"The Voice of the New Due Process Army" ————– Musings on Events in U.S. Immigration Court, Immigration Law, Sports, and Other Random Topics by Retired United States Immigration Judge (Arlington, Virginia) and former Chairman of the Board of Immigration Appeals Paul Wickham Schmidt. To see my complete professional bio, just click on the link below.
Elizabeth Gibson Managing Attorney National Immigrant Justice Center Publisher of “The Gibson Report”
Weekly Briefing
This briefing is designed as a quick-reference aggregation of developments in immigration law, practice, and policy that you can scan for anything you missed over the last week. The contents of the news, links, and events do not necessarily reflect the position of the National Immigrant Justice Center. If you have items that you would like considered for inclusion, please email them to egibson@heartlandalliance.org.
Reuters: The 9th Circuit, in an 8-3 decision, said the government has come to rely almost exclusively on detention centers operated by GEO Group and other companies. California, the largest U.S. state, does not have the authority to second-guess that decision, the court said.
NPR: In August alone, the Border Patrol recorded more than 50,000 apprehensions in the Del Rio sector, which includes Eagle Pass — tens of thousands more than in traditional migration corridors like the Rio Grande Valley and El Paso. The number of migrants arriving from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua was nearly equal to the number from Mexico and northern Central America.
NYT: In an unusual step, Biden administration officials gave some reporters a background briefing on Monday before Customs and Border Protection’s routine monthly release of data. Officials noted that the number of removals over the past year — more than 1.3 million — was more than any previous year. See also How to understand the latest immigration numbers.
Buzzfeed: For months, Border Patrol and ICE have been releasing immigrants with documents incorrectly listing their future residences as addresses to nonprofits or churches. These immigrants and asylum-seekers, most of them from Venezuela, then show up to random buildings confused and unsure of what to do next.
NPR: A majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for certain groups of immigrants, including farmworkers, those deemed as essential workers and for immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. That’s according to an NPR/Ipsos poll conducted in 2021. And yet action in Washington has stalled.
Law360: The Border Patrol along the southwest U.S. border skipped assigning some noncitizens entering the country “alien registration numbers” used to create a profile of their immigration history, according to a report by a U.S. Department of Homeland Security watchdog.
LexisNexis: The BIA held that, in order to qualify for relief under Lujan-Armendariz, a state conviction must have resulted in a sentence of no more than one year of probation. … In sum, the BIA legally erred by holding that, because he received a sentence of three years of probation, Petitioner’s expungement did not qualify under Lujan-Armendariz.
AP: Prosecutors moved to drop the case against Newton District Judge Shelley Joseph after she agreed to refer herself to a state agency that investigates allegations of misconduct by members of the bench.
Law360: The University of Washington’s human rights center sued the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle federal court for failing to provide documents that could shed light on reports that detained immigrants are enduring medical neglect, sexual assault, beatings and long periods without food.
Law360: Colorado’s Court of Appeals, which initially sided with a sheriff accused of detaining a man for four months after his daughter posted bond, has ruled that the sheriff’s refusal to release the man put him beyond the shield of immunity.
Law360: A D.C. federal judge tossed a proposed class action Friday by 95 visa holders who allege the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ lengthy processing times for work permit applications violate the Administrative Procedure Act, finding the agency has since issued decisions on each application and the claims are moot.
USCIS: he final rule removes certain regulatory text governing asylum applications, interviews, and eligibility for employment authorization based on a pending asylum application. Relevant regulatory text is restored to appear as it did before the effective dates of the vacated rules. The final rule is effective on Feb. 7, 2022.
USCIS: On Sept. 22, 2022, USCIS was notified of a settlement agreement between the U.S. Army and class members of the civil action captioned Calixto v. Department of the Army, Civ. A. No. 18-1551 (PLF) (D.D.C.). The Calixto settlement agreement affects USCIS’ military naturalization policies, and USCIS is reviewing policy changes based on the terms of this settlement agreement.
AP: The Biden administration said Wednesday that the U.S. Embassy in Cuba will begin processing full immigrant visas in early 2023, making it easier for Cubans to reunite with family members in the United States.
AILA: Advance copy: DHS notice extending the designation of Burma for TPS for 18 months, from 11/26/22 through 5/25/24, and redesignating Burma for TPS. The notice will be published in the Federal Register on 9/27/22.
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Elizabeth Gibson (Pronouns: she/her/ella)
Managing Attorney for Capacity Building and Mentorship
National Immigrant Justice Center
A HEARTLAND ALLIANCE Program
224 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60604
T: (312) 660-1688| F: (312) 660-1688| E: egibson@heartlandalliance.org
