The number of Applications for Naturalization submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) went up by 25% from 2013 to 2017, and then saw a decline in 2018. The significant jump in the number of applications in 2016 alone contributed to a backlog in processing naturalization (N-400) ... Read More
In April 2017, President Trump issued an immigration-related executive order that has garnered significantly less attention than the “Travel Ban” order directed at restricting immigration from majority Muslim countries. However, the “Buy American and Hire American” executive order (also called “BAHA”) has notably impacted the legal immigration system. The stated ... Read More
Since the 1980s, countless Central Americans have made the difficult decision to leave family, home and community, risking life and limb journeying across Mexico in hopes of reaching the safety of the United States. The principal sending countries are El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, known collectively as the Northern Triangle ... Read More
A brief history of FOIA Signed into law in 1967, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) was heralded as an iconic achievement on behalf of governmental transparency. In light of the current attacks on the media and press freedom, it is worthwhile to remember that FOIA was enacted for the stated ... Read More
The California legislature has a long history of enacting laws intended to protect immigrants from deportation based on state crimes. For example, since 1978, California has required judges to warn all defendants before accepting a plea of guilty or no contest that, for non-citizens, conviction could result in deportation or ... Read More
In a February decision, a judge of the US District Court (Northern District of California) decided that a lawsuit filed on behalf of litigants challenging the “Travel Ban” could proceed over the government’s objection. The case, Emami v. Nielsen, is filed as a class action that could have far-ranging impacts. The ... Read More
The California legislature has a long history of enacting laws intended to protect immigrants from deportation based on state crimes. For example, since 1978, California has required judges to warn all defendants before accepting a plea of guilty or no contest that, for noncitizens, conviction could result in deportation or ... Read More
Many people think that once they obtain U.S. citizenship through naturalization, their status as a U.S. citizen can never be lost. It will come as a surprise to some to learn that U.S. citizenship can in fact be taken away or revoked by the government under certain circumstances. And the ... Read More
Earlier this year, the Trump administration announced a so-called “zero tolerance” policy on illegal entry into the United States, requiring the criminal prosecution of all individuals who enter the United States without authorization. The results of this draconian policy were cruel and severe. Thousands of children were forcibly separated from ... Read More
In August 2014, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a decision that allowed a woman to seek asylum based on the years of extreme domestic violence she suffered. That violence rose to the level of persecution, and it was on account of her membership in a particular social group of ... Read More
