A New Bench in an Old Frame: The May 2026 Immigration Judge Class and the Restructuring of EOIR
On May 21, 2026, the Department of Justice swore in eighty-two new federal immigration judges in Washington, D.C. The department called it the largest class in its history. Seventy-seven of the new judges hold permanent appointments and five are temporary.
USCIS Implements Enhanced FBI Background Vetting Effective April 27, 2026: What Applicants and Counsel Should Know
On April 27, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) activated a substantially expanded fingerprint-based background screening protocol that draws on enhanced criminal history record information (“CHRI”) from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Next Generation Identification (“NGI”) system.
The Case for Removal: Matter of M-K-, Anti-Zionism as Antisemitism, and Why Mahmoud Khalil Should Be Deported
On April 9, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued its decision in Matter of M-K-, 29 I&N Dec. 556 (BIA 2026), affirming the removability of Mahmoud Khalil, the former Columbia University graduate student and lead public spokesperson for Columbia University Apartheid Divest (“CUAD”).
EOIR Firings Continue Into April 2026: Two Massachusetts Immigration Judges Dismissed After Ruling Against Trump Administration in High-Profile Student Cases
On April 13, 2026, Reuters reported that the Trump administration had dismissed nine additional immigration judges over the preceding two weeks, including two Massachusetts-based judges who had ruled against the federal government’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian university students.
The Dual Nationality Bar to Asylum
Asylum law in the United States rests on a deceptively simple proposition: the government will offer refuge to a person who cannot safely return home because of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
Russian Laws and Decrees on Mobilization, Conscription, Military Service, and Restrictions on Political Speech (2016–2026): Updated Survey and Primary Sources
The foundational legislation is Federal Law No. 53-FZ “On Military Duty and Military Service” (adopted 28 March 1998, with dozens of amendments). It governs conscription, mobilization, reserve service, age limits, and fitness categories. Significant amendments in the last approximately ten years—especially post-2022—expanded the draft pool, introduced digital tools, and shifted to year-round processes amid the Ukraine conflict.
Deportation Flight Reversed Mid-Air: The El Gamal Saga, the TRIG Framework, and the Rule of Law in High-Profile Removal Cases
In one of the most extraordinary forty-eight hours in recent removal-enforcement history, a federal deportation aircraft carrying an Egyptian mother and her five U.S.- resident children was ordered turned around mid-flight on Saturday, April 25, 2026, after two federal district judges entered emergency orders blocking the family’s removal.
Afghan Asylum-Seeker Dies in ICE Custody in Texas Less Than 24 Hours After Arrest
An Afghan asylum-seeker who worked alongside U.S. Army Special Forces and fled his country after the Taliban takeover died on March 14, 2026, less than 24 hours after being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Dallas, Texas.
ICE Expands Migrant Detention Network Amid Nationwide Push
As the U.S. grapples with evolving immigration challenges, a massive warehouse in the quiet Arizona suburb of Surprise is set to become a symbol of sweeping changes in enforcement strategies. This transformation, part of a multi-billion-dollar initiative, highlights the government’s drive to bolster detention capacity while sparking debates over community impact and detainee welfare.
The BIA’s Reaffirmation of the Specific-Intent Requirement for CAT Deferral: Tracing the Doctrinal Line from Matter of J-E- (2002) Through the 2025–2026 Precedents on Detention, Mental Health, and Expert Testimony
Article 3 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (“CAT”) imposes a non-derogable obligation on States Parties: no signatory may return a person to a country where that person faces a substantial risk of torture.