THE GIBSON REPORT — 12-21-20 — Compiled by Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, January 8, 2021. NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

USCIS Extends Flexibility for Responding to Agency Requests

USCIS: In response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is extending the flexibilities it announced on March 30, 2020…This flexibility applies to the above documents if the issuance date listed on the request, notice, or decision is between March 1, 2020, and Jan. 31, 2021, inclusive.

 

Unrelated to COVID-19, the federal government will be closed 12/24/2020 by Executive Order.

 

TOP NEWS

 

More Rules (subject to litigation)

 

Trump has finalized a controversial agreement to deport asylum seekers to El Salvador

Vox: The Asylum Cooperative Agreement, signed in September 2019 with the approval of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, is one of three such pacts that the US has made in an effort to discourage regional migration. The other agreements are with Honduras and Guatemala, although only the agreement with Guatemala has gone into effect so far, leading to the deportations of nearly 1,000 Hondurans and Salvadorans.

 

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Chance for Liberian Immigrants Has Been “Hamstrung” by COVID — and Trump’s Dysfunctional Immigration Bureaucracy

ProPublica: Last year, Congress quietly passed a bill allowing thousands of Liberian immigrants to apply for green cards. But the Trump administration hardly made it easy, and now the application window is closing.

 

Immigrant Families Are Being Deported Without Their Asylum Claims Heard Lawfully, Advocates Say

Buzzfeed: On Friday, six families from Guatemala and six families from El Salvador were taken to separate airports to be deported by ICE, said Shalyn Fluharty, an attorney with Proyecto Dilley, which offers legal services to detained families. Some of the families were pulled from the plane at the last minute while asylum officers reviewed their claims, but at least one family was deported.

 

Cuomo Finally Signs Protect Our Courts Act To Stop Courthouse Arrests

Documented: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) finally signed the Protect Our Courts Act after the New York State Legislature approved it in July. This bill is meant to stop law enforcement from arresting undocumented immigrants at courthouses. Between 2016 and 2018, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in and around New York courthouses grew from 11 operations to 202 operations.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Court tosses challenge to Trump’s plan to exclude unauthorized immigrants from congressional reapportionment

SCOTUSblog: The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that it was too early to resolve the legality of the Trump administration’s plan to exclude people who are in the country illegally from the state-by-state breakdown used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives. The decision puts at least a temporary end to the litigation challenging the president’s plan. But the ruling, from which the court’s three liberal justices dissented, leaves open the possibility that the challengers could return to court if the Trump administration implements the plan during its final month in office.

 

Practice Alert: USCIS Agrees to Stop Rejecting Applications and Petitions for Blank Spaces as of December 28, 2020

As a result of class action litigation in Vangala v. USCIS challenging USCIS’s “No Blank Space” policy, USCIS has agreed to stop implementing the rejection policy for asylum applications and U visa petitions starting December 28, 2020. AILA provides a practice alert with additional details. AILA Doc. No. 20122100

 

USCIS and ICE Must Give People Access to Their Immigration Files After Losing Lawsuit
AIC: People who need access to their government immigration records scored a huge victory on December 17. A judge ruled that a nationwide class of individuals should have access to their immigration files—called A-Files—within the timeframes outlined by law.

 

BIA Rules on Expert Testimony and Factual Findings

The BIA ruled that expert testimony is evidence, but only an immigration judge makes factual findings, and that when a factual finding is inconsistent with an expert’s opinion, judges should explain the reasons behind the factual findings. Matter of M-A-M-Z-, 28 I&N Dec. 173 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20121736

 

CA9 Holds It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review IJs’ Denials of Petitioners’ Motions to Reopen Credible Fear Proceedings

The court dismissed the petitions for review of the IJ’s decisions denying the petitioners’ motions to reopen their credible fear determinations on the basis that IJs lack jurisdiction to reopen credible fear proceedings under 8 CFR §1208.30(g)(2)(iv)(A). (Singh v. Barr, 12/9/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121632

 

CA9 Concludes USCIS Misrepresented the OOH and Failed to Consider Key Evidence in Its Denial of H-1B Petition for Computer Programmer

CA9 concluded that USCIS’s denial of an H-1B petition was arbitrary and capricious because it misrepresented the OOH and failed to consider OOH language providing that a “bachelor’s degree” is the “[t]ypical level of education” for computer programmers. (Innova Solutions v. Baran, 12/16/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121733

 

CA10 Says BIA’s Finding That Petitioner Could Safely Relocate Within Ghana Was Not Supported by Substantial Evidence

The court held that the government had failed to rebut the presumption that the petitioner, a son of the chief of the Challa tribe who had received death threats from members of the rival Atwode tribe, had a well-founded fear of future persecution in Ghana. (Addo v. Barr, 12/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121635

 

CA10 Upholds CAT Denial as to Nigerian Petitioner Who Alleged He Was Attacked for His Homosexuality

The court upheld the denial of Convention Against Torture (CAT) relief as to petitioner, who alleged he had been attacked in Nigeria in 2006 because of his homosexuality, finding that the BIA’s adverse credibility determination was supported by substantial evidence. (Igiebor v. Barr, 12/7/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121634

 

CA11 Finds “Egregious Circumstances” Exception Did Not Apply to Release Petitioner from Her Attorney’s Concession of Removability

The court held that petitioner was bound by her attorney’s concession of removability because it was not obviously incorrect and because it was not a product of her attorney’s unreasonable professional judgment or so unfair that it led to an unjust result. (Dos Santos v. Att’y Gen., 12/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121636

 

DOS Provides Immigrant Visa Processing Update in Response to Injunction in Young v. Trump

DOS announced that immigrant visa applicants who are named plaintiffs in Young v. Trump should contact the National Visa Center for guidance on scheduling a visa interview, or if they case had previously been scheduled, their nearest embassy or consulate. AILA Doc. No. 20121731

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Refugee and Asylee Adjustment of Status Interview Criteria and Guidelines

USCIS updated guidance regarding adjustment of status (AOS) interview criteria and guidelines for refugees and asylees. USCIS updated the list of categories of AOS cases in which USCIS may waive the required interview, and updated and clarified interview criteria for asylee and refugee AOS cases. AILA Doc. No. 20121531

 

USCIS Provides Update on Receipt Notice Delays for Forms Filed with USCIS Lockbox

USCIS issued a stakeholder message noting that a significant increase in filings in recent weeks and facility capacity restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are causing “significant delays for processing receipt notices” for forms and applications filed with the USCIS Lockbox. AILA Doc. No. 20121534

 

DHS and DOJ Final Rule Barring from Asylum Eligibility Individuals Who Transit Through a Third Country Without Seeking Protection

DHS and DOJ final rule which finalizes, with minor changes, the Interim Final Rule published at 84 FR 33829 on 7/16/19, which barred from asylum eligibility individuals who transit through a third country without seeking protection. The rule is effective 1/19/21. (85 FR 82260, 12/17/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121633

 

EOIR Final Rule Increasing Fees for Filings

EOIR final rule increasing the filing fees for applications, appeals, and motions that are subject to an EOIR-determined fee. The rule is effective 1/19/21. (85 FR 82750, 12/18/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121533

 

EOIR Final Rule on Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal

EOIR final rule making changes to the regulations on asylum and withholding of removal. The final rule adopts the notice of proposed rulemaking published at 85 FR 58692 on 9/23/20 with few changes. The rule is effective 1/15/21. (85 FR 81698, 12/16/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121637

 

EOIR Final Rule on Appellate Procedures and Administrative Closure

EOIR final rule amending the regulations on the processing of immigration appeals, as well as amending the regulations regarding administrative closure. The rule is effective 1/15/21. (85 FR 81588, 12/16/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121130

 

New R&A Forms to be Mandatory

CLINIC: he Executive Office for Immigration Review, or EOIR, has updated the webpage for the Recognition and Accreditation program to indicate that as of Dec. 14, 2020, EOIR will no longer accept previous versions of Forms EOIR-31 and EOIR-31A. The versions dated February 2020 will be required after that date.

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, December 21, 2020

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Saturday, December 19, 2020

Friday, December 18, 2020

Thursday, December 17, 2020

Wednesday, December 16, 2020

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Monday, December 14, 2020

 

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Documenting the final weeks of the kakistocracy.

PWS

12-23-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 12-14-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — Dumbing Down EOIR 👎🏻🤯 — How America’s Immigration Courts Became “Amateur Night At The Bijou” 🤹 With Humanity At Stake & Other Horror Stories ☠️ From The Dying ⚰️ Kakistocracy!

EYORE
“Eyore In Distress”
Once A Symbol of Fairness, Due Process, & Best Practices, Now Gone “Belly Up”
Star Chamber Justice
“Justice”
Star Chamber
Style
Kangaroos
BIA Members In Training Session
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rasputin243/
Creative Commons License
Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, January 1, 2020 (This is the date announced last week. It is unclear whether there will be an update this week, since a longer-than-usual postponement was announced last week, likely in light of the holidays). NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

TOP NEWS

 

Trump Administration Enacts Rule Gutting Protection for Refugees and Asylum Seekers

HRW: In the waning days of the current administration, the Trump U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Justice have rammed through a sweeping final rule, set to go into effect on January 11, 2021, that guts what remains of protection for refugees seeking asylum in the United States…Under the rule, the Trump administration is likely to, among many other harmful actions: Deny asylum to refugees who improperly entered the United States…Deny asylum to a woman who is harmed for gender-based violence…Deny asylum to LGBTQ refugees… Redefine persecution…Redefine “political opinion”… increasing the complexity of credible fear screenings… new grounds for declaring asylum applications “frivolous,”… See also EOIR Memo on implementation of the regs.

 

US Extends Temporary Protected Status for 6 Disaster-Hit Countries

VOA: The so-called Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some citizens of El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras and Nepal was extended by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) until at least October 2021.

 

DOJ Reins In Immigration Appeals With Final Rule

Law360: The rule, proposed in August, will curtail the ability of immigration appellate judges to hear cases on their own accord, impose a time limit on appeals, and create a mechanism for lower immigration judges to seek reversal of appellate judges at the Board of Immigration Appeals by petitioning a political DOJ appointee.

 

DOJ Floats E-Filing Rule In Immigration Courts

Law360: The U.S. Department of Justice proposed implementing electronic filing across all immigration courts, allowing immigration attorneys to submit documents, access case files and view court decisions virtually.

 

The Trump administration expelled unaccompanied migrant children in violation of a court order

Vox: The Trump administration has expelled at least 67 unaccompanied migrant children who arrived on the US-Mexico border since November 18, continuing to invoke Covid-19 as a rationale in defiance of a court order.

 

Tracking the Trump Administration’s “Midnight Regulations”

ProPublica: The administration is rushing to implement dozens of policy changes in its final days. We’re following some of the most consequential and controversial.

 

COVID-19 Vaccine: What about undocumented immigrants and communities of color?

DocumentedNY: Cuomo announced Wednesday that the Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had agreed to remove the requirements on vaccine reporting data that could determine whether vaccine recipients are U.S. citizens.

 

ICE Mismanagement Created Coronavirus “Hotbeds Of Infection” In And Around Detention Centers

Intercept: By August 1, almost 5.5 percent of total U.S. cases, according to the report, were attributable to spread from ICE detention centers. The report is yet another damning indication that ICE’s dereliction in protecting basic human rights, grievous medical neglect, and lack of transparency in how it detains and treats people in its system of over 200 detention centers is a massive public health threat — both to detainees and the greater U.S. population.

 

Persecuted and marginalized: Black LGBTQ immigrants face unique challenges

ABA: As part of her efforts to build community among LGBTQ immigrants, Gurmu also established the Queer Black Immigrant Project, or QBip, an effort she describes as a black radical lawyering initiative that seeks not only to assist people with asylum claims but also finds solutions to why Black immigrants are leaving their homelands.

 

The United States Has Failed Cameroonian Asylum-Seekers

FP: Fleeing a civil war shaped by the West, Cameroonians have been met on American shores with hostility, high-risk conditions, and now unconscionable deportation.

 

Progressives are getting ready to push Biden on immigration reform

Vox: Biden claims that he would not simply return to the Obama-era status quo on immigration, which involved record-level deportations and an expansion of family detention.

 

How many of our immigration judges are amateurs at immigration law?

The Hill: The problem is the training program for new judges does not spend enough time teaching immigration law to give them the knowledge they will need as immigration judges. Unlike in many courtrooms, these new judges generally will be expected to issue an oral decision at the end of each hearing, which does not give them time to do research or get advice from more experienced judges.

 

Contractors Dynamite Mountains, Bulldoze Desert In Race To Build Trump’s Border Wall

NPR: This is one of 29 construction projects being performed by 13 different contractors from San Diego to Brownsville, Texas. In Arizona, contractors have added shifts — they’re working all night long under light towers to meet Trump’s goal of 450 miles of new barriers before his term is over.

 

How ICE Became The Face Of Trump’s Immigration Crackdown And Where It Goes From Here After Biden Is In Charge

Buzzfeed: BuzzFeed News spoke with 12 current and former ICE officials who served during the Trump administration about their experiences and their thoughts about the future. Many, like Schwab, said the new president must find a way to correct the excesses of the past four years and restore public trust in the agency by revamping policies and tactics. But many also cautioned that it won’t be easy.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Opinion analysis: Justices allow Muslim men placed on “no fly” list to sue FBI agents for money damages

SCOTUSblog: In a brief and unanimous opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court upheld the 2nd Circuit’s ruling. Thomas pointed to the text of RFRA, which allows an individual whose exercise of religion has been burdened to “obtain appropriate relief against a government.” That phrase, Thomas explained, permits someone who has been injured to sue government officials in their personal capacities.

 

Supreme Court puts off ruling on Trump census case to exclude undocumented immigrants

NBC: The Trump administration had urged the court to take the case on a fast track and issue a decision before the president is required to submit the census report to Congress in early January. But by the time the case was argued Nov. 20, the Census Bureau conceded that it has no idea yet know how many people would be excluded or when it will have the answer. It appeared Monday that the justices declined to act for that reason.

 

CA1 Finds Petitioner Abandoned LPR Status After Living and Working in Canada for Six Years

The court denied the petition for review, finding that the petitioner, a Lebanese citizen who was admitted to the United States as a lawful permanent resident (LPR) in 1991, had abandoned his LPR status after living and working in Canada for six years. (Mahmoud v. Barr, 11/30/20) AILA Doc. No. 20120708

 

CA9 Says Derivative U Visa Spouse Need Not Be Married to Principal Applicant at Time of Form I-918 Filing

The court held that to qualify for a derivative U visa as a spouse, a person need not have been married to the principal applicant at the time the Form I-918 application was filed, so long as the marriage exists when the principal applicant receives a U visa. (Tovar v. Zuchowski, 12/3/20) AILA Doc. No. 20120839

 

CA11 Says INA §241(a)(5) Bars Reopening of Reinstated Removal Order Where Noncitizen Unlawfully Reentered After Removal

The court concluded that the plain language of INA §241(a)(5) bars the reopening of a reinstated removal order where a noncitizen has illegally reentered the United States following his or her initial removal, and thus denied the petition for review. (Alfaro-Garcia v. Att’y Gen., 11/30/20) AILA Doc. No. 20120709

 

Feds Can’t Enforce Trump’s No-Visa Policy For 181 Families

Law360: A California federal judge on Friday blocked enforcement of President Donald Trump’s COVID-19-related rule barring noncitizens from moving to the U.S. on new green cards, specifically as the rule pertains to 181 families, finding that the families showed they’d suffer irreparable harm.

 

District Court Rejects Challenge to DHS’s Expedited Removal Pilot Programs

The district court found that DHS’s new detention-placement policy of the Prompt Asylum Claim Review (PACR) and Humanitarian Asylum Review Process (HARP) programs did not violate statutory, regulatory, or constitutional requirements. (Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center v. Wolf, 11/30/20) AILA Doc. No. 20120838

 

DHS and DOJ Final Rule on Procedures for Asylum, Withholding of Removal, and CAT Protection

DHS and DOJ final rule making multiple changes to the regulations governing the procedures for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the CAT. The final rule adopts the notice of proposed rulemaking published on 6/15/20 with few substantive changes. (85 FR 80274, 12/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20121030

 

EOIR Issues Memo Providing Guidance on New Regulations Governing Procedures for Asylum, Withholding of Removal, and CAT Protection

EOIR issued a memo (PM 21-09) establishing EOIR policy and procedures regarding new DHS and DOJ regulations, effective January 11, 2021, about credible fear and reasonable fear review screenings and the adjudication of asylum, statutory withholding of removal, and protection under CAT claims. AILA Doc. No. 20121400 See also Final Rule: Procedures for Asylum and Withholding of Removal; Credible Fear and Reasonable Fear Review.

 

EOIR Issues Memo on Pro Bono Legal Services

EOIR issued a memo (PM 21-08) consolidating and updating EOIR policies related to pro bono legal services. This memo replaces OPPM 97-1, Maintaining the List of Free Legal Service Providers, and OPPM 08-01, Guidelines for Facilitating Pro Bono Legal Services. AILA Doc. No. 20121133

 

EOIR Issues Memo Setting Forth Updated Adjournment, Call-Up, and Case Identification Codes

EOIR issued a policy memo (PM 21-07) rescinding PM 20-08, Definitions and Use of Adjournment, Call-Up, and Case Identification Codes, dated February 13, 2020, and setting forth updated codes used to track the case hearing process. AILA Doc. No. 20121038

 

Advance Copy of EOIR Final Rule on Appellate Procedures and Administrative Closure

EOIR final rule amending the regulations on the processing of immigration appeals, as well as amending the regulations regarding administrative closure. The final rule will be published in the Federal Register on 12/16/20 and will be effective 30 days after publication. AILA Doc. No. 20121130

 

DOJ Provides Information on EADs for Six TPS-Designated Countries

DOJ provided a table of EAD expiration dates that were issued under the TPS designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua, and Sudan. EADs with expiration dates listed in the table and a category code of A-12 or C-19 are now valid through October 4, 2021. AILA Doc. No. 20121401

 

Update: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

USCIS: In compliance with an order of a United States District Court, effective December 7, 2020, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is: Accepting first-time requests for consideration of deferred action under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) based on the terms of the DACA policy in effect prior to September 5, 2017, and in accordance with the Court’s December 4, 2020, order.

