NY ST Dept of Transp on National Interest Waivers VACATED

Today the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Jeh Jonson, has designated as precedential the USCIS Administrative Appeals Office’s (AAO) decision in Matter of Dhanasar.  This precedent decision vacates Matter of New York State Dep’t of Transp., 22 I&N Dec. 215 (Acting Assoc. Comm’r 1998). The case can be found in the Virtual Law Library of the Department of Justice’s Executive Office for …

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Serving the NTA

Where the Department of Homeland Security seeks to re-serve a respondent to effect proper service of a notice to appear that was defective under the regulatory requirements for serving minors under the age of 14, a continuance should be granted for that purpose. Matter of E-S-I-, 26 I&N Dec. 136 (BIA 2013), followed. Defective NTA Deficient …

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Don’t commit fraud with Asylum

(1) An untimely application for asylum may be found frivolous under section 208(d)(6) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1158(d)(6) (2012). Luciana v. Att’y Gen. of U.S., 502 F.3d 273 (3d Cir. 2007), distinguished. Matter of X-M-C-, 25 I&N Dec. 322 (BIA 2010), followed. (2) The respondent’s asylum application is frivolous because he deliberately …

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K4 return to home is invalid

The Third Circuit reversed the BIA and remanded, holding that 8 CFR §245.1(i), which effectively bars K-4 visa holders who were between 18 and 21 years old when their parent married a U.S. citizen from obtaining lawful permanent residence without first returning to their home country, is invalid, because it is “manifestly contrary” to the INA. Accordingly, …

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Court Finds CBP Holding Detainees in Inhuman Conditions in Arizona Hieleras

The U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona issued an order finding that CBP is violating the constitutional rights of immigration detainees by holding them in conditions of confinement that fail to meet their basic human needs, and directing CBP to take certain steps to improve conditions in those facilities, known as hieleras. The injunction stems …

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Reuters: Here’s How California Plans to Fight Donald Trump’s Immigration Plans

Reuters reports that on Monday leaders of both houses of California’s legislature introduced two bills to protect undocumented immigrants in the state from efforts to deport them once President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20, 2017. One measure would set up a fund to pay for lawyers for immigrants facing deportation. The other would train criminal …

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Ninth Circuit upholds BIA denial

The Ninth Circuit upheld the BIA’s decision refusing to consider the Peruvian petitioner’s adjustment of status application because he entered the United States using a fraudulent Italian passport to gain the benefits of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), holding as a matter of first impression that a noncitizen who fraudulently enters the United States under the VWP …

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BALCA overturns Denial main

Applying the reasoning from Matter of A Cut Above Ceramic Tile, BALCA reversed the Certifying Officer’s denial of the labor certification, finding that an employer is not required to retain or provide proof of publication of its State Workforce Agency (SWA) job order which can be sufficiently documented by listing the start and end dates of the job …

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Former Immigration Judges and BIA Members Slam DHS on Immigration Detention System

On October 31, 2016, former Immigration Judges and BIA members sent a letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson to express concern and disappointment regarding the dramatic increase in the numbers of men, women, and children detained by ICE, stating, “On the basis of our experiences as immigration jurists, we know this expansion comes at the expense of …

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BIA Says Arizona Felony Conviction for Solicitation to Possess Marijuana for Sale Is a CIMT

In a precedent decision issued today, the BIA clarified Matter of Vo, holding that, within the jurisdiction of the Ninth Circuit, a returning lawful permanent resident (LPR) who has a felony conviction for solicitation to possess marijuana for sale is an arriving alien who is inadmissible under INA §212(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) for having committed a crime of moral turpitude …

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U.S. News and World Report: Supreme Court to Consider Indefinite Detention for Immigrants

This U.S. News and World Report article reports that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Wednesday over whether immigrants facing deportation can be detained indefinitely for months or even years without a hearing. The case, Jennings v. Rodriguez, could have broad implications for President-elect Donald Trump’s proposals to step up immigration enforcement and ramp up deportations. …

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BALCA Reverses PERM Denial on Due Process Grounds

BALCA reversed the Certifying Officer’s denial and remanded the matter for certification where DOL had faulted the employer for not listing a relocation requirement in recruitment advertising and on the ETA Form 9089 for a position with a primary work site “and various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S.” The employer had relied on the 1994 Barbara Farmer …

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USCIS Designates Matter of L-S-M- as an Adopted Decision

USCIS issued a policy memorandum designating Matter of L-S-M- as an AAO adopted decision, which establishes this decision as policy guidance that applies to and binds all USCIS employees. Matter of L-S-M- clarifies that INA §240B(d)(2), which provides an exception for certain victims of domestic violence or related abuse to the civil penalties in INA §240B(d)(1) for failure to comply …

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