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Attorney General’s Decision Would Deprive Asylum Seekers of Bond Hearings
In a decision today, Attorney General William Barr ruled that individuals with valid protection asylum claims who entered between ports of entry no longer are eligible for release on bond by an immigration judge. The decision could result in the unnecessary detention of thousands more individuals each year, despite the enormous financial and human costs. With the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and the ACLU, the American Immigration Council intends to challenge the new decision.
Read MoreChaos Continues at DHS as Trump Purges More of His Senior Immigration Team
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned from her position on Monday. She was reportedly forced from office after President Trump grew frustrated with the government’s inability to stop asylum seekers from arriving at the southern border. Her departure marked an extraordinary week in which most DHS leadership faced the chopping block. These […]
Read MoreStatement for the Senate Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest on “Oversight of the Administration’s FY 2017 Refugee Resettlement Program”
The statement emphasizes the important role that the United States has played in the past in protecting the world’s most vulnerable people and why we need to continue to welcome those fleeing dire situations and not deny them entry.
Read MoreMorgan Lewis Pro Bono Team to Be Honored for Pro Bono Representation of Immigrants in Detention
The American Immigration Council will recognize the law firm of Morgan Lewis with its Stephen K. Fischel Distinguished Public Service Award for Pro Bono Representation of Immigrants in Detention. The award recognizes individuals or organizations who exhibit an outstanding commitment and dedication to America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants and to the struggle for fair and humane immigration policies in the United States.
Read MoreImmigration Lawyer Ava Benach to Be Honored for Providing Mentorship in Asylum Cases and Representation of Transgender Immigrant Women
The American Immigration Council will honor immigration lawyer Ava Benach with its Stephen K. Fischel Distinguished Public Service Award for providing mentorship in asylum cases and representation of transgender immigrant women. The Award recognizes individuals or organizations who exhibit an outstanding commitment and dedication to America’s heritage as a nation of immigrants and to the struggle for fair and humane immigration policies in the United States.
Read MoreFederal Court Orders Timely Bond Hearings and Legal Protections for Asylum Seekers
In a groundbreaking decision, a federal judge in Seattle dealt a blow to the government’s campaign to deter and obstruct asylum seekers applying for protection in the United States. Judge Marsha Pechman ordered the government to provide certain individuals with bona fide asylum claims either a bond hearing before an immigration judge within seven days of their request or to release them from detention.
Read More‘We Just Heard Screaming.’ ICE Arrests 280 Workers in Texas Immigration Raid
The scene outside a technology repair company in Allen, Texas on Wednesday was bleak. In the aftermath of an immigration raid, family members gathered to make phone calls, connect with attorneys, and give support to the workers arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that afternoon. ICE agents arrested more than 280 employees suspected of […]
Read MoreAn Economic Opportunity: Removing Barriers to Higher Education for Dreamers in Arkansas (Update)
This week, Governor Asa Hutchinson signed House Bill 1684 into law, granting DACA recipients access to in-state tuition at Arkansas public colleges and universities. With the unemployment rate at a near record low of 3.8 percent, increasing the local talent pool by ensuring that Arkansas’ DACA recipients can access higher education will help businesses address […]
Read MoreThe Pentagon Is Transferring $1 Billion to Trump’s Border Wall at the Expense of Military Readiness
In an ongoing battle over President Trump’s border wall, the Pentagon is authorizing the transfer of $1 billion from planned military readiness projects to build fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan announced the decision Monday evening. The Department of Defense (DOD) funds will now go to construction contracts. The Pentagon gave […]
Read MoreCalls to Reform ‘Irredeemably Dysfunctional’ Immigration Court System Grow Louder
In an exhaustive report on the immigration court system, the American Bar Association (ABA) called on Congress to make sweeping changes in order to fix a system “on the brink of collapse.” According to the ABA, the immigration courts—which currently face backlogs of over 855,000 cases—are so “irredeemably dysfunctional” that the only solution is for […]
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