 

ACTIONS

 

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Saturday, December 12, 2020

Friday, December 11, 2020

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Wednesday, December 9, 2020

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Monday, December 7, 2020

Fourth Circuit to Rehear En Banc Public Charge Rule Case

 

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Thanks to former EOIR attorney Nolan Rappaport over @ The Hill for highlighting the disgraceful “expertise deficit” at EOIR. Nolan’s article was also cited by Judge “Sir Jeffrey” Chase of the Round Table 🛡⚔️ in a recent post.

https://immigrationcourtside.com/2020/12/15/%f0%9f%9b%a1%e2%9a%94%ef%b8%8f%e2%9a%96%ef%b8%8f%f0%9f%97%bdsir-jeffreys-2021-wish-list-sanity-humanity-due-process-other-great-things-the-importance-of-a-long/

And, as always, thanks Elizabeth, for all you do to keep us well-informed!

The only real question is how much wanton damage can the EOIR Clown Show 🤡🏴‍☠️ inflict on humanity and our legal system before the curtain falls on January 21? Apparently, like the Trump/Barr “holiday execution extravaganza” 🎅🏻⚰️ & “COVID spreading spree,”🤮 they are going for “maximum kills.” ☠️⚰️

PWS

12-16-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 11-30-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — EOIR Kakistocracy 🏴‍☠️🤮 Sets Backlog Records, Imposes Maliciously Ridiculous Deadlines, Proposes Bozo Anti-Asylum, Anti-Due-Process Regs; Racist Bonds & “Death Flights” ✈️☠️⚰️ By DHS; Illegal Child Deportations 👎🏻 By ICE; Lawless Abuse Of Pregnant Women By CBP 🤮;  Plans For More “Crimes Against Humanity” ☠️⚰️ By “Wolfman The Illegal;” & Other News From The Soundly Defeated But Not Yet Departed White Nationalist Kakistocracy! 🏴‍☠️ 

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, December 18, 2020. NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

TOP NEWS

 

‘We’ve Never Seen These Orders Issued Before’: New Deadlines In Immigration Court Have Attorneys Scrambling

WBUR: The new deadlines were established by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), an office of the Department of Justice which oversees the nation’s immigration courts. Attorneys in Boston say they began receiving the orders in the mail earlier this month, calling for individuals in certain cases to file an application with the court to remain in the U.S. within a matter of weeks or risk being deported.

 

Immigration advocates celebrate Alejandro Mayorkas as Biden’s pick to run Homeland Security

Yahoo: Prior to becoming deputy secretary of DHS in 2013, Mayorkas served as director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, where he worked on a number of policy initiatives, including DACA, which, at its peak, provided protection from deportation for roughly 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. by their parents as young children.

 

African travelers could be required to pay a $15,000 bond to enter the U.S.

CBS: Under the six-month pilot program starting December 24, U.S. consular officials could start requiring applicants for B-1 and B-2 visas who hail from the selected countries to pay a $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 bond, according to the temporary final rule issued by the State Department.

 

‘Betrayed’ Black asylum seekers say Trump administration is ramping up deportations by force and fraud

LA Times: During President Trump’s last weeks in office, Black and African asylum seekers say, the administration is ramping up deportations using assault and coercion, forcing them back to countries where they face harm, according to interviews with the immigrants, lawyers, lawmakers, advocates and a review of legal complaints by The Times.

 

Pregnant, Exhausted and Turned Back at the Border

NYT: One woman said she was told by a C.B.P. agent that “Trump didn’t want there to be any more pregnant people here,” according to the A.C.L.U.’s court complaint. See also Undocumented and Pregnant: Why Women Are Afraid to Get Prenatal Care.

 

Behind Trump’s final push to limit immigration

Politico: Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf just named two new members to an advisory council to help him craft policy — Tom Jenkins, the fire chief in Rogers, Ark., and Catherine Lotrionte, a senior researcher at Georgetown University. And they’re launching some changes that can be enacted swiftly.

 

ICE Expelled 33 Immigrant Children Back To Guatemala After A Judge Said They Couldn’t

BuzzFeed: The injunction was issued Wednesday by US Judge Emmet Sullivan minutes before an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flight left for Guatemala City with the 33 children.

 

FY 2021 Begins with Largest Immigration Court Backlog on Record

TRAC: Fiscal Year 2021 began with the largest number of Immigration Court cases in its active backlog to date: in October, 1,273,885 immigration cases were pending before the courts. Most of the pending cases—918,673 or 72 percent—involved nationals from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and El Salvador.

 

US Southwest Border Oct. 2020: The Surge Continues

PPA: For the month of October, US Customs and Border Protection reported 66,337 apprehensions at the US unsecured southwest border. This is 12,000 higher than the previous month and the highest for October since 2005.

 

Detained immigrants at Bergen County Jail stage hunger strike, get support from protesters

NorthJersey: Emilio Dabul, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said nine detainees at the jail had stopped eating meals, but would not say for how long.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

U.S. Supreme Court weighs Trump bid to bar illegal immigrants from census totals

Reuters: The Supreme Court on Monday is set to take up President Donald Trump’s unprecedented and contentious effort to exclude illegal immigrants from the population totals used to allocate U.S. House of Representatives districts to states.

 

BIA Sustains DHS Appeal and Reinstates Removal Proceedings in Case Where TPS Applicant Was Not Admitted

The BIA sustained the DHS appeal and vacated the IJ decision, after finding that TPS does not constitute an admission and that a TPS applicant who was not admitted or paroled should not have removal proceedings terminated. Matter of Padilla Rodriguez, 28 I&N Dec. 164 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20112339

 

Advance Copy of EOIR Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Motions to Reopen, Motions to Reconsider, and Stays of Removal

Advance copy of notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would amend EOIR regulations governing the filing and adjudication of motions to reopen and reconsider and add regulations governing requests for discretionary stays of removal. AILA Doc. No. 20112591

 

Advance Copy of EOIR Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to Define “Good Cause”

Advance copy of EOIR notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to define the term “good cause” in the context of continuances, adjournments, and postponements. The rule will be published in the Federal Register on 11/27/20 with a 30-day comment period. AILA Doc. No. 20112590

 

USCIS Issues Alert on Asylum EAD Applications Following Preliminary Injunction

USCIS issued an alert regarding the steps it is taking to comply with the 9/11/20 injunction in Casa de Maryland, et al. v. Chad Wolf, et al. concerning the application of certain regulatory changes to Forms I-589 and I-765 filed by asylum applicants who are CASA or ASAP members. AILA Doc. No. 20100530

 

DOS Provides Guidance After District Court Enjoins Suspension of Certain K-1 Visa Issuances

DOS issued an update after a district court granted a preliminary injunction, stating that applicants who are named plaintiffs in Milligan v. Pompeo and subject to a regional proclamation should contact their nearest Embassy or Consulate for guidance on scheduling a visa interview. AILA Doc. No. 20113030

 

DOS Temporary Final Rule Creating Visa Bond Pilot Program

DOS temporary final rule creating a six-month pilot program under which applicants for B-1/B-2 visas from countries with high overstay rates and who have been approved by DHS for an inadmissibility waiver may be required to post a bond as a condition of visa issuance. (85 FR 74875, 11/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20112333

 

USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Dates for December 2020

USCIS determined that for December 2020, F2A applicants may file using the Final Action Dates chart. Applicants in all other family-sponsored preference and employment-based preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart. AILA Doc. No. 20112335

 

RESOURCES

 

\\

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, November 30, 2020

Sunday, November 29, 2020

Saturday, November 28, 2020

Friday, November 27, 2020

Thursday, November 26, 2020

Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Monday, November 23, 2020

 

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Wow! The EOIR kakistocracy is truly going out in a “blaze of inglorious malicious incompetence,” taking human lives and a chunk of our justice system down with it!

It’s likely that the “record backlog” @ EOIR reported by TRAC is substantially understated. First, it apparently doesn’t include approximately 300,000 cases mindlessly and illegally “queued up” to artificially increase the backlog by the now long departed Jeff “Gonzo Apocalypto” Sessions.

Additionally, given the well-documented intellectual dishonesty and incompetent record-keeping at EOIR, there likely are hundreds of thousands of additional “off-docket” cases that simply aren’t reflected in EOIR records and might or might not ever be found in the disastrous “non-e-filing system.”

The solution to the backlog really isn’t “rocket science.” With a “system capacity” of approximately 250,000 – 300,000 cases annually, all non-detained, non-emergency cases should be removed from the docket. DHS should be allowed to re-file their 250,000 “highest priority” cases and then to file new cases only in a responsible manner that complies with and respects the “system max.”

No more “Aimless Docket Reshuffling” and intentional creation of unnecessary backlogs! No more “everything’s a priority” so “nothing’s a priority.” No more malicious misuse of the Immigration Court system as a “weapon” to  engage in a racist program of terrorizing ethnic communities and punishing so-called “sanctuary cities.”

Moving forward from a kakistocracy of malicious incompetents and racists will be a huge challenge — probably the biggest ever faced by an incoming President. But, Joe Biden and and Kamala Harris have the leadership, knowledge, skills, and plans to make it happen.

Due Process Forever. Kakistocracy, never again!

PWS

12-01-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 11-23-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal,Assistance Group —  Court Losses, Rebukes Pile Up For Loser Scofflaw White Nationalist Regime — But Cruelty, Stupidity, & Sabotage Of Democracy Still On The Agenda For Defeated Kakistocracy!🏴‍☠️☠️⚰️👎🏻

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

 

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, December 11, 2020. NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

TOP NEWS

 

Asylum Ruling Halts Restrictions in New Rule

Lawfare: On Nov. 19, Judge Susan Illston of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California held that a new asylum rule exceeded the power of both the attorney general and the Department of Homeland Security and issued a nationwide temporary restraining order against the rule’s implementation.

 

Judge Halts ‘Public Health’ Expulsions of Children at the Border

NYT: A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a public health emergency decree did not give the Trump administration authority to expel unaccompanied children before they could request asylum.

 

Trump administration revives talk of action on birthright citizenship

The Hill: The administration is aware the order would be promptly challenged in court, but officials would hope to get a ruling on whether birthright citizenship is protected under the 14th Amendment, according to one source familiar with the plans. Many lawmakers and experts have argued it is protected, but the courts have not definitively ruled on the issue.

 

White House killed deal to pay for mental health care for migrant families separated at border

NBC: The White House’s refusal to accept the deal ended up costing taxpayers $6 million…. In November 2019, the judge in the case ordered the government to pay for mental health services, which the Justice Department appealed unsuccessfully. The nonprofit Seneca Family of Agencies was awarded a $14 million contract in March to provide screenings and counseling to migrant families.

 

As coronavirus cases surge again, ICE leaders push to detain more immigrants in California

KTLA: Now, against the backdrop of the latest and potentially most difficult wave of COVID-19 cases across the state and country, ICE officials are pushing to increase the number of immigrants detained in California.

 

ICE Arrested More Than 150 Immigrants In A Nationwide Sweep

Buzzfeed: This time, ICE officials say they targeted people who had been granted voluntary departure, a policy that allows undocumented immigrants to leave the country on their own accord rather than be deported.

 

The time has come for a reckoning on US immigrant abuse

AlJazeera: A letter to the UN by four congresswomen renews hope that abuse of detained immigrants in the US will finally be addressed.

 

Biden Will Try to Unmake Trump’s Immigration Agenda. It Won’t Be Easy

MP: Some of Trump’s actions can be undone relatively easily, legal scholars and former judges and justice officials say. Others require laborious rule-making or slow-moving litigation. For Biden allies hoping to make a fast start, choosing priorities is daunting.

 

Immigration Officials Have Been Told Not To Communicate With Joe Biden’s Transition Team

BuzzFeed: An official at the agency that oversees US immigration and naturalization services told employees not to communicate with President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team until a Trump appointee “deems the results ‘clear’” and recognizes the winner, according to an internal email obtained by BuzzFeed News.

 

IT Snafus Added Confusion to Migrant Family Reunification, Watchdog Says

WSJ: Old systems maintained by the Department of Homeland Security failed to track migrants that were separated at the U.S. border.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Federal Judge Issues Nationwide Injunction Against Rule Restricting Asylum Eligibility

A district court issued a nationwide injunction against a rule issued on 10/21/20 that created new categories that would bar individuals from being eligible for asylum, which were scheduled to go into effect on 11/20/20. (Pangea Legal Services et al., v. DHS, et al., 11/19/20) AILA Doc. No. 20111934

 

Federal Court Blocks the Trump Administration’s “Title 42 Process” as It Relates to Unaccompanied Minors

The district court granted motions to certify class and for preliminary injunction, blocking application of the Trump administration’s “Title 42” order to all unaccompanied children, which restricted immigration at the border under the Public Health Service Act. (P.J.E.S. v. Wolf, 11/18/20) AILA Doc. No. 20111839

 

NY Judge Slams Feds For ‘Ignoring’ Justices’ DACA Revival

Law360: A New York federal judge rebuked the Trump administration Wednesday for refusing to reinstate DACA, saying the administration was “ignoring” court orders that preserved the immigration ptogram while trying to “run out the clock” on the president’s remaining time in office.

 

DC Judge Slams DOJ’s $212K Fee Payment To Arnold & Porter

Law360: A District of Columbia federal judge on Tuesday criticized a deal in which the Trump administration will pay Arnold & Porter more than $212,000 in legal fees to resolve a battle over expedited traveler security clearance programs, calling the fees excessive and the government’s conduct “embarrassing.”

 

Advocates File Class Action Lawsuit Challenging USCIS’s Blank Space Policy

Advocates filed a lawsuit challenging USCIS policy to reject applications that have any blank response field. USCIS has rejected thousands of applications, primarily targeting humanitarian benefits such as asylum applications and T and U visa petitions. (Vangala v. USCIS, 11/19/20) AILA Doc. No. 20112034

 

CA4 Holds That IJs Must Make Finding as to Whether Corroborating Evidence Was Reasonably Available

The court held that while the INA does not require an IJ to provide a noncitizen with advance notice of the need to offer corroborating evidence, the IJ must make a finding as to whether such corroborating evidence was reasonably available if it was not provided. (Wambura v. Barr, 11/13/20) AILA Doc. No. 20111740

 

CA5 Affirms Dismissal of Habeas Petition After Finding Inability to Seek Work Authorization Is Not a Collateral Consequence

Affirming the district court’s dismissal of the habeas petition, the court rejected the petitioners’ argument that their inability to seek work authorization was a collateral consequence that should allow them to maintain their petition. (Bacilio-Sabastian, et al. v. Barr, et al., 11/13/20) AILA Doc. No. 20111741

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Prerequisite of Lawful Admission for Permanent Residence for Purposes of Naturalization

USCIS updated policy guidance affirming that an applicant is ineligible for naturalization in cases where they did not obtain LPR status lawfully, including cases where the U.S. government was unaware of disqualifying facts and granted AOS to that of an LPR or admitted the applicant as an LPR. AILA Doc. No. 20111831

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on the Use of Discretion for Adjustment of Status

USCIS updated guidance regarding discretion in adjustment of status (AOS) applications. The update consolidates guidance on the privileges, rights, and responsibilities of LPRs, and clarifies factors or factual circumstances for AOS that officers consider when conducting a discretionary analysis. AILA Doc. No. 20111731

 

DHS Issues Order Designating the Order of Succession for the Secretary of Homeland Security

On 11/4/20, Peter T. Gaynor, administrator of FEMA, exercised any authority of the position of Acting Secretary to designate an order of succession for DHS Secretary. This order was issued in response to recent findings that the 11/8/19 order of succession issued by Kevin McAleenan was invalid. AILA Doc. No. 20111737

 

DHS Issues Ratification of Actions Taken by Acting Secretary Chad Wolf

Following the execution of Peter Gaynor’s 11/14/20 order designating the order of succession for the secretary of homeland security, DHS Acting Secretary Chad Wolf ratified any and all of his own actions taken since 11/13/19. AILA Doc. No. 20111738

 

DHS Issues Ratification of Certain Actions Taken by McAleenan and Edlow

Following the execution of Peter Gaynor’s 11/14/20 order designating the order of succession for the secretary of homeland security, DHS Acting Secretary Wolf ratified certain actions taken by former Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan and one action taken by USCIS Deputy Director for Policy Edlow. AILA Doc. No. 20111739

 

ACTIONS

 

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, November 23, 2020

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Friday, November 20, 2020

Thursday, November 19, 2020

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Monday, November 16, 2020

 

***************

Thanks, Elizabeth!

Due Process Forever!

PWS

11-24-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 11-16-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — Tales Of The Destructive Death Throes Of A Defeated Regime & Other News From The Twilight Zone!

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, December 4, 2020. NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

TOP NEWS

 

Biden plans sweeping reversal of Trump’s immigration agenda, from deportations to asylum policy

CBS: While the COVID-19 public health crisis and its impact on the U.S. economy will preoccupy President-elect Joe Biden during his first weeks in office, the incoming Democratic administration is also expected to quickly start dismantling President Trump’s immigration agenda. See also Biden might need years to reverse Trump’s immigration policies on DACA, asylum, family separation, ICE raids, private detention and more and Trump Could Further Rattle Immigration Law Before His Exit.

