According to a new report from the Los Angeles Times, the Biden Administration is planning to start processing the application of asylum seekers who were forced to ‘remain in Mexico’ under rules and regulations put in place by President Trump. In doing so, the administration will allow thousands of migrants who have been stuck waiting …
READ MOREUSCIS Finalizes Changes: Many Immigration Fees are Increasing
Pushed aggressively by the Trump Administration, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is increasing a number of different immigration fees. As reported by CNN, the immigration agency has officially updated its fee structure after a nearly year-long review. Here, our Los Angeles immigration lawyer provides an overview of the immigration fee increases and explains …
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READ MORETrump Administration Proposes New Asylum Restrictions: Seeks to Curtail Migrant Rights
According to a report from NBC News, the Trump Administration has rolled out a new proposal that would make it far more difficult for immigrants to claim asylum in the United States. The sweeping changes are President Trump’s most restrictive proposal yet. Here, our asylum attorney explains what we know about the Trump Administration’s latest attempt …
READ MORELos Angeles Times Editorial: The U.S. Government Used Private Disclosures Made in Therapy Sessions Against a Teenage Asylum Seeker
On March 10th, 2020, the Los Angeles Times published an important editorial highlighting the disheartening and distributing case of a 17-year-old asylum seeker who had seemingly protected disclosures he made in therapy used against him in official legal proceedings. While the boy was told that the information he shared with mental health professionals would be …
READ MOREFederal Appeals Court Blocks the Trump Administration’s “Remain in Mexico” Policy—But It Will Remain in Place for Now
According to a report from The Washington Post, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the Trump Administration’s implementation of the Migrant Protocols Protocols (MPP)—often referred to more simply as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. However, later in that afternoon, the San Francisco-based federal court voted to suspend its order, which will allow the MPP …
READ MOREA Gay Asylum Seeker Sought Protection in the United States; the Trump Administration Sent him to Guatemala
According to reporting from Buzzfeed News, an LGBT asylum seeker was recently sent to Guatemala as part of President Trump’s new so-called “Safe Third Country” program. This took place despite the fact that Guatemala—a country that is dealing with considerable levels of poverty and violence—is essentially just as dangerous as Honduras and El Salvador. Here, …
READ MOREProPublica: Government Policies and Border Patrol Carelessness are Still Causing Family Separation at the U.S./Mexico Border
On January 31st, 2020, ProPublica published a disturbing account of how the Border Patrol’s heightened legal powers and the agency’s general carelessness have resulted in continued family separations at the southern border. The account that is highlighted in the report paints a very troubling picture of how the Trump Administration is treating vulnerable asylum-seekers. Families …
READ MORELos Angeles Times: Once a Haven for Immigrants, A City is Turning Against Refugees Under President Trump
On January 9th, 2020, the Los Angeles Times published an important and illuminating story on Bismarck, North Dakota—a relatively small and racially homogenous city that, while once considered to be a haven for refugees from all around the world, has become a much more challenging place for immigrants to live in the era of President …
READ MORELos Angeles Times: Asylum Officers are Pushing Back Against Trump Administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy
On November 15th, 2019, the Los Angeles Times published a story about an asylum officer who is standing up and fighting back against President Trump’s “illegal” and “immoral” immigration policies. Doug Stephens, a Northern California-based asylum officer, told reporters from the Los Angeles Times that he will no longer implement the Trump Administration’s so-called ‘Migrant …
READ MORETrump Administration Officials Are Pushing New Immigration Fees—Including for Asylum Applications and DACA Renewals
According to reporting from BuzzFeed News, Trump Administration officials are actively pushing new and increased immigration fees. Not only is President Trump proposing a new rule that would require asylum seekers to pay a fee, but administration officials are also moving forward on increased fees across several different types of immigration applications. Here, our immigration …
READ MOREWithholding of Removal: Explained
An immigrant who faces a credible fear of persecution in their country of origin may be eligible to obtain asylum protection in the United States. Although asylum is the most well known immigration options for people who face imminent danger in their native country, it is not the only option that is currently available under …
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READ MOREThe Trump Administration is Blocking Public Access to the “Immigration Tent Courts”
According to reporting from the Los Angeles Times, the Trump Administration announced that it will not allow any independent access to the so-called “immigration tent courts” that have been set up in multiple locations along the United States-Mexico border in Texas. Indeed, neither the press, legal observers, no members of the public will be allowed …
READ MOREDisappointing News: Supreme Court Lifts Injunction — Allows Trump Administration’s Latest Asylum Restrictions to Take Effect
According to reporting from the Associated Press, the Supreme Court of the United States will allow the Trump Administration to enforce a devastating new rule that will prevent many Central American migrants from obtaining asylum protections in California and other states. By a vote of seven to two (7-2), the nation’s highest court has allowed …
