The much awaited DHS rule granting parole status to foreign-born investors and family members who establish start-up companies (“start-ups”) in the U.S. went into effect today. What the Rule Does: The rule allows entrepreneurs to obtain parole status for 30 months and also allows for a possible 30-month extension to give entrepreneurs time to oversee […]
Jennings v. Rodriguez and the Battle Over Immigrant Detention The debate behind Jennings is whether certain immigrants are entitled to bond hearings following six months of mandatory detention. Under mandatory detention, , certain immigrants who arrive at the border — as well as some criminal or “terrorist” immigrants — are detained without any hearings. Mandatory […]
The Arlington Immigration Court is aiming to hire 16 Immigration Judges by the end of 2017. There are currently 8 Immigration Judges. Construction is also underway to expand the size of the Court to include a total of 16 courtrooms. Two additional nonpublic facing courtrooms for video hearings will also be added. The Arlington Immigration […]
Extending Work Authorization for Foreign Grads A new regulation took effect in May 2016 under which certain F-1 student visa holders who have completed science or technology degrees in the U.S. can extend their post-completion work authorization by several months under optional practical training, or OPT. Specifically, foreign students and graduates with degrees in science, […]
The “SEVIS by Numbers” report released last Thursday highlights new data about the international students currently enrolled in U.S schools. There are currently 1.23 million international students with F (academic) or M status studying at 8,697 schools across the United States, increasing the international student population by 2.9 percent since November 2015. Of the 1.23 […]
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated General John Kelly as Secretary of Homeland Security. General Kelly is a retired Marine Corps general and the former commander of the U.S. Southern Command, which handles U.S. military activity in the Caribbean and Latin America. While leading the U.S. Southern Command, General Kelly was in charge of overseeing Guantanamo […]
In the last six years, the average asylum decision has worsened by 27 percent. The typical asylum seeker might have only a 15 percent chance of being granted asylum all the way up to a 71 percent chance depending on the particular judge assigned to the case. The increasing backlog of cases has heightened the pressures to expedite proceedings. Other […]
Gordon v. Lynch, 2016 U.S. App. LEXIS 20842 (1st Cir. Mass. Nov. 21, 2016) Last week, the First Circuit dealt a blow to a class action in Massachusetts over mandatory detention. The Court vacated a finding that the detention provision only applies to immigrants detained within 48 hours of criminal release and that certain immigrants deserve […]
In an interview with 60 Minutes airing this past Sunday, Trump told the nation that he plans to immediately deport approximately two to three million undocumented immigrants. He specifically plans to focus on those immigrants with a criminal record. He continued by saying that after the border is “secure,” immigration officials will begin to make […]
Last Friday, November 4th, the Secretary of Homeland Security announced 11 new foreign airports, located in nine countries, selected for possible Preclearance expansion. This announcement is part of the Second Open Session of Preclearance expansion, which began in May 2016. If Preclearance operations are expanded to these airports, travelers would undergo immigration, customs, and agriculture […]
