Immigration Courts
Immigration courts play a crucial role in ensuring that immigration laws are applied fairly and consistently, providing due process to those facing removal. Learn more about issues facing the courts today and explore the actions we're taking to ensure the rights of immigrants are upheld and legal integrity is maintained.
Sessions Reveals Plan to Ramp up Prosecutions of Low Level Immigration Offenses
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a shift in policy for the Department of Justice on Tuesday, directing U.S. attorneys to prioritize criminal immigration enforcement and drastically expand federal court prosecutions of immigration violators across the nation. Operation Streamline and other border enforcement programs—where some border crossers are referred by… Read More
Ferino-Sanchez v. Sessions — Fourth Circuit
This amicus brief arguing that any Fourth Amendment violation by state and local law enforcement officers — not just egregious Fourth Amendments violations — should require the suppression of evidence in immigration court proceedings, which is the same standard that applies in the criminal justice arena. Read More
The Sad State of Atlanta’s Immigration Court
The Atlanta immigration court is known as one of the worst places to be in deportation proceedings. For years, the judges have been accused of abusive and unprofessional practices and the denial rate of asylum applications alone is 98 percent. The latest effort to document this phenomenon comes… Read More
Attorney General Sessions’ First Orders of Business on Immigration
Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General this week by a vote of 52-47, following a very contentious confirmation process. As Attorney General and head of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Sessions will oversee key immigration-related functions. The three recently issued executive orders on immigration give the Attorney… Read More
New Immigration Court Directive Could Weaken Due Process
The Trump administration released a memorandum this week–effective immediately–which orders the Department of Justice Executive Office for Immigration Review (which manages the immigration courts) to prioritize deportation hearings for certain groups, including any non-citizens who are detained and unaccompanied children who do not have a sponsor. The memo rescinded preexisting… Read More
Meet the Plaintiffs Challenging the Discriminatory Nature of President Trump’s Muslim Ban
The fallout continues from last week’s immigration executive order, which has been coined the “Muslim Ban.” Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the executive order, including Ali v. Trump, on the grounds that it violates the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law and a statutory prohibition against… Read More
Jeff Sessions Affirms Anti-Immigrant Views at Confirmation Hearing
Senator Jeff Sessions, who has been nominated to be Attorney General by President-elect Donald Trump, endured a 10-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing this week where he answered questions on a wide range of issues from voting rights and immigration to anti-trust litigation. During his time in the Senate, Sessions has… Read More
Federal Court Grants Nationwide Class Status in Suit to Protect Asylum Seekers
A federal court in Seattle has granted nationwide class action status to a case seeking to protect the rights of thousands of asylum seekers pursuing protection from persecution in their home countries. Read More
Asylum Free Zones in the U.S. Examined by Inter-American Commission
Entire jurisdictions in the United States have become so hostile to asylum seekers and their representatives that the U.S. government, and its immigration court system, is failing to deliver on its international and national obligation to protect them. The asylum-seekers who end up in one of these hostile jurisdictions, which… Read More
Jeff Sessions Nomination for Attorney General is Highly Concerning to Future of Immigration Policy
President-Elect Donald Trump has nominated, Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III (R-AL) to serve as the nation’s next Attorney General. Senator Sessions has led the fight against immigration reform at every turn during his 20 years in the Senate. He has urged severe restrictions on visas, called for… Read More
