Immigration Law

Supreme Court Refuses to Toss Prison Guard’s Asylum Appeal

The U.S. Supreme Court has kept alive the asylum case of a former prison guard who says he was forced to persecute others. The court ruled in the case of Daniel Girmai Negusie, who helped operate a prison camp in Eritrea during a war with Ethiopia, the Associated Press reports.…

Mar 3, 2009 4:06 PM CST

Profits Drop by Half at Immigration Firm Fragomen

Profits have plummeted by 50 percent at the immigration law firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy. The firm’s profits per equity partner dropped to $916,000 in 2008, down from $1.9 million in 2007, the Am Law Daily reports. Firm chairman Austin Fragomen told the Am Law Daily that profits…

Feb 27, 2009 2:02 PM CST

Lawyers Debate Vague Law and Tie Breakers in Immigrant ID Theft Case

Supreme Court justices considered the meaning of “knowingly” in oral arguments yesterday on whether immigrants who use fake Social Security numbers can be charged with identity theft. The federal statute requires a two-year prison term for anyone convicted of “knowingly” using the identification of another person. At issue is whether…

Feb 26, 2009 5:36 PM CST

Real Lawyers Step In to Help Clients of N.Y. Man Accused of UPL

The lobby of the New York City Bar Association was packed on Monday evening as more than 100 former clients of a man accused of posing as an immigration lawyer waited to meet with more than 50 actual attorneys who volunteered to provide them with real legal advice. Victor Espinal,…

Feb 25, 2009 6:30 PM CST

ABA House Calls for Immigration Representation

Individuals detained for alleged immigration law violations should be told they have a right to counsel, be allowed to contact their lawyers by telephone, and be instructed of their rights in a language they can understand, the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates said today. “These are just basic American due…

Feb 16, 2009 2:18 PM CST

Working at the Car Wash Can Be Criminal, LA City Attorney Says

Dozens of Los Angeles employees aren’t singing the praises of working at the car wash. In fact, it’s a sweatshop situation for many that resembles indentured servitude, says City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. He has filed criminal charges against three men, accusing two brothers, Benny and Nissan Pirian, of systemic labor…

Feb 11, 2009 6:11 PM CST

French to Trade Immigration Tips for Legal Residency Permits

In an unusual approach to a crime problem that may be of interest elsewhere, a French official has signed a decree rewarding illegal immigrants who agree to serve as witnesses about immigration-related criminal conduct with residency permits good for as long as 10 years. After police questioning, explains French Immigration…

Feb 10, 2009 12:44 AM CST

Bickel & Brewer Satellite Office is a Pro Bono Powerhouse

At its satellite office in south Dallas, Bickel & Brewer has an unusual practice focus: pro bono work. But it reflects Bill Brewer and John Bickel’s longtime commitment to representing low-income clients. They decided to one day open a separate division to represent low-income clients about three years after they…

Feb 9, 2009 6:34 PM CST

NY Times Calls for Change in ‘Warped Crackdown on Illegal Immigration’

A perp walk on Wednesday featured more than 200 individuals in shackles and prison stripes headed to a new tent city for illegal immigrants in Phoenix. The tent city, which is surrounded by an electrified fence, is just for illegal immigrants, notes a recent article in the Phoenix Business Journal.…

Feb 6, 2009 8:36 PM CST

Farmers’ Friend

San Diegan harvests H-2A labor visas for U.S. fields

Feb 2, 2009 1:30 AM CST

1st Oral Argument for Jenner Associate is in US Supreme Court

It was Lindsay Harrison’s first oral argument. And it was in the U.S. Supreme Court. So was the 30-year-old Jenner & Block associate perhaps just a bit nervous before she walked into court on Wednesday? Not as much as she expected to be, reports Above the Law. “I was still…

Jan 23, 2009 10:54 PM CST

Noncitizens Have No Right to Counsel in Deportation Cases, Mukasey Finds

Days before a new presidential regime will be in place at the White House, U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey issued a written opinion (PDF) yesterday finding that noncitizens have no constitutional right to counsel in deportation proceedings. The attorney general’s opinion, which reverses a 15-year precedent established by Matter of…

Jan 8, 2009 9:47 PM CST

Federal Courts Want $14 Fee, But Delay Swearing In New Citizens

Federal courts in a number of major cities apparently are happy to get a $14.09 fee for each immigrant to whom a judge administers a citizenship oath. But several are not conducting citizenship ceremonies in a timely manner, according to a report by a government ombudsman. “In one of the…

Dec 17, 2008 6:29 PM CST

9/11 Fallout: The Next Round

N.Y. detainee says attorney general, FBI director to blame for prison beatings

Dec 2, 2008 2:50 AM CST

CIS Chief Counsel Says Policy Change Helped Stem Litigation Tide

The chief counsel for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services isn’t disclosing what he told an Obama “parachute team” during transition briefings today. But his agency’s efforts to reduce a huge uptick in litigation were likely part of the discussion. Lynden Melmed tells the ABA Journal in an interview that when…

Nov 26, 2008 6:15 PM CST