Live with Brian D. Lerner re: Trump’s unconstitutional voting executive order
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-IE7MAW3DY&w=480&h=270] via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-IE7MAW3DY
Live with Brian D. Lerner re: Trump’s unconstitutional voting executive order
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-IE7MAW3DY&w=480&h=270] via IFTTT
21 House Republicans penned a letter supporting a work program for graduate students
21 Republicans in the House of Representatives sent a letter this week to DHS and the Secretary of State. In that letter, they argued that Optional Practical Training (OPT) should stay “fully intact” so that the U.S. continues to be “an attractive destination for international students.” Optional Practical Training, which has been a particular target of the …
The Supreme Court ruled that immigrants who fear torture can appeal their deportations in federal appeals court.
In a 7-2 decision on June 1, the Supreme Court ruled against the Trump administration, holding that immigrants slated for deportation have a right to judicial review if their request for relief under the Convention Against Torture (CAT) is denied. The CAT protects foreigners from being deported if they are at risk of being tortured in their …
USCIS has resumed premium processing for certain petitions
On May 29, USCIS announced that it had resumed premium processing for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers.
USCIS has reopened some offices
Starting June 4, USCIS began reopening some offices to the public. USCIS has taken some precautions against the spread of COVID-19, including providing hand sanitizer, requiring a face covering, and providing floor markings to ensure social distancing is practiced. Application Support Centers are still closed until further notice.
ICE Special Agents Detain Floyd Protester in NYC
NBC reports on a video showing a group of federal immigration officials detaining a protester at a George Floyd rally in New York City on Friday. One of the officials is seen wearing a vest labeled “HSI Police,” a division of ICE. According to the Immigrant Defense Project, the man who was arrested is of Puerto Rican …
BIA Rules That Absence of a Checked Alien Classification Box Does Not Render an NTA Fatally Deficient
The BIA ruled that the absence of a checked alien classification box on a Notice to Appear (NTA) does not, by itself, render an NTA fatally deficient; preclude an immigration judge from exercising jurisdiction over removal proceedings; or terminate proceedings under the Migrant Protection Protocols.
DHS Extends Flexibility in Requirements Related to Form I-9 Compliance
DHS announced that it has extended the flexibilities in rules related to Form I-9 compliance during the COVID-19 pandemic by an additional 30 days. These flexibilities include prosecutorial discretion to defer the physical presence requirements associated with the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) under section 274A of the INA and an additional 30-day extension for NOIs served in …
USCIS Approves H-1B Petitions of Plaintiffs Within Weeks of Class Action Lawsuit Being Filed
Within weeks of filing, USCIS reversed the prior petition denials in both plaintiffs’ cases. This was for market research analysis
USCIS Announces It Will Accept Refiling of Rejected Forms I-140 with E-Certification or Electronically Reproduced Signatures
After rejecting some Forms I-140 that included e-certified ETA-9089s or blue ETA-9089s with electronically reproduced signatures, USCIS announced that it will ask petitioners to resubmit their Form I-140 with either wet signatures or scanned copies of signatures and a copy of the rejection notice.
Houston Chronicle — Opinion: Cuban ICE Detainee Exposes Unsafe Texas Facilities, Pleads for Release to Help Battle Coronavirus
The Houston Chronicle features an op-ed by Roger Ernesto La O Muñoz, a Cuban asylum seeker who is currently detained in the Joe Corley Detention Facility in Conroe, Texas. As a college graduate with a degree in hygiene and epidemiology, he writes on behalf of 55 fellow detainees to send a message to the president, immigration judges, human …
DOS Provides Visa Bulletin for June 2020
DOS posted the June 2020 Visa Bulletin. In addition to final action dates and dates for filing for family– and employment-based petitions, the bulletin includes notes on the DV category for the month of June and the DV category rank cut-offs which will apply in July.
Non-citizen U.S. troops have filed a class-action lawsuit over the naturalization process.
On April 24, 6 U.S. troops filed a class-action lawsuit after being blocked from an expedited naturalization process. To qualify for the expedited process, servicemen must provide Pentagon certification that they have served honorably. Previously, this certification was available one day after starting their service. In 2017, the Trump administration changed the requirement, making non-citizen troops wait …
A federal appeals court has ruled that states cannot require proof of citizenship during voter registration.
On Wednesday, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Kansas cannot require proof of citizenship, such as an original birth certificate or passport, to register to vote. The court ruled against the state because it was unable to prove that the law was necessary to prevent voter fraud, especially since the law disenfranchised more than 30,000 …