 

Trump officials unveil new U.S. citizenship test, as advocates worry it is too long, difficult and politicized

WaPo: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials said the updated exam will take effect Dec. 1, though elderly applicants who have been green-card holders for at least 20 years will be allowed to take the shorter version instead. See also More Green Card Holders Are Becoming U.S. Citizens.

 

Federal judge rules acting DHS head Chad Wolf unlawfully appointed, invalidates DACA suspension

NBC: A federal judge in New York City on Saturday said Chad Wolf has not been acting lawfully as the chief of Homeland Security and that, as such, his suspension of protections for a class of migrants brought to the United States illegally as children is invalid.

 

Migrant Children Will No Longer Be Held in Detention in Mexico

Vice: The reform, which took effect this week, also gives migrant children temporary legal status in Mexico in order to avoid immediate deportation and allow time for them to seek legal avenues for staying in the country.

 

ICE launches billboards in Charlotte featuring at-large public safety threats

ICE: These individuals were previously arrested or convicted of crimes in the U.S. but were released into the community instead of being transferred to ICE custody pursuant to an immigration detainer.

 

Under Trump asylum policy, hundreds of Cubans remain locked up in US detention centers

AZ: The number of Cuban migrants arriving at the southern border tripled from 7,079 in fiscal year 2018 to 21,499 in fiscal year 2019, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. Meanwhile, the backlog of Cuban migrants in federal immigration courts has soared 347 percent, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse.

 

The National Book Awards named their first undocumented finalist

CNN: The stories she tells in “The Undocumented Americans” aim to reveal the complex lives of people who are often oversimplified or overlooked — who, as she puts it in her book’s introduction, “don’t inspire hashtags or T-shirts.”

 

First Undocumented Immigrant To Pass Bar In US And Practice Law In California Casts First Vote As Citizen

CBS: In 2014, Attorney Sergio Garcia became the first undocumented immigrant in the United States to pass the bar and practice law in California without being a citizen. He was honored with a Medal of Valor by then-California Attorney General Kamala Harris for the achievement. Now in 2020, he’s earned his citizenship and he was able to vote for the first time in the election.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Asylum Bars Effective 11/20, TRO Hearing 11/18

Pacer: A motion for a temporary restraining order will be heard in Pangea Legal Services v. DHS, 3:20-cv-07721 (N.D. Cal. filed Nov. 2, 2020) two days before the new asylum bars are scheduled to go into effect.

 

BIA Rules It Is Inappropriate for the Board to Use Discretion to Reopen and Vacate an IJ’s Frivolousness Finding

The BIA ruled that absent ineffective assistance of counsel, or a showing undermining the validity and finality of the finding, it is inappropriate for the Board to exercise its discretion to reopen a case and vacate an IJ’s frivolousness finding. Matter of H-Y-Z-, 28 I&N Dec. 156 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20111334.

 

Supreme Court Justices Appear Skeptical of Trump Administration’s Arguments in Immigration Case

Law&Crime: The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Monday in an immigration case about whether the government must provide relevant information in one statutory notice or whether inadequate notice can be cured by sending multiple documents over time. Those arguments did not appear to go well for the time-limited Trump administration.

 

Los Angeles-Area Individual Pleads Guilty to Arranging Fraudulent Marriages for Immigration Purposes

Chang Yu “Andy” He, of Monterey Park, CA, and the owner of Fair Price Immigration Service, pled guilty to a federal conspiracy charge to commit marriage fraud. Specifically, He planned to arrange fraudulent marriages for three pairs of Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens to obtain green cards. AILA Doc. No. 20111338

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Age and “Sought to Acquire” Requirement Under the Child Status Protection Act

USCIS updated policy guidance clarifying that USCIS calculates an applicant’s CSPA age using the petition underlying the AOS application. The guidance also clarifies how USCIS determines the age of derivatives of widow(er)s, and how applicants may satisfy the “sought to acquire” requirement. AILA Doc. No. 20111337

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Civics Educational Requirement for Purposes of Naturalization

USCIS updated policy guidance on the naturalization civics test, increasing the general bank of questions to 128, the number of exam questions to 20, the number of correct answers needed to pass to 12, and providing for officers to ask all 20 test items even if applicants achieve a passing score. AILA Doc. No. 20111331

 

DOS Announces Phased Resumption of Routine Visa Services

DOS updated its announcement and FAQs on the phased resumption of visa services, noting that resumption would occur on a post-by-post basis, but that there are no specific dates for each mission. DOS also announced that it has extended the validity of Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fees to 12/31/21. AILA Doc. No. 20071435

 

RESOURCES

 

Transition Memos:

Other:

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, November 16, 2020

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Saturday, November 14, 2020

Friday, November 13, 2020

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Wednesday, November 11, 2020

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Monday, November 9, 2020

 

********************

Already looking forward with great anticipation to Elizabeth’s report for January 25, 2021!

Also, many thanks and deep appreciation to the heroes at Pangea Legal Services, part of the “West Coast Division of the New Due Process Army” for  filing the timely challenge to the regime’s latest bogus asylum regulations. See “Item #1” under “LITIGATION.”

Due Process Forever!

PWS

11-18-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 11-09-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, November 27, 2020. NYC non-detained remains closed for hearings.

 

EOIR Releases Memo on Immigration Court Hearings Conducted by Telephone and Video Teleconferencing

 

TOP NEWS

 

Biden plans immediate flurry of executive orders to reverse Trump policies

WaPo: He will repeal the ban on almost all travel from some Muslim-majority countries, and he will reinstate the program allowing “dreamers,” who were brought to the United States illegally as children, to remain in the country, according to people familiar with his plans. See also Factbox: Here are six things Joe Biden will likely do on immigration.

 

Trump [Public Charge] immigration rule takes effect again during appeal

AP: A federal appeals court has allowed a Trump administration rule that would deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits like food stamps to go back into effect while it considers the case.

 

FLRA Overturns Its Own Regional Director, Busts Immigration Judges’ Union

Gov Exec: The lone Democrat on the board of the agency tasked with administering federal labor law accused his colleagues of “sophistry” and “facetious” reasoning to strip more than 450 federal employees of their collective bargaining rights.

 

Kamala Harris, daughter of Jamaican and Indian immigrants, elected nation’s first female vice president

WaPo: Kamala Devi Harris, a daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, is set to become the highest-ranking woman in the nation’s 244-year existence, as well as a high-profile representation of the country’s increasingly diverse composition.

 

Migrants in Mexican tent camp ecstatic but cautiously optimistic awaiting Biden presidency

Border Report: Most of the 600 or so migrants now living in the camp were placed in the Migrant Protection Protocols program, also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy, which requires them to wait on Mexican soil during their U.S. immigration proceedings. The asylum process can take many months, sometimes years, and some of the migrants Border Report spoke with have been living in this filthy tent encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande since 2019.

 

Proponent of using IQ tests to screen immigrants named to senior NIST post

Science: ScienceInsider has learned that Jason Richwine, an independent public policy analyst, has been appointed as deputy undersecretary of commerce for science and technology and could start work as soon as today.

 

Fate Of NJ ICE Detention Centers In Flux

Gothamist: Sastre said that even if Trump loses, new detention contracts could still be signed by the time former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, is inaugurated.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Seventh Circuit Stays Latest Decision to Vacate DHS Public Charge Rule

AILA is updating this practice alert as a result of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals issuing a stay of the N.D. of Illinois decision to set aside the DHS Public Charge Final Rule pending appeal. All adjustment of status application must be filed with the I-944 once again. AILA Doc. No. 20110232

 

Attorney General Rules on Duress Exception to the Persecutor Bar for Asylum and Withholding of Removal

The AG ruled that the bar to eligibility for asylum and withholding based on persecution does not include an exception for coercion or duress, and that DHS does not have an evidentiary burden to show ineligibility based on the persecutor bar. Matter of Negusie, 28 I&N Dec. 120 (A.G. 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20110631

 

BIA Reverses Denial of Joint Motion to Reopen in Light of Respondent’s Eligibility to Adjust

Unpublished BIA decision reverses denial of joint motion to reopen where respondent presented evidence indicating that she was admitted with a visa and was thus eligible to adjust status. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Acosta Carmona, 6/1/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110502

 

BIA Rescinds In Absentia Order Against Respondent Admitted to Emergency Room

Unpublished BIA decision rescinds in absentia order due to exceptional circumstances where respondent was admitted to emergency room on morning of final hearing due to sudden onset of chest pain. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Bhardwaj, 5/28/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110501

 

BIA Reopens Proceedings Following Grant of Bona Fide Marriage Waiver

Unpublished BIA decision reopens proceedings for respondent ordered deported under INA 237(a)(1)(D)(i) following DHS approval of waiver under INA 216(c)(4). Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Clarke, 5/27/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110500

 

EOIR Provides Guidelines for the Implementation of the Settlement Agreement in Mendez Rojas v. Wolf

EOIR released guidelines for the implementation of the settlement agreement in Mendez Rojas v. Wolf, which requires class members to file notice of class membership on or before 3/31/22. Individuals who establish class membership shall be deemed to have timely filed an asylum application. AILA Doc. No. 20110541

 

FLRA Strips Immigration Judges of Collective Bargaining Rights

In 2019, DOJ petitioned the FLRA in an attempt to strip immigration judges (IJs) of their right to unionize. On November 2, 2020, the FLRA concluded that IJs are management officials and stripped them of their collective bargaining rights. This featured issue page provides additional resources. AILA Doc. No. 19081303

 

Immigration Groups File Lawsuit Challenging the Trump Administration Efforts to Bar More from Asylum

NIP: The lawsuit challenges proposed rule changes to the U.S. asylum process which are slated to go into effect on November 20. These rules are the latest step in the Trump Administration’s effort to drastically cut down the number of applicants and recipients of asylum protections in the U.S.

 

USCIS Releases Instructions on Filing Form I-589s with the Asylum Vetting Center

USCIS announced via the Form I-589 webpage that beginning 11/2/20, asylum offices will no longer accept the filing of Form I-589s that previously were filed directly with a local asylum office. These forms must be filed with the Asylum Vetting Center in Atlanta, Georgia. AILA Doc. No. 20110239

 

EOIR Releases Memo on Immigration Court Hearings Conducted by Telephone and Video Teleconferencing

EOIR Released a memo (PM 21-03) canceling and replacing OPPM 04-06 and memorializing EOIR policies regarding the use of the telephone and video teleconferencing (VTC or VC) to conduct hearings in proceedings before an immigration judge. AILA Doc. No. 20110641

 

EOIR Releases Memo Rescinding and Canceling Certain Outdated Operating Policies and Procedures Memoranda

EOIR issued a policy memo (PM 21-02) rescinding Operating Policies and Procedures Memoranda (OPPRM) 13-03, Guidelines for Implementation of the ABT Settlement Agreement, and 16-01, Filing Applications for Asylum. The rescissions are effective November 6, 2020. AILA Doc. No. 20110640

 

Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY2021

President Trump issued a determination on 10/27/20, setting the refugee admissions ceiling for FY2021 at 15,000, which incorporates more than 6,000 unused places from the FY2020 ceiling. (85 FR 71219, 11/6/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102830

 

USCIS Extends EADs for TPS South Sudan Beneficiaries

USCIS announced it has automatically extended the validity of EADs issued under the TPS designation for South Sudan through 5/1/21. USCIS also provided instructions for completing Form I-9 for beneficiaries who present an EAD with a category code of A12 or C19 and a Card Expires date of 11/2/20. AILA Doc. No. 20110531

 

Final Rule on Organization of EOIR

EOIR final rule which finalizes the interim rule published at 84 FR 44537 on 8/26/19, with additional amendments. The rule is effective 11/3/20. (85 FR 69465, 11/3/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110238

 

RESOURCES

 

Transition Memos:

Other:

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Sunday, November 8, 2020

Saturday, November 7, 2020

Friday, November 6, 2020

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Thursday, November 5, 2020

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Tuesday, November 3, 2020

Monday, November 2, 2020

 

*********************

Thanks, Elizabeth. Here’s hoping that there will be “more good news than bad” to report after January 20, 2020!

 Due Process Forever!

PWS

11-10-20

🇺🇸THE GIBSON REPORT — 11-02-20 — Prepared By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — Trump/Miller Bogus Public Charge Rule Enjoined Again; CBP Turns Back More Than 13,000 Unaccompanied Kids Using COVID-19 As Cover For Child Abuse; John Oliver With The Incredibly Ugly 🤮 Truth About The Trump-Miller Racist Assault On Asylum & Humanity ☠️⚰️— Other News From America Teetering On The Brink After 4-Years Of Trump Regime Misrule, Cruelty, Corruption, & Undermining Of Democracy!🏴‍☠️

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: EOIR has not yet provided an updated general postponement date for non-detained cases at courts that remain closed. The website still reflects last week’s Nov. 13, 2020 date, but EOIR may still plan to update it later than usual.

 

TOP NEWS

 

Trump’s Public Charge Rule to Deny Immigrants U.S. Entry Vacated

Bloomberg: The rule violates the Administrative Procedure Act and the statute requires vacatur, the opinion by Judge Gary Feinerman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois said.

 

Asylum Denial Rates Continue to Climb

TRAC: Despite the partial court shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, this year immigration jud­ges managed to decide the second highest number of asylum decisions in the last two de­cades. The rate of denial continued to climb to a record high of 71.6 percent, up from 54.6 percent during the last year of the Obama Administration in FY 2016.

 

Trump aide Stephen Miller preparing second-term immigration blitz

Guardian: The hardline adviser is said to be ready to unleash executive orders deemed too extreme for a president seeking re-election…Those items are expected to include attempting to eliminate birthright citizenship, making the US citizenship test more difficult to pass, ending the program which protects people from deportation when there is a crisis is their country (Temporary Protected Status) and slashing refugee admissions even further, to zero. See also Election day preview: Trump v. Biden on immigration.

 

Trump Administration to Put 180-Day Ban on Many Asylum Requests

Bloomberg: The Trump administration is expected to announce a 180-day ban on a range of asylum requests citing the threat posed by the coronavirus, according to two people familiar with the matter, in its latest effort to restrict immigration ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

 

Trump declares 1 November to be ‘national day of remembrance for those killed by illegal aliens’

Independent: With three days left until the election, the presidential proclamation was designed to hammer home his message of law and order, and position himself as the candidate best placed to protect the United States. See also Undocumented immigrants may actually make American communities safer – not more dangerous – new study finds.

 

Border Officials Turned Away Unaccompanied Immigrant Children More Than 13,000 Times Under Trump’s Pandemic Policy

BuzzFeed: The Department of Homeland Security has expelled unaccompanied immigrant children from the US border more than 13,000 times since March, when the Trump administration gave the agency unprecedented powers to close off access at the border during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an internal document obtained by BuzzFeed News.

 

Across The U.S., Trump Used ICE To Crack Down On Immigration Activists

Intercept: Immigration authorities under President Donald Trump’s administration have pursued a widespread campaign of official retaliation against immigrant rights advocates around the country, according to a newly released database and searchable map assembled by the Immigrant Rights Clinic at New York University Law School. See also Black Immigrants in the United States Have Been Targeted by Trump.

 

Deported Marine veteran wins federal lawsuit, earns US citizenship

Military Times: A Belize-born Marine Corps veteran won his battle for U.S. citizenship on Tuesday, completing a naturalization interview that had been on hold for more than a year, according to a release from his attorneys.

 

The Loneliness of the Immigration Lawyer

Prospect: Four years into this migration crisis, there’s a parallel migration under way—of immigration lawyers out of the profession. Survey data and interviews the Prospect conducted with more than a dozen lawyers around the country reveal the physical, mental, and financial toll endured by members of the bar. Given the extreme violence, trauma, and inhumanity their clients often endure, immigration attorneys don’t like to talk about how it affects them. But secondary trauma also leaves a mark, making it impossible to continue for some attorneys.

 

From the travel ban to the border wall, restrictive immigration policies thrive on the shadow docket

SCOTUSblog: In the past three years, much of the shadow docket has been populated by emergency requests from the Trump administration asking the Supreme Court to intervene before the lower courts have reached a final outcome or to override the actions of lower courts without a meaningful review process — or both.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Judge Declares Unlawful and Vacates Government’s Asylum Seeker “Credible Fear” Standards

IRAP: According to Saturday’s order, the “credible fear” lesson plans are vacated in their entirety  and the government must bring back at government expense the two named plaintiffs who had been deported before the case was filed so that they can be rescreened under lawful standards.

