Law Offices of Brian D. Lerner
Deportation Lawyers & Immigration Attorneys Helping Families Nationwide
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 use of social media surveillance would not reveal specific means of surveillance nor risk national security, Judge Chen ruled against the …
The Trump administration unveiled a rule in October that would require prospective immigrants to prove they have health insurance before they can receive a visa. Currently, the policy is blocked by an emergency order that ends on November 30. Yesterday, Judge Simon from Oregon issued a preliminary injunction against the health insurance rule, blocking it while litigation …
With a shortage of U.S. ballroom dancers to work as instructors, studios have looked overseas. Tightened immigration restrictions, however, have made this more difficult. Redundant evidence requests and backlogs have lengthened the amount of time it takes to bring a hired dancer to the U.S., and even after approval, some are seeing their new dancers be detained …
A report from the Institute of International Education showed that foreign student enrollment in U.S. universities dropped by 1% compared to 2018, and the two years prior had drops of 7% and 3%. The drop in the number of students from China has been particularly sharp. Some schools pointed out the president’s rhetoric as one reason …
The U.S. and Guatemala signed a “safe third country”-like agreement over the summer that would allow the U.S. to send asylum seekers to Guatemala if they first passed through there on their way to the U.S. This means that asylum seekers from countries like Honduras and El Salvador would be most affected. On Friday, Guatemala …
An Inspector General report was released on November 27 that showed that DHS predicted that its “zero tolerance” policy at the border would have separated 26,000 children. Trump ended the policy after a month in June 2018. The report also found that the Inspector General could not confirm the actual number of families separated, because DHS lacked …
The Trump administration has been using the Remain in Mexico program to send non-Mexican asylum seekers to Mexico for as long as months to wait for their U.S. immigration court date. Remain in Mexico has now been extended to Arizona by busing asylum seekers to Texas and sending them across the border there. The city of Juarez, …
We Build the Wall is a private group supporting the president and his building of the barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border. The group raised money to build a small section of private border wall. The National Butterfly Center, located near the planned wall, sued to stop its construction. On Tuesday, a Texas judge issued a preliminary …
On December 2, USCIS posted updated editions to forms N-470, N-300, I-817, I-751, I-694, I-601, I-290B, I-192, I-191, I-129CW, and I-907. The new edition must be used immediately for Form I-907. The new edition must be used starting January 21, 2020 for Form I-817. The new edition must be used starting February 3, 2020 for forms N-470, I-751, I-601, I-290B, I-192, I-191, and I-129CW. The previous …
The number of African migrants at the southern border in 2019 has more than doubled compared to 2018. The number has been increasing steadily since 2007, from 460 to 5800 each year. Activists have been concerned that this dimension has not been considered in the asylum debates. Africans from the Congo, Sierra Leone, and Cameroon have all …
DHS had proposed a rule to expand biometrics at the border, including requiring facial recognition screening of all travelers to include U.S. citizens. On Thursday, DHS retreated from the idea, saying it has no plans to expand facial recognition to U.S. citizens. Privacy experts questioned the accuracy of facial recognition in general and have concerns that such an …
Carlos Gregorio Hernandez Vasquez was a 16-year-old asylum seeker who was taken into CBP custody. When he had a 103 degree fever and the flu, a medical professional said he should be monitored in the next two hours and taken to the hospital if his condition worsened, but instead he was left in his cell. …
More judges will conduct asylum hearings via teleconferencing. The newest expansion has judges assigned to an adjudication center in Fort Worth, Texas. Like the tent facilities, this is closed to the public, making lawyers concerned about the transparency of the process. Access to the tent courts is closed generally, but CBP stated that it will be …
USCIS announced online registration for the H-1B lottery. On December 6, USCIS announced that registration for the 2021 H-1B lottery will take place online. Employers who want to file cap-subject petitions must register online and pay the $10 registration fee. Employers will only need to give basic information on both the employer and requested worker. If selected by the …
Forbes reports that U.S. consular officers are making it extremely difficult, and in some cases nearly impossible, for U.S. companies to transfer their employees from India to America on L‑1 visas. Companies say the extremely high rate of visa refusals is increasing company costs, wasting company time that should be spent serving customers, and making it highly …