In important news, the parties in Dilley Pro Bono Project v. ICE reached a settlement in proceedings before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The settlement agreement helps ensure that pro bono attorneys for detainees at two U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities will be able to facilitate telephonic mental health examinations for their clients in a timely manner.
On August 16, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice in the Federal Register (FR) titled “Termination of the Central American Minors Parole Program.” As the name indicates, the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Elaine Duke, terminated the Central American Minors (CAM) Parole Program. The termination is effective immediately.
Two prominent Republicans from Florida made interesting comments regarding the RAISE Act, the substantial immigration bill proposal co-sponsored by Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia. In this article, we review their comments.
On August 14, 2017, the Executive Officer for Immigration Review announced the swearing in of nine immigration judges, which we discuss on site. In its news release, the EOIR provided a window into what the Attorney General looks for when evaluating immigration judge applicants.
On August 14, 2017, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) announced that it swore in nine new immigration judges to fill vacancies on seven immigration courts. The nine new immigration judges brings the size of the immigration judge corps to 334. The EOIR stated in the news release that it is using a new streamlined hiring process to reach the maximum authorized number of 384 immigration judges.
On August 10, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report showing that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spent more than $5,000,000 on polygraph exams for job applicants who had already admitted to disqualifying criminal acts and/or drug use prior to the polygraph exams.
On August 9, 2017, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued the September Visa Bulletin. On August 10, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) determined that those seeking adjustment of status in the family-sponsored and employment-based immigrant visa preference categories must use the final action dates instead of the more generous filing dates. The September Visa Bulletin represents the last Visa Bulletin of FY-2017. In this article, we will examine the final action dates for both the family-sponsored and employment-based preference cases. We will also examine the DOS’s news and notes included with the September Visa Bulletin.
On August 8, 2017, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) released a document titled “Return to Rule of Law in Trump Administration Marked by Increase in Key Immigration Statistics.” The document includes a few interesting statistics from the immigration courts for the period spanning from February 1, 2017 to July 31, 2017.
In July of 2017, the United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report titled “REFUGEES: Actions Needed by State Department and DHS to Further Strengthen Applicant Screening Process and Assess Fraud Risks.” We have access to the public version of the report which includes all material not deemed sensitive. The 82-page report contains a detailed analysis of the entire refugee screening process and recommendations for the Departments of State (DOS) and Homeland Security (DHS) for improving the vetting process with regard to national security and fraud detection. In this article, we will briefly summarize the report’s findings and conclusions. Those who are interested in delving deeper into the issues should study the report in its entirety.
On August 2, 2017, Republican Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Georgia proposed legislation titled the “Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (“RAISE Act”). The RAISE Act contains provisions for reforming the employment immigration system, eliminating Diversity Visas, and eliminating family-based preferences for extended family and adult relatives. On the same day that it was proposed, the legislation was endorsed by President Donald Trump. In this post, I will examine the proposed legislation in brief and explain that, while it has certain merits, the proposal is ultimately deeply flawed such that it stands little to no chance of becoming law. Simply put, it should not become law in its current form. Rather, I will explain why the proposal should constitute the beginning – rather than the conclusion – of efforts to reform the immigrant visa system.