 

District Court Vacates DHS Public Charge Rule Nationwide

A district court vacated the DHS final rule on public charge as well as DHS’s request to stay the judgment. This ruling is to take effect immediately thus DHS may not apply the public charge after the date of the order. (Cook County, et al. v. Wolf, et al., 11/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110231

 

Notice of Proposed Settlement and Hearing in Lawsuit Challenging DHS’s One-Year Filing Deadline for Asylum Applications

The District Court for the Western District of Washington has scheduled a hearing for 11/4/20 for consideration of a proposed settlement in Mendez Rojas v. Wolf, a suit involving individuals who have filed, or will be filing, an asylum application more than one year after arriving in the U.S. AILA Doc. No. 20082430

 

Lawsuit Seeks to Uncover Secretive Expansion of Judicial Black Sites for Immigration Cases

AILA joined the American Immigration Council and the National Immigrant Justice Center in litigation against EOIR and GSA. The lawsuit requests information on the expansion and creation of immigration adjudication centers, which were established as part of EOIR’s Strategic Caseload Reduction plan. AILA Doc. No. 20103038

 

CA3 Says Petitioner’s New Jersey Conviction for Criminal Sexual Contact Is an Aggravated Felony

Denying the petition for review, the court held that the petitioner’s conviction in New Jersey for criminal sexual contact constituted an aggravated felony under INA §237(a)(2)(A)(iii) that rendered him removable. (Grijalva Martinez v. Att’y Gen., 10/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20103036

 

CA3 Finds Petitioner’s Conviction Under New Jersey’s Terroristic-Threats Statute Was Not a CIMT

Granting the petition for review, the court held that, under the modified categorical approach, the petitioner’s conviction under New Jersey’s terroristic-threats statute was not a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT). (Larios v. Att’y Gen., 10/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102731

 

CA4 Grants Asylum to Salvadoran Petitioner Targeted by Gang Because Her Parents Failed to Comply with Extortive Threats

The court held that the IJ and the BIA had failed to adequately address unrebutted evidence in the record that compelled the conclusion that the petitioner’s membership in her family was at least one central reason for her persecution. (Hernandez-Cartagena v. Barr, 10/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102733

 

CA7 Says BIA Erred in Finding IJ Need Not Warn Petitioner of Possible Eligibility for Asylum and Related Relief

Where the petitioner had told the IJ that he feared persecution at the hands of gangs in Honduras because of his relationship to his mother, the court held that the IJ should have advised him that he might be eligible for asylum or withholding of removal. (Jimenez-Aguilar v. Barr, 10/6/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102736

 

CA8 Holds That a TPS Recipient Is Eligible to Adjust to LPR Status

The court held that a noncitizen who entered without inspection or admission but later received Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is deemed “inspected and admitted” under INA §245A and thus may adjust to lawful permanent resident (LPR) status. (Velasquez, et al. v. Barr, et al., 10/27/20) AILA Doc. No. 20103037

 

CA9 Upholds Adverse Credibility Determination as to Petitioner from the DRC Based on Inconsistencies in the Record

Where there were inconsistencies, an omission, and implausibilities in the record, the court held that substantial evidence supported the denial of asylum to the petitioner, a native of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on adverse credibility grounds. (Mukulumbutu v. Barr, 10/13/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102741

 

CA9 Says Oregon’s Former Marijuana Delivery Statute Is Not an “Illicit Trafficking of a Controlled Substance” Offense

The court held that Oregon’s former marijuana delivery statute, Or. Rev. Stat. §475.860, was not an “illicit trafficking of a controlled substance” offense, and thus found that the petitioner’s conviction did not make him removable as an aggravated felon. (Cortes-Maldonado v. Barr, 10/15/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102832

 

CA11 Says There Is No Duress or De Minimis Exception to the Material Support Bar

The court held that its precedent established that no duress exception exists to the material support bar, and that the statutory text showed that any provision of funds to a terrorist organization categorically qualifies as material support. (Hincapie-Zapata v. Att’y Gen., 10/13/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102834

 

BIA Finds EWIs Cannot Be Charged with Inadmissibility Under INA §212(a)(7)

Unpublished BIA decision holds that INA §212(a)(7)(A)(i) is only applicable to respondents who seek admission at a port of entry, as distinct from those who enter without inspection. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Ortiz Orellana, 5/26/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102701

 

BIA Finds Evidence of Prior Fraudulent Marriage Precludes Approval of Subsequent Marriage-Based Visa Petition

The BIA ruled that when there is probative evidence that a beneficiary’s prior marriage was fraudulent and entered into to evade immigration laws, a subsequent visa petition filed on beneficiary’s behalf is properly denied under §204(c) of the INA. Matter of Pak, 28 I&N Dec. 113 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20103034

 

BIA Reopens Sua Sponte Because Florida Theft Statute Is No Longer a CIMT

Unpublished BIA decision reopens proceedings sua sponte upon finding theft under Fla. Stat. 812.014 is no longer a CIMT under Descamps v. U.S., 133 S. Ct. 2276 (2013), and Matter of Diaz-Lizarraga, 26 I&N Dec. 847 (BIA 2016). Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Persad, 5/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102603

 

BIA Grants New Bond Hearing Because IJ Conducted All the Questioning

Unpublished BIA decision remands for new bond hearing because the IJ conducted all the questioning and did not give either attorney a chance to ask questions. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of L-R-B-, 5/12/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102602

 

BIA Finds Respondent Who Arrived Late to Hearing Did Not Fail to Appear

Unpublished BIA decision finds respondent did not fail to appear for hearing where he arrived 25 minutes late due to unexpectedly heavy traffic and was in communication with his attorney who was in the courtroom. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Hernandez-Yanez, 5/8/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102601

 

BIA Holds Federal Anti-Kickback Statute Not a CIMT

Unpublished BIA decision holds that receipt of remuneration under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7b(b)(1) is not a CIMT because it does not require any loss or harm to a person. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Tejeda, 5/28/20) AILA Doc. No. 20103001

 

BIA Rescinds In Absentia Order Where Hearing Was Not Reflected on EOIR Hotline

Unpublished BIA decision rescinds in absentia order where EOIR hotline did not reflect the existence of a hearing and the DHS attorney confirmed that the respondent was not on DHS’s docket on the date she was ordered removed. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Opondo, 5/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102700

 

BIA Finds Ninth Circuit TPS Decision Constitutes Fundamental Change in Law

Unpublished BIA decision holds that Ramirez v. Brown, 852 F.3d 954 (9th Cir. 2017), represents fundamental change of law justifying sua sponte reopening for TPS holders to apply for adjustment of status. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Larios Andrade, 5/27/20) AILA Doc. No. 20103000

 

DHS OIG Says ICE Needs to Address Concerns About Detainee Care at the Howard County Detention Center

DHS OIG released a report saying that, during an inspection of the Howard County Detention Center, it identified violations of ICE detention standards that threatened the health, safety, and rights of detainees, including excessive strip searches and failure to provide two hot meals a day. AILA Doc. No. 20103031

 

USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Dates for November 2020

USCIS determined that for November 2020, F2A applicants may file using the Final Action Dates chart. Applicants in all other family-sponsored preference and employment-based preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart. AILA Doc. No. 20102991

 

USCIS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Creating Wage-Based Selection Process for H-1Bs

USCIS notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) which would change the H-1B registration selection process from a random process to a wage-based selection process. Comments on the proposed rule are due 12/2/20, with comments on associated form revisions due 1/4/21. (85 FR 69236, 11/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102930

 

USCIS Adjustment of Status Filing Dates for November 2020

USCIS determined that for November 2020, F2A applicants may file using the Final Action Dates chart. Applicants in all other family-sponsored preference and employment-based preference categories must use the Dates for Filing chart. AILA Doc. No. 20102991

 

USCIS Notice of Extension of the Designation of South Sudan for TPS

USCIS notice extending the designation of South Sudan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, from 11/3/20 through 5/2/22. The re-registration period runs from 11/2/20 through 1/4/21. (85 FR 69344, 11/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20110230

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, November 2, 2020

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Saturday, October 31, 2020

Friday, October 30, 2020

Thursday, October 29, 2020

Wednesday, October 28, 2020

Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Monday, October 26, 2020

 

 

 

***********************

The last item on Elizabeth’s list from John Oliver is a great (if enraging) explanation of how Trump & Miller, aided by complicit Supremes and a corrupt do-nothing GOP Senate, have rewritten American asylum laws by Executive fiat to enact a deadly, immoral, illegal, racist, White Nationalist, restrictionist agenda that tortures, maims, kills, and otherwise punishes refugees, including many women and children, without any due process and in violation of our international obligations (not to mention human decency). The stain on America will long outlast the Trump regime. Much of the harm is irreversible.

How do you know when you have entered the “Twilight Zone of American Democracy?” When the biggest threat to free and fair democratic elections in the United States of America is the President! Today’s national news reports were largely dedicated to state election officials assuring Americans that the President was lying, and that their votes cast in accordance with the rules would be counted, no matter how long it takes. 

Vote ‘em out, vote ‘em out! For the good of America and the world, get out the vote and vote ‘em out!

Every vote for a Democratic candidate is a vote to save our nation, our world, our souls, and the lives of our fellow humans of all races and creeds, and to finally achieve Constitutionally required Equal Justice Under Law!🇺🇸

Due Process Forever!⚖️🗽👍🏼🇺🇸

PWS

11-03-20

THE GIBSON REPORT ⚖️🗽🇺🇸— 10-26-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — DHS & EOIR Accelerate Trashing Of Due Process, Human Rights In Desperate Push To Re-Elect Trump! — New Report Debunks, Discredits Trump DHS’s Mythical Claim That “Sanctuary Cities” Promote Crime!

 

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, November 13, 2020. [Note: Despite the standing order about practices upon reopening, an opening date has not been announced for NYC non-detained at this time.]

 

TOP NEWS

 

ICE moves to quickly deport more immigrants without court hearings

CBS: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is implementing new rules unveiled in July 2019 that allow agents to expand their use of “expedited removal,” a fast-tracked deportation process created by a 1996 law that bars certain immigrants from seeking relief before an immigration judge.

 

New Trump Administration Rule Further Restricts Asylum Eligibility

USNWR: Under the regulation, having fake identification documents, including a fake ID, will render an immigrant ineligible for asylum in most cases. Unlawfully receiving public benefits will similarly bar someone from being granted asylum, as will a conviction for drug possession or possession of drug paraphernalia, with the single exception of having 30 grams or less of marijuana. An immigrant with two DUI convictions, or a single DUI conviction that resulted in the harm of another person, will be ineligible for asylum protections. The rule also bars immigrants convicted of domestic violence, stalking, child abuse and similar crimes, no matter the severity, from asylum. It also notably deems ineligible for asylum any immigrant whom an asylum officer “knows or has reason to believe” engaged in acts of battery or extreme cruelty – regardless of if the immigrant was arrested for such a crime.

 

‘Stunning’ Executive Order Would Politicize Civil Service

Gov Exec: Positions in the new Schedule F would effectively constitute at-will employment, without any of the protections against adverse personnel actions that most federal workers currently enjoy, although individual agencies are tasked with establishing “rules to prohibit the same personnel practices prohibited” by Title 5 of the U.S. Code. The order also instructs the Federal Labor Relations Authority to examine whether Schedule F employees should be removed from their bargaining units, a move that would bar them from being represented by federal employee unions. [It is unclear at this stage how/if this would affect the BIA, IJs, and other immigration officials.]

 

U.S. weighs labeling leading human rights groups ‘anti-Semitic’

Politico: The Trump administration is considering declaring that several prominent international NGOs — including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam — are anti-Semitic and that governments should not support them, two people familiar with the issue said.

 

Lawyers say they can’t find the parents of 545 migrant children separated by Trump administration

NBC: Lawyers appointed by a federal judge to identify migrant families who were separated by the Trump administration say that they have yet to track down the parents of 545 children and that about two-thirds of those parents were deported to Central America without their children, according to a filing Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union.

 

John Oliver Explains the Three Other Ways Trump Has Been Cruel to Asylum-Seekers

Slate: In the video above, Oliver breaks down three other policies the Trump administration has used to deter asylum-seekers that don’t have the same notoriety that family separation does but are nonetheless important to know about: migrant protection protocols, safe third country agreements, and Title 42.

 

Inside the Refugee Camp on America’s Doorstep

NYT: The members of this displaced community requested refuge in the United States but were sent back into Mexico, and told to wait. They came there after unique tragedies: violent assaults, oppressive extortions, murdered loved ones. They are bound together by the one thing they share in common — having nowhere else to go.

 

Senators seek IG probe of border agency’s warrantless use of phone location data

WaPo: When people use any one of a broad assortment of weather, gaming and other apps, their location data is bundled and resold by companies such as Venntel to advertisers, commercial buyers — and, in recent months, federal agencies such as CBP, which have argued the data is a powerful tool for investigating crime.

 

DHS Arrests International Students, Threatens College Staff for ‘Willful Ignorance’ of Student-Visa Program

Chron Higher Ed: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security today announced the arrest of 15 international students as part of an investigation into fraud in optional practical training, or OPT, the work program for international graduates. Another 1,100 will lose their work authorizations.

 

Study finds no crime increase in cities that adopted ‘sanctuary’ policies, despite Trump claims

WaPo: Cities that have adopted “sanctuary” policies did not record an increase in crime as a result of their decision to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities, according to a new Stanford University report. The findings appear to rebut the Trump administration’s rhetoric about the policies’ dire effects on public safety.

 

19 women allege medical abuse in Georgia immigration detention

LA Times: The medical experts found an “alarming pattern” in which Amin allegedly subjected the women to unwarranted gynecological surgeries, in most cases performed without consent, according to the five-page report, which was submitted Thursday to members of Congress.

 

MPP Cases Highest Since Start of Pandemic

TRAC: In September 2020, the Immigration Court recorded 1,133 new MPP cases, up from a low of 136 in May, and the highest since the start of the pandemic in March when 2,282 MPP cases were filed. A total of 24,540 MPP cases are currently pending before the Immigration Court.

 

The Pandemic and ICE Use of Detainers in FY 2020

TRAC: Average weekday detainer usage, already trending downward this year, began to show some reduction starting in mid-March when it fell below 400 per weekday, and by the first of April had fallen below 300. By the second week of April the daily weekday average fell to around 240. However, after mid-April usage started climbing back up. By the end of the first week in May it was back up to a weekday average of around 300, and by mid-May usage had recovered completely.

 

#ICEAir #DeathFlights Week of October 19, 2020.

Witness at the Border: We believe #ICEAir ramp up over the last 4 weeks reflects more CDC/Title 42 order expulsions. 27 deportations to 7 different countries in LA & Caribbean (high possibility of deportation to India, not yet confirmed). 106 total flights – 4th week in a row over 100.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

ICE Implements July 23, 2019, Expedited Removal Designation

ICE announced that due to an order issued by the DC Circuit Court, ICE can now expedite the removal of certain individuals pursuant to the 7/23/19 Designation of Aliens for Expedited Removal. The announcement provides information on which individuals, except for UACs, can now be subjected to ER. AILA Doc. No. 20102230

 

USCIS and EOIR Final Rule on Bars to Asylum Eligibility

USCIS and EOIR final rule that adds seven additional mandatory bars to eligibility for asylum, among other changes. The final rule is effective 11/20/20. (85 FR 67202, 10/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20102031

 

TPS Beneficiaries, Community Group Ask Court to Halt Unlawful Ken Cuccinelli Policy That Obstructs Path to Obtain Green Card

CLINIC: even Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries — who live in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and Miami, Florida — and the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in their suit against the Trump administration for unlawfully blocking TPS beneficiaries’ path to permanent U.S. residence.

 

Canadian Judge May Extend Contested Asylum Deal With US

Law 360: A Canadian appellate judge indicated at a Friday hearing that he may delay the effect of a lower court ruling striking down the country’s asylum-sharing agreement with the U.S. while the government appeals, but stressed he had a “difficult decision to make.”

 

RESOURCES

 

NYCBA: Report on the Independence of the Immigration Courts

NYSBA: New Ethics Opinion: COVID-19 and Client Representation

UnLocal: Bilingual Expedicted Removal Fact Sheets

ARC: Comparative Analysis of U.S Department of State Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (2016-2019)

CLINIC: Department of State Shifts Human Rights Reports Comparison Charts

CLINIC: Fact Sheet: Immigration Court Considerations for Unaccompanied Children Who File for Asylum with USCIS While in Removal Proceedings

CLINIC: Practice Advisory: Adjustment Options for TPS Beneficiaries

CLINIC: The Unlawful Presence Bars: Do They Continue to Run After Reentry to the United States?

CLINIC: DVP Updated DACA Resources

ILRC: 100+ Policy Changes that Have Devastated Immigrants and Asylum Seekers

ILRC: National Map of 287(g) Agreements

ILRC: The Asylum Transit Ban after CAIR Coalition v. Trump: Obtaining Relief in Asylum Transit Ban Cases

ILRC & ASISTA: In Harm’s Way: The Impact of President Trump’s Actions on Immigrant Survivors of Gender-based Violence

AILA: Client Flyer: Competing Perspectives: The Potential Impact of the 2020 Presidential Election on Immigration

AILA: Practice Advisory: Telephonic Appearance of Attorneys at USCIS Interviews

AILA Featured Issue: USCIS’s Blank Space Policy

AILA: Asylum Cases on Standard of Review

AILA: Asylum Cases on Social Group

AILA: Asylum Cases on Political Opinion

AILA: Asylum Cases on Serious Nonpolitical Crime

AILA: Asylum Cases on Miscellaneous

AILA: Asylum Cases on Material Support Bar

AILA: Asylum Cases on Deferral of Removal Under CAT

AILA: Practice Alert: USCIS Increased Premium Processing Fees Effective October 19, 2020

AILA Bite-Sized Ethics: Withdrawing When a Client Goes MIA

 

EVENTS

   

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, October 26, 2020

Sunday, October 25, 2020

Saturday, October 24, 2020

Friday, October 23, 2020

Thursday, October 22, 2020

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Monday, October 19, 2020

******************

DHS & DOJ need comprehensive leadership changes, major reorganizations, re-examination of missions, effective ethical reforms, and thorough housecleanings to restore American democracy and achieve social justice and racial equality. 

The key, to borrow from “Moscow Mitch,” is political power! “Moscow” and his GOP Senate buddies have just demonstrated in “real time” how they can turn the Supremes into an anti-democracy adjunct of the RNC. Because they can! And “tough noogies” for the majority of Americans they don’t represent! 

Conversely, by voting the Trump regime and the GOP out, we can regain control of our Government and get broken, incompetent, and biased institutions like DHS and EOIR working for the people, rather than a White Nationalist minority with an anti-American, anti-democracy, anti-social-justice, anti-equality agenda!

