Weekly Briefing
This briefing is designed as a quick-reference aggregation of developments in immigration law, practice, and policy that you can scan for anything you missed over the last week. The contents of the news, links, and events do not necessarily reflect the position of the National Immigrant Justice Center. If you have items that you would like considered for inclusion, please email them to egibson@heartlandalliance.org.
CONTENTS (jump to section)
- NEWS
- LITIGATION & AGENCY UPDATES
- RESOURCES
- EVENTS
PRACTICAL UPDATES
New I-765 and I-589 are mandatory starting next week: Starting Nov. 7, 2022, USCIS will only accept the 07/26/22 editions.
NEWS
With a possible surge of Haitian migrants ahead, the Biden admin is weighing holding them in a third country or at Guantánamo
NBC: The Biden administration is weighing options to respond to what could soon be a mass exodus of migrants from Haiti, including temporarily holding migrants in a third country or expanding capacity at an existing facility at the U.S. prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, according to two U.S. officials and an internal planning document reviewed by NBC News.
Thousands of Venezuelans are stranded in Mexico after the U.S. shut doors to them
NPR: Tens of thousands of Venezuelans are stranded south of the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. recently shut the door to them and is returning most Venezuelans who arrive seeking asylum to Mexico. See also Venezuelans struggle with new reality in Tijuana after expulsions from United States.
At least 853 migrants died crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in past 12 months — a record high
CBS: The figure, which far exceeded the previous record of 546 migrant deaths recorded by Border Patrol in fiscal year 2021, is likely an undercount due to data collection limits, migration policy analysts said.
Report: Abuse reports by Black immigrant detainees are disproportionately high
LA Times: After analyzing the records of nearly 17,000 calls between 2016 and 2021 from its national immigrant detention hotline, Freedom for Immigrants released a report Wednesday that it and other advocacy groups say indicates a pattern of racism and abuse toward Black migrants.
Hundreds of Thousands at Imminent Risk of Deportation and Family Separation After Negotiations in Ramos v. Mayorkas Collapse
ACLU: After 16 months of negotiations, settlement talks between the Biden administration and plaintiffs in Ramos v. Mayorkas officially collapsed yesterday afternoon, leaving more than 260,000 people at risk of deportation. Beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and their US citizen children first brought the lawsuit in 2018 after Trump revoked protections for individuals from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, and later for Nepal and Honduras.
U.S. removes Trump-era barriers to citizenship-test waivers for disabled immigrants
NPR: After months of public feedback, the federal agency has shortened and simplified its disability waiver, which is used to exempt immigrants with physical, mental or learning disabilities from the English and civics test requirements.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Defies Biden With Border Wall Made of Shipping Containers
Intercept: On Monday, Gov. Doug Ducey began dropping the first of thousands of shipping containers along a 10-mile stretch of national forest in open defiance of federal authorities. In the days since, the Republican governor has transformed a remote section of rugged desert into what looks like a junkyard.
Poll finds broad support in battleground states for legalizing unauthorized immigrants
CBS: Seventy-three percent of surveyed voters in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin said they backed giving immigrants living in the U.S. without legal permission an opportunity to “earn” lawful status and ultimately citizenship if they meet certain requirements, including passing background checks.
The Migrant Crisis, Eric Adams and Politics 101
NYT: Adams said he’s hopeful that changes President Biden recently announced to federal immigration policy could help reduce the flow of migrants to New York. See also Migrant crisis is ultimate test of NYC schools; Asylum seekers facing legal challenges.
LITIGATION & AGENCY UPDATES
9th Circ. Says It Can’t Hear Salvadoran’s ‘Transit Bar’ Case
Law360: A split Ninth Circuit declined to revive the asylum bid of a Salvadoran man ordered deported after traveling through Guatemala and Mexico before entering the U.S., saying its hands were tied when it came to reviewing expedited removal orders.
Split 9th Circ. Orders New Look At Guatemalan’s Torture Claim
Law360: A split Ninth Circuit has ordered the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider a Guatemalan man’s deportation relief bid, saying the agency wrongly ruled out government acquiescence in the man’s account of being tortured by Guatemalan police officers.
10th Circ. Declines Review Of 1999 Deportation Order
Law360: The Tenth Circuit declined to review a former conditional green card holder’s challenge of a 1999 deportation order, saying his chances of tossing the decades-long order stopped at the immigration courts due to his unlawful reentries into the U.S.
USCIS Retracts T Visa Denial After Judge’s Rebuke
Law360: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approved a Mexican woman’s application for a T visa, designated for sex trafficking victims, after an Illinois federal judge faulted the agency’s earlier refusal to accept an immigration judge’s waiver of inadmissibility, the woman said.
Juvenile Migrants Differ From Trafficking Victims, Judge Says
Law360: A California federal judge tossed an equal protection claim brought by young immigrants who were abused or neglected by their parents, dismissing on Wednesday their argument that the government was unfairly treating them differently from trafficking victims in doling out work authorization.
Florida judge orders DeSantis to hand over migrant flights records
Politico: The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but lawyers representing the Florida Center for Government Accountability said they anticipated there would be an appeal.
Mastermind behind massive marriage fraud conspiracy sentenced to 10 years in prison
ICE: The organization was responsible for organizing well over 500 sham marriages in exchange for substantial amounts of money solely for the alien beneficiary to obtain immigration benefits.
Senate Dems Seek To Expand Haitian Deportation Shield
Law360: Senate Democrats called on the Biden administration to broaden Haitian immigration protections to cover Haitians who have fled political and economic turmoil over the past year, saying Wednesday that conditions in Haiti have only worsened since the administration last offered relief
EOIR Announces 32 New Immigration Judges
EOIR: The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced the appointment of 32 immigration judges to courts in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
RESOURCES
EVENTS
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When all else fails, picking on vulnerable Black Haitian refugees is always a popular way to buff up your “restrictionist creds” for Administrations of both parties. But, the GOP already has the White Nationalist/nativist vote locked up. So, what the Biden folks hope to get by throwing Haitians “under the bus” and driving back and forth over their bodies is a mystery to me.
Hey, I’m only a retired Immigration Judge, not a political wonk. But, I can’t see what Biden and Harris stand to gain with their cruel, anti-Haitian policies.
Why not set up viable refugee programs in Haiti, as we did for Cubans, if we don’t want more refugees taking to the sea in leaky boats? Why not prioritize immigrant visa processing for qualified immigrants from Haiti, Cuba, Venezuela, the Northern Triangle, and other Western Hemisphere countries? Migration from these nations to the U.S. is a reality that benefits both the migrants and our nation. Why not use the tools at hand to channel legal immigration rather than flailing around with questionable built to fail “deterrents.”