HEADLINES:
TOP UPDATES
Immigrant rights group in email says it was warned not to mention abortion to teens
WaPo: The constraints on what government-funded lawyers can say to young detainees was contained in an email from the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice, which said it acted after a phone call with an HHS employee. Vera’s instruction to lawyers comes as the Trump administration has tried in court to block access to abortion procedures for undocumented teens in federal custody. “We know for a fact that there is a very real risk to the entire legal services program for children in [Office of Refugee Resettlement] custody if issues other than immigration are addressed in consultations or representation, the abortion issue in particular.Former ICE Chief Counsel Pleads Guilty to Using the Identities of Numerous Immigrants for Wire Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft Scheme
DOJ: According to admissions in the plea agreement, from October 2013 through Oct. 25, 2017, Sanchez, who had responsibility over immigration removal proceedings in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, intentionally devised a scheme to defraud seven aliens in various stages of immigration removal proceedings.NYC’s Immigration Court Erodes Accommodations for Children Without Attorneys
City Limits: Over the past few months, finding legal representation has become even more challenging for immigrant children in New York City because Manhattan’s federal immigration court has eroded several of the practices and provisions designed to help children connect with nonprofit and pro bono attorneys inside the courthouse, say four lawyers who direct programs that connect with unrepresented children at 26 Federal Plaza.District Court in New York Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Rescission of the DACA Program
The district court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction ordering the government to maintain the DACA program on the same terms and conditions that existed prior to the 9/5/17 DACA rescission memo, subject to certain limitations. (New York v. Trump, 2/13/18)
· USCIS Not Accepting DACA Requests from Individuals Never Granted DACA – USCIS announced that the scope of the 2/13/18 preliminary injunction is the same as the preliminary injunction issued on 1/9/18.City DAs press ICE to stop arresting immigrants at courthouses
Daily News: Three of the city’s districts attorneys are pleading with ICE to stop arresting immigrants at city courthouses. The Manhattan, Brooklyn and Bronx DAs joined Public Advocate Letitia James Wednesday to push the feds to stop the arrests, which they say are interfering with the justice system.DHS Releases a Series of Statements Supporting the Administration
· Unaccompanied Alien Children and Family Units Are Flooding the Border Because of Catch and Release Loopholes
· We Must Secure The Border And Build The Wall To Make America Safe Again
· We Need to End Unchecked Chain Migration and Eliminate the Reckless Visa Lottery to Secure the Nation and Protect the American WorkerFrom School Suspension To Immigration Detention
Intercept: For Immigrant Students on Long Island, Trump’s War on Gangs Means the Wrong T-Shirt Could Get You Deported. The path from school to immigration detention usually goes like this: A teenager, often recently resettled in the United States, gets into some sort of trouble at school. Sometimes, as in Dennis’s case, a fight triggers a criminal charge — making the teen a direct target for removal. Other times, the violation of some school code, official or unofficial, can prompt school administrators to label a teen as a gang member… In the absence of a criminal record, it’s not always clear how that information ends up in the hands of police and immigration authorities — but it usually does.The White House’s weekly ‘immigrant crime’ tally includes non-crimes and nonimmigrants
WaPo: In 2016 there were 1.2 million violent crimes, or 23,077 a week. If that number held last week, the White House only found two crimes linked to immigrants in the country illegally.Immigration reform faces high hurdle in the House
Wa. Examiner: The Senate’s failure to pass an immigration reform proposal last week casts a spotlight on the House, where Speaker Paul Ryan has pledged to take up legislation next month.LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS
New NYPD U cert requirements
The main change/addition is that they now want a copy of our client’s ID and a blank cert with our client’s identifying information already filled out. (see attached guidance)Iranian Alliances Across Borders Challenges Presidential Proclamation on Visa Restrictions
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the 10/17/17 preliminary injunction granted by the district court. The court stayed its decision in light of the Supreme Court’s 12/4/17 order in Trump v. IRAP staying the injunction. (IAAB v. Trump, 2/15/18) AILA Doc. No. 17100400CA4 Affirms District Court’s Preliminary Injunction Against Travel Ban
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the 10/17/17 preliminary injunction granted by the district court. The court stayed its decision in light of the Supreme Court’s 12/4/17 order staying the injunction. (IRAP v. Trump, 2/15/18) AILA Doc. No. 17031332CA9 Remands Case Challenging Exclusion of Protesters from CBP Enforcement Zone
The court remanded to the district court to determine whether, and what part of, a CBP enforcement zone is a public forum, and whether the government’s policy of excluding individuals from the enforcement zone is permissible under the principles of forum analysis. (Jacobson v. DHS, 2/13/18) AILA Doc. No. 18021633CA9 Finds INA §318 Did Not Preclude District Court from Considering Petitioners’ Naturalization Applications
The court held that INA §318 does not preclude a district court from considering a naturalization application that is properly before the court pursuant to INA §336(b). (Yith v. Nielsen, 2/7/18) AILA Doc. No. 18021233CA11 Denies Petition for Review of BIA’s Denial of Motion to Reopen
The court upheld the BIA’s decision denying the petitioner’s motion to reopen removal proceedings, finding, among other things, that he failed to exhaust his administrative remedies and that the BIA did give “reasoned consideration” to his claims. (Lin v. Attorney General, 1/31/18) AILA Doc. No. 18021230District Court in New York Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Rescission of the DACA Program
The district court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction ordering the government to maintain the DACA program on the same terms and conditions that existed prior to the 9/5/17 DACA rescission memo, subject to certain limitations. (New York v. Trump, 2/13/18)District Court Orders IJs to Consider Asylum Seekers’ Financial Circumstances When Setting Bond
A district court ordered that once an IJ has determined that an asylum-seeker at the Batavia Federal Detention Facility should be released on bond, financial circumstances as well as alternative conditions of release should be considered. (Abdi, et al v. Nielsen, 2/9/18) AILA Doc. No. 18021532USCIS Finalizes Guidance on Signature Requirement
USCIS announced that it issued final policy guidance stating that petitioners and applicants who seek immigration benefits must provide a valid signature on submitted forms and that power of attorney signatures will no longer be accepted. This new policy is effective as of 3/18/18. AILA Doc. No. 18021641USCIS Expands Credit Card Payment Options for Fees
USCIS will now accept credit card payments, with this payment option available for the 41 fee-based forms processed at USCIS Lockbox facilities. To pay via Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover, applicants will need to use Form G-1450, Application for Credit Card Transaction. AILA Doc. No. 18021434
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Working off my I-pad today, so I couldn’t make the “Headlines” with “interactive links.” But, if you click the top link, you can get the complete report with all the links.
PWS
02-21-18