By: James Sellars In 2007, Congress passed a bipartisan appropriations bill that discretely embedded several riders and conditions on federal funding allocations that have had a tremendous effect on immigration proceedings in the United States ever since. One such provision in the statute firmly requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to maintain a minimum quota […]
By: James Sellars Coming on the heels of President Obama’s recent State of the Union promise to govern more forcefully through executive directives, the administration has quietly began making it easier for people with tangential connections to terror groups to begin receiving asylum in the United States. On February 5, 2014, the Departments of Homeland […]
By: Holly Klein For an individual to gain asylum, he or she must prove that they have been previously persecuted or have a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Determinations on four of the protected grounds, race, religion, nationality, and political opinion, […]
By John Gossart Jr. It remains to be seen whether the United States Congress can muster the responsibility and will to do what is right and achieve comprehensive immigration reform this year. Republican leadership in the House of Representatives continues to hold immigration reform hostage, most recently justifying inaction by blaming President Obama’s alleged track […]
In 2007, Congress passed a bipartisan appropriations bill that discretely embedded several riders and conditions on federal funding allocations that have had a tremendous effect on immigration proceedings in the United States ever since. One such provision in the statute firmly requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to maintain a minimum quota of 34,000 immigrants […]
April 1, 2014 is the first day on which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) may receive H-1B specialty worker petitions for the next fiscal year that begins on October 1, 2014. To qualify for the H-1B category, the position offered must be a specialty in which a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent is normally […]
On November 4, 2013 the Honorable Judge Jones with the U.S. District Court, in Seattle, Washington approved a class action settlement agreement. This agreement arose out of nationwide class action filed by the Legal Action Center (LAC) of the American Immigration Council, Northwest Immigration Rights Project (NWIRP), Gibbs Houston Pauw and the Massachusetts Law Reform […]
By Danielle Beach-Oswald Due to a violation of human rights in 2008, a female immigrant has received a settlement of $490,000. After being detained, Ms. Villegas’ hands and feet were shackled to her hospital bed while giving birth. Six days prior to her hospitalization, a state police officer realized Villegas was illegally residing in the […]
By Danielle Beach-Oswald As most of us involved in the immigration field are aptly aware, the new immigration reform bill was recently approved by the Senate and on October 2nd, and the bill was finally introduced in the House of Representatives. If passed, the immigration reform bill will make a climatic and transformative impact on […]
By Danielle Beach-Oswald On November 20, 2013, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a News Release announcing proposed changes to international student programs. According to ICE’s website, “ICE is proposing changes to the requirements governing its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) that are intended to improve management of international student programs and increase […]
