We published a post on our Instagram site about the dangers of the current administration's intention to expand its use of "Expedited Removal" or " ER. " (Please see the Ig post for more on what ER is.) What has transpired since then is that ICE has started, in various parts of the country, to arrest individuals when they are at their Immigration Court hearings. Expedited Removal is a completely different immigration process than Immigration Court. While there was some conce

We've received several consultation requests over the past several weeks, with callers asking some form of the same question: Is it safe to travel in today's immigration climate? Many of these callers have lawful permanent residency status (aka "green cards"). Some of them are in valid non-immigrant status. Answering this question requires a nuanced understanding of various factors, including your immigration status, immigration history, criminal history (if any), and somet

An April 2025 Memorandum of Understanding allows the IRS to share taxpayer information with DHS.

Texas district judge blocks Family Parole in Place program.

Yesterday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a win for asylum applicants facing a fear of persecution based on cartel violence in Mexico. Not only is this a good decision for the highly complex "particular social group" analysis in asylum and withholding claims, the Court included excellent language on the requirement that the Board and immigration judge must consider all relevant evidence in the record. Read the full decision here: Meza Diaz v. Garland , No. 23-973

When is theft not a theft offense? When it's retail theft, at least in Pennsylvania. The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) finds that Pennsylvania retail theft is not a crime involving moral turpitude, a "CIMT" because, unlike the generic definition of a theft offense, the Pennsylvania retail theft statute does not require that the defendant intend to permanently deprive the store of the property. Read the full decision here: Matter of Thakker , 28 I&N Dec. 843 (BIA 2024) .

Fifth Circuit finds no aggravated felony for Louisiana accessory after the fact.

UPDATE (11-7-2024): A federal judge in Texas ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security lacked the authority to implement the Family Parole in Place program (also known as the "Keeping Families Together" program). As a result, USCIS stopped deciding applications, issued Filing Fee refunds for prior applications, and stopped accepting new applications. UPDATE (9-8-2024): Late last week, a federal judge in Texas extended the stay of the Family Parole in Place (" PIP ")

There are three certainties in life--death, taxes, and changes to USCIS filing fees for immigration benefits (usually, an increase in them). After much discussion on the topic, a little over a month ago, it became official. USCIS announced that, for any petitions and applications received on or after April 1, 2024, the new fee amount must be included. USCIS says that it will post a new fee table prior to April 1, 2024. In the meantime, you can click this link: https://www.usc

If you are not a U.S. citizen, you need to be "admissible" when entering the United States from abroad. (Permanent residents also don't need to worry about being admissible to the United States, most of the time.) I think admissibility is something that intuitively makes sense to most people. But not everyone thinks about it before planning a trip or immigrating to the U.S. Most of the emphasis is on...do I need a visa? And, how do I apply for a visa? The immigration process

Many individuals who seek immigration benefits in the United States will not have any contact with U.S. Immigration and Customs...

I feel for each applicant who has to endure a long delay on an immigration case. It's probably one of the most common questions an...

Texas passed a new immigration enforcement law again, this time giving its state police officers the authority to arrest people suspected...

Canadians have a lot of perks when it comes to visiting the United States. For example, they can enter the U.S. without a visa and stay...

If you are thinking about immigration's impact on children--or even a temporary visit abroad with your children, you'll enjoy this...

If you or someone you know is contemplating naturalization to U.S. citizenship, we invite you to attend a FREE clinic at the FilCom...

Many of us applaud the option to attend court hearings via videoconferencing, which eliminates the need to fight traffic and find...

Apple denies the DOJ's allegations of discrimination, but the Settlement Agreement itself provides some (limited) helpful information for...

U.S. Immigration Courts are frequently the subject of news reports. But these are not the only trial-level courts within the Executive...

We are pleased to announce the new immigration law firm of Noha Immigration Law LLLC! Based in Honolulu, Hawaii, we offer our services...