Immigration Law

Feds can take detained immigrants’ DNA, DOJ says

The Trump administration announced Friday it will begin taking DNA samples from undocumented immigrants in April to assist with future investigations and efforts to reduce crime.

Mar 9, 2020 12:30 PM CDT

New asylum rule won’t apply to immigrants stopped by metering policy, appeals court says

A federal appeals court ruled Thursday the “third country transit rule” will not apply to immigrants who arrived at the southern border seeking protection before it took effect last summer.

Mar 6, 2020 12:44 PM CST

‘Remain in Mexico’ policy allowed to continue pending Supreme Court review, 9th Circuit says

On Wednesday, a federal appeals court granted the Trump administration’s request to allow the “remain in Mexico” policy to stay in effect while also reaffirming that it ruled correctly when it deemed the policy to be unlawful last week.

Mar 5, 2020 12:33 PM CST

Video teleconference program for immigrant children ‘is contrary to the American pursuit of justice,’ ABA says

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez joined leaders from Kids in Need of Defense on Wednesday in condemning a new pilot program at the Houston Immigration Court that requires all cases involving unaccompanied immigrant children to be heard via video teleconference.

Mar 5, 2020 9:41 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: SCOTUS splits over immigrant’s fight against ID theft conviction; first black justice on top Illinois court dies

SCOTUS splits over undocumented immigrant’s fight against state identify theft conviction The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 on Tuesday against Ramiro Garcia, an unauthorized immigrant in Kansas who was convicted under a state identity theft law after using someone else’s Social Security number to get a job. The conservative justices…

Mar 3, 2020 3:21 PM CST

Asylum rules overturned after judge rules head of top US immigration post was unlawfully appointed

A federal judge ruled Sunday that Ken Cuccinelli’s appointment to a top immigration position in the Trump administration was unlawful, and he suspended two policies that Cuccinelli issued while in charge.

Mar 2, 2020 11:56 AM CST

9th Circuit blocks two policies that restrict and discourage asylum applications

A federal appeals court on Friday blocked two Trump administration policies that affect asylum-seekers.

Feb 28, 2020 2:55 PM CST

Justice Department creates unit to denaturalize citizens who didn’t disclose crimes

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has created a stand-alone denaturalization section to strip citizenship from foreigners who failed to disclose their criminal past or otherwise lied in the naturalization process.

Feb 27, 2020 11:54 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Trump campaign sues NY Times; DOJ can withhold grants to sanctuary jurisdictions, 2nd Circuit says

Trump campaign is suing the New York Times for libel President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign says it is filing a libel suit against the New York Times for a March 2019 op-ed entitled “The Real Trump-Russia Quid Pro Quo.” The subhead read: “The campaign and the Kremlin had an overarching…

Feb 26, 2020 3:09 PM CST

2 families connected by LA riots collide in ‘Your House Will Pay’

The 1992 riots in South Los Angeles may be nearly three decades old. But in the present day, two families will find the events from that time are far from over. Lee Rawles talks to author Steph Cha in this new episode of the Modern Law Library.

Feb 26, 2020 9:31 AM CST

Supreme Court bars damages suit for border agent’s cross-border shooting that killed Mexican teen

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the family of a Mexican teen fatally shot by a U.S. Border Patrol agent can’t sue for damages over the cross-border shooting.

Feb 25, 2020 12:01 PM CST

Chinese dissident can sue law firm over hack that exposed information online, judge rules

A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ruled that a Chinese asylum-seeker can sue the Clark Hill law firm over a 2017 hack that allegedly exposed personal data online.

Feb 25, 2020 10:26 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Sotomayor sees ‘pall of uncertainty’ in capital case; judge backs park proselytizing

Death-row inmate’s conviction has ‘pall of uncertainty,’ Sotomayor says Justice Sonia Sotomayor expressed concern on Monday about a “pall of uncertainty” over the conviction of Texas death-row inmate Rodney Reed. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Reed’s appeal, spurring Sotomayor’s statement in which she noted Texas courts are considering…

Feb 24, 2020 4:55 PM CST

Sotomayor questions quick decisions when the US wants to lift injunctions

Justice Sonia Sotomayor questioned the Supreme Court’s hurry to lift injunctions when she dissented from a decision Friday evening allowing implementation of a new federal rule in Illinois that will bar more poor immigrants from the United States.

Feb 24, 2020 10:10 AM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Texas university leader leaves without blame for law school scandal; judge sides with immigrants

Texas Southern University president leaves school with no blame for alleged law school misconduct Texas Southern University is parting ways with its president without any claims of wrongdoing, which is a change from earlier this month, when the school’s board of regents voted to fire him based on allegations that…

Feb 21, 2020 4:50 PM CST