The Convert: Houston Lawyer Spearheads Pro Bono Advocacy for Child Immigrants

Sep 1, 2012 9:00 AM CDT

Raising Awareness: New President Laurel Bellows Puts Human Trafficking on Her Hit List

Sep 1, 2012 5:30 AM CDT

Suit Claims US Immigration Official Created ‘Frat House-Type Atmosphere’

The chief of staff at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has taken a voluntary paid leave pending a review of allegations in a lawsuit claiming she created a discriminatory work environment for male employees. The suit filed in May by James Hayes Jr. accuses chief of staff Suzanne Barr of…

Aug 22, 2012 1:41 PM CDT

Despite Uncertainties, Lots of Applications Likely as ‘Deferred Action’ Immigration Program Launches

Even as the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services begins accepting applications Wednesday for the new “deferred action” program promising a temporary two-year enforcement reprieve for some illegal immigrants, exactly how the program will work won’t be entirely clear until it is up and running. But despite uncertainties—as well as concern…

Aug 14, 2012 6:22 PM CDT

ABA House OKs Standards Saying Civilly Detained Immigrants Should Not Be Held in Jail-Like Settings

Most illegal aliens detained by the Department of Homeland Security should not be held in jails or jail-like settings, according to new civil immigration detention standards adopted Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. The standards are designed to help DHS as it transitions to a system that does not…

Aug 6, 2012 4:43 PM CDT

DOJ Says Federal Law Bans Top Calif. Court from Admitting ‘Unlawfully Present Alien’ to State Bar

A bar examiners committee and the state attorney general have recommended that Sergio C. Garcia be admitted to the California bar, even though he is an undocumented immigrant. But in a Wednesday filing responding to the state supreme court’s request for an opinion, the Department of Justice disagreed. In its…

Aug 3, 2012 11:01 AM CDT

Judge Who Overruled Feds’ Nix on Naturalization App Will Personally Administer Citizenship Oath

In an unusual outright rejection of a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decision about a naturalization petition, a federal judge in Alexandria, Va., last month said, in a 90-page opinion, that there was no basis to deny citizenship to Jamal Abusamhadaneh on character grounds. Although the USCIS claimed Abusamhadaneh had…

Jul 25, 2012 9:50 PM CDT

Maricopa County Sheriff Denies Profiling, Blames Co-Author for Anti-Immigrant Statements

Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County, Ariz., testified in a class action suit on Tuesday that his department doesn’t arrest people “because of the color of their skin.” Arpaio testified in a suit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of all Latinos arrested by the sheriff’s department…

Jul 25, 2012 12:22 PM CDT

Calif. AG Supports Illegal Immigrant’s Quest for Law License

California’s attorney general is supporting the state bar-admission quest of a man who was brought to the United States illegally as a toddler. Although Sergio Garcia, 35, applied for legal residency in 1995, his application is still pending, reports the Associated Press. His father is already a U.S. citizen and…

Jul 20, 2012 6:52 PM CDT

Tattoos and Concerns About Gangs Put Some Green Cards on Hold

U.S. officials are delaying or denying green cards to some immigrants because of concerns their tattoos indicate gang membership. The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) identifies several applicants tripped up by tattoos. “The tattoo checks have ensnared scores of immigrants—mostly from Latin America—even though they have no criminal conviction,” the…

Jul 11, 2012 1:03 PM CDT

Around the Blawgosphere: Lawyer’s Story of Proud Americans—Who Waited 54 Years for Citizenship

Believing in America On July 4, “Ken” shared at Popehat a story (which he confesses he has posted before) of an Independence Day in the early 1990s in which he was a summer extern for Ronald S.W. Lew, the first Chinese-American district court judge in the continental United States. Lew…

Jul 6, 2012 1:38 PM CDT

Scalia Dissent Hits Obama Immigration Policy; Law Prof Calls Justice an ‘Intolerable Blowhard’

The critics are blasting Justice Antonin Scalia for a biting dissent on Monday that criticizes President Obama’s immigration policy. Scalia dissented in Arizona United States, a decision striking down three disputed sections of an Arizona law cracking down on illegal immigration. The majority upheld just one provision that requires police…

Jun 26, 2012 11:50 AM CDT

Supreme Court Overturns Three Sections of Arizona Immigration Law, Upholds Papers Check

Updated: The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down three contested sections of an Arizona law designed to crack down on illegal immigrants. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote the majority opinion (PDF) upholding just one contested section of the law—at least for now. The provision requires state and local police to…

Jun 25, 2012 2:45 PM CDT

As Immigrants Seek Info on New ‘Deferred Action’ Program, Experts Say Delay Is Advisable

Immigration lawyers have been bombarded with calls from excited clients, following an announcement last week that the U.S. would be changing its deportation policy to allow many undocumented individuals under 30 who came to this country as children to stay and potentially get work permits. However, it could be as…

Jun 20, 2012 3:47 PM CDT

Illegal Immigrant Should Be Admitted to Practice, Calif. State Bar Tells State Supreme Court

Just because a lawyer is licensed to practice doesn’t mean he or she has a legal right to work. But that distinction shows that a law license should be granted to an illegal immigrant, Sergio C. Garcia, who has met the requirements for admission, argues the Committee of Bar Examiners…

Jun 19, 2012 5:10 PM CDT