Early this month, BuzzFeed News obtained an internal government memo relating to the exercise of prosecutorial discretion by immigration prosecutors. Dated August 15, 2017, the memorandum provides specific guidance to government attorneys who work for the Office of...
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Year: 2018
Citizenship Test Changes | USCIS To Use Digital Tablets for Reading and Writing
On October 3, 2018, USCIS issued a public bulletin regarding the incorporation of digital tablets into the naturalization reading and writing process. Our office began seeing implementation of tablets a few months back, and this announcement not only confirms that...
USCIS Will Begin Placing People Into Deportation Court If Application Is Denied
On September 26, 2018, USCIS quietly announced that it will be implementing the June 28 updated guidance on issuance of Notice to Appears (NTAs). This will be an incremental roll out, with the new memo being applied to different types of cases at different stages....
Section 8 Housing, SNAP, and Medicare Part D May Disqualify Immigrants for Green Card
On September 22, the Department of Homeland Security promulgated new rules regarding the public charge ground of inadmissibility that may have a tremendous impact on immigrants who have accepted public benefits. Under our immigration law, most applicants for permanent...
New Ruling Curbs Immigration Court’s Power to Dismiss or Terminate Deportation Cases
On September 18, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued Matter of S-O-G & F-D-B, 27 I & N Dec. 462 (A.G. 2018), the latest in a trifecta of cases curtailing the authority of immigration judges. Under this new ruling, judges are strictly prohibited from...
NJSA 2C:29-9 Contempt of Court | Restraining Order Immigration Consequences
The Board of Immigration Appeals recently issued an important decision that should be of interest to any individual charged with domestic violence, contempt of court, and violating a restraining order in NJ. One common New Jersey statute implicated includes NJSA...
Notice to Appear Not Defective If Notice of Hearing Later Issued | Pereira Motion Update
Over the Labor Day weekend, the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) quietly released an important decision that has a significant impact on individuals hoping to file "Pereira motions." In Matter of Bermudez-Cota, 27 I & N Dec. 441 (BIA 2018), the court held that a...
Cheating and US Citizenship | Reasons for N-400 Denial
Most people are aware that a criminal record may complicate and sometimes pose a bar to citizenship. However, having a clean record does not necessarily ensure that a naturalization application will be approved. Interestingly, there are several types of acts or...
Immigration Judges No Longer Allowed To Postpone Cases Without “Good Cause”
Following on the heels of Castro-Tum, the Attorney General has issued another ruling that erodes the judicial independence of our immigration judiciary and further mechanizes the courtroom into an assembly line. In Matter of L-A-B-R, 27 I & N Dec. 405 (A.G. 2018),...
Federal Judge Orders Government To Restore DACA Program | DACA Update
In a previous post, we discussed an important US District Court ruling that held the government's rescission of the DACA program to be unlawful. When the Court issued its ruling on April 24, 2018, it stayed its order to restore DACA for ninety days in order to provide...