Tag: Marijuana Possession

 

Weekly Briefing

 

This briefing is designed as a quick-reference aggregation of developments in immigration law, practice, and policy that you can scan for anything you missed over the last week. The contents of the news, links, and events do not necessarily reflect the position of the National Immigrant Justice Center. If you have items that you would like considered for inclusion, please email them to egibson@heartlandalliance.org.

 

CONTENTS (jump to section)

• NEWS
• LITIGATION & AGENCY UPDATES
• RESOURCES
• EVENTS

 

NEWS

 

Biden Administration Prepares Sweeping Change to Asylum Process

NYT: Under the new policy, which the administration released on Thursday as an interim final rule, some migrants seeking asylum will have their claims heard and evaluated by asylum officers instead of immigration judges. The goal, administration officials said, is for the entire process to take six months, compared with a current average of about five years.

 

USCIS Agrees to Restore Path to Permanent Residency for TPS Beneficiaries

CLINIC: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) agreed to restore a path to permanent residency for many Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries blocked by then-acting USCIS Director Ken Cuccinelli — an illegally appointed Trump official. Because of this agreement, TPS beneficiaries impacted by this policy will be able to reopen and dismiss their removal orders and apply to adjust their status to become permanent residents — eliminating the threat of deportation if their TPS protections are revoked in the future.

 

ICE ending Etowah County immigration detention after ‘long history of serious deficiencies’

AL: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, will discontinue use of the Etowah County Detention Center in Gadsden, and will limit the use of the three other southern detention facilities: Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, FL., Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, LA., and Alamance County Detention Facility in Graham, N.C. See also Biden to Ask Congress for 9,000 Fewer Immigration Detention Beds.

 

ICE claims ‘unabated’ legal access in detention during pandemic

Roll Call: Congress in the fiscal 2021 law instructed the agency to include the number of legal visits “denied or not facilitated” as well as how many detention centers do not meet the agency’s standards of communications between immigrants and their lawyers… [T]he report claimed ICE inspections in fiscal 2020 “did not identify any legal representatives being denied access to their clients.”

 

Cruelty as Border Policy: The Biden Administration Keeps in Place CBP’s “Consequence Delivery System”

Border Chronicle: Behind closed doors, agents, like technocrats in a Fortune 500 company, create color-coded graphics to demonstrate the most “efficient” and “effective” enforcement techniques. Even though the effectiveness of deterrence has been questioned and refuted, and even though the question of human rights has not entered the equation at all, the U.S. federal government seems to be plowing ahead with this without any questions.

 

Boston asylum office has second lowest grant rate for asylum seekers in the country

GBH: The Boston asylum office for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services granted only about 11% of applications last year, less than half the national average, according to a report released Wednesday.

 

Judge Orders Immig. Atty To Pay $240K For Asylum Scam

Law360: A Massachusetts judge ordered an immigration attorney to pay $240,000 in penalties and restitution for filing frivolous and false asylum applications for undocumented Brazilian immigrants without their knowledge, according to a Thursday announcement from Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey.

 

EOIR Announces 25 New Immigration Judges

More than half of the judges will be going to the Hyattsville Immigration Court (Maryland) and Sterling Immigration Court (Virginia, opening May 2022). The list includes Claudia Cubas (CAIR Coalition), Kristie Ann-Padron (Catholic Legal Services, Miami), Kyle A. Dandelet (Pro Bono Immigration Attorney at Cleary Gottlieb), Ayodele A. Gansallo (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society of Pennsylvania), Joyce L. Noche (Immigrant Defenders Law Center), Christine Lluis Reis (Human Rights Institute at St. Thomas University College of Law), Carmen Maria Rey Caldas (IRAP), and others.

 

Biden says the U.S. will take 100,000 Ukrainians. But how many will go?

WaPo: Refugee workers said it was typical for recent refugees to focus at first on the possibility that they would be able to return quickly to their lives. But should the war drag on, more Ukrainians would seize on the chance to seek a haven in the United States, they said.

 

Immigration, Environmental Law Links Deepen Under Biden

Law360: Immigration and environmental attorneys are increasingly banding together as advocacy groups on both the left and the right try to leverage environmental laws to influence immigration policy.

 

LITIGATION & AGENCY UPDATES

 

DHS Partly Barred From Tailoring Immigration Enforcement

Law360: An Ohio federal judge on Tuesday blocked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from considering a Biden administration mandate that had narrowed immigration enforcement priorities while making custody decisions, finding the policy overstepped sections of federal immigration law.