READ MOREAttorney General William Barr Promotes Immigration Judges With High Rates of Denial in Asylum Claims
On August 23rd, 2019, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that U.S. Attorney General William Barr is disproportionately promoting immigration judges with unusually high denial rates in asylum claims. This news comes at the same time that the Trump Administration is putting a number of additional barriers in front of asylum seekers — including putting some …
READ MORETrump Administration Puts Nearly 60,000 Immigration Cases on the “Fast Track” — Los Angeles is One of Ten Cities Included in the Pilot Program
According to reporting from PBS NewsHour, the Trump Administration has rolled out a new pilot program — putting more than 56,000 immigration cases on a “fast track”. Ten cities have been included within this pilot program, including Los Angeles. While frustrating delays and lengthy backlogs have been a major problem in immigration courts, the Trump …
READ MOREProPublica Report: Asylum Seekers Who Followed Trump Administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Rule Now Being Denied Chance to Apply Because of New Trump Administration Rule
On July 22nd, 2019, ProPublica reported that thousands of vulnerable migrants are being denied a chance to apply for asylum in the United States — even though they have complied with all of the hurdles that the Trump Administration has put in from of them. Indeed, in many cases, these asylum seekers signed up for …
READ MOREProposed Trump Administration Asylum Rule Would Deny Protection to Most Central Americans
According to reporting from The New York Times, the Trump Administration is proposing a new rule that would bar most Central American migrants from applying for asylum protection in the United States. If allowed to go into effect, this immigration restriction would have a devastating impact on some of the most vulnerable people. Here, our …
READ MOREHomeland Security Rolls Out Invasive New Pilot Program to Test DNA of Asylum Seekers
According to reporting from NBC Southern California, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is unveiling a new plan to conduct DNA testing of asylum seekers who arrive at the border with young children. The Trump Administration claims that the highly invasive testing is necessary to prevent immigration fraud — which, despite the president’s claim, is …
READ MOREPresident Trump is Pushing a New Rule that Would Force Asylum Seekers to Pay an Application Fee
asylum, Immigration Law, Immigration News
According to reporting from The New York Times, President Trump is once again attempting to impose new burdens on people claiming asylum in the United States. On April 29th, 2019, the Trump Administration unveiled a new set of regulatory changes aimed at restricting the rights of asylum seekers. Asylum seekers are fleeing violence and persecution. …
READ MOREAttorney General William Barr Orders Withholding of Bail From Asylum Seekers
asylum, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Los Angeles
According to reporting from The New York Times, President’s Trump new Attorney General William Barr has issued a new order that could result in the denial of bail to thousands of asylum seekers — just the latest in a long line of attacks on immigrant rights by the Trump Administration. In this article, our asylum attorney …
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READ MOREA California Judge Halted the Trump Administration’s ‘Wait-in-Mexico’ Policy — But the Ninth Circuit Temporarily Blocked the Ruling
asylum, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Immigration Tips, Los Angeles
As reported by The Washington Post, Judge Richard Seeborg, a federal judge from San Francisco, ruled that the Trump Administration’s ‘Wait-in-Mexico’ policy for asylum-seekers violates key provisions of federal immigration law. In recent months, the Trump Administration has been forcing many asylum-seekers to return to Mexico while they were awaiting their court date. However, on …
READ MOREConfusion at the U.S.-Mexico Border; ICE is Unable to Answer Basic Questions About Trump Administration’s New Asylum Policy
According to reporting from Colorlines, legal representatives for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are struggling to answer many basic questions about the Trump Administration’s so-called “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers. Desperate migrants who are seeking asylum in Southern California are increasingly being forced to deal with a confusing and potentially dangerous …
READ MORENinth Circuit Court Rules in Favor of Asylum Seekers — Blocks Some ‘Fast Track’ Deportations
According to reporting from The New York Times, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has ruled in favor of asylum seekers who were facing possible ‘fast track’ deportation from the Trump Administration. In the case of Vijayakumar Thuraissigiam v. United States Department of Homeland Security, the appeals court broadened protections for …
READ MOREReport: Smugglers, Criminal Groups are Benefiting From President Trump’s Draconian Immigration Policies
asylum, Immigration Law, Immigration News, Los Angeles
President Trump has consistently pushed policies that make life significantly more difficult for immigrants and their families. Yet, there are some groups who appear to have benefited directly from the administration’s immigration policies: smugglers and criminal gangs in Mexico. On February 4th, 2019, USA Today published a story on the impacts that the Trump …
READ MORESupreme Court Refuses to Revive the Trump Administration’s Asylum Ban
Earlier this year, the Trump Administration moved to block migrants from claiming asylum at all places in between official points of entry. The policy was quickly challenged in federal court. In November, California judge Jon S. Tigar blocked the partial asylum ban — ruling that the Trump Administration exceeded its authority under United States law. …
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