Immigration Law

DoNotPay legal chatbot now covers 1,000 areas of the law and creates additional chatbots for free

DoNotPay, the legal chatbot that rose to fame as a tool for drivers to challenge traffic tickets without having to consult a lawyer, has dramatically expanded its capabilities.

Jul 17, 2017 8:30 AM CDT

Trump administration plans to ask Supreme Court to block latest travel ban ruling

Updated: One day after a Hawaii district court narrowed the reach of President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced plans to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to block the latest travel ban ruling.

Jul 14, 2017 2:14 PM CDT

After 9th Circuit rejects travel ban appeal, Hawaii returns to district court

The state of Hawaii is seeking an injunction against the limited version of President Donald Trump’s travel ban that is currently in effect, according to Reuters, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and a press release (PDF) from Hawaii Attorney General Douglas Chin. That move comes after a ruling late Friday from the…

Jul 10, 2017 3:58 PM CDT

One bit of good news for immigrants in detention

In contrast to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration, one federal protection for immigrants has been quietly expanded in recent months. A growing number of courtrooms are providing free legal representation for detainees who have a serious mental illness or disability. As of March 2017, 21 immigration courts across the…

Jul 10, 2017 2:26 PM CDT

Federal judge in Hawaii refuses to clarify which immigrants are temporarily exempt from travel ban

A federal judge on Thursday refused Hawaii’s request to decide whether immigrants with grandparents and grandchildren in the United States are temporarily exempt from President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson of Hawaii said that state should seek relief in the U.S. Supreme Court since it…

Jul 7, 2017 9:50 AM CDT

9th Circuit orders government to stop detaining immigrant minors without court hearings

A unanimous panel of the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that minors may not be held in immigration detention without a hearing on whether they can be released, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Jul 5, 2017 5:42 PM CDT

10 Questions: Immigration lawyer Kimi Jackson deals with matters of life and death

The ABA-sponsored South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project helps asylum-seekers and other detained immigrants in South Texas detention facilities. Kimi Jackson is ProBAR’s director.

Jul 1, 2017 1:55 AM CDT

Federal judge finds immigration officials are mistreating unaccompanied minors

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is again violating a 20-year-old settlement intended to protect the rights of detained immigrant juveniles, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. According to Law360 (sub. req.), Los Angeles federal district judge Dolly Gee found that some CBP facilities do not meet the standards of the 1997…

Jun 30, 2017 3:37 PM CDT

Proposed ‘18 budget would cut LSC by 24%, increase funds for law enforcement and immigration court

The U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee responsible for appropriating money for the Department of Justice has released its proposed budget for fiscal year 2018.

Jun 30, 2017 2:49 PM CDT

Republicans call on Ginsburg to recuse herself in travel ban case

Corrected: Fifty-eight Republican lawmakers are calling on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to recuse herself in the travel ban case that will be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Jun 29, 2017 2:44 PM CDT

US reportedly defines ‘close family’ ties that will exempt immigrants from travel ban

The U.S. State Department has reportedly adopted guidelines to define which immigrants are exempt from the revised ban on travel to the United States by people from six Muslim-majority countries.

Jun 29, 2017 8:32 AM CDT

Ex-lawyer for Joe Arpaio testifies in the former sheriff’s contempt trial

A former lawyer for Maricopa County, Arizona, Sheriff Joe Arpaio was forced to testify Monday in Arpaio’s criminal contempt trial for allegedly violating a judge’s order. Arpaio, who lost his bid for re-election, is accused of violating a court order that barred him from detaining people only because he believed…

Jun 27, 2017 1:34 PM CDT

Case of teen shot on Mexican side of border by US agent is returned to federal appeals court

The U.S. Supreme Court has returned to a federal appeals court a case that claims constitutional protections for a Mexican teen shot and killed by a U.S. border patrol agent. The teen was on the Mexican side of the border when he was shot by the agent, who was standing…

Jun 26, 2017 9:45 AM CDT

Supreme Court to hear challenges to Trump’s travel ban; partly lifts injunction

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to consider challenges to President Donald Trump’s revised, temporary ban on travel to the United States by people from six Muslim-majority countries.

Jun 26, 2017 9:42 AM CDT

Immigrant who got bad legal advice is entitled to vacate his conviction, Supreme Court rules

An immigrant whose lawyer wrongly told him he would not be deported as a result of a guilty plea is entitled to vacate his conviction, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in a 6-2 decision. The court ruled for Jae Lee, who argued he would not have accepted the plea…

Jun 23, 2017 9:44 AM CDT