Legal logjam in immigration court grows to more than 540,000 cases

A backlog of pending cases has been growing in the immigration courts for more than a decade—reaching more than half a million cases last year. One immigration judge said that in the fall of 2016, some judges were setting hearing dates as late as 2022.

Apr 1, 2017 4:40 AM CDT

ABA commission had warned of immigration-court backlog

A 2010 report from the ABA Commission on Immigration cited many of the same concerns that exist today about a system incapable of handling increased enforcement of immigration laws.

Apr 1, 2017 4:35 AM CDT

Rise in hate crimes, divisive rhetoric prompts bar groups to act

President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict immigration from seven Muslim countries was part of a disturbing trend that didn’t surprise members of minority bar associations already prepping for court battles to come. Even before the “Muslim ban,” affinity bars were marshaling resources and teaming up to fight a…

Apr 1, 2017 4:10 AM CDT

Taking on Trump: ABA House urges Trump to withdraw travel ban

Apr 1, 2017 1:50 AM CDT

ABA groups build rapid-response website for immigration order

In February, the members of the ABA Law Practice Division’s Futures Initiative sat down to discuss an agenda they had planned for three months.

Apr 1, 2017 1:20 AM CDT

Seattle sues over threat to withhold funds from ‘sanctuary cities’

The city of Seattle has sued President Donald Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions over their threat to withhold grants to “sanctuary cities.” The federal lawsuit (PDF) argues violation of the Tenth Amendment’s reservation of powers to the states and the Constitution’s spending clause, the Seattle Times reports. The suit…

Mar 30, 2017 3:14 PM CDT

Hawaii federal judge extends order blocking revised travel ban, ‘will not crawl into a corner’

A federal judge in Hawaii on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction that blocks President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson said the revised ban likely violated the establishment clause. He also refused to narrow his order to allow a 120-day ban on refugees to take effect.…

Mar 30, 2017 9:35 AM CDT

ABA immigration attorneys hold phone bank to answer Univision Chicago viewers’ legal questions

On Tuesday, volunteer Spanish-speaking ABA attorneys in Chicago will be manning a phone bank to answer immigration questions in an event co-sponsored by Univision Chicago and the American Bar Association. For the past two years, the ABA Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities has partnered with the television station…

Mar 28, 2017 3:55 PM CDT

Sessions warns that ‘sanctuary cities’ may lose Department of Justice block grants

Attorney General Jeff Sessions warned on Monday that the Department of Justice will withhold and even claw back law-enforcement block grants to “sanctuary” jurisdictions that fail to demonstrate compliance with a federal law that requires sharing of immigration information. At a White House appearance, Sessions spoke about the danger created…

Mar 27, 2017 4:06 PM CDT

Federal judge in Virginia refuses to block revised travel ban

A federal judge in Virginia on Friday refused to block President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban. The decision (PDF) by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga of Alexandria is contrary to rulings by judges in Hawaii and Maryland, who both issued nationwide injunctions that blocked enforcement of at least some sections…

Mar 27, 2017 10:15 AM CDT

Fake asylum claims lead to federal prison sentence for immigration lawyer

An Illinois lawyer known for helping Syrian and Iraqi immigrants win asylum received a 15-month federal prison sentence Wednesday, after being found guilty of making false claims in immigration court. Robert DeKelaita, who with his family fled Iraq’s Baath regime when he was 10 years old, allegedly lied in court…

Mar 23, 2017 4:17 PM CDT

Federal judge blocks law that bars foreign-born citizen’s marriage

A federal judge in New Orleans has granted a preliminary injunction against enforcing a law that kept a foreign-born U.S. citizen from marrying because he has no birth certificate.

Mar 23, 2017 1:15 PM CDT

Army veteran asks senators, appeals board for help to stop his deportation

A Chicago Army veteran is asking his senators and filing an appeal to stop his deportation, CBS Chicago and WGN reported Sunday. An immigration judge ordered Miguel Perez Jr. deported last week because of a conviction for selling cocaine. Perez was a green card holder who had lived in the…

Mar 20, 2017 4:45 PM CDT

Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigrants lacks guidelines for businesses that hire them

While President Donald Trump’s administration is cracking down on illegal immigration, with stepped up deportations and proposing a wall on the border of Mexico, it has done nothing to address what some immigration officials for decades have considered the biggest problem: lax or nonenforcement of laws that penalize employers who…

Mar 20, 2017 1:45 PM CDT

California chief justice: Courthouses shouldn’t be used as bait in immigration enforcement

California’s chief justice is expressing concern about immigration agents who “appear to be stalking undocumented immigrants in our courthouses.” The chief justice, Tani Cantil-Sakauye, wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly after hearing reports that immigrants in the country illegally were being arrested in courthouses…

Mar 17, 2017 3:59 PM CDT