USCIS
USCIS Announces 7 International Offices Will Remain Open Despite Overall Shutdown
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently released more details about its plan to close its international offices. In an August 9 memorandum, USCIS clarified that all but seven of its 23 international offices will be shuttered within the next year. USCIS’s International Operations Division has a diverse mission,… Read More
New Public Charge Rule Imposes Wealth Test on Newcomers
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final version of its new “public charge” regulation on Monday morning. The rule would make it easier for the government to deny a green card or visa to immigrants it believes are likely to receive certain public benefits… Read More
US Citizens Caught in Immigration Dragnet As Enforcement Gets More Aggressive
There is a disturbing trend in aggressive immigration enforcement that is appearing more and more recently: the detention of U.S. citizens. There are clear indications that U.S. immigration agents are locking up people they assume must be non-citizens, but who are in fact U.S. citizens. These abuses transcend any presidential… Read More
Appeals Court Decision Means Hundreds of Migrants Were Unlawfully Convicted
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision clarifying limits on when federal prosecutors can charge immigrants with illegal entry and reentry into the United States this week. Under this decision, it will be more difficult for the government to criminally charge immigrants who attempt to enter the United States outside a port of entry in order seek asylum. Hundreds of prior convictions are also now potentially invalid. Read More
Census Bureau Asked 250,000 Households About Their Citizenship Status, Despite Court Ruling
Despite losing at the Supreme Court, the Trump administration still managed to ask nearly a quarter of a million U.S. households about the citizenship status of their household members. That’s because the administration had already started mailing out its 2019 Census Test—a nationwide test used to inform the upcoming 2020… Read More
Trump Administration Imposes Ban on Asylum Seekers Coming to the US From Third Countries
People fleeing persecution who arrive to the United States at the southern land border may no longer be able to seek asylum. As of Tuesday, these asylum seekers will instead be denied protection and returned to a country where their lives may be at risk, unless they qualify for a… Read More
A New EOIR Rule Expands Powers of the Board of Immigration Appeals and Attorney General
The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) issued a final rule last week that expands the authority of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) and Attorney General William Barr when reviewing an immigration judge’s decision following a removal proceeding. The BIA reviews an immigration judge’s decision if ether the individual… Read More
Read the 2019 ‘Celebrate America’ Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest Winning Entry
The American Immigration Council is proud to announce the winner of the 22nd Annual Celebrate America Fifth Grade Creative Writing Contest. The contest encourages educators to incorporate lessons on U.S. immigration into their classrooms and gives fifth graders the opportunity to explain, in their own words, why they are proud… Read More
Chronic USCIS and ICE FOIA Delays Being Challenged in Court
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]When a person files a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the government is required to respond to the person within 20 days, with few exceptions. Yet when someone requests copies of their immigration files, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) often… Read More
USCIS Will Transfer Applications Out of Its Busiest Offices to Reduce Wait Times
USCIS is beginning to transfer cases out of its busiest offices to even out the processing times across the country. Transferred cases will go to USCIS offices that have more manageable workloads. Read More
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