CBP released statistics on apprehensions at the southwest border between October 1, 2014, and June 1, 2015. According to the data, apprehensions of unaccompanied children to date in FY2015 are 51% less than the same period in FY2014, and apprehensions of family units are down 47% from the same period last year.

In a precedent decision, the BIA reaffirmed Matter of Reza, holding that the respondent did not meet the statutory seven-year residency requirement, because acceptance into the Family Unity Program (FUP) does not constitute an admission into the United States under INA §101(a)(13)(A). Likewise, the Ninth Circuit denied a petition for review, deferring to the BIA’s …

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Supreme Court Holds That Only Substances Defined as “Controlled” Under §802 Trigger Removal The Supreme Court reversed the Eighth Circuit, finding that INA §237(a)(2)(B)(i) triggers removal only when the government can prove a connection between an element of an immigrant’s drug conviction and a “controlled substance” as defined in 21 USC §802.

The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday left in place last year’s Ninth Circuit decision to strike down a 2006 Arizona law that denied bail to undocumented immigrants charged with “serious” felonies. Six members of the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from Arizona Sherriff Joseph Arpaio to reinstate the Arizona law, overruling three of the …

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DHS extended the designation of Somalia for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months from September 18, 2015, through March 17, 2017. The 60-day re-registration period runs from June 1, 2015, through July 31, 2015.

June 1, 2015, USCIS began accepting only the new version of Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing Service, with an edition date of January 29, 2015. Previous editions of the form submitted on or after June 1, 2015, will be rejected.

The Fifth Circuit granted the petition for review, holding that a wave-through at a port of entry is an “admission in any status” under 8 USC §1229b(a)(2), and that the petitioner, a lawful permanent resident, was thus eligible for cancellation of removal.

BALCA reversed the CO’s denial for failure to provide a sufficient explanation for rejecting eight U.S. applicants, noting that 20 CFR §656.17(g)(1) “does not indicate a level of specificity beyond what the Employer provided.”

One hundred thirty-six members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to DHS calling for an end to family detention, stating, “We believe the only solution to this problem is to end the use of family detention.”

The Ninth Circuit granted the petition for review and remanded, holding that the petitioner’s conviction for grand theft, in violation of California Penal Code §487(a), was not a categorical aggravated felony, because the statute is doubly overbroad in that it permits a conviction for theft of labor while the generic definition of theft does not, …

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The Ninth Circuit reversed, holding that if ICE detains an immigrant pending potential criminal prosecution, then that detention constitutes “official detention” within the meaning of 18 USC §3585(b), and the immigrant is accordingly entitled to credit toward his or her criminal sentence. The court also held that an immigrant is entitled to credit for all …

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USCIS provided guidance on when to file an amended H-1B petition in response to the April 9, 2015, AAO precedent decision, Matter of Simeio Solutions, LLC, which held that employers must file amended H-1B petitions when a new Labor Condition Application for Nonimmigrant Workers (LCA) is required due to a change in the H-1B worker’s …

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USCIS began accepting applications for employment authorization from certain H-4 dependent spouses of H-1B nonimmigrants who are seeking employment-based lawful permanent resident status. USCIS published a revised Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, with an edition date of February 13, 2015, which contains the eligibility category (c)(26) for H-4 dependent spouses. While USCIS will continue …

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An article in the Chicago Reporter states that of the nearly 1,500 cases of women with children seen in the Chicago Immigration Court this past year, less than 14% were represented by a lawyer, a figure that is less than half the national rate.

NBC News reports that over 30 rallies, marches, and events are taking place across the country today as part of a national day of action to push for the implementation of DAPA. Had the program not been temporarily enjoined, undocumented parents of U.S. citizens or LPRs could have begun applying for temporary deportation relief and …

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