Vote like your life and America’s future depend on it. Because they most certainly do! 

Turn out the vote for Joe, Kamala, and all Dem candidates! Restore due process, compassion, and human decency! Take our nation back from the forces of darkness, bias, and failure that are destroying it and needlessly endangering the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans with no plan whatsoever for addressing the current public health, social, and economic disasters crushing our nation!

Rounding the 'coroner' by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian
Rounding the ‘coroner’ by John Darkow, Columbia Missourian

Put racism, intolerance, hate, and institutionalized inequality “in the rear view mirror!” Move forward as a nation of justice, peace, innovation, rationality, compassion, prosperity, strength, and the courage to look beyond our own lives to the best interests of humanity! Make the “American Dream” a reality for all Americans rather than an unfulfilled promise available to some but “off limits” to others!

Due Process Forever! 🇺🇸🗽⚖️

PWS

10-27-20

 

🦘🏴‍☠️☠️⚰️⚖️👎🏻🤮“KANGAROO KOURTS” MUST GO: NY City Bar Blasts Billy The Bigot Barr’s Deadly Immigration Court Farce, Calls For Article I! — “This step is now more crucial than ever, as ‘the many steps that the current administration has taken to politicize the court…have frayed the bare threads of justice that existed before to the point of a complete rupture, leaving not even the appearance of justice or due process of law.’”

Kangaroos
Kangaroos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/rasputin243/
Creative Commons License
EYORE
“Eyore In Distress”
Once A Symbol of Fairness, Due Process, & Best Practices, Now Gone “Belly Up”

City Bar Report Highlights Threats to Independence of Immigration Court System — Calls for Creation of Independent Article I Court

October 21, 2020

The New York City Bar Association has released a report on recent immigration policy changes “to highlight its concerns about their impact on the independence of the immigration court system as well as the due process rights of those who pass through the immigration system.”

The “Report on the Independence of the Immigration Courts” responds to an “inherent conflict of interest” in housing a judicial adjudicatory body such as the Executive Office for Immigration Review within the Department of Justice, “a federal agency primarily charged with law enforcement,” which the City Bar says has been exacerbated by various actions that DOJ has taken that “prioritize the administration’s political agenda over fairness in the immigration court system.”

According to the report, the DOJ “has taken several steps to reorganize immigration courts and the [Board of Immigration Appeals] in a way that aligns them more closely with the [current] administration’s goals of enforcing harsher and more restrictive immigration policies.” These steps include hiring practices that place judges “with records of much higher than average asylum denial rates” on the BIA; implementation of restrictive performance metrics for immigration judges, made in the name of efficiency but that in actuality “ignores the underlying reasons for the backlog;” a practice of reassigning cases “on a large scale in a manner that undermines judicial independence;” and a campaign to stifle immigration judges who speak up, including “efforts to decertify the union of IJs in a manner that further undermines the independence of the immigration courts.”

The report describes how Attorneys General in recent years have made use of “a previously rarely-used procedural tool, self-certification…to rewrite immigration court policies through changes in substantive case law, rather than following more traditional pathways of issuing regulations and legislative recommendations, both of which, notably, are more lengthy and transparent processes.” Moreover, the report details the ways in which “basic procedural mechanisms and immigration court scheduling functions are being limited or curtailed in a manner that promotes political objectives over due process,” by pushing judges to rush decisions or by restricting access to the courts and to appellate review with administrative barriers.

As detailed in the report, these legal and structural changes in the immigration judicial system have “turn[ed] its corridors into a maze. Without transparency and accountability, due process is inevitably eroded. The lack of transparency also impedes meaningful attempts at reform.” New policies have restricted public access to information, forced asylum seekers to mount their applications from outside the U.S., and prevented meaningful oversight from independent observers. All of these measures, according to the report, “tip the scales towards more and faster deportations, at the expense of due process.”

The report concludes that “moving the immigration court system out of the DOJ and making it into an independent Article I court would safeguard immigration law from being rewritten by each administration, and would thus ensure due process for the immigrants appearing before the courts.” This step is now more crucial than ever, as “the many steps that the current administration has taken to politicize the court…have frayed the bare threads of justice that existed before to the point of a complete rupture, leaving not even the appearance of justice or due process of law.”

The report can be read here: https://bit.ly/31tFEpm

 

***************

Many thanks to my friend and NDPA stalwart Elizabeth Gibson of the NY Legal Assistance Group for distributing this.

“[N]ot even the appearance of justice or due process of law.” Yup! “Courtside” has been saying it for a long time!

There is a dual problem here. The failure of the Immigration Courts is a national disgrace. But, an even bigger disgrace is the failure of the GOP Senate and the Article III Judiciary to end this farce that kills people and is destroying the integrity of the entire U.S. Justice system while promoting racism and unequal justice. 

Vote ‘Em out, vote ‘Em out. We need to get a start on saving democracy and getting better judges for a better America — from the Immigration Courts to the Supremes!

PWS

1-22-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 10-19-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — Helping ICE’s Unlawful Activities Costs LA County $14 Mil — Immigrants Create Net Gain In American Jobs!

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

 

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, November 6, 2020. [Note: Despite the standing order about practices upon reopening, an opening date has not been announced for NYC non-detained at this time.]

 

TOP NEWS

 

Justices take up border-wall, “remain in Mexico” cases

SCOTUSblog: The Supreme Court announced on Monday morning that it would take up two cases arising out of the Trump administration’s effort to stem immigration through the United States’ border with Mexico. The justices granted review to weigh in on the long-running dispute over the funding for President Donald Trump’s border wall, as well as the legality of the Trump administration’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which allows the Department of Homeland Security to return immigrants seeking asylum to Mexico while they wait for an asylum hearing in U.S. immigration court. See also Endless Waits At An Immigrant Camp On The Mexico Border Are Pushing Desperate People To Make Tough Choices.

 

ICE campaign targeting ‘sanctuary cities’ yields 170 arrests, and amplifies Trump campaign theme

WaPo: ICE officers made the arrests in Denver, Seattle, New York, Baltimore, Washington and in Philadelphia, where authorities chose to announce the results and where officials said 26 immigrants were taken into custody. The agency has averaged about 40,000 “at-large” arrests per year, so the numbers announced Friday did not appear to be a significant increase in enforcement activity. See also Mayor de Blasio calls on ICE agents to stop suggesting they are NYPD.

 

Boston Immigration Court Set To Resume Large-Scale Hearings With Little Guidance From Feds

WBUR: On Tuesday, the Boston immigration court will resume what are known as “master calendar hearings.” Even though the court has remained open throughout the pandemic, these proceedings, which bring large crowds of people to court, have been on hold — until now.

 

Los Angeles County votes to pay $14 million to former immigrant detainees

WaPo: The five-member Board of ­Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to authorize the payment, mostly to undocumented immigrants arrested on criminal charges and then held after a judge ordered them released so that federal agents could attempt to deport them. The settlement still must be approved by the judge overseeing the case, lawyers for the plaintiffs said.

 

Immigrant rights’ coalition seeks to quash broad search warrant on Facebook page

WaPo: After someone painted a slogan on the sidewalk outside the home of Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring during a September protest, Leesburg police launched a criminal investigation into the immigrant rights coalition that organized it, court records state…Authorities asked for virtually all of the Facebook page’s content over a five-day period, a move the group says would give law enforcement access to sensitive information about undocumented immigrants and their families, confidential health reports, and complaints by name about specific law enforcement and immigration officers.

 

Refugees Who Assisted the U.S. Military Find the Door to America Slammed Shut

NYT: President Trump has reduced the flow of refugees into the country to a trickle, and even Iraqis and Afghans who risked their lives for American service members have been cut off.

 

As jobs vanished, immigrants left California. The question is how many

LA Times: California’s immigrant population of 10.3 million in 2019 fell by 642,200, or 6.2%, during the first five months of the pandemic, the analysis found. That figure eclipses both the number of residents in Sacramento and the combined decrease in the nation’s other states, which saw immigrant populations decline by 531,000, or 1.5%, during the same March-through-July period.

 

Despite public outcry, many Cameroonians and Congolese deported on a flight

SD Union Trib: Not all of the more than 200 Cameroonians and Congolese that detainees said were transferred to a detention facility in Texas to be deported were on the flight. Some of the group remained at Prairieland Detention Center, according to Rebekah Entralgo of Freedom For Immigrants, and a few were pulled from the flight due to individual legal actions taken on their behalf. See also Cameroonian asylum seekers pulled off deportation plane amid allegations of ICE abuse.

 

Immigrants to the U.S. Create More Jobs than They Take

Kellogg: A new study finds that immigrants are far more likely to found companies—both large and small—than native-born Americans.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

DOJ and DHS Release Report on Incarceration and Immigration Status

DHS and DOJ released the FY2019 Alien Incarceration Report, providing data on the immigration status of known or suspected immigrants incarcerated under the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshals Service, and in state prisons and local detention centers throughout the U.S. AILA Doc. No. 20101607

 

CBP Provides Data on Migrant Protection Protocols

CBP provided data on Migrant Protection Protocols from 2020, including southwest border enrollments, cases referred to USCIS, data from EOIR related to the outcome of MPP cases, and individuals apprehended entering the U.S. without inspection subsequent to being returned to Mexico through MPP. AILA Doc. No. 20081231

 

CBP Provides Custody and Transfer Statistics

CBP provided custody and transfer statistics from 2020, including data on in-custody information by location, dispositions for apprehended individuals and those considered inadmissible, and transfer destinations for individuals leaving CBP custody. AILA Doc. No. 20081232

 

Announcements of ICE Enforcement Actions

DHS and ICE announced the arrests of more than 170 individuals from 10/3 to 10/9 as part of an immigration enforcement action in sanctuary jurisdictions, including Seattle, Denver, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C.

 

Notice of CDC Order Suspending the Introduction of Certain Persons Through Canada and Mexico

Notice of a CDC order suspending the introduction of certain persons traveling from Canada and Mexico through land ports of entry and Border Patrol stations due to COVID-19. This order is substantially the same as the order issued on 3/20/20. AILA Doc. No. 20101402

 

AAO Sustains Form I-212 Appeal After Finding Positive Equities Warranted Favorable Exercise of Discretion

In a nonprecedent decision, the AAO sustained an appeal of a Form I-212, finding that the denial did not fully consider evidence of significant positive equities in the record, including that the applicant had lived in the U.S. for 30 years. Courtesy of Alan Lee. In Re: 9072079 (AAO 9/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20101330

 

RESOURCES

 

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, October 19, 2020

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Saturday, October 17, 2020

Friday, October 16, 2020

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Wednesday, October 14, 2020

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

Monday, October 12, 2020

 

***********************

Wow, talk about fraud, waste, and abuse! Not only do DHS’s illegal, misdirected, politically-motivated “enforcement” efforts cost taxpayers big bucks, their racism-driven suppression of legal immigration actually reduces job opportunities for Americans!

While the particular illegal detentions on behalf of ICE resulting in the $14 million payout by LA County occurred under the Obama Administration, it’s no secret that Trump’s ICE has “doubled down” on efforts to coerce localities into complying with such “illegal detainers” NOT issued by “neutral and detached magistrates.” Obviously, an independent Article I Immigration Court with “neutral and detached” judges could be authorized to issue detainers where legally appropriate and justified, thus solving the problems in a way that actually complies with the Constitution and common sense.

DHS, a morass of seedy political corruption and gross mismanagement, is now engaged in a full-bore effort to aid Trump’s re-election in derogation of law and of real duties that might protect us all. In particular, they have done a poor job of messaging on the coronavirus threat. They have also separated families and endangered the lives of non-criminal “prisoners” unnecessarily jailed in unsafe conditions in their “New American Gulag.”

It’s a “rogue agency” that needs to be “reorganized, reformed, and repurposed” by a future Administration. In it’s current form, DHS is actually a threat to our national security and welfare, as it continues, under “illegal leadership” to operate as essentially “Trump’s Internal Security Police.”

Here’s an article by Maria Sacchetti from today’s Post that highlights the misdirection of DHS under Wolf’s illegal, and often immoral and unethical “leadership.” 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/dhs-coronavirus-outbreak-less-visible/2020/10/20/768fa0c4-12fe-11eb-bc10-40b25382f1be_story.html

PWS

10-21-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 10-12-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire. NY Legal Assistance Group —  DocumentedNY Takes You Inside The Maliciously Incompetent Kakistocracy Known As Immigration “Courts,” That Aren’t “Courts” At All & Where The Victims Might Never Have Any Idea Of Why They Are Being “Ordered Deported” By “Judges” Beholden To the Regime’s Corrupt & Racist Enforcement Apparatus! (Item #5 Under “Top- News”) — Plus Other News From The Regime’s “Twilight Zone!”

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, October 30, 2020. [Note: Despite the standing order about practices upon reopening, an opening date has not been announced for NYC non-detained at this time.]

 

TOP NEWS

 

ICE Is Planning To Fast-Track Deportations Across The Country

Buzzfeed: Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have started to implement a policy that allows officers to arrest and rapidly deport undocumented immigrants who have been in the US for less than two years, according to internal emails and documents obtained by BuzzFeed News.

 

Amid pandemic, sharply increased U.S. detention times put migrants at risk

Reuters: Detention centers now house fewer than half as many people as before the pandemic – less than 20,000 as of early October – in part because emergency health measures established in March have allowed authorities to expel nearly 150,000 migrants at the border. At the same time, the ICE data show, the average amount of time immigrants spent in U.S. detention almost tripled to three months this September compared to September 2016, before President Donald Trump took office. Detainees in September 2020 were being held nearly double the amount of time as in September 2019.

 

San Diego judge upholds state ban on private immigration detention centers

LA Times: Under the ruling, at least four immigration detention centers with the capacity to house about 5,000 people would be phased out over the coming years.

 

Justice Department cancels diversity training, including for immigration judges

SF Chron: The U.S. Justice Department has suspended all diversity and inclusion training and events for its employees, according to a memo obtained by The Chronicle, which would include judges in San Francisco and elsewhere hearing cases of immigrants seeking to avoid deportation.

 

How the Immigration Courts Malfunctioned: What We Saw

DocumentedNY: A prosecuting attorney for ICE losing a detainee´s file, immigrants spending more time in jail because the video teleconferencing system malfunctioned, a judge deporting children because they failed to show up to court. The following are some of the negligences we saw after we spent three months in the immigration courts.

 

Supreme Court Reopens Local Leader’s Immigration Case

DocumentedNY: Ravi Ragbir, an immigrant advocate who runs the New Sanctuary Coalition, has been fighting his deportation with a First Amendment claim

 

‘We Need to Take Away Children,’ No Matter How Young, Justice Dept. Officials Said

NYT: Top department officials were “a driving force” behind President Trump’s child separation policy, a draft investigation report said.

 

ICE Arrested More Than 100 Immigrants In California Weeks Before The Presidential Election

Buzzfeed: The arrests were the latest effort by ICE to target the state and its policies that reduce the cooperation between local police and federal agents when it comes to immigration enforcement.

 

The Matter Of Castro Tum

LatinoUSA: In 2018, a young Guatemalan man named Reynaldo Castro Tum was ordered deported even though no one in the U.S. government knew where he was, or how to find him. Now, more than two years later, his unusual journey through the United States’ immigration system has sucked another man back into a legal quagmire he thought that he’d escaped. This episode follows both of their stories and the fateful moment they collided.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

EOIR Payment Portal

EOIR: The EOIR Payment Portal is available to pay BIA Filing Fees associated with the form EOIR-26 and related BIA Motions. Filing fees for the Form EOIR-29 and related motions should continue to be paid in accordance with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) instructions. Payments for immigration court fees must follow current processes (See 8 C.F.R. 1103.7).

 

EOIR Announces 20 New Immigration Judges

EOIR announced the investiture of 20 new immigration judges, including three assistant chief immigration judges. Per the notice, EOIR’s immigration judge corps has increased nearly 70 percent since January 2017. Notice includes the judges’ biographical information and courts of appointment. AILA Doc. No. 20101200

 

Oral Argument This Week in Pereida v. Barr

ImmProf: Oral argument in the case is scheduled for this Wednesday morning, October 14, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The argument may be listened to live. In Pereida, the Supreme Court will decide whether a criminal conviction bars a noncitizen from applying for relief from removal when the record of conviction is merely ambiguous as to whether it corresponds to an offense listed in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

 

Petitions of the week: Sanchez v. Wolf

SCOTUSblog: The case asks whether a grant of Temporary Protected Status authorizes eligible noncitizens to obtain lawful-permanent-resident status if those noncitizens originally entered the United States without being “inspected and admitted” – a term of art referring to lawful entry and authorization by an immigration officer.

