In this article, we will examine several issues relating to the Filipino World War II Veterans Parole Program (FWVP). First, we will examine recently-released performance statistics for Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, applications for benefits under the FWVP through the second quarter of fiscal year (FY) 2017. Second, we will discuss uncertainty about the prospects of the FWVP for future applicants with respect to potential changes in immigration parole policy. Notwithstanding the second point, it is important to note that as of June 14, 2017, the USCIS is processing applications for benefits under the FWVP as it did when it commenced the program on June 8, 2016.
On June 12, 2017, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) issued Amicus Invitation No. 17-06-12. The Amicus Invitation, titled “Modified Categorical Approach & CIMTS),” welcomes interested members of the public to file amicus curiae briefs with the BIA by July 12, 2017, addressing issues relating to how the Board should interpret statutes of conviction in determining whether the convictions were for crimes involving moral turpitude (CIMTs).
On June 12, 2017, Justice Neil Gorsuch authored his first opinion as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Gorsuch wrote for a unanimous court in Henson v. Santander Consumer USA Inc., 582 U.S. ___ (2017). The Court held that the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which authorizes private lawsuits and fines to deter certain debt collection practices, does not apply to entities that purchase debt and then attempt to collect the debt.
On June 1, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that it will transfer a selection of the following pending H1B-related extension of stay petitions from the Nebraska Service Center to the California Service Center.
On December 2, 2016, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) received notice from the United States Department of Defense (DOD) that the DOD would not accept applications for benefits under the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest (MAVNI) program for fiscal year (FY) 2017. The SEVP notice stated that the DOD had informed it that the suspension would be in place until revisions to the MAVNI implementation plan for FY 2017 are completed. To date, the DOD has not provided a definitive update on when the suspension may be lifted.
I received a news alert from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Immigration Records and Identity Services (IRIS), Records Division. The alert states that the IRIS is scheduled to deploy the National File Tracking System (NFTS) Release 11.9 on Friday, June 9-11, 2017. The deployment is scheduled between June 9th at 9:00 EST and June 11 at 5:00 PM EST. During that time, the NFTS will be unavailable. The USCIS will send an email alert to users once the deployment is completed.
On June 5, 2017, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that the Miami Asylum Office is moving to a new location on the weekend of June 9, 2017. Accordingly, the Miami Asylum Office will be closed to the public from June 6 to June 20, 2017. The Miami Asylum Office will reopen to the public at its new location on June 21, 2017.
The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that it will deploy “facial recognition biometric exit technology for one daily flight from the United States to Dubai.” This builds on a June 2016 pilot program by the CBP at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that also used facial recognition.
On May 30, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions selected James McHenry as the new acting Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). McHenry will replace Juan P. Osuna, who has served as Director of EOIR since 2011.
The Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Juan P. Osuna, confirmed that he will leave his post as Director of EOIR at the end of May (see 94 No. 21 Interpreter Releases Art. 1 (May 22, 2017)). Osuna has been Director of EOIR since May of 2011.