 

CA2 “Weapons Bar” Remand: Kakar v. USCIS

Lexis: On review, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York affirmed the denial under the “weapons bar” of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(3)(B)(iii)(V). The question on appeal is whether USCIS, in denying Kakar’s application, adequately explained the unlawfulness of Kakar’s acts under United States law, and whether in doing so it considered his claim of duress. Because we are unable to discern USCIS’s full reasoning for denying Kakar’s application or to conclude that the agency considered all factors relevant to its decision, we conclude that its decision was arbitrary and capricious under the APA.

 

CA 11 Says Marijuana Conviction Can’t Bar Removal Relief

Law360: The Eleventh Circuit ruled Thursday that the Board of Immigration Appeals erred when finding that a man’s Florida conviction for marijuana possession rendered him ineligible for a form of deportation protection.

 

Feds Lose Bid To Move Texas Sheriffs’ Immigration Policy Suit

Law360: A Texas federal judge has denied the Biden administration’s bid to transfer a group of Texas sheriffs’ challenge to the administration’s immigration enforcement policies, rejecting the argument that none of the sheriffs in the judicial district has standing to sue.

 

DHS and DOJ Interim Final Rule on Asylum Processing

AILA: Advance copy of DHS and DOJ interim final rule (IFR) on asylum processing. The IFR will be published in the Federal Register on 3/29/22 and will be effective 60 days from the date of publication, with comments accepted for 60 days.

 

DOS Provides Guidance on Visas for Ukrainian Children

AILA: DOS issued guidance on visas for Ukrainian children undergoing intercountry adoption or who previously traveled for hosting programs in the United States. The Ukrainian government is not currently approving children to participate in host programs in the United States. More details are available.

 

EOIR Updates Appendix O of the Policy Manual with Adjournment Code 22

AILA: EOIR updated appendix O of the policy manual with adjournment code 22. The reason is “Respondent or representative rejected earliest possible hearing date,” and the definition is “Hearing adjourned due to respondent or representative rejecting earliest possible hearing date.”

 

HHS 60-Day Notice and Request for Comment on Forms for Sponsors for Unaccompanied Children

AILA: HHS 60-day notice and request for comments on proposed revisions to the Family Reunification Packet of forms for potential sponsors of unaccompanied children. Comments are due 60 days after publication of the notice. (87 FR 16194, 3/22/22)

 

RESOURCES

 

• AIC: Alternatives to Detention: An Overview
• AIC: Biden’s New Asylum Process: What You Need to Know
• CLINIC: All About Employment Authorization Documents: FAQs for Legal Practitioners
• CLINIC: All About Cuban Adjustment: FAQs for Legal Practitioners
• CLINIC: Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Updates
• CLINIC: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
• CRS: Expedited Removal of Aliens: An Introduction
• ILRC: 2022 Case Update: Domestic Violence Deportation Ground
• ILRC: Update on DHS Enforcement Priorities Litigation
• ILRC: Acquisition & Derivation Quick Reference Charts
• USCIS: Fact Sheet: DHS Efforts to Assist Ukrainian Nationals

 

EVENTS

 

NIJC EVENTS

• 4/12/22 Pro Bono Training: Representing Immigrant Survivors Of Domestic Violence (VAWA)
• 5/18/22 Pro Bono Training: Representing Immigrant Survivors Eligible For U Visas
• 6/28/22 Pro Bono Training: Asylum Pride Part 1
• 6/30/22 Pro Bono Training: Asylum Pride Part 2

 

