue, which could reduce funding for programs such as Social Security and Medicare. But immigration policy reform could be one solution, some experts say. ... "The tax base is shrinking, and allowing immigrants to come in lawfully...