COVID-19
Note: Policies are rapidly changing, so please verify the latest policies on the relevant government websites and with colleagues on listservs as best you can.
New
- Opening dates for some non-detained courts: Hearings in non-detained cases at courts without an announced date are postponed through, and including, August 28, 2020.
Closures
- EOIR Operational Status & Standing Orders
- EOIR Case Status
- ICE Updates (Including ERO and Detention)
- USCIS Updates
- Consular Updates
- NY Courts Updates
Guidance:
- IJ Email Filings
- BIA Email Filings
- EOIR Standing Orders
- EOIR Electronic Signature Guidance
- EOIR Update Regarding EOIR Practices Related to the COVID-19 Outbreak
- USCIS Visitor Policy
- USCIS Announces Flexibility for Requests for Evidence, Notices of Intent to Deny
- Electronic database of COVID-19 related materials
TOP NEWS
Vox: The United States Postal Service is dealing with crippling backlogs of letters and packages. A postmaster in upstate New York recently told their union that the regular mail was two days behind and, for the first time in their career, Express Priority Mail was not going out on time. Despite a surge in package delivery during the pandemic, postal workers are no longer able to work overtime, and fewer mail trucks are on the road. If your own mail seems delayed or unpredictable, it’s not a one-off problem.
As U.S. expels migrants, they return, again and again, across Mexico border
WaPo: A recent surge in arrests along the Mexico border has been partly driven by soaring numbers of migrants trying to enter the United States again and again, as emergency pandemic measures that rapidly “expel” most detainees have had the unintended consequence of allowing them to try repeat illegal crossings, according to two Department of Homeland Security officials with knowledge of the unpublished statistics.
WaPo: In late June, new fine print appeared on USCIS’s website. It said the no-blanks policy would extend to at least one document that must be filled out by law enforcement officials — someone over whom immigrants and their lawyers had no control. These officials must complete and sign a form certifying that immigrants applying for the crime-victim (U) visa are assisting with an investigation or prosecution.
Hundreds Of Thousands Of Immigrants May Miss Out On Voting Amid Naturalization Delays
NPR: By Rand’s analysis, there are more than 300,000 people who in years past would be naturalized in time to vote but will almost certainly miss out this year.
Netflix’s Immigration Nation is a grueling, maddening, and essential watch
AVClub: The six-part docuseries was filmed over three years and made with the full cooperation of ICE, at least initially: According to the New York Times, the administration tried to delay the Netflix series’ release until after the presidential election once ICE officials got a look at the filmmakers’ drafts.
Nonprofits Supporting Immigrants Suffer From State Budget Cuts
DocumentedNY: A coalition of 78 organizations expressed “grave concern” about payment freezes and underscored the urgency of maintaining funding for the New York Immigration Family Unity Project and the Liberty Defense Project, as well as its $10 million allocation to the budget for the 2021 fiscal year.
Trump’s wealth test for citizenship targets people of color
The Hill: Recent research from Stanford University’s Immigration Policy Lab suggests that just making the form low-income immigrants use to apply for a fee waiver more complex would reduce annual naturalization applications by as much as 10 percent.
The U.S. hired me to protect refugees. Now it tells me to abandon them.
WaPo: The past few years of executive orders, regulations and proclamations have made it virtually impossible for refugee and asylum officers to do our jobs and offer protection to those who need it.
17th immigrant dies in ICE custody, twice as many as last fiscal year
NBC: A 72-year-old Canadian man who had tested positive for the coronavirus died in ICE custody on Wednesday night at a Virginia hospital, the agency said Friday in a statement.
Joe Arpaio Loses Primary For His Old Job As Sheriff
HuffPo: Arpaio, the infamous anti-immigrant former sheriff who received a Trump pardon after being criminally convicted, won’t be getting his old job back.
Former President George W. Bush pays tribute to immigrants with a new book of paintings
Upworthy: Bush is celebrating American immigrants with a new book of paintings “Out Of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants” which will be published on March 2. It includes 43 portraits by the 43rd president. Many of the subjects are people he knows personally. It’s hard not to notice the political statement the book makes coming out at time when the current Republican president, and party at-large have, made anti-immigrant sentiment a big part of their collective identity.
