In its 15th annual report, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) recommends that the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, which tracks and monitors countries with severe violations of religious freedoms, be doubled in size, expanding to include Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, and Tajikistan. The USCIRF is an independent, […]
The US Senate, on Tuesday, June 24, confirmed Leon Rodriguez as the next Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The director is responsible for administering and processing asylum and refugee applications, immigration benefits, and naturalization and visa petitions. Mr. Rodriguez previously served as the Director of the Office for Civil Rights at […]
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program is an Obama Administration initiative implemented to extend rights and benefits to the growing number of undocumented youths and young adults living in the United States. The program allows youths and young adults meeting certain requirements to temporarily defer deportation and receive both eligibility for renewable two-year work […]
In Aldana-Ramos v. Holder, just issued on June 27, 2014, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit held that family alone can constitute a particular social group, and thus an asylee who has been persecuted on account of his or her family membership can qualify for asylum. In Aldana-Ramos v. Holder, the […]
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released its Annual Flow Report analyzing naturalization patterns for the preceding year. This report uses administrative records consisting of information from naturalization applications in the preceding year, drawing conclusions as to present and future trends of immigration. In 2013, the United States naturalized a total of 779,929 persons, […]
In her May 19, 2014 article in Politico titled “States Take on Immigration,” Seung Min Kim explains that states are increasingly taking immigration into their own hands. However, where states used to pass laws focusing on immigration law enforcement such as Arizona’s anti-immigration laws partially struck down in 2010, now they are focusing on expanding […]
The American Immigration Council recently issued a special entitled, “Mexican and Central American Asylum and Credible Fear Claims: Background and Context.” This timely report discusses the current rhetoric surrounding the credible fear process and the state of the U.S. asylum system. Specifically, the report examines the legitimacy of credible fear claims based on situations of […]
The Immigration Policy Center recently published an article entitled, “Living in Car Culture Without A License: The Ripple Effects of Withholding Driver’s Licenses from Unauthorized Immigrants,” by Sarah E. Hendricks. This timely article examines the culture of cars and mobility that dominates the way of life in the United States and the impacts of restricting […]
Spouses and children who qualify for dependent nonimmigrant classification of H-1B are eligible for H-4 nonimmigrant visa status. However, unlike the spouses of E and L nonimmigrant visa status holders, H-1B dependent spouses are ineligible to apply for employment authorization. Being ineligible for employment authorization causes huge impact on lives of H-1B spouses as they […]
Governor Terry McAuliffe released the following statement today following Attorney General Mark Herring’s announcement that Virginia law makes students with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) status, otherwise known as DREAMers, eligible for in-state tuition at Virginia public community colleges and universities: “As I said throughout my campaign, I believe that Virginia children who were […]
