The Chief Immigration Judge has stated that in an effort to expedite the court docket and work through the 1.7 million backlog, immigration courts should work to have certain cases taken off the court calendar. This will allow cases that have been stuck in the backlog to get a court date and be heard. The […]
On Monday, a new law in Virginia took effect. This law allows undocumented students to apply for and qualify for in-state financial aid. Students with various immigration statuses will be allowed to participate . The majority of applicants have applied to colleges in Northern Virginia, according to Lee Andes, associate director for financial aid at […]
On June 10, 2022 the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas issued an order vacating the September 30, 2021 Mayorkas memo. This memo gave the government the discretion to grant prosecutorial discretion when certain factors were present in a case. Under this ruling, ICE has stated their website will be updated to […]
On July 28, 2022 USCIS announced that certain parolees can file their Form I-765 for an employment authorization document online. Individuals who are paroled into the US for urgent humanitarian or significant public benefit purposes who seek employment under category c(11) are eligible to file online. Applicants who are seeking a fee waiver or are […]
A report issued last week by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) stated that border agents in Texas used unnecessary force against some Haitian migrants. Video footage shows border agents on horseback whipping Haitian migrants, pursuing them along the Rio Grande river, and grabbing them by their shirts and spinning them in September 2021. This incident […]
Secretary of State Mayorkas announced that DHS will extend the designation for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela for 18 months. The extension will be effective as of September 10, 2022 and will run through March 10, 2024. In order to apply, the beneficiary must prove that they were in the US as of March […]
On June 30, 2022 the Supreme Court ruled that President Biden could end the Trump-era policy called “Remain in Mexico.” Under this policy, certain non-Mexican citizens who entered the US were sent back to Mexico to wait for their immigration court hearings. The Supreme Court ruling was 5-4 and the decision states that immigration law […]
In 2019, former President Trump expanded the “public charge rule” that made it more difficult for immigrants to obtain the status of a permanent resident if they would receive public benefits, such as food stamps, housing assistance, and many forms of Medicaid. Several states challenged this expansion. In 2021, President Joe Biden officially ended that […]
On June 16, 2022, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State announced exemptions allowing certain Afghans to qualify for immigration benefits. After consulting with the Attorney General, the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State utilized their congressionally given authority to issue three exemptions designed to protect vulnerable Afghans from […]
Last Year, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a rule which meant that instead of arresting and deporting immigrants just for being in the county illegally, which was the case under the Trump administration, immigration authorities could only arrest those who the department deems a threat to national security, public safety, or border security. Mayorkas said […]
