H-1B

USCIS’ Denial Rates for H-1B Petitions Have Quadrupled

The Trump administration, acting through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), is disrupting the process by which U.S. employers obtain work authorization for highly skilled foreign professionals. According to a report from the National Foundation for American Policy, these changes are affecting how often H-1B petitions… Read More

Privacy Concerns Grow as Federal Immigration Agencies Use More Surveillance Technology

Federal immigration officials are beginning to expand their use of surveillance technology to collect information on immigrants. As officials gather more tools in their arsenal—from DNA collection to cell phone tracking devices—the privacy concerns also grow. The Trump administration proposed a new regulation on Monday that… Read More

USCIS Implemented New H-1B Wage Level Policy Without Providing Sufficient Guidance to Its Staff

Newly released documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) rolled out a major policy change impacting petitions for H-1B workers without sufficient training to officers deciding the petitions. The records reveal troubling insights into what likely… Read More

Federal Judge Blocks the Expansion of Fast-Track Deportation Program, Expedited Removal

A federal judge blocked the expansion of a fast-track deportation program, known as “expedited removal,” minutes before the government said it would begin implementing its expansion on September 28, 2019. Expedited removal allows the government to deport certain people without basic legal protections. Those who are… Read More

State Governments Should Step In to Provide Oversight of Detention Facilities

Immigration enforcement may be a federal responsibility, but state governments have a great deal of power over the conditions under which immigrants are detained. At a time when over-crowded detention facilities are failing to meet even the minimum standards of humane treatment, states must step up and exercise their authority to improve a situation that has become truly dire. Read More

DOJ Moves to Further Politicize Immigration Court System

The Trump administration implemented more drastic changes to the U.S. immigration court system on Monday. A new rule gives the director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR)—a Trump political appointee—the power to adjudicate cases and appeals. Described as a “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” the rule turns the immigration… Read More

Census Bureau Asked 250,000 Households About Their Citizenship Status, Despite Court Ruling

Despite losing at the Supreme Court, the Trump administration still managed to ask nearly a quarter of a million U.S. households about the citizenship status of their household members. That’s because the administration had already started mailing out its 2019 Census Test—a nationwide test used to inform the upcoming 2020… Read More

A New EOIR Rule Expands Powers of the Board of Immigration Appeals and Attorney General

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued a final rule last week that expands the authority of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and Attorney General William Barr when reviewing an immigration judge’s decision following a removal proceeding. The BIA reviews an immigration judge’s decision if ether the individual… Read More