Immigration Law

ABA President Bay urges ICE to notify counsel when transferring detainees

In a letter to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ABA President William R. Bay called attention to a “concerning trend” involving transfers of detained people from the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego without the required notice to their attorneys.

Oct 28, 2024 9:56 AM CDT

Client convicted for murdering Tiananmen Square ‘hero’ lawyer who refused to continue representation

A New York woman was convicted of murder Friday for fatally stabbing her immigration lawyer in March 2022, three days after police escorted her from the law office for a choking attack.

Sep 24, 2024 11:19 AM CDT

Lawyers see influx in Americans seeking second passports

With the upcoming presidential election, Generation X nearing retirement and the continuation of “work from anywhere” policies, many Americans are looking to lawyers for help with their “Plan B”—obtaining dual citizenship and leaving the country, according to attorneys contacted by the ABA Journal.

Sep 18, 2024 1:41 PM CDT

US should recognize gender as a protected class in immigration proceedings, House says

The House of Delegates overwhelmingly adopted a measure seeking to strengthen protections for victims of gender-based violence at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago on Tuesday.

Aug 6, 2024 1:00 PM CDT

5th Circuit avoids immigration-invasion argument in ruling for Texas in buoy barrier case

A Texas effort to deter illegal immigration with floating buoys in the Rio Grande River got a boost Tuesday, when a federal appeals court permitted the state to keep the 1,000-foot barrier in place during a legal challenge.

Aug 1, 2024 12:49 PM CDT

Seattle attorney Mason Ji supports immigrants and cultural awareness

At 30, Mason Ji, an associate in the Seattle office of Perkins Coie, is keenly focused on community. While his legal practice involves complex litigation, international sanctions and international trade, Ji’s spare time is spent helping Asian immigrants struggling to succeed in the greater Seattle area.

Aug 1, 2024 12:40 AM CDT

We the Immigration Lawyers

Immigrants coming to the U.S. can face legal uncertainties, difficult living conditions and the pain of family separations. Yet a hope that opportunities will outweigh the travails is strong with many new arrivals. That’s something lawyers who help immigrants understand well.

Aug 1, 2024 12:00 AM CDT

DOJ sues nonprofit that houses migrant children, accusing staff of sexual abuse

The country’s largest private provider of housing for unaccompanied immigrant children subjected some in its care to pervasive sexual abuse and harassment for almost a decade, the U.S. Justice Department is alleging in a lawsuit.

Jul 19, 2024 9:10 AM CDT

ABA will partner with White House to recruit more pro bono immigration attorneys

The Biden administration is calling on the legal community to increase its pro bono representation of individuals who are unrepresented in immigration proceedings.

Jul 18, 2024 1:25 PM CDT

Asylum-seekers in Chicago receive pro bono legal aid from ABA staff

Lawyers from across Chicago have staffed legal clinics to help migrants fill out paperwork that potentially can transform their lives, and ABA attorneys are pitching in to help.

Jul 2, 2024 11:11 AM CDT

Southern Poverty Law Center’s layoffs are ‘no coincidence,’ union says

The Southern Poverty Law Center has acknowledged an “organizational restructuring” after the SPLC Union said the group laid off more than 60 union members, along with at least 20 supervisors, last week.

Jun 18, 2024 8:58 AM CDT

Migrants who cross the border illegally won’t be allowed a lawyer if they don’t get one pronto

Migrants who enter the United States illegally generally have just four hours to find a lawyer if they want legal assistance in a quest to remain in the country.

Jun 6, 2024 11:49 AM CDT

ABA ‘strongly opposes’ Biden’s executive order restricting asylum; ACLU readies lawsuit

Updated: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ABA are among the groups opposing President Joe Biden’s executive order curbing asylum eligibility for migrants who illegally cross the southern border during peak periods.

Jun 5, 2024 12:18 PM CDT

Asylum-seekers face ‘serious shortage of lawyers’ to help them

A surge in migrants crossing the southern border has created a case backlog in immigration courts and “a serious shortage of lawyers to help navigate the notoriously complicated legal process” for asylum-seekers, according to the New York Times.

May 21, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him ‘nastiness’ and ‘lies’

After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas forcefully pushed back on his critics Friday—saying he and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, have endured “nastiness” and “lies.”

May 13, 2024 11:00 AM CDT