LITIGATION/CASELAW/RULES/MEMOS
District Court Extends TRO in Class Action Challenging Delay in Issuance of EADs to August 24, 2020
On 8/6/20, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Eastern Division) extended the TRO until 8/24/20 to permit counsel for the Plaintiff and USCIS to negotiate the terms of a consent decree. (Subramanya, et al., v. USCIS, et al., 8/6/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080438
BIA Issues Decision on Requirement to Notify Immigration Court of Correct Address
BIA ruled that reopening of proceedings to rescind removal based on improper notice is not warranted for an individual who was personally served with an NTA advising of requirement to notify the court of correct address and failed to do so. Matter of Nivelo Cardenas, 28 I&N Dec. 68 (BIA 2020) AILA Doc. No. 20080532
The court held that, based on the administrative record, the Venezuelan petitioner, who had been convicted of heroin trafficking and found removable under INA §101(a)(43)(B), was ineligible for deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture. (Sanabria Morales v. Barr, 7/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080631
CA2 Upheld Prior Injunction on DHS Public Charge But Modified the Scope of the Injunction
The court upheld a preliminary injunction of the DHS public charge final rule but limited the scope to the states of New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. Note: this decision does not impact the July 29, 2020, nationwide injunction. (Make the Road New York, et al. v. Cuccinelli, 8/4/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080437
CA2 Finds Chinese Asylum Seeker Failed to Sufficiently Explain Inconsistencies in His Testimony
The court upheld the BIA’s asylum denial, finding that petitioner, who feared religious persecution in China, had failed to sufficiently explain inconsistencies in his testimony, and that the IJ’s adverse credibility determination was supported by substantial evidence. (Gao v. Barr, 7/28/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080633
CA2 Rejects Petitioner’s Argument That Former INA §321(a)(3) Violated His Right to Equal Protection
Upholding the BIA’s denial of the petitioner’s motion to reopen, the court held that it was bound by its precedent in Pierre v. Holder to reject the petitioner’s argument that former INA §321(a)(3) unconstitutionally discriminates on the basis of sex. (Dale v. Barr, 7/23/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080632
The court held that the BIA and IJ had misstated the court’s precedent in three ways in determining that the harm the Honduran petitioner had suffered did not rise to the level of past persecution, including by requiring him to show severe physical harm. (Blanco v. Att’y Gen., 7/24/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080732
CA4 Overturns a District Court’s Nationwide Injunction of DHS Public Charge Rule
The court overturned a district court injunction and held that the DHS Public Charge Rule is a permissible interpretation of the INA’s public charge provision. Note: this decision does not impact the July 2020, nationwide injunction. (Casa de Maryland, Inc., et al. v. Trump, et al., 8/5/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080636
The court held that the petitioner, who claimed that violence against his Dalit caste in India had worsened since his removal order was issued, had failed to establish the materially changed country conditions necessary to succeed on a successive motion to reopen. (Deep v. Barr, 7/27/20) AILA Doc. No. 2008073
The court upheld the BIA’s finding that the IJ’s adverse credibility determination was not clearly erroneous under the totality of the circumstances, and found that the Salvadoran petitioner could not prevail on his due process claim. (Santos-Alvarado v. Barr, 7/21/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080733
USCIS Provides Information on Injunction of the Public Charge Grounds Final Rule
USCIS stated that due to the July 2020, district court injunction of its public charge final rule, it will not reject any Form I-485 on the basis of the inclusion or exclusion of Form I-944, nor Forms I-129 and I-539 based on whether Part 6, or Part 5, respectively, has been completed or left blank. AILA Doc. No. 20073140
EOIR Announces Three New Appellate Immigration Judges
EOIR announced the appointment of Michael P. Baird, Sunita B. Mahtabfar, and Sirce E. Owen as appellate immigration judges in EOIR’s Board of Immigration Appeals. Notice includes the judges’ biographical information. AILA Doc. No. 20081030
President Trump Signs Executive Order on Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices
Executive order on federal contracting and hiring practices, directing federal agencies to review federal contracts; assess any negative impact of contractors’ use of temporary foreign labor or offshoring of work on U.S. workers; and to take corrective action, if necessary. (85 FR 47879, 8/6/20) AILA Doc. No. 20080309
RESOURCES
- U Visa Administrative Appeals Office Decision Database
- 9th Cir. Sets BIA Straight on ‘Circularity’
- The Current State of the DHS Public Charge Rule After Recent Court Decisions
- Practice Alert: Impact of the Nationwide Injunction on Submission of Applications and Petitions Subject to the Public Charge Rules
- Practice Alert: Delays in Receiving I-751 Receipt Notices
- Ethical Considerations Related to Affirmatively Filing an Application for Asylum for the Purpose of Applying for Cancellation of Removal and Adjustment of Status for a Nonpermanent Resident
