DOJ sues nonprofit that houses migrant children, accusing staff of sexual abuse

The country’s largest private provider of housing for unaccompanied immigrant children subjected some in its care to pervasive sexual abuse and harassment for almost a decade, the U.S. Justice Department is alleging in a lawsuit.

Jul 19, 2024 9:10 AM CDT

ABA will partner with White House to recruit more pro bono immigration attorneys

The Biden administration is calling on the legal community to increase its pro bono representation of individuals who are unrepresented in immigration proceedings.

Jul 18, 2024 1:25 PM CDT

Asylum-seekers in Chicago receive pro bono legal aid from ABA staff

Lawyers from across Chicago have staffed legal clinics to help migrants fill out paperwork that potentially can transform their lives, and ABA attorneys are pitching in to help.

Jul 2, 2024 11:11 AM CDT

Southern Poverty Law Center’s layoffs are ‘no coincidence,’ union says

The Southern Poverty Law Center has acknowledged an “organizational restructuring” after the SPLC Union said the group laid off more than 60 union members, along with at least 20 supervisors, last week.

Jun 18, 2024 8:58 AM CDT

Migrants who cross the border illegally won’t be allowed a lawyer if they don’t get one pronto

Migrants who enter the United States illegally generally have just four hours to find a lawyer if they want legal assistance in a quest to remain in the country.

Jun 6, 2024 11:49 AM CDT

ABA ‘strongly opposes’ Biden’s executive order restricting asylum; ACLU readies lawsuit

Updated: The American Civil Liberties Union and the ABA are among the groups opposing President Joe Biden’s executive order curbing asylum eligibility for migrants who illegally cross the southern border during peak periods.

Jun 5, 2024 12:18 PM CDT

Asylum-seekers face ‘serious shortage of lawyers’ to help them

A surge in migrants crossing the southern border has created a case backlog in immigration courts and “a serious shortage of lawyers to help navigate the notoriously complicated legal process” for asylum-seekers, according to the New York Times.

May 21, 2024 9:01 AM CDT

Justice Clarence Thomas calls criticism of him ‘nastiness’ and ‘lies’

After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas forcefully pushed back on his critics Friday—saying he and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, have endured “nastiness” and “lies.”

May 13, 2024 11:00 AM CDT

‘In the Shadow of Liberty’ shines light on American immigration history

Ana Raquel Minian uses the personal experiences of four immigrants to walk readers through the history of immigrant detention in the United States in In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States.

May 1, 2024 9:00 AM CDT

Immigration law firm will expand nearly 10% with addition of Seyfarth Shaw team

Updated: About 90 lawyers and staff members are moving from Seyfarth Shaw to BAL, expanding by almost 10% the head count of the immigration law firm formerly known as Berry Appleman & Leiden.

Apr 30, 2024 12:43 PM CDT

New US citizens sworn in 100 feet underground

Twenty-nine immigrants from 12 countries were sworn in as U.S. citizens Thursday in an underground ceremony at the Mammoth Cave National Park.

Apr 30, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

Relying on ‘secret evidence’ to deny visa for spouse violates due process, ABA says in SCOTUS amicus brief

The U.S. Supreme Court should rule that the government can’t deny visas for noncitizen spouses of U.S. citizens without explaining the reason and disclosing the evidence that was the basis for the decision, the ABA has said in an amicus brief.

Apr 1, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

U.S. appeals court keeps block on Texas immigration law

A new Texas law that empowers state officials to detain and deport migrants will remain on hold, after a divided appeals court ruling late Tuesday that said the statutes “significantly impair the exercise of discretion by federal immigration officials.”

Mar 27, 2024 12:15 PM CDT

Lewis Brisbois accused of failing to recognize ‘draconian lending terms,’ conspiring to cover up mistakes

A lawsuit accuses Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith of conspiring to deflect blame for its failure to protect 185 Chinese investors who lost $92.5 million that they invested in a hotel and condominium project through an investment group called CMB Export.

Mar 26, 2024 1:08 PM CDT

Texas officials ask appeals court to allow state immigration crackdown

Texas officials on Wednesday urged a U.S. appeals court to unblock a new law that would allow authorities to arrest and deport migrants, saying the state has been forced to take extraordinary measures to try to stop soaring levels of illegal border crossings.

Mar 21, 2024 10:45 AM CDT