Blog Archives

Please note that some of the details in these articles may be out of date.

Coronavirus Updates on Immigration

Over the past few weeks, the spread of the Coronavirus (or COVID-19) has caused major upheaval all around the world. Every facet of life has been impacted in the United States including immigration. President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on March 13, 2020. His complete proclamation can be found here. One of the measures … Read more

Supreme Court Hears Free Speech Immigration Case

Among the eight immigration cases pending at the U.S. Supreme Court is one involving the First Amendment.  On February 25, 2020, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in U.S. v. Sineneng-Smith, a case involving a federal statute that makes it a crime to encourage or advise immigrants in the country to stay illegally.  The Supreme … Read more

U.S. Consulates Implementing New Public Charge Rule

On Monday, February 24, 2020, the U.S. Department of State will implement new policies related to the Trump Administration’s public charge rule.  The new policy is scheduled to go into effect worldwide on February 24, 2020. Applicants for immigrant visas will now be required to complete an additional form, called the DS-5540. The U.S. Department … Read more

Trump Expands the Travel Ban

On January 31, 2020, President Trump added six more countries – four in Africa – to the existing travel ban implemented in 2017.  The countries added to the Travel Ban are Nigeria (Africa’s most populous nation), Sudan, Tanzania, Eritrea, Myanmar, and Kyrgyzstan. Immigrants from Nigeria, Myanmar, Eritrea, and Kyrgyzstan will not be able to obtain … Read more

For Now, Supreme Court Allows USCIS to Use “Public Charge” Rules

In earlier posts, we discussed the Trump Administration’s proposed new rule about denying permanent resident status to applicants who are considered likely to become a “public charge.” That new rule was set to take effect on October 15, 2019, but courts issued orders blocking the implementation of the new rule while the cases challenging it … Read more

A “Safe” Third Country Agreement that is Unsafe

Beginning December 2019, the United States has begun taking Honduran and Salvadoran asylum seekers at the southern U.S. border and putting them on airplanes headed to Guatemala.  In July of 2019, the United States signed an agreement with Guatemala regarding the process.  The United States threatened to impose tariffs if Guatemala declined to sign the … Read more