GENERAL EVENTS

• 3/29/22 What U Practitioners Should Know in 2022: Monitoring Developments in U Visa Practice
• 3/29/22 Instrumentalising citizenship in the fight against terrorism: How have deprivation powers evolved since 9/11?
• 3/30/22 EOIR: Case & Appeals System; Immigration Court Online Resource
• 3/30/22 Increasing Immigrant Integration and Inclusion Through Community Partnerships
• 3/31/22 Asylum Overhaul: Unpacking DHS’ New Rule on Asylum Procedures
• 3/31/22 EOIR ECAS Information Sessions
• 3/31/22 The Crisis in Ukraine: Legal Services Insights, Responses, and Opportunities to Assist Refugees
• 4/1/22 EOIR – Chicago Model Hearing Program
• 4/1/22 Abolition Across Criminal Justice, Immigration, and National Security
• 4/5/22 Intensive T Visa Declaration Workshop
• 4/6/22 Initial TPS Applications
• 4/7/22 Motions Before the Board of Immigration Appeals
• 4/8/22 The Road to Abolition: Intersectional Approaches to Immigrant Justice
• 4/8/22 Prosecutorial Discretion (PD) in the Immigration Context: Advantages, Tactics, and Logistics
• 4/12/22 Introduction to Bond Proceedings
• 4/12/22 Preparing Military Naturalization Applications: What You Need to Know
• 4/12/22-5/3/22 Webinar Series: Selected Issues in Inadmissibility
• 4/13/22 Understanding Helpfulness for U Visa Certification and the Ongoing Assistance Requirement
• 4/14/22 Workshop for Country Conditions Experts on Mitigating DHS Challenges
• 4/20/22 U Visa Webinar Series: U Visa Consular Processing
• 4/21/22 Monthly NIPNLG Removal Defense Webinar: Hot Topics in SIJS
• 4/21/22 The Asylum Processing Rule & Southern Border Legal Updates
• 4/25/22 Bias, Equity, and the Impact of Anti-Blackness on Immigrant Survivors
• 4/27/22 Special Immigrant Juvenile Policy Updates
• 4/27/22 U Visa RFEs
• 4/28/22 Motions to Reopen Removal Proceedings
• 5/3/22 The Family Visa Petition
• 5/4/22 California Pardons and Post-Conviction Relief
• 5/6/22-5/13/22 NITA-NIPNLG “Advocacy in Immigration Matters” Training
• 5/10/22 Asylum Claims for Young People
• 5/13/22 FBA Immigration Law Conference
• 5/17/22 Advocating for Prosecutorial Discretion for Clients in Removal Proceedings
• 5/18/22 Pro Bono Training: Representing Immigrant Survivors Eligible For U Visas
• 5/19/22 Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Your Client’s I-360 Is Approved, Now What?
• 5/24/22 Obstacles to TPS Eligibility
• 6/7/22 Asylum and Employment Authorization
• 6/8/22 Naturalization for People with Disabilities
• 6/22/22 Introduction to Immigrant Visa Consular Processing
• 7/5/22 Comprehensive Overview of Immigration Law (COIL)
• 9/26/22 Comprehensive Overview of Immigration Law (COIL)

 

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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

www.immigrantjustice.org | Facebook | Twitter

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The idea that the DHS “New American Gulag” (“NAG”) doesn’t restrict attorney access is absurd! A primary reason for detention in obscure, out of the way, hard to reach places like Jena, LA, Lumpkin, GA, amd Dilley, TX is to inhibit representation and increase the pressure on detainees to abandon claims and take “final orders of removal.” 

That goes hand in hand with staffing these prisons with DOJ’s wholly owned judges who are renowned for denying bond and summarily denying most asylum claims. That a disproportionate number of these facilities are located in Federal Judicial Circuits five and eleven, notorious for anti-due process, anti-human-rights, anti-immigrant “jurisprudence,” is no coincidence either.

With respect to the “categorical approach,” as my distinguished colleague Judge Jeffrey Chase has pointed out, EOIR has actually “institutionalized” resistance to and manipulation of this analysis to promote results unfavorable to immigrants and pleasing to DHS!  

As several related Supreme Court decisions sealed the matter, the Board in 2016 was finally forced (at least on paper) to acknowledge the need to make CIMT determinations through a strict application of the categorical approach. However, as Prof. Koh demonstrates with examples from BIA precedent decisions, since 2016, the Board, while purporting to comply with the categorical approach, in fact has expanded through its precedent decisions the very meaning of what constitutes “moral turpitude,” enabling a greater number of offenses to be categorized as CIMTs.

Consistent with this approach was a training given by now-retired arch conservative Board member Roger Pauley at last summer’s IJ training conference.  From the conference materials obtained by a private attorney through a FOIA request, Pauley appears to have trained the judges not to apply the categorical approach as required by the Supreme Court when doing so won’t lead to a “sensible” result.  I believe the IJ corps would understand what this administration is likely to view as a “sensible” result. Remember that the IJs being trained cannot have more than 15 percent of their decisions remanded or reversed by the BIA under the agency’s completion quotas.  So even if an IJ realizes that they are bound by case law to apply the categorical approach, the same IJ also realizes that they ignore the BIA’s advice to the contrary at their own risk.

HON. JEFFREY S. CHASE: The History Of A Flawed Judiciary; The Intentional Tilting Of Asylum Law Against Asylum Seekers; The Farce Of Justice In The Immigration Courts; The Need For An Independent Article I Court!

As both of these incidents show, the Biden Administration under Mayorkas and Garland has failed to bring accountability or intellectual honesty to many parts of the broken immigration justice system they inherited from the Trump regime. The disgraceful “atmosphere of unaccountability” continues to predominate at DHS and DOJ.

🇺🇸Due Process Forever!

PWS

03-29-22