Federal Courts/Jurisdiction

Diverse Coalitions Urge Supreme Court to Hear Case on Executive Action
Seven groups have filed amicus briefs in support of a petition for certiorari to the Supreme Court in United States v. Texas, requesting that the Court overturn the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision to enjoin, or halt, the President’s 2014 deferred action initiatives. The briefs were… Read More

Groups Urge Supreme Court to Hear Executive Action Case This Term
Today, a coalition of 224 immigration, civil rights, labor, and social service groups filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief, urging the Supreme Court to review the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Texas v. United States, which has delayed implementation of President Obama’s 2014 deferred action initiatives The… Read More

Supreme Court Considering Whether Misdemeanor Results in Automatic Deportation
Last Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Torres v. Lynch, a case that provides a harsh reminder of the real life consequences of our unforgiving immigration laws. The petitioner in the case, Jorge Luna-Torres, a lawful permanent resident, was convicted of a misdemeanor offense for which he… Read More

Immigrant Rights Advocates Sue to Reveal Policies and Procedures at Artesia Family Detention Facility
Washington D.C. – Immigrant rights groups today filed Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation to compel the release of documents regarding the use of the expedited removal process against families with children, including those detained at the family detention center in Artesia, New Mexico. To date, the government has… Read More

Supreme Court Finds Conviction for Possession of a Sock Was Not a Deportable Offense
Earlier this week, the Supreme Court determined that the mere possession of a sock did not constitute a deportable offense in Mellouli v. Lynch. This unsurprising pronouncement serves as a first step in unwinding the legal spiral that led to Moones Mellouli’s deportation in 2012 and a reaffirmation… Read More

Supreme Court to Decide Whether It’s Okay to Deprive a Person of His Day In Immigration Court
Every day in immigration courts around the country, people facing deportation try to explain why they should be allowed to remain in the United States under our notoriously complex immigration laws. Those who have legal representation rely on their attorneys to follow procedures and make arguments that may be virtually… Read More

Supreme Court Hears Argument on Whether Government Must Justify Its Visa Denial
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument Monday in a case pitting a U.S. citizen who wants to live in the United States with her foreign national spouse against the U.S. government, which is intent on preventing even a modest level of court review when an immigrant visa is denied. Read More

Texas Decision at Odds with Legal Precedent, History and Facts on Immigration Enforcement
Washington D.C. – Late last night, a Texas judge issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily blocks the implementation of President Obama’s new deferred action initiatives. These initiatives, announced last November, came in response to more than 10 years of political stalemates and failure by Congress to address America’s broken immigration… Read More

Second Circuit Narrowly Interprets Aggravated Felony Bar Under INA § 212(h)
Washington, D.C.—Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a precedent decision that will allow a greater number of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to avoid deportation if they can demonstrate to an immigration judge that their removal will result in… Read More

When is Possession of a Sock a Deportable Offense?
Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Mellouli v. Holder, No. 13-1034, a case that shows just how out of step immigration enforcement has become. Moones Mellouli was a conditional lawful permanent resident engaged to a U.S. citizen and resided in the U.S. for 8 years,… Read More
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