- Practice Alert: Delayed I-589 Receipt Notices and Rejections by the Lockbox
- Exacerbating The Other Epidemic: How Covid-19 Is Increasing Violence Against Displaced Women And Girls
EVENTS
Note: Check with organizers regarding cancellations/changes
- 8/13/20 US Supreme Court’s DACA Decision
- 8/18/20 Strategies for I-601 Waivers in Adjustment of Status Cases
- 6/20/20 2020 AILA Virtual Immigration Court Conference
- 8/25/20 Emerging Public Charge Issues Related to COVID-19
- 8/26/20 Immigration Legal Services in Rural America
- 8/27/20 Crafting a Winning Particular Social Group for an Asylum Case
- 9/8/20-9/29/20 Webinar Series: All About Public Charge Inadmissibility (Fall)
- 9/10/20 Public Charge and Adjustment of Status
- 9/10/20-9/17/20 2-Part Introduction to Asylum Law and Procedure
- 9/11/20-10/2/20 Webinar Series: Dealing With Denials
- 9/14/20 Working with Domestic Violence Immigrant Survivors: The Intersection of Basic Family Law, Immigration, Benefits, and Housing Issues in California 2020
- 9/15/20 How Criminal Defense Counsel Can Challenge ICE Detainers
- 9/16/20 Advanced FOIA with DHS
- 9/22/20 Defenses to Denaturalization
- 9/23/20-10/7/20 3-Part Webinar Series: Integrating Technology to Improve Your Immigration Legal Services
- 9/24/20 Introduction to Crim/Imm
- 9/29/20 Beginner U Visa Hot Topics
- 10/1/20 Representing Children in Immigration Matters 2020: Effective Advocacy and Best Practices
- 10/6/20 Public Charge Updates
- 10/6/20-10/27/20 Webinar Series: Understanding and Preparing Waivers
- 10/21/20-10/23/20 Case Management Skills & Database Functions
- 10/22/20 Non-LPR Cancellation: Overview of Eligibility & Proving Continuous Presence
- 10/27/20 Seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status in Removal Proceedings
- 10/28/20 Advanced U Visa Hot Topics
- 10/29/20 Presenting the Case
- 11/17/20 Employment-Based Immigration Opportunities for Immigrant Youth
- 11/18/20 Applying for Asylum and Related Relief for Clients with Convictions
- 11/24/20 VAWA Self-Petitioning Fundamentals
- 12/2/20 An Overview of Naturalization
- 12/3/20 Representing Permanent Residents in LPR Cancellation Cases
- 12/3/20-12/4/20 53rd Annual Immigration and Naturalization Institute
- 12/9/20 Public Charge in Consular Processing
- 12/15/20 Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude
- 12/16/20 LPRs and Public Charge
- 2/4/21 Basic Immigration Law 2021: Business, Family, Naturalization and Related Areas
- 2/5/21 Asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, Crime Victim, and Other Immigration Relief 2021
ImmProf
Monday, August 10, 2020
- Immigration Article of the Day: Forced to be Free: The Limits of European Tolerance by Liav Orgad
- From the Bookshelves: Hatemonger: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and the White Nationalist Agenda by Jean Guerrero
Sunday, August 9, 2020
- New Book by Former President Bush: Out of Many, One
- New BIA Decision on In Absentia Removal: Matter of Nivelo Cardenas
- Arpaio’s Last Rodeo: Loss of Primary for Maricopa County Sheriff May be the End
- Trump’s Wealth Test for Citizenship Targets People of Color
- From the Bookshelves: Kelly Lytle Hernández, Migra! A History of the U.S. Border Patrol
- Saturday, August 8, 2020
Friday, August 7, 2020
- Migrants, Remittances, and Covid-19
- Denounce the Deportation of Vietnamese Americans
- 17th immigrant dies in ICE custody, twice as many as last fiscal year
- Teaching with Immigration Nation: Family Separation/Client Trauma
- Immigrants in the United States fact sheet
- Immigration Article of the Day: The DACA Decision and Requiring Agencies to Turn ‘Square Corners’: Reading Reliance Interests into Immigration Law by Peter Margulies
Thursday, August 6, 2020
- Arkansas Farm Labor Contractor Exploiting Migrant Workers
- SITUATION REPORT: PANDEMIC AT THE BORDER
- Your Thursday Funny: Heinz Doofenshmirtz Comes to America
- Fourth Circuit Vacates Injunction Against Public Charge Immigration Rule
- Is “Immigration Nation” the 21st Century “Harvest of Shame”?
- Immigration Article of the Day: The Case Against Chevron Deference in Immigration Adjudication by Shoba Sivaprasad Wadia & Christopher Jay Walker
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
- From the Bookshelves: Lobizona: A Novel by Romina Garber
- Your Playlist: Rhianna
- Trump Ally, Immigration Hawk Kris Kobach Loses Kansas GOP Senate Primary
- Americans Back Trump On Immigration To Stop COVID-19 But Immigration Not the Biggest Concern, Poll Finds
Tuesday, August 4, 2020
- Essays on racism in administrative law focusing on immigration
- Social welfare countries turning away from immigrant integration during COVID-19
- At the Movies: The Inivisibles
- Report: Exacerbating the Other Epidemic: How COVID-19 is Increasing Violence against Displaced Women and Girls.
- The Immigration Lawyers’ Podcast
- At the Movies: An American Pickle
- From the Bookshelves: The President and Immigration Law by Adam Cox & Cristina M. Rodríguez
Monday, August 3, 2020
- Netflix’s “Immigration Nation” Bombshell Exposes Trump’s Immigration Cruelty
- New Podcast: Immigration Review
- Executive Order on Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices With the Interests of American Workers
- Trump administration’s effort to decertify immigration judges union rejected
- Guest Post: Senator Duckworth is a Natural-Born Citizen by Minyao Wang
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Thanks, Elizabeth!
PWS
08-11-20