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USCIS and ICE Must Give People Access to Their Immigration Files After Losing Lawsuit
People who need access to their government immigration records scored a huge victory in the Nightingale et al. v. USCIS case on December 17. A judge ruled that a nationwide class of individuals should have access to their immigration files—called A-Files—within the timeframes outlined in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) statute. A-Files contain records […]
Read MoreDistrict Court Orders Immigration Agencies to Produce Immigration Case Files in First of Its Kind Class Action
Judge William H. Orrick granted summary judgment in favor of two nationwide classes suing DHS, USCIS, and ICE for failing to timely produce the class members’ immigration files (A-Files). The court ordered the agencies to clear their backlogs by responding to the more than 40,000 thousand cases outstanding within 60 days.
Read MoreCouncil Submits Amicus Brief Supporting Reversal of USCIS’ Misinterpretation of the First Regulatory Test for an H-1B Specialty Occupation
The American Immigration Council filed this brief in support of a U.S. employer’s challenge to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s denial of a computer programmer H-1B petition.
Read MoreCongressional Democrats Announce One of the Most Progressive Immigration Reform Plans in History
Progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives are gearing up to demand a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. immigration system when the Biden administration and a new Congress are in place early next year. This reform effort will go beyond reversing the Trump administration’s extreme anti-immigrant policies, with the stated goal of “creating a fair […]
Read MoreAsylum Is In Danger After Court Upholds Rushed Screening Process at the Border
The Trump administration secretly implemented one of its most horrific attacks on America’s long tradition of asylum—holding asylum seekers in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody during their initial asylum interview. The “Prompt Asylum Claim Review” and “Humanitarian Asylum Review Process,” (“PACR/HARP”) put in place in October 2019, marked the first time in American […]
Read MoreTrump’s ‘Death to Asylum’ Rule Will Go Into Effect Days Before He Leaves Office
The Trump administration has finalized a sweeping regulation that will effectively end asylum protection in the United States. The regulation, which was proposed in June, is set to go into effect on January 11—only nine days before President Trump leaves office. If implemented, it will mean that very few people fleeing persecution will be able […]
Read MoreLiberians Have Until December 20 to Apply for a Green Card Under the LRIF Program
Thousands of Liberians living lawfully in the United States run the risk of detention and deportation if they do not apply for the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program (LRIF) by the December 20 filing deadline. The LRIF program offers an estimated 10,300 Liberians who have lived in the United States since November 20, 2014 the […]
Read MoreWhat to Expect for the J-1 Exchange Program Under Biden
The Trump administration has used the COVID-19 pandemic as an excuse to curtail many immigrant and nonimmigrant visa programs, including J-1 cultural exchange visitors. But with vaccines on the immediate horizon and a new Biden administration soon to take office, what should we expect for programs like the J-1 visa? Many visa programs have faced […]
Read MoreA Judge Fully Reinstated DACA, but Dreamers Are Still in Danger
A federal judge in New York has overturned the Trump administration’s latest effort to limit the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative. DACA temporarily protects certain people without immigration status from deportation and provides them with a work permit. The Trump administration’s previous effort to end the initiative altogether was rejected by the U.S. […]
Read MoreNational Public Service Campaign Reminds Americans That Belonging Begins with Us
Our nation has been stuck in a dangerous “us v. them” mindset for some time now. We also live in a moment where many Americans are exhausted by the politics of division and are looking for an alternative. There is no doubt we need a new way forward where we begin to see each other […]
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