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on TPS and Eligibility for Adjustment of Status Under INA §245(a)

USCIS is updating policy guidance in the Policy Manual confirming that a grant of TPS is not admission for INA §245(a) adjustment purposes; clarifying that the applicability of decisions in the sixth and ninth circuits is limited to those jurisdictions; and incorporating Matter of Z-R-Z-C. AILA Doc. No. 20100635

 

Second District Court Grants Motion for Preliminary Injunction of USCIS Fee Rule

A district court granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and stayed the effective date of the USCIS Final Rule (except for those fees set by statute) pending resolution of the matter or further order of the court. (NWIRP et al., v. USCIS, et al., 10/8/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100909

 

District Court Declares Unlawful 2018 SIJ Policy Imposing Reunification Requirement on State Courts

A federal district court in Washington State declared unlawful a 2018 policy requiring state courts to have jurisdiction to order reunification, if warranted, before making the relevant Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) findings. (Moreno Galvez, et al. v. Cuccinelli, et al., 10/5/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100842

 

BIA Rules That Cancellation of Removal Despite Criminal Conviction Precludes a Later Finding of Deportability Based on the Same Conviction

The BIA ruled that if a criminal conviction was charged as a ground of removability when cancellation of removal was granted, that conviction cannot serve as the sole factual predicate for a charge of removability in subsequent removal proceedings. Matter of Voss, 28 I&N Dec. 107 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20100840

 

CA1 Finds “Wealthy Immigrants Returning to Jamaica” Is Not a Cognizable Particular Social Group

The court held that the petitioner’s withholding of removal claim failed, because it found that “wealthy immigrants returning to the country of Jamaica” did not form a cognizable particular social group. (Lee v. Barr, 9/22/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100535

 

CA1 Upholds Asylum Denial to Kenyan Petitioner Who Opposed Al-Shabaab

The court upheld the BIA’s denial of asylum, finding that terror attacks in Kenya by Al-Shabaab constituted generalized violence, and rejecting the petitioner’s proposed social group of westernized and Americanized Christian Kenyans who oppose Al-Shabaab. (Zhakira v. Barr, 10/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100901

 

CA3 Holds It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review IJ’s Discretionary Denial of Continuance to Petitioner Convicted of Aggravated Felony

Where petitioner, who had been convicted of an aggravated felony, argued that the BIA erred in upholding the IJ’s denial of his motion for a continuance, the court dismissed the petition, finding he had failed to state a constitutional claim or question of law. (Mirambeaux v. Barr, 10/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100903

 

CA3 Rejects Due Process Claims of Mexican Petitioner Who Sought Cancellation of Removal

Where BIA had dismissed petitioner’s appeal on the ground that his removal would not cause his daughters “exceptional and extremely unusual hardship,” the court rejected his two due process challenges, finding that neither was a constitutional claim. (Hernandez-Morales v. Att’y Gen., 9/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100902

 

CA5 Upholds Denial of Asylum to Chinese Petitioner Who Claimed He Had an Anti-Corruption Political Belief

The court upheld the BIA’s denial of asylum to the Chinese petitioner, finding that the evidence did not compel a reasonable factfinder to conclude that the petitioner had been persecuted for his political opinion rather than for personal reasons. (Du v. Barr, 9/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100540

 

CA8 Finds BIA Did Not Abuse Its Discretion in Denying Petitioner’s Motion to Reopen Based on Ineffective Assistance

The court upheld the BIA’s denial of the petitioner’s motion to reopen, finding that the petitioner had not substantially complied with the requirements in Matter of Lozada for reopening removal proceedings based on alleged ineffective assistance of counsel. (Avitso v. Barr, 9/22/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100537

 

CA9 Upholds District Court Order Prohibiting Government from Detaining Certain Minors in Hotels for Longer Than 72 Hours

The court denied the government’s motion for a stay of the district court’s order precluding DHS from placing minors detained under a Title 42 public health order in hotels for more than three days in the process of expelling them from the United States. (Flores v. Barr, et al., 10/4/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100906

 

CA9 Upholds Asylum Denial to Guatemalan Petitioner Who Did Not Report Abuse by Ex-Boyfriend to Police

Upholding the denial of asylum to the petitioner, who had been abused by her ex-boyfriend, the court held that substantial evidence supported the conclusion that the Guatemalan government could have protected the petitioner had she reported her abuse. (Velasquez-Gaspar v. Barr, 9/30/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100904

 

CA9 Finds Petitioner Was Properly in Asylum-Only Proceedings and IJ Lacked Jurisdiction to Consider Adjustment of Status Request

The court held that the termination of petitioner’s grant of asylum by reopening his asylum-only proceedings was not error, and that the IJ did not have jurisdiction to consider his request for adjustment of status because of the limited scope of such proceedings. (Bare v. Barr, 9/16/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100630

 

CA9 Holds That Petitioner’s Oregon Conviction for Manufacture of a Controlled Substance Was an Aggravated Felony

The court held that Oregon Revised Statute §475.992(1)(a) is divisible as between its “manufacture” and “delivery” terms, and that the petitioner’s conviction under that statute for manufacturing marijuana was thus an aggravated felony. (Dominguez v. Barr, 7/21/20, amended 9/18/20) AILA Doc. No. 20081036

 

CA9 Says Conviction Under California Penal Code §245(a)(1) for Assault with a Deadly Weapon Other Than a Firearm Is a CIMT

Deferring to the BIA’s decision in Matter of Wu, the court held that a conviction under California Penal Code §245(a)(1), which proscribes certain aggravated forms of assault, is categorically a crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT). (Safaryan v. Barr, 9/17/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100631

 

CA9 Overrules Minto v. Sessions and Concludes Resident of CNMI Is Not Removable Under INA §212(a)(7)(a)(i)

The en banc court overruled Minto v. Sessions, holding that the petitioner, who was present in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) when the INA became applicable there, was not removable under INA §212(a)(7)(a)(i). (Torres v. Barr, 9/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100538

 

DOS Issues Update on Court Order Regarding Presidential Proclamation 10052

DOS announced that due to the injunction in NAM v. DHS, any J-1, H-1B, H-2B, or L-1 applicant who is either sponsored (as an exchange visitor) by, petitioned by, or whose petitioner is a member of, one of the plaintiffs in the suit is no longer subject to PP 10052’s entry restrictions. AILA Doc. No. 20100536

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

   

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, October 12, 2020

Sunday, October 11, 2020

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Friday, October 9, 2020

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Monday, October 5, 2020

 

**********************

Only the “tip of the iceberg” in a thoroughly corrupt and totally dysfunctional system that nobody seems willing to put out of its misery and the injustices that it causes humanity and the rule of law each day that it continues to grind out gross miscarriages of justice!

PWS

10-13-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 10-05-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group — Federal Judge Rules Trump Not A Monarch; More Intentional Cruelty, Lies, & Threats Of Politically-Inspired Racist Attacks On Ethnic Communities From DHS; Trump Regime Dumps On Refugees & Commies; Cert. Granted In Credibility Case Apparently Seeking To Screw Refugees At Request Of SG; & Other “Interesting & Sometimes Disturbing Stuff”⚖️

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

New

  • EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, October 23, 2020. [Note: Despite the standing order about practices upon reopening, an opening date has not been announced for NYC non-detained at this time.]

 

Closures

 

Guidance:

 

TOP NEWS

 

SIJS Priority Dates

For the first time in more than two years, the priority dates for SIJS applicants from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala have advanced. The new priority date is February 1, 2018. All I-360 SIJS applications filed on or before February 1, 2018 may now file for adjustment of status. The priority date for Mexican SIJS cases is current which means that any Mexican SIJS applicant may file now for adjustment of status. SIJS adjustment cases will not be able to waive the considerable filing fees if/when the new rules go into effect and given the opacity of the visa bulletin, we are not sure the priority dates will remain at the current dates past October 31.

 

Trump Virtually Cuts Off Refugees as He Unleashes a Tirade on Immigrants

NYT: The change in the number of refugees that Mr. Trump plans to admit is not drastic: no more than 15,000 in the fiscal year that began Thursday, down from 18,000 in the 2020 fiscal year, which was a record low. The number was set in a notice sent to Congress late Wednesday, shortly before the statutory deadline to set the new limit. Both numbers are slivers of the 110,000 slots that President Barack Obama approved in 2016. See also World Grows Less Accepting of Migrants.

 

United States closes immigration door to communists in clear swipe at China

SCMP: The United States has released guidance on its immigration laws that will make it almost impossible for members of a Communist party or similar to be granted permanent residence or citizenship of America. The announcement was made in a policy alert issued on Friday by the US Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS). In a sign Washington is dusting off its Cold War-era legislation, the agency said: “In general, unless otherwise exempt, any intending immigrant who is a member or affiliate of the Communist Party or any other totalitarian party … domestic or foreign, is inadmissible to the United States.”

 

Pence ordered borders closed after CDC experts refused

AP: Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation’s top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency’s scientists who said there was no evidence the action would slow the coronavirus, according to two former health officials. The action has so far caused nearly 150,000 children and adults to be expelled from the country.

 

Judge Blocks USCIS Fee Increases: Here’s Why It Happened

Forbes: On September 29, 2020, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White, in the Northern District of California, enjoined the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), USCIS and officials serving in those agencies “from implementing or enforcing the Final Rule or any portion thereof.” The preliminary injunction is in effect nationwide. Immigrant Legal Resource Center, et al. v. Chad F. Wolf, et al. involved 8 non-profit organizations that provide services to immigrants.

 

Judge Rules Against Trump’s H-1B Visa Ban: President Is Not A Monarch

Forbes: In a closely watched case on the limits of presidential authority over immigration, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s June 2020 proclamation that suspended the entry of foreign nationals on H-1B, L-1, H-2B and most J-1 temporary visas. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White ruled the president does not possess the power of a monarch to cast aside immigration laws passed by Congress. See also IT stocks rise up to 5% as US judge temporarily blocks ban on H-1B visa.

 

Palantir Admits to Helping ICE Deport Immigrants While Trying to Prove It Doesn’t

Vice: Palantir responded to Amnesty International with a letter of its own—a master class in hair-splitting that hit familiar points, used old arguments that have been dismissed, and accidentally admitted Palantir’s technology is used for deportations.

 

Trump administration puts up billboards of immigration violators in Pennsylvania

CNN: The Trump administration has put up billboards in Pennsylvania of immigration violators, an unprecedented move taken in a swing state a month before the presidential election. The plan targeting “sanctuary cities,” which limit cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, is in step with President Donald Trump’s law-and-order message.

 

ICE preparing targeted arrests in ‘sanctuary cities,’ amplifying president’s campaign theme

WaPo: The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, known informally as the “sanctuary op,” could begin in California as soon as later this week. It would then expand to cities including Denver and Philadelphia, according to two of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive government law enforcement plans.

 

Trump administration wants to screen credit scores, tax returns of immigrants’ U.S. sponsors

Miami Herald: The proposed rule would require those who sponsor a green card for an immigrant to provide — along with the affidavit form — credit reports and credit scores, certified copies of income tax returns for the last three years, and bank account information, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said on Thursday.

 

“The Cruelty Is the Point”: U.S. Still Denying Protection to Severely Ill People With No Legal Status—Despite Announcing Otherwise

Ms.: Remarkably, USCIS announced on September 19, 2019 that deferred action was reinstated by USCIS. Despite the reinstatement, the outcome in deferred action cases we handled or tracked across the country continue to raise concerns.

 

Federal Agency Will Pay $336K in Legal Fees, Ending Immigrant Minors’ Abortion Rights Case

NLJ: After three years of litigation over the Trump administration’s policy of restricting undocumented minors’ access to abortion, the government on Tuesday agreed to change its policy and to pay more than $330,000 in legal fees and costs to the American Civil Liberties Union, which initiated the challenge.

 

New Jersey Doubles Immigrant Legal Representation Budget

DocumentedNY: New Jersey had no such program until last year, until Murphy allocated $3.1 million to hire lawyers. Now, he’s doubled that figure to more than $6 million.

 

NY City Council Announces $28.4 Million for Immigrant Services

City Council: The Council funding includes $3.25 million for the successful program, CUNY Citizenship Now!, which provides free legal services to assist New Yorkers and their families as they navigate the application process to become U.S. citizens. The Council funds also include $16.6 million for the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project (NYIFUP), the nation’s first public defender system to assist detained immigrant facing deportation proceedings. In addition, the City Council designated almost $4 million to fund legal representation services for unaccompanied minors separated from their families and who are facing immigration proceedings.

 

Changes to VAWA and T-Visas: DHS Proposed Rule on Collection of Biometrics

ImmProf: Rather than attempting to reduce fraud, the proposed rule seems designed to intimidate applicants from applying and increase the burden if they decide to do so. This invidious motivation can be seen more clearly in the proposed rule’s seemingly random attempt to change the framework for assessing the Good Moral Character of VAWA and T-visa applicants. Instead of presumptions and letters from respected law enforcement officers, these petitioners would be subject to DNA collection and associated background checks in a determination of their Good Moral Character.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

SCOTUS grants cert on asylum credibility case Barr v. Dai

SCOTUSblog: (1) Whether a court of appeals may conclusively presume that an asylum applicant’s testimony is credible and true whenever an immigration judge or the Board of Immigration Appeals adjudicates an application without making an explicit adverse credibility determination; and (2) whether the court of appeals violated the remand rule as set forth in INS v. Ventura when it determined in the first instance that the respondent, Ming Dai, was eligible for asylum and entitled to withholding of removal.

 

District Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Halting Implementation of USCIS Fee Rule

The district court stayed the implementation and the effective date of the August 2020 Final Rule, which changed the fee schedule and required new versions of several forms, in its entirety pending final adjudication of this matter. (ILRC et al., v. Wolf, et al., 9/29/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092990

 

USCIS Issues Update on 2020 Fee Rule Preliminary Injunction

USCIS issued an update stating that while the 2020 Fee Rule is enjoined, it will continue to accept USCIS forms with the current editions and current fees. AILA Doc. No. 20100190

 

District Court Orders DOS to Reserve 9,095 FY2020 Diversity Visa Numbers

The court ordered DOS to reserve 9,095 of the approximately 40,000 unused diversity visa numbers for future processing of both the named plaintiffs’ and class-members’ diversity visa applications, pending final adjudication of the matter. (Gomez, et al., v. Trump, et al., 9/30/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100100

 

District Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Halting Proclamation Suspending Entry of Nonimmigrants

The court granted the motion for preliminary injunction, preventing the government from implementing Section 2 of Presidential Proclamation 10052. Note, injunction only applies to named plaintiff groups. (National Association of Manufacturers et al., v. DHS, et al., 10/1/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100200

 

District Court Says Grant of TPS Constitutes an Admission for Adjustment of Status Purposes and Qualifies as a New Entry

The federal district court in Minnesota held that a grant of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) under INA §244a constitutes an admission for purposes of adjustment of status, and that such an admission qualifies as a new entry. (Hernandez de Gutierrez, et al. v. Barr, et al., 9/28/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092935

 

CA1 Upholds Denial of Asylum to Ecuadorian Petitioner Who Feared Harm from Brother Involved in Narcotics Trafficking

The court held that the record supported the BIA’s and IJ’s conclusion that family ties did not motivate the petitioner’s persecution at the hands of his adopted older brother, even though those ties brought the petitioner into proximity with his persecutor. (Loja-Tene v. Barr, 9/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100141

 

CA1 Upholds Asylum Denial to Honduran Petitioner Who Feared Attacks Motivated by His Father’s Gang Affiliation

The court held that the petitioner did not meet his burden of showing that the government of Honduras was unwilling or unable to protect him, where the evidence in the record indicated that the police had investigated the threats and attacks against him. (Gómez-Medina v. Barr, 9/15/20)AILA Doc. No. 20100140

 

CA2 Says Conviction for Third-Degree Criminal Possession of Stolen Property in New York Is an Aggravated Felony

The court upheld the BIA’s determination that the petitioner’s conviction for third-degree criminal possession of stolen property in violation of New York Penal Law §165.50 was an aggravated felony offense under INA §101(a)(43)(G). (Santana v. Barr, 9/18/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100206

 

CA2 Finds Petitioner’s Conviction in New York for Sexual Abuse in the First Degree Was an Aggravated Felony

The court held that the petitioner’s conviction under New York Penal Law §130.65(3) for sexual abuse in the first degree constituted an aggravated felony under INA §101(a)(43)(A). (Rodriguez v. Barr, 9/18/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100142

 

CA3 Finds District Court Lacked Jurisdiction to Review Appellant’s Challenges to the Execution of His Removal Order

Where the appellant had raised two challenges to the execution of his removal order, the court found that he had pursued his claims in the wrong proceeding, and reversed and remanded to the district court with instructions to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. (Tazu v. Att’y Gen., 9/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20100209

 

USCIS Issues Policy Guidance on Inadmissibility Based on Membership in a Totalitarian Party

USCIS issued policy guidance to address inadmissibility based on membership in or affiliation with a totalitarian party in the context of adjustment of status applications. The guidance provides an overview of the inadmissibility determination, evidence, burden of proof, exceptions, and waivers. AILA Doc. No. 20100201

 

DOS Provides Information on National Interest Exceptions for Certain Travelers from Europe

DOS announced that certain business travelers, investors, treaty traders, academics, students, and journalists from the Schengen Area, the U.K., and Ireland may qualify for National Interest Exceptions under Presidential Proclamations 9993 (Schengen Area) and 9996 (U.K., Ireland). Updated 10/1/20. AILA Doc. No. 20071733

 

EOIR Launches Immigration Court Online Resource (ICOR) and Pro Bono Portal

EOIR announced the launch of the Immigration Court Online Resource (ICOR), which provides resources on immigration proceedings before EOIR, and the Pro Bono Portal, which allows for the initiation and management of applications to be included in the EOIR List of Pro Bono Legal Service Providers. AILA Doc. No. 20100139

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, October 5, 2020

Sunday, October 4, 2020

Saturday, October 3, 2020

Friday, October 2, 2020

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

Tuesday, September 29, 2020

Monday, September 28, 2020

***************

Wow! Imagine how much time and money could be saved, and problems solved rather than aggravated, by a Government that actually provided due process, honored human rights, promoted equal justice for all, and respected the rule of law and the proper role of courts!

This Fall, vote like your life and the future of humanity depend on ousting Trump and the GOP! Because they do!

PWS

10-06-20

 

THE GIBSON REPORT – 09-29-20 – Compiled by Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group – Another Tone-Deaf, Far Right Justice; Higher Fees For Worse Service; Detained Until Dead (“DUD Policy”)☠️⚰️; Dumping On International Students; & Other Nation-Destroying 🏴‍☠️News From The Trump Regime Twilight Zone! 

