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Tax Day: Tax Contributions of Immigrants in the United States
Today is Tax Day—the widely dreaded annual deadline for filing federal income taxes. This year, it falls on the same day that the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the U.S. v Texas immigration case about President Obama’s executive actions to expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) and the Deferred Action […]
Read MoreNational Volunteer Week: How Much Do Immigrants Volunteer?
Yesterday marked the beginning of this year’s National Volunteer Week (#NVW2016), which was first established in 1974. Volunteering has had a rich history in America, with the United States boasting one of the highest rates of volunteerism worldwide. Volunteering has long been shown to bring stability to neighborhoods and increase the level of cohesion and […]
Read MoreDefending DAPA and Expanded DACA Before the Supreme Court
This guide provides brief answers to common questions about United States v. Texas, including what is at stake in the case, how the litigation began, what the contested issues are, and the impact the case may have on our country.
Read MoreF- P- v. Holder – Ninth Circuit
Long used in criminal trials, motions to suppress can lead to the exclusion of evidence obtained by the government in violation of the Fourth Amendment, Fifth Amendment, or related provisions of federal law. While the immediate purpose of filing a motion to suppress is to prevent the government from meeting its burden of proof, challenges to unlawfully obtained evidence can also deter future violations by law enforcement officers and thereby protect the rights of other noncitizens. The Supreme Court held in INS v. Lopez-Mendoza, 468 U.S. 1032 (1984), that motions to suppress evidence under the Fourth Amendment in immigration proceedings should be granted only for “egregious” violations or if violations became “widespread.” Despite this stringent standard, noncitizens have prevailed in many cases on motions to suppress.
Read MorePerez Santana v. Holder – First Circuit
The American Immigration Council, working with the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, has repeatedly challenged the “departure bar,” a regulation that precludes noncitizens from filing a motion to reopen or reconsider a removal case after they have left the United States. The departure bar not only precludes reopening or reconsideration based on new evidence or arguments that may affect the outcome of a case, but also deprives immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals of authority to adjudicate motions to remedy deportations wrongfully executed, whether intentionally or inadvertently, by DHS. We argue that the regulation conflicts with the statutory right to pursue reopening and, as interpreted by the government, is an impermissible restriction of congressionally granted authority to adjudicate immigration cases.
Read MoreUnited States v. State of Texas – Supreme Court
The American Immigration Council, in collaboration with the National Immigration Law Center, the Service Employees International Union, the Advancement Project, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, filed an amicus brief on behalf of 320 other immigrants’ rights, civil rights, labor and social service organizations, urging the Supreme Court to lift the injunction that blocked the deferred action initiatives that President Obama announced in November 2014. In the brief, the groups outline how families and communities would benefit from the initiatives. The brief also provides examples of parents and individuals who would be able to contribute more fully to their communities if the immigration initiatives were allowed to take effect. The oral argument is scheduled for April 18, 2016.
Read MoreIs It Time to Change the H-1B Visa Cap?
On April 1, employers will submit their petitions for H-1B visas for high-skilled temporary workers. The start of the H-1B season, when U.S. employers turn their attention toward hiring foreign talent, provides an opportunity for policymakers to consider whether it is time to change the cap on the number of visas available each year to […]
Read MoreThird-Generation Georgia Farmer Says The Health of the Agriculture Industry Depends on Immigration Reform
Gerald Long is a third-generation Georgia farmer who has come up with a unique solution to the challenge of finding enough workers to harvest his vegetable crops: About 30 years ago, he started inviting the public to pick his red Irish potatoes, squash and snap beans at his farm. For him, the approach keeps down […]
Read MoreImmigrants with H-1Bs essential to U.S. economy
All too often, the topic of immigration reform is mentioned in the same breath as “social justice,” as though one is merely an extension of the other’s moral imperative. To do so is to exclude a careful consideration of the myriad productive components, and to therefore fundamentally misunderstand immigration as an indelible and invaluable mainstay […]
Read MoreDistrict Court Holds Hearing in Case About Kids’ Right to Attorneys in Immigration Court
A federal district court in Seattle heard arguments in a lawsuit on Thursday seeking to ensure that all children in immigration court have legal representation. The case received a flurry of attention when press reports revealed that an immigration judge deposed in the case said he had successfully taught three-year-olds immigration law. The focus of […]
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