Federal Courts/Jurisdiction

Supreme Court Weighs Challenge to Vague Grounds of Deportation
Determining when an immigrant who has been convicted of a crime can be deported is a feat that has been described by federal judges as “far from clear,” “dizzying,” and “labyrinthine.” There is no doubt that the intersection of criminal and immigration law is complex, but how… Read More

California District Court Says Immigrants Ability to Pay Should Influence Bond Decisions
Unlike in criminal court, where those charged with a crime often hire bail bondsmen and consequently only have to pay 10 percent of the total bail amount, immigrants detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) often have to pay the full amount of a bond because there are very… Read More

Supreme Court Considers Challenge to Detention of Immigrants Without Bond Hearings
The Supreme Court heard arguments this week in what may be the most important immigration case on its docket this fall, Jennings v. Rodriguez. The case, which began as a class action filed in California, raises important questions about whether the government has the authority to categorically deny certain… Read More

Judge Orders Border Patrol to Provide Short Term Detainees with Basic Necessities
A federal judge ordered the Border Patrol to immediately cease its practice of refusing to provide basic amenities to people detained in Border Patrol holding cells in Tucson, Arizona. The judge cited evidence that shows that detainees are kept in freezing holding cells—often called “hieleras” or “iceboxes” —for days… Read More

Judge Orders Border Patrol to Immediately Provide Short Term Detainees with Basic Necessities
A federal judge ordered the Border Patrol to immediately cease its practice of refusing to provide basic amenities to people detained in Border Patrol holding cells in Tucson, Arizona. The judge cited evidence that shows that detainees are kept in freezing holding cells—often called “hieleras” or “iceboxes” —for days… Read More

Judge Orders Border Patrol to Immediately Provide Short Term Detainees with Basic Necessities
A federal judge ordered the Border Patrol to immediately cease its practice of refusing to provide basic amenities to people detained in Border Patrol holding cells in Tucson, Arizona. The judge cited evidence that shows that detainees are kept in freezing holding cells—often called “hieleras” or “iceboxes” —for days… Read More

Supreme Court Hears Immigration Case Asserting Discrimination Against Unmarried American Fathers
Last week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Lynch v. Morales-Santana, a case that will decide whether the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) unlawfully favors mothers over fathers of children born out-of-wedlock when granting citizenship to their children born abroad. In determining whether a U.S. citizen parent may transfer… Read More

Immigration Groups File Briefs Calling For End to Detention Without Bond
Although the U.S. Constitution provides citizens and noncitizens the right to seek bail after an arrest, immigration detention is different. Certain noncitizens who are arrested by immigration authorities may be detained for months on end, while awaiting hearings that will determine whether they can remain in the United States. Many… Read More

Federal Court Strikes Down Immigration Detainers
In a decision late last week, the federal district court in the Northern District of Illinois invalidated the practice of issuing immigration detainers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The court found that detainers violate federal law because they exceed the government’s warrantless arrest authority and made it… Read More
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