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.
Despite Immigration Judge Hiring, Court Backlogs Continue to Grow
The latest figures show that the number of cases pending in immigration court continue to grow. According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), there were 496,704 cases in the backlog as of the end of March. This is almost 40,000 more pending cases than Executive Office of Immigration… Read More
Supreme Court Rebuffs 5th Circuit and Reaffirms the Importance of Federal Court Review
Washington, D.C. – The American Immigration Council and the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild applaud the Supreme Court’s decision yesterday in Mata v. Lynch. In an 8-1 decision, the Supreme Court overturned the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and held that federal courts have authority to review immigration decisions denying… Read More
New Book Documents 10 Years of Operation Streamline
For more than 10 years, the federal government has operated a program in federal courts along the Southwest border targeting unauthorized border crossers for criminal prosecution. The program, known as Operation Streamline, has long been criticized for its group hearings—up to 75 people at once—that provide little or no… Read More
Second Circuit Narrowly Interprets Aggravated Felony Bar Under INA § 212(h)
Washington, D.C.—Recently, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit issued a precedent decision that will allow a greater number of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to avoid deportation if they can demonstrate to an immigration judge that their removal will result in extreme hardship to close family members in the… Read More
Preserving the One-Year Filing Deadline for Asylum Cases Stuck in the Immigration Court Backlog
The immigration courts’ unprecedented backlogs are creating procedural and substantive challenges for attorneys trying to comply with the One-Year Filing Deadline (OYFD) in asylum cases. This Practice Advisory discusses strategies and procedures for complying with the OYFD. Read More
Return to the United States After Prevailing on a Petition for Review or Motion to Reopen
This Practice Advisory contains practical and legal suggestions for individuals seeking to return to the United States after they have prevailed on a petition for review or an administrative motion to reopen or reconsider to the immigration court or Board of Immigration Appeals. Read More
Suggested Strategies for Remedying Missed Petition for Review Deadlines or Filings in the Wrong Court
This Practice Advisory addresses situations in which a court might excuse a late-filed petition for review and discusses other administrative and federal court options for remedying the failure to timely file a petition for review. The Advisory also provides an overview of 28 U.S.C. § 1631, which authorizes courts to transfer a case to cure a lack of jurisdiction when an action is filed in the wrong federal court. Read More
The Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine: FOIA and Petitions for Review
This Practice Advisory examines how the courts and the agencies apply the fugitive disentitlement doctrine which arises in the immigration context when courts of appeals use the doctrine to dismiss petitions for review and when government agencies invoke the doctrine to deny FOIA requests. This Practice Advisory examines how the courts and the agencies apply the doctrine in these contexts. Read More
Voluntary Departure
This Practice Advisory addresses when the voluntary departure period runs and the events that cause automatic termination of a voluntary departure order; the serious consequences that result from failing to depart; and when these consequences do not apply. Read More
Dent v. Holder and Strategies for Obtaining Documents During Removal Proceedings
This Practice Advisory discusses Dent v. Holder, requiring the government to turn over copies of documents in an A-file where removability is contested, and offers strategies for making document requests pursuant to the INA and due process. Read More
America's story is an immigrant story.
