THE GIBSON REPORT — 02-05-18 — COMPILED BY ELIZABETH GIBSON ESQ, NY LEGAL ASSISTANCE PROJECT

02-05-18 – Gibson Report

HEADLNES:

“TOP UPDATES

Changes to Asylum Interview Scheduling

USCIS: seeks to deter those who might try to use the existing backlog as a means to obtain employment authorization.

USCIS will follow these priorities when scheduling affirmative asylum interviews:

  1. Applications that were scheduled for an interview, but the interview had to be rescheduled at the applicant’s request or the needs of USCIS;
  2. Applications pending 21 days or less since filing; and
  3. All other pending applications, starting with newer filings and working back toward older filings.

Additionally, the Affirmative Asylum Bulletin issued by USCIS has been discontinued.

  • Note:  When this policy has trapped pending cases in an infinite backlog in the past, mandamus actions were often used to get cases scheduled

 

ICE is about to start tracking license plates across the US

The Verge: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has officially gained agency-wide access to a nationwide license plate recognition database, according to a contract finalized earlier this month. The system gives the agency access to billions of license plate records and new powers of real-time location tracking, raising significant concerns from civil libertarians.

 

Extension of Syrian TPS

USCIS: Secretary Nielsen determined that the ongoing armed conflict and extraordinary conditions that support Syria’s designation for TPS continue to exist. Therefore, pursuant to the statute she has extended Syria’s TPS designation for 18 months.

 

ICE Releases Directive on Civil Immigration Enforcement Actions Inside Courthouses

ICE publishes its policy on civil immigration enforcement actions inside federal, state, and local courthouses, stating that this activity is “wholly consistent with longstanding law enforcement practices, nationwide…. often necessitated by the unwillingness of jurisdictions to cooperate with ICE….” AILA Doc. No. 18013140.

 

Immigration Legislation Attempts

 

DHS Announces Additional Security Procedures for Refugees Seeking Resettlement in the U.S.

DHS announced additional security enhancements and recommendations for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), including additional screening for certain nationals from high-risk countries, administering the USRAP in a more “risk-based manner,” and periodic review. AILA Doc. No. 18013001

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW

 

Judge Orders Immediate Release of an Immigrant Rights Activist

The District Court of the Southern District of New York granted a petition for habeas corpus and ordered that the petitioner be immediately released from custody so that he can say goodbye prior to removal. (Ragbir v. Sessions, 1/29/18). AILA Doc. No. 18020137

 

BIA Narrows Definition of “Admitted In Any Status” for Cancellation of Removal Purposes

The BIA held that, outside the Fifth and Ninth Circuits, to establish continuous residence after having been “admitted in any status” for cancellation of removal, an individual must be admitted in lawful immigration status. Matter of Castillo Angulo, 27 I&N Dec. 194 (BIA 2018). AILA Doc. No. 18013031

 

BIA Orders Respondent Detained without Bond Due to DUIs

The BIA vacated the IJ’s decision to set a $25,000 bond and ordered detention without bond, after finding that the respondent did not meet his burden to show that he was not a danger to the community due to multiple convictions for DUIs. Matter of Siniauskas, 27 I&N Dec. 207 (BIA 2018). AILA Doc. No. 18020239

 

BIA Holds Leaving Scene of Accident Not a CIMT

Unpublished BIA decision holds that leaving the scene of an accident under Cal. Veh. Code 20001(a) is not a CIMT because it criminalizes mere failure to provide all forms of identification. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Khan, 4/26/17) AILA Doc. No. 18020203

 

BIA Finds Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Manufacture or Deliver Not an Aggravated Felony

Unpublished BIA decision holds possession of cocaine with intent to manufacture or deliver under Fla. Stat. 893.13 is not an aggravated felony because neither offense requires unlawful trading or dealing. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Christie, 4/26/17). AILA Doc. No. 18013042

 

CA1 Upholds Denial of Asylum Due to Failure to Show Membership in a Cognizable Social Group

The court denied the petition for review, finding that the petitioner’s proffered social group was insufficiently particular and also failed the social distinctiveness requirement. (Perez-Rabanales v. Sessions, 1/26/18). AILA Doc. No. 18013135

 

CA3 Holds That a Conviction for Georgia Forgery Is an Aggravated Felony

The court denied the petitions for review, holding that a conviction under Georgia’s forgery statute constitutes an offense “relating to” forgery that falls under INA §101(a)(43)(R), making the petitioner subject to removal as an aggravated felon. (Williams v. Att’y Gen., 1/19/18). AILA Doc. No. 18013132

 

CA5 Holds That Petitioner’s PTSD Did Not Have to Be Considered in Determining His Credibility

The court denied the petition for review, holding that Matter of J-R-R-A- did not apply despite the petitioner’s PTSD diagnosis and deferring to the determinations of the IJ and the BIA that his testimony was not credible. (Singh v. Sessions, 1/23/18). AILA Doc. No. 18013134

 

CA7 Upholds Decision That Petitioner from Kyrgyzstan Did Not Prove Eligibility for Asylum

The court denied the petition for review, holding that the IJ and the BIA did not err in concluding that the petitioner’s persecution was not connected to membership in a particular social group of persons associated with a particular political family. (Zhakypbaev v. Sessions, 1/26/18). AILA Doc. No. 18020134

 

CA7 Holds That IJ and BIA Did Not Err in Applying “Substantial Risk of Torture” Standard for Eligibility for CAT Relief

The court denied the petition for review, finding that in asking whether the petitioner faced a “substantial risk of torture,” the IJ and the BIA did not misunderstand the burden an individual faces when seeking relief under the Convention Against Torture. (Perez-Montes v. Sessions, 1/24/18). AILA Doc. No. 18020132

 

CA9 Finds No Right to Court-Appointed Counsel for Minors in Immigration Proceedings

The court denied the petition for review, holding that there is no categorical right to court-appointed counsel at government expense for minors in immigration proceedings, under either the Due Process Clause or the INA. (C.J.L.G. v. Sessions, 1/29/18). AILA Doc. No. 18013036

 

CA9 Holds That California Carjacking Is Not a Crime of Violence

The court held that a conviction for carjacking under California Penal Code §215(a) is not a crime of violence under INA §101(a)(43)(F), but remanded to the BIA on the issue of whether the petitioner’s conviction was a theft offense under §101(a)(43)(G). (Solorio-Ruiz v. Sessions, 1/29/18). AILA Doc. No. 18020135

 

CA11 Holds Battery of a Child Under Fla. Stat. §784.085 to Be a Crime of Child Abuse and a CIMT

The court held that a battery of a child conviction under Florida Statute §784.085 is categorically a crime of child abuse and a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT). (Pierre v. Attorney General, 1/18/18). AILA Doc. No. 18020260

 

Texas and Other States File Amicus Brief Challenging Injunction Against DACA Rescission

Texas and several other states filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court arguing that the Court should reverse the district court’s 1/9/18 order enjoining the rescission of the DACA program. (DHS v. Regents of the University of California, 1/25/18) AILA Doc. No. 17091102

 

ACTIONS

 

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

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PWS

02-05-18

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