Immigration Law

Defense asks judge to require prosecution to try all 54 charges against immigration lawyer

A prosecution motion to dismiss most of the 54 charges against a Colorado immigration lawyer on the eve of trial is a transparent effort to hold charges in reserve for a second prosecution if the first doesn’t result in a conviction, the defense argued Wednesday. Defendant Emily Cohen is accused…

Nov 26, 2014 3:30 PM CST

Obama executive order to OK temporary stay by parents of US citizens and legal permanent residents

Even before President Barack Obama gave a speech Thursday announcing a plan to allow up to 5 million of the country’s 11 million undocumented residents to obtain legal status in the U.S., those who thought they might fall within its parameters were flooding immigration attorneys with phone calls. Because of…

Nov 21, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Paralegal held hostage at law firm helped police negotiate with gunman

An ordinary day at work at an Oklahoma immigration law firm ended at lunchtime Monday for paralegal Jennifer McMinn-Shokat. Someone came into the Farzaneh Law Firm and warned that a gunman was nearby. She and a coworker locked the glass front doors, then refused to open them and ran when…

Nov 12, 2014 3:51 PM CST

Law grad convicted of concealing Israel bombings conviction to get US citizenship

A 67-year-old law graduate and community activist has been found guilty of failing to reveal on U.S. immigration paperwork a 1970 bombings-related military conviction in Israel regarding a fatal supermarket attack in order to get American citizenship. Rasmieh Yousef Odeh, who was released by Israel after serving 10 years and…

Nov 10, 2014 1:20 PM CST

US citizen sues ICE, says he was detained for more than 3 years awaiting deportation

A Jamaican-born man is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alleging that he was held for deportation for three-and-a-half years in Buffalo, New York, even though he is a naturalized U.S. citizen. Davino Watson says he served an eight-month sentence after pleading guilty in 2007 in a cocaine-sale case, then was…

Nov 5, 2014 5:30 PM CST

Additional federal resources are needed to provide representation for unaccompanied minors, ABA says

Pro bono efforts, alone, are not a complete solution to the need for counsel for unaccompanied immigrant children, ABA President William C. Hubbard says in a letter to Vice President Joe Biden. Hubbard’s letter (PDF) praises Biden for taking a leadership role on the issue and references a White House…

Oct 23, 2014 11:18 AM CDT

Judge scolded me for bringing newborn to court after denying continuance, lawyer alleges

A Georgia solo practitioner alleges an immigration judge in Atlanta questioned her mothering skills because she brought her weeks-old daughter to court—after the judge denied her motion for a continuance. Atlanta-area lawyer Stacy Ehrisman-Mickle filed a formal complaint against Judge J. Dan Pelletier Sr. that alleges he scolded her in…

Oct 16, 2014 7:24 AM CDT

Local jails are increasingly refusing to hold inmates longer for possible deportations

More and more counties and cities across the country are refusing to keep persons booked on criminal charges in jail for extra days so federal authorities can have more time to deport them, the Los Angeles Times reports. The marked decline of a widespread practice of keeping them in jail…

Oct 6, 2014 2:11 PM CDT

Federal government announces $9M in funding for unaccompanied minors’ counsel

The federal government will provide funds for immigration lawyers for unaccompanied minors who appear to be undocumented and are stopped at U.S. borders, the Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday. According to the Dallas Morning News, the program started Sept. 30 and will receive $9 million over the…

Oct 1, 2014 11:30 AM CDT

Lawyer and interpreter are accused of embellishing asylum claims

A suburban Chicago lawyer and an interpreter who worked with him are accused in a federal indictment of making false claims of religious persecution and providing other phony information in a bid to win asylum for their clients. Federal agents raided the Morton Grove, Illinois, offices of 51-year-old lawyer Robert…

Sep 24, 2014 11:20 AM CDT

Law firm pro bono work extends beyond US boundaries

At some law firms, pro bono work has a broader reach than U.S. borders. The work may involve Americans overseas who have legal problems, foreigners who are navigating U.S. law, refugees needing immigrant visas, and research on human rights law, the Associated Press reports, citing information in the Maryland Daily…

Sep 23, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

San Francisco to publicly fund legal services for unaccompanied immigrant minors

The city and county of San Francisco voted yesterday to allocate $2.1 million for legal services to unaccompanied immigrant minors and families facing deportation, according to KPIX. The money will fund legal services to minors and families facing expedited removal in San Francisco Immigration Court. The federal government expedited minors’…

Sep 17, 2014 4:06 PM CDT

Clients invested $47M in immigration lawyer’s ethanol plant hoping to get US green cards, feds say

A California immigration lawyer is facing criminal charges for allegedly operating a scheme in which 94 foreigners invested $47 million to construct a Kansas ethanol plant in the hope of qualifying for a green card allowing them to legally reside in the United States In addition to the federal wire…

Sep 4, 2014 10:50 AM CDT

Federal government sued over alleged due process violations at Artesia immigrant detention center

Immigrant rights organizations sued the federal government Friday, alleging that the federal government is violating due process rights in its haste to deport immigrant families with small children. The immigrant plaintiffs, all identified by their initials, are being held at the Artesia, New Mexico, detention center established as an emergency…

Aug 22, 2014 8:56 PM CDT

Volunteer attorneys allege due process violations at immigrant detention center

Attorneys volunteering their services to detained immigrant families allege that the federal government is violating due process in order to deport clients more quickly. The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that advocates are calling the family detention center in Artesia, New Mexico, a “deportation factory.” According to Vox, attorneys volunteering at…

Aug 18, 2014 11:15 AM CDT