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The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday stayed a significant part of an earlier decision by the Northern District of Texas that would have blocked the implementation of the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities. In doing so, the Fifth Circuit emphasized that decisions regarding whom to detain and prosecute remain the purview of the […]

The post Court Allows ICE to Use Enforcement Priorities Set by the Biden Administration appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The September 11th terrorist attacks not only led to the tragic deaths of 2,977 people, they fundamentally changed the nature of immigration law and policy in the United States. Since 9/11, the U.S. government has viewed every non-U.S. citizen seeking to enter the country as a potential threat. Foreign tourists and students, temporary workers, permanent […]

The post Fear of Another 9/11 Continues to Drive US Immigration Policy 20 Years Later appeared first on Immigration Impact.

In this blog post, expert litigator and past AILA president Ron Klasko gives a few examples of cases that could benefit from litigation, and highlights the upcoming Federal Court Conference as a chance to learn skills to help your clients.

House Democrats began to mark up a budget reconciliation bill on September 10 that would provide a path to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Although the bill will likely go through multiple changes before a final vote, the text provides an important marker for understanding who might benefit from […]

The post The House Offers First Glimpse at Legalization for Millions of Immigrants Through Reconciliation appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Proposed legislation in California that would further limit the state’s involvement in immigration detention has made progress toward becoming law. The VISION Act would prevent transfers to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody of people who are released from state or local custody. The bill passed the state assembly in June and is now […]

The post California Law Would Prevent Transfers From Local Law Enforcement to ICE Custody appeared first on Immigration Impact.

AILA pays tribute to the career and impact of Dale Schwartz, past president of AILA with two videos from Allen Orr and Greg Siskind who share insights as they reflect on his life and legacy.

A federal court concluded Thursday that the U.S. government’s turning back of asylum seekers at ports of entry along the U.S.-Mexico border—primarily through a practice called metering—not only violates U.S. law, but also is unconstitutional. Before the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) and Title 42, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers began the practice of […]

The post Turning back asylum seekers is against the law, court finds appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law in August that would allow the Cook County Public Defender to represent immigrants in the Chicago immigration court. The law is part of a movement to expand access to legal representation for people facing deportation. It comes on the heels of another pro-immigrant Illinois law that disallows immigration […]

The post New Illinois Law Allows Public Defenders to Represent Immigrants Facing Deportation appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have confirmed that 34 unaccompanied minors from Afghanistan currently in the United States were among the approximately 123,000 Afghan nationals evacuated from Afghanistan last month. With more Afghan children expected to arrive in the United States, their future and what awaits them is unclear. An […]

The post Unaccompanied Minors Among Thousands Evacuated from Afghanistan appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Biden administration predicts that it will fail to issue many of the legal permanent resident visas—also known as green cards—allotted this year for immigrants who have been sponsored by a U.S. employer or family member. The State Department estimates that roughly 100,000 visas for employment-based immigrants and 150,000 visas for family-based immigrants will go […]

The post President Biden is Overseeing a Historic Decline in Legal Immigration appeared first on Immigration Impact.

A federal judge ruled for the first time in U.S. history that a provision of U.S. immigration law which makes it a felony for someone to reenter the United States after having been deported is unconstitutional because of its racist origins. Since 1929, U.S. immigration law has made it a misdemeanor to “unlawfully enter” the […]

The post Felony Reentry Immigration Law Is Unconstitutional Due to Racist Origins, Judge Rules appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Supreme Court refused to block an order to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. The decision comes after a Texas judge halted the government’s recission of the controversial and illegal program. The Supreme Court’s ruling means that the government must make “best efforts” to reinstate the program […]

The post Supreme Court Refuses to Stop the Migrant Protection Protocols From Going Back Into Effect appeared first on Immigration Impact.

For the second year in a row, many winners of the diversity visa lottery face the prospect of losing their chance to come to the United States because the federal government can’t—or won’t—issue their visas in time. The 2020 lottery winners are still suffering the effects of restrictive Trump-era policies. Winners of the 2021 lottery […]

The post Diversity Visa Lottery Winners Might Lose Chance to Come to the U.S. Due to Delays, Trump Policies appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Judge Drew Tipton of the Southern District of Texas on August 19 blocked a set of enforcement priorities the Biden administration had issued in January and February 2021 in an attempt to focus limited enforcement resources. This preliminary injunction will be in effect beginning September 3 unless it is overturned. It can remain in effect […]

The post TX Court Issues Stunning Order: US Government Can’t Set Priorities for Immigration Enforcement appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Biden administration announced this week that it will propose a new rule to speed up the fair and humane processing of asylum claims of people arriving at the U.S. border. The issue has been the recent subject of fierce public and political debate. Tellingly, this is the new administration’s first proposed immigration rule. Among […]

The post Biden Administration Plans Big Changes for Asylum Seekers at the Border appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Demographers have known for decades that the United States is well on its way to becoming a predominantly multi-racial and multi-ethnic society. New data from the 2020 Census reveals how rapidly that transformation is taking place. Increasing numbers of people identify racially as either Asian or multi-racial. Growing numbers of people identify ethnically as Latino […]

The post People of Color Made Up All of the United States’ Population Growth in the Last 10 Years appeared first on Immigration Impact.

Across centuries, Afghanistan has been a nation unconquerable. From the conquest of Alexander the Great to the United States military, insurgent forces have beat back the offensive from some of the world’s most powerful armies. Though the context may have been different across each of these historical periods, the most recent fall is both stunning […]

The post America’s Ending in Afghanistan Must Ensure Safe Passage for Our Afghan Allies appeared first on Immigration Impact.

The Trump administration’s Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), also known as the “Remain in Mexico” program, inflicted extreme harm on vulnerable people seeking asylum at the border beginning in January 2019. Thankfully, President Biden suspended the program on the day he took office. However, a new decision from a federal judge in Texas threatens to force […]

The post Federal Court Orders Biden to Restore the ‘Remain in Mexico’ Program appeared first on Immigration Impact.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced this week a new policy designed to honor and protect vulnerable immigrants. The new policy addresses protections for survivors of violence, trafficking, and domestic abuse. Issued on August 11, the policy states that ICE will exercise prosecutorial discretion “to facilitate access to justice and victim-based immigration benefits by […]

The post ICE Announces New Victim-Centered Policy, Showing a Favorable Shift Toward Vulnerable Immigrants appeared first on Immigration Impact.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has begun implementing policies in recent weeks which expand access to lawful immigration status, employment, and humanitarian protections for people who were previously under assault by the Trump administration. ‘ These latest developments include a redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians, a new policy on U.S. citizenship […]

The post USCIS Has Been Busy Expanding Access to Legal Immigration and Restoring Some Humanitarian Protections appeared first on Immigration Impact.