Please note that some of the details in these articles may be out of date.
Al-khersan Law 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
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
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
On February 6, 2020, a federal judge permanently blocked a DHS policy shift regarding persons who entered the United States on student visas and who later fell out of valid status. Background Many noncitizens who enter the United States on certain nonimmigrant visas – including F, J, and M student visas – are permitted to … Read more
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
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
As we noted earlier, among the eight immigration cases pending at the Supreme Court is the question of whether the current administration’s attempt to end DACA was legally proper. The Supreme Court heard oral argument on November 12, 2019. The case focuses on two questions: (1) Are the courts even allowed to review the government’s … Read more
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
U.S. immigration officials have begun to collect DNA samples from persons at the borders. Announced in October 2019, the DNA collection program is being implemented as a pilot in two locations: Detroit, Michigan and Eagle Pass, Texas. Under the new program, persons who are in immigration custody with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) may be … Read more
The U.S. Supreme Court has eight pending immigration cases, and we are likely to see decisions on most or all of them by June 2020, when the Supreme Court ends its current session. Here is a run-down of the eight cases: Perhaps the most anticipated case involves the future of DACA. The Supreme Court will … Read more