Thursday, March 28, 2024

Judge strikes down Trump administration efforts to deny asylum

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down most of the policies former Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued that made it almost impossible for victims of domestic and gang violence to seek asylum. Judge Emmet Sullivan, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said the policies, which created a stricter test to satisfy the “credible fear” standard […]

Sessions issued order asking judges to use the “good-cause standard”

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued an order yesterday seeking to speed up the handling of deportation cases, telling immigration judges they should only issue continuances in immigrant removal proceedings for “good cause.” The “good-cause standard,” he noted, “limits the discretion of immigration judges and prohibits them from granting continuances for any reason or no […]

Judge threatens to hold Session in contempt after attempted deportation

Yesterday a federal judge threatened to hold Attorney General Jeff Sessions in contempt after discovering that the Trump administration attempted to transfer a woman and her daughter out of the country while an appeal hearing for their deportation was underway. U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan granted a request from the ACLU for an emergency order […]

Immigration judges unite against Sessions and claim they want their independence back

In an uncharacteristically public move, the union representing immigration judges on Wednesday criticized the Attorney General Jeff Sessions led Department of Justice for interfering with the courts’ independence. “The agency’s actions violated the independence of the judge’s decision-making authority and undermined the integrity of immigration courts,” Judge Ashley Tabaddor, speaking as president of the National Association […]

Trump administration will be reviewing cases of immigrants who already have citizenship

The Trump administration is stepping up efforts to curb legal immigration, taking a series of actions in recent weeks that could lead to deportation for people who already have citizenship. The director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) told The Associated Press recently that the agency is hiring dozens of lawyers and immigration […]

The First Lady speaks about separating families at the border

Melania Trump, who typically shies away from the political spotlight, waded into the controversial immigration debate when her office released a statement yesterday talking about the family separation taking place at the border. “Mrs. Trump hates to see children separated from their families and hopes both sides of the aisle can finally come together to achieve successful […]

Sessions reverses decision to end program that helps detained immigrants

Attorney General Jeff Sessions yesterday reversed a controversial decision to shut down a Justice Department program that provides basic legal information to detained immigrants. Sessions told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies that he had concerns about the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), that initially led to the decision to “pause” the program, “I […]