Immigration Law

MacArthur grant winners include 2 law profs and democracy lawyer, all Yale Law grads

Updated: A democracy lawyer and legal scholars studying global migration and incarceration practices will each receive $800,000 after being named 2023 MacArthur Foundation fellows.

Oct 4, 2023 3:21 PM CDT

For 30 years, ABA Children’s Rights Litigation Committee has trained and supported kids’ lawyers

The Children’s Rights Litigation Committee “has just been a fantastic banger of the drum that kids need true representation, just like anyone else who’s inside a system that is making incredibly impactful decisions about their lives,” says Angela Vigil, the longest-serving member of the committee.

Sep 21, 2023 8:50 AM CDT

Weekly Briefs: Judge rules against DACA fix; Paul Weiss goes on hiring spree

New rulemaking doesn’t save DACA A new administrative rule intended to “preserve and fortify” the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program doesn’t cure its illegality, according to a Sept. 13 decision by U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen of the Southern District of Texas. The program, known as DACA, defers…

Sep 15, 2023 2:28 PM CDT

DOJ sues Elon Musk’s SpaceX for discriminatory hiring practices

The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued Space Exploration Technologies Corp., the rocket and spacecraft company founded by Elon Musk that is more commonly known as SpaceX, for discrimination against asylees and refugees in hiring.

Aug 25, 2023 10:20 AM CDT

Lawyer’s quest for warrant requirement for border cellphone searches rebuffed by 5th Circuit

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not violate a lawyer’s constitutional rights when it seized his phone as he entered the United States, sent it to a forensics lab to bypass his passcode, and obtained its data after using a “filter team” to protect privileged material, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.

Aug 17, 2023 11:07 AM CDT

Bar admission should not be denied just on basis of immigration status, ABA House urges

On Monday, the ABA House of Delegates at the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver approved Resolution 519, which urges legislative bodies to ensure that bar admission is not denied solely because of immigration status.

Aug 8, 2023 11:43 AM CDT

Biden administration will appeal decision blocking its tough asylum policy

The Biden administration is appealing a federal judge’s decision blocking an immigration rule that presumes that noncitizens at the southern border are ineligible for U.S. asylum unless they have an appointment or qualify for other limited exceptions.

Jul 26, 2023 2:52 PM CDT

‘A Trending Color’: Pink is a brand for Barbie-loving lawyer

An immigration lawyer who uses pink to brand her law firm says she was "elated" and "excited" when Inside Edition approached her for a story that compared her and her employees to the pink-loving Barbie featured in the new movie released July 21.

Jul 26, 2023 9:20 AM CDT

DOJ lawsuit against Texas for Rio Grande barriers is based on this law

The United States filed a lawsuit Monday that seeks to force Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to remove floating barriers that he placed in the Rio Grande River to deter illegal immigration.

Jul 25, 2023 9:11 AM CDT

SCOTUS upholds law that bans ‘encouraging or inducing’ illegal immigration

A federal law that bans “encouraging or inducing” illegal immigration does not violate the First Amendment when it is properly interpreted, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision Friday.

Jun 23, 2023 12:22 PM CDT

States can’t challenge Biden administration’s immigration enforcement policy, Supreme Court rules

Updated: Texas and Louisiana don’t have standing to challenge immigration-enforcement guidelines that the two states believe to be too lenient, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled in an 8-1 decision.

Jun 23, 2023 10:51 AM CDT

Lawyer who challenged border cellphone searches isn’t entitled to injunction, 5th Circuit says

A Texas immigration lawyer whose cellphone was searched at least five times when he entered the United States isn’t entitled to a preliminary injunction preventing such searches without a warrant, a federal appeals court has ruled.

Jun 22, 2023 9:18 AM CDT

Is the word ‘alien’ objectionable? Federal appeals judge sees ‘no need to bowdlerize’ decisions and laws

A federal appeals judge who announced plans to boycott Yale Law School students for clerkships is taking aim at his colleagues for using the word “noncitizen” instead of “alien."

Jun 5, 2023 12:21 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: ‘Zero matrimonial knowledge’ judge gets reprimand; judge adopts AI policy

Judge sanctioned after disclaiming family law knowledge The New Jersey Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Judge Michael J. Kassel of the Camden County Superior Court in New Jersey on Wednesday for telling litigants that he was unfamiliar with their cases and with matrimonial law. In one case, he said he has…

Jun 2, 2023 3:16 PM CDT

From Undocumented to Attorney at Law: A journey of hope and resilience

There was room for only two of us on our tiny raft, yet three of my siblings and I managed to cling onto its surface as my father waded through the Rio Grande, pulling the raft behind him. In front of us was the promised land: America. It promised an education and a better life.

Jun 1, 2023 1:30 AM CDT