GOP Insiders Got Immigration Judgeships

The Bush administration apparently favors partisan political ties when selecting immigration judges, a newspaper concludes.

A Washington Post analysis concludes that half the immigration judges chosen since 2004 lack experience in immigration law, and at least a third have Republican ties. Those who did have experience held jobs as prosecutors or in immigration enforcement.

Among those who got the administrative judge positions were two failed nominees to the U.S. Tax Court, a lawyer who advised the GOP on election law, an anti-porn crusdader, and a Republican official in Louisiana.

Jun 11, 2007 2:48 PM CDT

Immigration Bill on Hold

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the Senate is finished with immigration legislation—for the time being—after Democrats failed yesterday to get a final vote on the compromise measure. Supporters of cutting off debate got only 45 of 60 votes needed, the New York Times reports. Reid, D-Nev., did indicate he…

Jun 8, 2007 3:56 PM CDT

U.S. System Stymies Would-be Citizens

A Polish-American couple’s battle, over more than a decade, to become U.S. citizens shows the pitfalls presented by what many see as an arbitrary and unfair American immigration system that is damaging to families. Tony Wasilewski is on the road toward U.S. citizenship. But his 41-year-old wife, Janina, is facing…

Jun 6, 2007 7:22 PM CDT

PD on the Defense for ‘Sham’ Marriage

A former chief public defender in St. Louis was indicted today on charges he arranged a “sham marriage” so that his boyfriend could stay in the United States. Prosecutors announced the indictment, which was reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The former PD, Eric Affholter, 40, and his live-in boyfriend…

Jun 2, 2007 1:27 AM CDT

Deportee Without a Country to Be Released

A federal judge has ordered the federal government to free a man it seeks to deport because it took too long to find a country willing to accept him. U.S. District Judge Jerome Barry Friedman of Norfolk, Va., ordered the release of the detainee within 14 days, according to the…

May 31, 2007 3:35 PM CDT

Study: Asylum Disparities Rampant

A study by three law professors finds wide disparities in asylum cases and, at the initial appellate level, a decline in decisions favoring asylum seekers. The outcome varied based on factors like the location of the court and the sex of the judge, according to a New York Times story…

May 31, 2007 2:17 PM CDT

Net Article Cited—by Border Guard

The long arm of the U.S. border patrol is reaching for a computer keyboard. That’s bad news for Andrew Feldmar, who once wrote an article about his drug use in the 1960s. Feldmar wrote that experimenting with psychedelic drugs “was an absolutely fascinating and life-altering experience for me.” A border…

May 14, 2007 2:01 PM CDT

Gov. Signs, Questions Okla. Anti-Immigrant Bill

An anti-immigrant bill signed by the Oklahoma state governor this week won’t be effective until Nov. 1, but is already raising concerns about how it will be enforced. Among those expressing such concerns, the Houston Chronicle reports: Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat. “State leaders should closely monitor the impact of…

May 10, 2007 9:29 PM CDT

Police Often Ticketed Fort Dix Suspects

Responding to suggestions that police should have checked the immigration status of suspects accused of plotting to attack Fort Dix, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said new laws and more money are needed to fight illegal immigration. Gonzales responded today to questions about a Washington Post report that four of the…

May 10, 2007 5:10 PM CDT

Cuba Blasts Exile’s Victory

A judge’s decision yesterday to dismiss the indictment against Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles took both sides by surprise and prompted both condemnation and jubilance. Cuba’s top diplomat in Washington labeled Posada “the bin Laden of this hemisphere” and said the administration was doing all it could to protect him,…

May 10, 2007 2:36 PM CDT

U.S. Iraq Vets Make Asylum Case in Canada Court

Arguing that the U.S. war on Iraq is illegal, a Canadian lawyer is now seeking asylum there for some three dozen American soldiers who have deserted their units and fled to America’s northern neighbor. The situation may seem reminiscent of so-called draft dodgers going to Canada decades ago rather than…

May 10, 2007 1:11 AM CDT

‘New Sanctuary’ Churches Aid Illegal Immigrants

Churches in five major cities throughout the country are joining in a “New Sanctuary Movement” intended to help illegal immigrants. It will include efforts to provide legal help and other assistance, but at least some of the churches plan eventually to offer shelter within their buildings to one illegal immigrant…

May 9, 2007 7:27 PM CDT

Posada Freed; ‘Fraud, Deceit & Trickery’ by Feds

A federal judge dismissed all charges Tuesday against Luis Posada Carriles, speaking in scathing terms of the investigation and prosecution that put the Cuban exile and militant in jail on immigration fraud charges. That may not mean the end of all U.S. prosecution for the 79-year-old Posada, however, because he…

May 9, 2007 5:24 PM CDT

Anti-Immigrant Laws Spur Costly Lawsuits

Local ordinances cracking down on illegal immigrants have resulted in lawsuits and big legal bills. Some of the laws penalize landlords who rent to illegal immigrants and businesses that employ them, according to the Associated Press. Escondido, Calif., spent $200,000 defending an ordinance barring rentals to illegal immigrants before it…

May 7, 2007 5:30 PM CDT

Lawsuit: 7-Year-Old Citizen Locked In With Dad

A 7-year-old California boy was rousted from his bed at home by federal immigration authorities and illegally held with his father for 10 hours in a locked room earlier this year, according to a lawsuit filed today in federal court in San Francisco. Even though Noe Reyes showed agents his…

Apr 27, 2007 12:52 AM CDT