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Know Your Rights in Texas: Preparing for State’s New Anti-Immigrant Law SB4
After debate rocked the Texas State Capitol, Governor Greg Abbott signed the controversial Senate Bill 4 (SB4) in May, which purports to ban sanctuary city policies and gives local police the authority to inquire about the immigration status of anyone they detain. Though the law won’t go into effect until September, it’s crucial to know […]
Read MoreFast-Track Deportation Expansion Could Impact Hundreds of Thousands of Immigrants
The U.S. Government has deported hundreds of thousands of individuals each year over the past twenty years. Since 2009, the numbers have grown dramatically and hovered right at or above 400,000 deportations per year. However, while the total number rose during the Obama administration, the underlying numbers of individuals deported from the interior of the […]
Read MoreWhy Are the Immigration Courts So Backlogged? Government Findings May Surprise You
Anyone familiar with the immigration system knows that the immigration courts have an enormous backlog which has persisted—and grown—for more than a decade. As of April 2017, the immigration court backlog topped 585,930 cases, more than double the pending cases in fiscal year (FY) 2006 (212,000). The immigration court backlog means that many people wait […]
Read MorePresident’s Tweets Dim His Prospects for Supreme Court Review of The Travel Ban Case
President Trump reignited discussion around his controversial travel ban through a series of early morning tweets on Monday, in a move legal experts say could ultimately cripple his administration’s chances of restoring the ban through the Supreme Court. In these tweets, the president blew a giant hole in his legal case when he insisted that his […]
Read MoreLawsuit Challenges Government’s Interference with Legal Representation of Mothers and Children Detained in Dilley, Texas
Access to legal counsel is a core American value and is the cornerstone of our justice system. Yet, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has severely limited access to legal assistance for asylum-seeking women and children held in family detention facilities.
Read More“Baby Jails” Bills Die a Slow Death
As the legislative session in Texas drew to a close on Monday, immigration advocates around the country celebrated the death of the “baby jails” bill—a measure that would have licensed Texas family detention centers as “child-care facilities.” Senate Bill 1018 was the latest attempt to lower state standards so that private prisons could legally detain […]
Read MoreTrump Nominee for USCIS Director Testifies before Senate Committee
President Trump’s pick for the next director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Lee Francis Cissna, recently testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. This was the first congressional body to publicly vet Cissna after his nomination. The content of this hearing, coupled with his work advising the Trump campaign, and cozy relationship with a […]
Read MoreChild of Immigrant Shopkeepers is a Powerful Force for Small Businesses
Ron Kim grew up working in his parents’ small grocery store in New York City. The family had immigrated to the United States from South Korea in 1987, when Kim was 7 years old. “I saw my parents, both of them, work nonstop,” he says, noting that the store was open seven days a week, […]
Read MoreImmigrants’ Access to Counsel Topic of New Rulemaking Petition
AILA and the Council have petitioned the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to issue new regulations that will ensure all immigrants have access to legal counsel in secondary and deferred inspection, as well as overseas consular interviews.
Read MorePresident Trump Unveils Harsh Immigration Budget Proposals
President Trump released his formal budget request to Congress for Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 this week, which seeks to solidify the harsh proposals laid out in his immigration executive orders. The budget aims to fund the beginnings of a border wall, as well as increase immigration enforcement, detention, and deportations. If approved, these requests would […]
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