the DOJ finalized substantial changes to the process for immigration appeals. The rule will limit the ability of immigration appellate judges to hear cases on their own accord, impose a time limit on appeals, and create…
A Nov. 2 agency decision ruled that immigration judges are “management officials” who cannot unionize. This ruling dismantling the immigration judges’ union has left judges more vulnerable to political influences. However, with numerous priorities competing…
On July 31, immigration lawyers in New Jersey filed a lawsuit against the DOJ, seeking to keep them from having to physically appear in court during the pandemic. Immigration courts recently began having hearings for non-detained immigrants…
CNN reports that the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General is reviewing the Trump administration’s decision to keep the nation’s immigration courts open while COVID-19 swept through the United States. EOIR came under criticism from immigration judges, attorneys, and…
The ACLU sued the DOJ in early 2019, arguing that after a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the FBI wrongfully hid information on whether the government has social media surveillance records. Because acknowledging the…
The Trump administration is planning on using eminent domain to acquire private land in Texas to use for the border wall. On Thursday, the government sent Right of Entry letters to dozens of landowners informing them…
Last Friday, DOJ petitioned the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) in an effort to strip immigration judges of their right to be represented by a union. AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson called the petition “an…
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that DOJ is allocating 311 new Assistant United States Attorneys to assist in priority areas, including 35 additional immigration prosecutors. This is the largest increase of new Assistant U.S. Attorneys in…
Top Senate and House Democrats sent a letter to DOJ’s Inspector General, requesting an investigation into allegations that DOJ has targeted candidates and delayed job offers for immigration judge (IJ) and BIA positions based on the…
DOJ announced that it sent letters to 23 cities, counties, and states as part of a review of 8 U.S.C. 1373 compliance, demanding the production of documents that could show whether each jurisdiction is restricting information…
Matter of CALCANO DE MILLAN, 26 I&N Dec. 904 (BIA 2017) For purposes of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, Pub. L. No. 109-248, 120 Stat. 587, and section 204(a)(1)(A)(viii)(I) of…
On February 21, 2017, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) rescinding former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates’ August 18, 2016, memo entitled “Reducing Our Use of Private Prisons,” which…