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

Reminder: Fee changes go into effect on October 2, 2020.

All applications with old fees/fee waivers must be POSTMARKED on or before October 1. 

CLINIC Fee/Waiver Chart: Selected USCIS Form Fees Beginning Oct. 2, 2020

 

 

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

New

  • Opening dates for non-detained courts: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, October 16, 2020. [Note: Despite the standing order about practices upon reopening, an opening date has not been announced for NYC non-detained at this time.]
  • EOIR Status Overview & EOIR Court Status Map/List: EOIR has reorganized its operational status website. The list of individual court statuses and standing orders can now be accessed by scrolling down on the new map page:https://www.justice.gov/eoir-operational-status/operational-status-map. This is especially important for NYC given that the 26 Fed Court website still has an incorrect link for one of three standing orders, but the links are correct on the map page.

 

Closures

 

Guidance:

 

TOP NEWS

 

Amy Coney Barrett has a years-long record of ruling against immigrants

Vox: As an appellate court judge, Barrett helped to advance one of Trump’s key immigration policies. She sided with his administration in a case over Trump’s policy imposing a wealth test on the millions of immigrants who seek to come to the US annually. In her whopping 40-page dissent in that case, she laid out why the US has the right to block people who it deems likely to become dependent on public assistance in the future — even if they have never used public assistance in the past.

 

Advocate Groups Challenge Legitimacy of Immigration Fee Hikes

Courthouse News: Immigration advocacy groups have challenged the rule in California, Massachusetts, and in the District of Columbia, where they asked a federal judge for an injunction in a hearing Thursday. On Friday, it was U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White’s turn to hear arguments on whether the rule should be invalidated. In addition to weighing the competing financial interests at stake, White said the fee hike “raises series issues on constitutional checks and balances and the limit to executive power.”

 

Trump administration reimposes “public charge” immigration wealth test following court orders

CBS:  In updated guidance on its website on Tuesday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it would apply the 2019 public charge test to all future and pending green card applications filed after February 24, 2020, when the agency implemented the rule following the Supreme Court’s green light. Applications filed after Daniels’ injunction in July that have been approved will not be re-adjudicated, USCIS said.

 

Major Changes to Student Visa Rules Proposed

Inside Higher Ed: Trump administration proposes revamping visas so students would have to apply for an extension after fixed terms of no more than four years. Some students would have to reapply after two years, depending on their country of origin.

 

ICE whistleblower: Mexico investigating US immigrant ‘sterilisations’

BBC: On Monday Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said his government could take legal action against the US if the allegations were confirmed, Mexican newspaper El Universal reports.

 

Immigrants in US custody died after ‘inadequate’ medical care, congressional investigation finds

CNN: Immigrants in US custody faced widespread failures in medical care, including some issues that resulted in death, according to a new congressional investigation released Thursday.

 

Even When They Lost Their Jobs, Immigrants Sent Money Home

NYT: Predictions were that immigrants would stop sending money home when the coronavirus took their jobs. But that did not take into account how determined foreign workers were to help their families.

 

ICE Deports 54 Immigrants From New Jersey

WNYC: Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed 54 immigrants — an extraordinarily high number — from the Essex County Correctional Facility Tuesday for deportation. The jail is the largest facility in the region that contracts with ICE to hold immigrants awaiting hearings or deportations. The population fluctuates from day to day, but it’s unusual to see 54 immigrants removed at once.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Attorney General Rules That the BIA Must Examine Asylum Claims De Novo

The AG ruled that, in reviewing asylum claims, the BIA must examine de novo whether facts found by the IJ meet all statutory requirements, and should review each element of the claim before affirming or independently ordering a grant of asylum. Matter of A-C-A-A-, 28 I&N Dec. 84 (A.G. 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20092530

 

BIA Rules on Expert Witness Testimony

The BIA ruled that in assessing whether to admit expert witness testimony, an IJ should consider whether it is sufficiently relevant and reliable, and if it is admitted, how much weight it should receive, and how probative and persuasive it is. Matter of J-G-T-, 28 I&N Dec. 97 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20092532

 

USCIS Temporary Final Rule on Interpreters at Asylum Interviews

USCIS temporary final rule providing that, from 9/23/20 through 3/22/21, asylum applicants who cannot proceed with the interview in English must ordinarily use DHS-provided telephonic interpreters, due to COVID-19. (85 FR 59655, 9/23/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092202

 

USCIS Provides Update on Public Charge Rule Following Second Circuit Decision

USCIS announced that following the Second Circuit decision, it will apply the public charge rule and related guidance to all petitions submitted on or after 2/24/20. USCIS will not readjudicate any petitions that were approved following issuance of the 7/29/20 injunction continuing until 9/22/20. AILA Doc. No. 20092204

 

ICE Proposed Rule Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission for F, J, and I Nonimmigrants

ICE proposed rule to change the admission period of F, J, and I nonimmigrants from “duration of status” to an admission for a fixed time period. Comments are due 10/26/20. (85 FR 60526, 9/25/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092401

 

Visa Bulletin for October 2020

DOS posted the October 2020 visa bulletin. In addition to final action dates and dates for filing for family and employment-based petitions, it contains notes on the DV category, movement of the October final action and application filing dates, visa availability in the coming months, and more. AILA Doc. No. 20092400

 

CBP Notification of Temporary Travel Restrictions Applicable to Land Ports of Entry and Ferries Service Between the United States and Mexico

CBP issued a notification of the continuation of temporary travel restrictions limiting travel of individuals from Mexico into the United States at land ports of entry along the United States-Mexico border through 10/21/20 due to COVID-19. (85 FR 59669, 9/23/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092331

 

CBP Notification of Temporary Travel Restrictions Applicable to Land Ports of Entry and Ferries Service Between the United States and Canada

CBP issued a notification of the continuation of temporary travel restrictions limiting travel of individuals from Canada into the United States at land ports of entry along the United States-Canada border through 10/21/20 due to COVID-19. (85 FR 59670, 9/23/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092330

 

Resources for National Interest Exceptions Under Presidential Proclamations Suspending Entry of Certain Immigrants and Nonimmigrants, as Well as Individuals from Certain Countries

This page contains resources for members concerning national interest exceptions under President Trump’s June 22, 2020, proclamation (10052) and April 22, 2020, proclamation (10014), and the country-specific COVID-19 travel bans. AILA Doc. No. 20092205

 

DHS OIG Releases Report on Cybersecurity Incident at CBP Involving Traveler Images

DHS OIG released a report on a 2019 incident that compromised about 184,000 traveler images from CBP’s facial recognition pilot, known as the Vehicle Face System, at ports of entry. Per OIG, CBP “did not adequately safeguard sensitive data on an unencrypted device” using during the pilot program. AILA Doc. No. 20092333

 

DHS Ratification of Actions by Acting Secretary Chad Wolf

DHS ratification of actions taken by Acting Secretary Chad Wolf between 11/13/19 and 9/10/20, to “resolv[e] any potential defect in the validity of those actions” due to challenges to the legality of his service. (85 FR 59651, 9/23/20) AILA Doc. No. 20092137

 

DOJ OIG Releases Report on EOIR’s Recognition and Accreditation Program

DOJ OIG released a report on EOIR’s Recognition and Accreditation Program, finding that OLAP should improve program oversight and administration due to weakness in its controls for approving or rejecting applications, monitoring activities of accredited representatives, and investigating misconduct. AILA Doc. No. 20092233

 

House Committee on Homeland Security Releases Report Saying ICE Detention Facilities Fail to Meet Basic Standards of Care

The House Committee on Homeland Security released a report finding that DHS fails to effectively identify and correct deficient conditions at ICE detention facilities, and that facilities frequently fail to meet basic standards of care, including mental and physical care of the migrants in custody. AILA Doc. No. 20092201

 

ACTIONS

 

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

   

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, September 28, 2020

Sunday, September 27, 2020

Saturday, September 26, 2020

Friday, September 25, 2020

Thursday, September 24, 2020

Wednesday, September 23, 2020

Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Monday, September 21, 2020

 

********************

PWS

09-29-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 09-21-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group. — ICE Promotes More “Aimless Docket Reshuffling,” Jacks Up Backlog, & Other Tales Of Woe From The Kakistocracy!

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”


COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify the latest information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

New

Closures

Guidance:

 

TOP NEWS

 

 

 

ICE Filed Over 100,000 New Cases and Clogged the Courts at the Peak of the Pandemic

DocumentedNY: In July 2020, judges in New York City’s immigration courts completed 273 cases combined, a fraction of the estimated 2,200 cases completed in July 2019. While the judges were slowing down, ICE filed over 100,000 new immigration cases nationwide during just the first two-and-a-half months of the current shutdown.

 

Ice detainees faced medical neglect and hysterectomies, whistleblower alleges

Guardian: Immigrants in a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention center in Georgia are being subjected to horrific conditions and treatment, including “jarring medical neglect” and a high rate of hysterectomies among women, according to a whistleblower complaint filed by several legal advocacy groups on behalf of a nurse who works there.

 

NYPD Crushes Tiny Anti-ICE Protest With Overwhelming Force And Bloody Arrests

Gothamist: The march calling for the abolition of ICE hadn’t gone more than a few blocks through Lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon when NYPD officers ran into the crowd, tackling marchers to the ground, and taking them into custody.

 

SEE IT: Security guard pulls gun on ICE protesters at Manhattan federal building

Daily News: A security guard flashed her gun at Abolish ICE protesters who stormed inside a federal building in Lower Manhattan, video posted on social media shows.

 

ICE deported a key witness in investigation of sexual assault and harassment at El Paso detention center

ProPublica: Department of Homeland Security and Justice Department inspectors general are investigating allegations that ICE guards assaulted detainees in camera blind spots.

 

Biden Pledges To Dismantle Trump’s Sweeping Immigration Changes — But Can He Do That?

NPR: The Trump administration has undertaken more than 400 executive actions on immigration, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Those include tougher border and interior enforcement, restricting asylum, rolling back Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), slashing refugee visas, streamlining immigration courts and creating Remain in Mexico.

 

Senate to hold hearing on Chad Wolf’s nomination for Homeland Security secretary this week

CNN:  The nomination hearing comes as courts and the Government Accountability Office have raised concerns about the legitimacy of Wolf’s appointment to lead DHS. Over the objections of the department, the GAO stood by its August opinion that Wolf and his deputy Ken Cuccinelli were appointed as part of an “invalid order of succession.”

 

Court Rules Government Can End Humanitarian Protections For Some 300,000 Immigrants

NPR: The 9th Circuit Appeals Court’s decision affects citizens from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua and Sudan, many of whom have lived in the U.S. for decades, have U.S.-born children and have been considered essential workers during the coronavirus pandemic. At issue is the termination of temporary protected status, a form of humanitarian relief created by Congress and administered by the Department of Homeland Security.

 

After EOIR Fixes Most Egregious Data Errors, TRAC Releases New Asylum Data—But with a Warning

TRAC: These included nearly a million filings by immigrants previously present in the court files TRAC received that had gone missing. The resulting public outcry caused the EOIR to restore most of these records but persistent problems remained: each month, new records continued to disappear.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Clarifying Procedures for Terminating Asylum Status in Relation to Consideration of an Application for Adjustment of Status

USCIS: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to update and clarify the procedures USCIS officers follow when termination of asylum status is considered in relation to adjudicating an asylum-based adjustment of status application.

 

District Court Denies Plaintiffs’ Motion for Preliminary Injunction in Case Challenging Proclamation 10052

Finding that the plaintiffs are unlikely to succeed on their challenge to Presidential Proclamation 10052, a district court judge in D.C. held that injunctive relief would not remedy plaintiffs’ claimed irreparable harms or be in the public interest. (Panda, et al. v. Wolf, et al., 9/16/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091804

 

District Court Preliminarily Enjoins Certain Provisions of New DHS Asylum EAD Rules

The district court preliminarily enjoined the defendants from enforcing a subset of the new asylum employment authorization document (EAD) rules as applied to individual members of Casa de Maryland and Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project. (Casa de Maryland, Inc., et al. v. Wolf, et al., 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091507

 

District Court Blocks Trump’s Memo Excluding Undocumented Immigrants from Census

Granting summary judgment in favor of the plaintiffs, a federal district court in New York concluded that President Trump’s July 2020 memo exceeded the authority of the president and constituted an ultra vires violation of the statutes. (State of New York, et al. v. Trump, et al., 9/10/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091400

 

BIA Holds New York Larceny Statute Not a CIMT

Unpublished BIA decision holds that 2004 conviction for third degree grand larceny under N.Y.P.L. 155.35 is not a CIMT under Obeya v. Sessions, 884 F .3d 442 (2d Cir. 2018). Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Diaz Ortiz, 4/13/20) AILA  Doc. No. 20091404

 

BIA Holds Conviction Not Valid for Immigration Purposes Following Vacatur Under Cal. Penal Code 1473.(7)(3)

Unpublished BIA decision finds conviction vacated under Calif. Penal Code 1473.7(3) is no longer valid for immigration purposes. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Antunez Delgado, 4/29/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091800

 

BIA Rejects DHS Argument Involving Vacatur of Criminal Conviction

Unpublished BIA decision rejects DHS argument that the respondent’s conviction remained valid for immigration purposes because the state court order vacating conviction was drafted by his attorney. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Fearon, 4/17/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091607

 

BIA Reopens Proceedings Sua Sponte for TPS Recipient to Adjust Status

Unpublished BIA decision reopens proceedings sua sponte for respondent with TPS to adjust status in light of intervening decision in Ramirez v. Brown, 852 F.3d 954 (9th Cir. 2017). Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Castellanos, 4/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091505

 

BIA Holds Texas Theft Not a CIMT Prior to Matter of Diaz-Lizarraga

Unpublished BIA decision holds that Matter of Diaz-Lizarraga, 26 I&N Dec. 847 (BIA 2016), does not apply retroactively to convictions for theft under Texas Penal Code 31.03. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Ozougwu, 4/9/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091403

 

BIA Holds Texas Burglary Statute Not a CIMT

Unpublished BIA decision holds that burglary of building under Texas Pen. Code 30.02 is not a CIMT because the target offense is not an element and could include simple assault. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of De Leon Gonzalez, 4/15/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091506

 

BIA Equitably Tolls Deadline for MTR Filed Two Years After Favorable Circuit Decision

Unpublished BIA decision equitably tolls the MTR deadline and terminates proceedings where respondent filed motion more than two years after Ninth Circuit decision holding that conviction did not qualify as an aggravated felony. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Dang, 5/7/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091801

 

BIA Orders Further Consideration of Ineffective Assistance Claim in Light of Referral to Disciplinary Committee

Unpublished BIA decision remands for further consideration of ineffective assistance claim in light of evidence submitted on appeal that the respondent’s complaint against his prior attorney was referred to a disciplinary committee. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Nguyen, 4/22/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091608

 

CA2 Finds Nonprofit Organization Cannot Bring Cause of Action on Its Own Behalf over Denial of N-648 Waivers

The court held that although the district court correctly found that Youth Ministries for Peace and Justice had Article III standing to sue over USCIS’s denial of N-648 waivers, it did not fall within the zone of interests of the INA, the APA, or the Due Process Clause. (Moya v. DHS, 9/15/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091612

 

CA7 Rejects Castro-Tum and Holds That IJs Are Not Precluded from Administratively Closing Cases When Appropriate

The court rejected Matter of Castro-Tum’s conclusion that administrative closure is not within an IJ’s authority to take “any action” appropriate and necessary for the disposition of cases pursuant to 8 CFR §1003.10(b). (Meza Morales v. Barr, 6/26/20, amended 9/3/20) AILA Doc. No. 20070207

 

CA8 Upholds Denial of CAT Relief to Bangladeshi Petitioner Who Converted to Christianity

Upholding the denial of deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT), the court held that the BIA did not err in determining that the petitioner had failed to show he would more likely than not be tortured if removed to Bangladesh. (Ahmed v. Barr, 9/4/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091604

 

CA9 to Allow Termination of TPS of Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador

The court issued a panel decision vacating a district court’s preliminary injunction to terminate TPS designations of Sudan, Nicaragua, Haiti, and El Salvador. (Ramos v. Wolf, 9/14/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091405

 

CA9 Vacates Injunction Barring ICE from Issuing Detainers Based Solely on Electronic Database Checks

The court reversed and vacated the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California’s injunction barring ICE from issuing detainers based solely on searches of electronic databases to make probable cause determinations of removability. (Gonzalez, et al. v. ICE, et al., 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091500

 

CA9 Finds Record Showed That Salvadoran Government Was Unable to Control Gang’s Deadly Violence

The court held that substantial evidence did not support the BIA’s conclusion that the government of El Salvador was willing and able to control the Mara-18 gang that attacked the petitioner and killed his son, and found that the gang continues to be a threat. (J.R. v. Barr, 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091605

 

CA9 Holds BIA Applied Incorrect Standard When Reviewing IJ’s Factual Findings Related to Mexican Petitioner’s CAT Application

The court held that the BIA erred by not reviewing the IJ’s factual findings for clear error, as required by 8 CFR §1003.1(d)(3)(i), when it reversed the IJ’s grant of deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (CAT). (Guerra v. Barr, 3/3/20, amended 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20030632

 

USCIS Updates Account Creation Design for Representatives

USCIS announced updates to some design features of the USCIS online account creation process to make it easier for representatives to link certain paper-filed cases to newly-created online accounts; to identify which paper-filed forms are eligible for online linking; and more. AILA Doc. No. 20091809

 

DHS Releases Fact Sheet on Measures on the Border to Limit the Further Spread of Coronavirus

On September 18, 2020, DHS updated its fact sheet on measures to limit non-essential travel across the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico borders and to limit the spread of the coronavirus. The measures have been extended until October 21, 2020. AILA Doc. No. 20032336

 

USCIS Updates Policy Guidance on Residency Requirements for Children of Service Members and U.S. Government Employees Stationed Overseas for Purposes of Acquisition of Citizenship

USCIS updated guidance in its Policy Manual regarding the residency requirements for children and spouses of service members or U.S. government employees stationed overseas to acquire citizenship under INA §320, as amended by the Citizenship for Children of Military Members and Civil Servants Act. AILA Doc. No. 20092130

RESOURCES

    • Afghanistan: Psychiatric Treatment (ASI2020-02) – ENG
    • Burkina Faso: Teachers’ unions (AFR2020-23) – ENG
    • Iraq and Bolivia: Persecution of Hizmet Followers (MEN2020-09) – ENG
    • Kosovo: Homophobie envers les familles des personnes LGBTI (CIS2020-04) – FR
    • Libya: The Revolutionary Committees 2009-2011 (MEN2020-10) – ENG
    • Sri Lanka: Victim of Trafficking and Domestic Violence (ASI2020-04) – ENG
    • Yemen: Clan Revenge and Houthi Rebels (MEN2020-08) – ENG

EVENTS

 

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, September 21, 2020

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Friday, September 18, 2020

Thursday, September 17, 2020

Wednesday, September 16, 2020

Tuesday, September 15, 2020

Monday, September 14, 2020

********************

As always, Elizabeth, thanks for keeping the New Due Process Army informed!

PWS

09-23-20

THE GIBSON REPORT — 09-15-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group

THE GIBSON REPORT — 09-15-20 — Compiled By Elizabeth Gibson, Esquire, NY Legal Assistance Group

Elizabeth Gibson
Elizabeth Gibson
Attorney, NY Legal Assistance Group
Publisher of “The Gibson Report”

COVID-19

Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify the latest information on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.

 

New

 

Closures

 

Guidance:

 

TOP NEWS

 

Panel Tosses Nationwide Freeze on Trump’s Public Charge Rule

Bloomberg: A nationwide injunction blocking a Trump administration rule that denies legal status to immigrants receiving public assistance was stayed by a Second Circuit panel. The Southern District of New York…likely lacked jurisdiction to enter the injunction while the appeal of its previously-issued injunction was pending, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said Sept. 11.

 

USCIS Wants Sponsors To Repay Gov’t For Benefits

Law360: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on Thursday announced an initiative to hold immigrant sponsors legally responsible for reimbursing the government for benefits used by their immigrant sponsees.

 

US seeks sweeping DNA collection of immigrants, sponsors

AlJazeera: Its proposal also vastly expands the biological information that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collects beyond genetic material to include eye scans, voiceprints, and palm prints, the department’s US Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a notice published in the Federal Register.

 

After a Pandemic Pause, ICE Resumes Deportation Arrests

NYT: Since mid-July, immigration agents have taken more than 2,000 people into custody from their homes, workplaces and other sites, including a post office, often after staking them out for days.

 

The Life and Death of Administrative Closure

TRAC: TRAC’s detailed analysis of the court records on administrative closure yields four key findings. First, administrative closure has been routinely used by Immigration Judges to manage their growing caseloads as well as manage the unresolved overlapping of jurisdictions between the EOIR and other immigration agencies. Second, TRAC finds that far from contributing to the backlog, administrative closure has helped reduce the backlog. Third, data from the Immigration Courts show that immigrants who obtain administrative closure are likely to have followed legal requirements and obtain lawful status. Fourth, the EOIR significantly misrepresented the data it used to justify this rule.

 

Immigration to New York City Declines, Amplifying Economic Concerns

WSJ: Immigration to New York City dropped 45% between 2016 and 2019, with about 34,000 immigrants moving to the city last year compared with 62,000 in 2016, according to an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau population estimates by William Frey, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. City officials and immigration advocates say tighter federal immigration policies and delays in processing visa applications during the pandemic ave reduced the flow of transplants.

 

US revokes visas for 1,000 Chinese students deemed security risk

BBC: The move follows a proclamation by President Donald Trump in May aimed at Chinese nationals suspected of having ties to the military. He said some had stolen data and intellectual property. China has accused the US of racial discrimination. Nearly 370,000 students from China enrolled at US universities in 2018-19.

 

Americans are renouncing U.S. citizenship in record numbers – but maybe not for the reasons you think

The Conversation: In surveys and testimonials, these people say they’re dropping their U.S. citizenship because American anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism regulations make it too onerous and expensive to keep.

 

DHS Whistleblower Complaint Includes Surprising Insights on Immigration Policy

ImmProf: Mr. Murphy believes former DHS head Kirtjen Nielsen presented Congress with “knowing and deliberate submission of false material information” about the number of [known or suspected terrorists] crossing the southern border.

 

Immigration agency cuts of 800 Kansas City jobs expected to trigger backlogs, delays nationwide

Kansas Reflector: Members of Congress from the Kansas City region scored a victory last month when a federal immigration agency backed off plans that would have led to thousands of layoffs of government employees in the metro area. But their relief was short lived, as the agency now intends to furlough 800 of its local private contractors instead — a move expected to set off immigration backlogs and processing delays throughout the nation.

 

Trump administration considers postponing refugee admissions, U.S. official says

Reuters: The refugee cap was cut to 18,000 this year, the lowest level since the modern-day program began in 1980. So far, roughly half that many refugees have been let in as increased vetting and the coronavirus pandemic have slowed arrivals.

 

LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS

 

Federal court blocks Trump plan to exclude undocumented immigrants from census count used to allocate seats in Congress

CNN: The court ruled Thursday that the President’s July order violates the federal laws that set out how congressional seats are apportioned, and granted a permanent injunction blocking the rule. The court did not decide if the President’s memorandum violates the Constitution.

 

Md. Judge Finds Wolf Likely Appointed Illegally At DHS

Law 360: A Maryland federal judge held Friday that acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was likely illegally appointed, and temporarily barred the Trump administration from enforcing new asylum restrictions on members of the advocacy organizations that challenged them.

 

District Court Issues Consent Order and Final Statement in Class Action Challenging Delay in Issuance of EADs

On 8/21/20, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Eastern Division) entered a Consent Order and Final Statement in the class action lawsuit challenging delays in issuance of EADs by USCIS following approval of Form I-765 applications. (Subramanya v. USCIS, 8/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080438

 

Immigrants detained at Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia sue contractor over $1-a-day work program

Batavian: The Worker Justice Center of New York (WJCNY) has filed suit in New York’s Supreme Court against the private, for-profit company, Akima Global Services (AGS), for its exploitation of detained immigrants at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.

 

CA1 Vacates Preliminary Injunction Against ICE Courthouse Arrests in Massachusetts

The court held that the district court abused its discretion in finding plaintiffs were likely to succeed in showing that the INA implicitly incorporates a common law privilege against civil arrests for individuals attending court on official business. (Ryan, et al. v. ICE, et al., 9/1/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090831

 

CA1 Upholds BIA’s Denial of Motion to Reconsider Where Petitioner’s VAWA Self-Petition Was Pending

Where the petitioner had premised his motion to reopen on a pending Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition, the court upheld the denial of his motion to reconsider, holding that the BIA did not err by finding he had failed to make a prima facie case. (Franjul-Soto v. Barr, 8/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090331

 

CA1 Finds Petitioner’s Conviction in Massachusetts for Drug Possession with Intent to Distribute Was an Aggravated Felony

The court held that the petitioner’s Massachusetts’ drug conviction for possession with the intent to distribute amounted to “illicit trafficking in a controlled substance” and was thus an aggravated felony under INA §101(a)(43)(B). (Soto-Vittini v. Barr, 8/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090330

 

CA2 Stays Nationwide Injunction on DHS Public Charge Rule

The court stayed the district court’s July 29, 2020, preliminary injunction in the DHS public charge rule, thus allowing USCIS to require the Form I-944 in all jurisdictions. (State of New York, et al., v. DHS, et al., 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091190

 

CA3 Upholds Asylum Denial After Finding Syrian Militia Is a Tier III Terrorist Organization Under INA §212(a)(3)(B)(vi)(III)

The court upheld the denial of asylum to the petitioner, who fled involuntary military service in a government-controlled militia in Syria, finding that the militia was not beyond the scope of the Tier III provision under INA §212(a)(3)(B)(vi)(III). (A.A. v. Att’y Gen., 9/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090834

 

CA3 Holds That “Substantial Evidence” Standard of Review Applies to an IJ’s Reasonable Fear Determinations

After holding that the substantial evidence standard applies to an IJ’s reasonable fear determinations, the court found that substantial evidence supported the IJ’s conclusion that the Mexican petitioner did not have a reasonable fear of persecution or torture. (Romero v. Att’y Gen., 8/25/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090333

 

CA3 Says It Lacks Jurisdiction to Review BIA’s Discretionary Denial of Petitioner’s Motion for Certification of Late-Filed Appeal

Concluding that the “settled course exception” did not apply in the context of the case, the court held that it lacked jurisdiction to review the BIA’s discretionary decision to decline to self-certify the petitioner’s late-filed appeal. (Abdulla v. Att’y Gen., 8/20/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090332

 

CA4 Finds Petitioner Failed to Establish That Salvadoran Government Was Unable or Unwilling to Control MS-13

Finding that the record did not compel the conclusion that the Salvadoran government was unwilling or unable to control the MS-13 gang, the court upheld the IJ and BIA’s conclusion that the petitioner did not qualify as a refugee under INA §101(a)(42)(A). (Portillo-Flores v. Barr, 9/2/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090835

 

CA5 Upholds Denial of Motion to Reopen Where BIA Found Petitioner Had Failed to Pursue His Rights Diligently

The court held that the BIA did not abuse its discretion in finding that the Mexican petitioner’s motion to reopen, which was filed seven years after the entry of his removal order, was untimely and not entitled to equitable tolling. (Flores-Moreno v. Barr, 8/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090334

 

CA8 Finds District Court Correctly Dismissed Petitioners’ Request for Nunc Pro Tunc Adjustment of Status

The court held that the district court properly dismissed the petitioners’ request for nunc pro tunc adjustment of status, because they had failed to adjust their status to lawful permanent residents, and thus could not meet the requirements for naturalization. (Al-Saadoon v. Barr, 8/28/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090336

 

CA8 Affirms Denial of EAJA Attorney’s Fees Where Government’s Position Was Substantially Justified

The court held that the district court did not err in concluding that the government’s litigation position was substantially justified, and thus affirmed the district court’s order denying the petitioner’s attorney’s fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA). (Garcia v. Barr, 8/20/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090335

 

CA9 Finds Domestic Violence Waiver Under Special Rule Cancellation of Removal Did Not Cover Petitioner’s Drug Conviction

The court held that the domestic violence waiver established under INA §237(a)(7), and made applicable to cancellation of removal by INA §240A(b)(5), is limited to crimes of domestic violence and stalking, and thus did not cover petitioner’s drug conviction. (Jaimes-Cardenas v. Barr, 9/1/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090836

 

CA9 Reverses IJ’s and BIA’s Adverse Credibility Determination as to Asylum-Seeking Member of Minority Somali Clan

The court held that substantial evidence did not support the IJ’s and BIA’s adverse credibility determination, finding that, in light of the totality of the circumstances, the evidence compelled the conclusion that the Somali petitioner’s testimony was credible. (Iman v. Barr, 8/25/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090339

 

CA9 Defers to BIA’s Interpretation of Perjury and Holds That Conviction for Perjury in California Is an Aggravated Felony

Deferring to the BIA’s interpretation of “perjury” as used in the aggravated felony definition of INA §101(a)(43)(S), the court held that perjury under section 118(a) of the California Penal Code is an aggravated felony. (Yim v. Barr, 8/25/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090338

 

CA9 Says Petitioner Seeking to Reopen Proceedings Was Not Required to Attach a New Application for Relief

The court held that the BIA abused its discretion in finding that a noncitizen who seeks to reopen an earlier application for relief, and attaches that application to the motion, has failed to attach the “appropriate application for relief” under 8 CFR §1003.2(c)(1). (Aliyev v. Barr, 8/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090337

 

CA11 Finds BIA Erred in Retroactively Applying Stop-Time Rule to Pre-IIRAIRA Conviction of Petitioner Seeking Cancellation

The court held that because the petitioner had pled guilty before the stop-time rule was enacted via the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRAIRA), applying the stop-time rule retroactively to his conviction was impermissible. (Rendon v. Att’y Gen., 8/26/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090340

 

Matter of R-C-R, 28 I&N Dec. 74 (BIA 2020)

(1) After an Immigration Judge has set a firm deadline for filing an application for relief, the respondent’s opportunity to file the application may be deemed waived, prior to a scheduled hearing, if the deadline passes without submission of the application and no good cause for noncompliance has been shown.

(2) The respondent failed to meet his burden of establishing that he was deprived of a full and fair hearing where he has not shown that conducting the hearing by video conference interfered with his communication with the Immigration Judge or otherwise prejudiced him as a result of technical problems with the video equipment.

 

District Court Grants Preliminary Injunction After Finding It Has Jurisdiction to Review USCIS’s Revocation of I-140 Petition

The U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida held that it has jurisdiction to review USCIS’s revocation of the plaintiff’s I-140 petition, and granted the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction. (6901 Coral Way Management, LLC, et al., v. Cucinelli, et al., 9/10/20) AILA Doc. No. 20091135

 

USCIS Launches SAVE Initiative to Collect Information on Sponsor Deeming and Agency Reimbursement

USCIS launched a new SAVE initiative asking agencies that administer federal means-tested benefits to share how they use sponsorship information in sponsor assessment and agency reimbursement processes, with the goal of helping agencies make eligibility determinations and hold sponsors accountable. AILA Doc. No. 20091032

 

DHS Proposed Rule on Use and Collection of Biometrics

DHS proposed rule on the use and collection of biometrics in the enforcement and administration of immigration laws. Comments on the rule are due on 10/13/20, with comments on associated proposed form revisions due 11/10/20. (85 FR 56338, 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090494

 

CDC Rule Finalizing Interim Final Rule on Foreign Quarantine

CDC rule finalizing the interim final rule published at 85 FR 16559, which provided a procedure for the CDC to suspend the introduction of persons into the United States from designated foreign countries or places for public health purposes. (85 FR 56424, 9/11/20) AILA Doc. No. 20090833

 

DHS Publishes Privacy Impact Assessment on Immigration-Related Information Sharing with U.S. Census Bureau

DHS released a PIA examining the privacy impact of immigration-related information sharing between DHS and the Census Bureau. DHS is providing administrative records to the Bureau to assist in determining the number of citizens, LPRs, and unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. during the 2020 census. AILA Doc. No. 19122704

 

RESOURCES

 

 

EVENTS

 

Note: Check with organizers regarding cancellations/changes

 

ImmProf

 

Monday, September 14, 2020

Sunday, September 13, 2020

Saturday, September 12, 2020

Friday, September 11, 2020

Thursday, September 10, 2020

Wednesday, September 9, 2020

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Monday, September 7, 2020

 

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So much outrageous conduct by the regime. So little effective “pushback” from the other two branches who largely continue to treat the dissolution of democracy as “just another day at the office.”

With so much “bad stuff” to choose from, here’s my personal “favorite of the week:”

DHS Whistleblower Complaint Includes Surprising Insights on Immigration Policy

ImmProf: Mr. Murphy believes former DHS head Kirtjen Nielsen presented Congress with “knowing and deliberate submission of false material information” about the number of [known or suspected terrorists] crossing the southern border.

Cabinet Secretary lies to Congress. Regime uses lies to proclaim a bogus “national security emergency” at the Southern Border. Some Federal Courts, including the Supremes, accept the pretexts for furthering the Trump/Miller racist, White Nationalist anti-asylum-seekers of color agenda. 

Nothing happens to the liars. Congress and the Federal Courts “normalize” lying as a “standard Executive practice,” defer to it, and allow regime to impose potential death sentences without due process. Victims are just a bunch of largely non-White vulnerable humans that righty Federal Judges don’t believe are human or “persons” under our law.

As one of my esteemed, now retired, Arlington colleagues used to say: “The system is broken.” 

But, disturbingly, this time it’s not just the Immigration Court system we’re talking about. It’s the whole justice system, the checks and balances, and the separation of powers set up by our Constitution. Lack of accountability for gross misconduct by public officials is the sign of a failing state.

I almost feel sorry for T. Dick Nixon. If he were in office today, the Watergate burglary, conspiracy, and cover-up would have been dismissed by the GOP politicos as “fake news.” And, today’s righty judges on the Supremes and the appellate courts would simply have looked they other way and made up legal gobbledygook and gibberish to cover for their supreme ruler.

Remember, part of Nixon’s downfall was the “missing 18 minutes” of the tapes. There’s nothing missing about the “Trump tapes.”

He’s recorded committing “criminal negligence” in office, lying about it, and endangering the lives and health of tens of thousands of Americans. Then, he and his stooges get up before the public and lie some more about what happened. Then, to prove he really doesn’t give a damn about the American people, he follows up by holding a rally that fails to comply with, and in fact mocks and disparages, his own Administration’s best health advice.

Nixon was a liar. But, I guess not a shameless enough one. And, he didn’t kill as many Americans.

Fortunately for Trump, the dead can’t vote. But, their families, friends, and colleagues can! How many more must die unnecessarily before we finally “throw the bum out” (with apologies to honest bums everywhere) and get a real President into office?’

PWS

09-15-20