by Matthew Hoppock | Sep 19, 2018 | FOIA |
About two months ago I received a document called the “BIA Style Guide” in response to a FOIA request and saw multiple references in the Style Guide to something called the “BIA Webpage” which appeared to be an intranet of sorts, with...
by Matthew Hoppock | Aug 21, 2018 | FOIA, Immigration, Immigration Practice |
Every summer the Immigration Judges from around the country meet in suburban Washington D.C. for a training session. The training materials are interesting, because they help us understand the IJs’ thinking on specific issues. The 2018 conference was held at the...
by Matthew Hoppock | Jul 16, 2018 | BIA Best Practices, FOIA |
I received a final response on my FOIA request for any memoranda or guidance directed to BIA members. I was surprised by how much we received. Here they are: BIA Style Manual_redline_Redacted (242 pgs) 15-05 Handling Cases Involving Certain Applications for...
by Matthew Hoppock | Jun 22, 2018 | Immigration, Motions to Reopen, Removal Defense |
Although the Supreme Court’s decision in Pereira v. Sessions appears fairly technical and narrow, it isn’t. It casts a light on a practice by the DHS dating back to 1996. In nearly all cases the DHS has served a deficient charging document, called a...
by Matthew Hoppock | Jun 1, 2018 | Immigration, Immigration Practice, Removal Defense |
Some concerning developments in the last few days require writing this post when we still don’t have all of the details. Apparently the Immigration Courts are implementing a system of “No Dark Courtrooms,” which may mean Immigration Courts operating...
by Matthew Hoppock | May 31, 2018 | FOIA |
Without any explanation, the Department of Justice stopped posting its “Immigration Litigation Bulletin” online in mid-2016. The older versions are online here. The Immigration Litigation Bulletin is a publication by the Department of Justice’s...
by Matthew Hoppock | May 15, 2018 | Denaturalization, Immigration |
Three of the pending Operation Janus cases which had been largely dormant the last few months have now been updated on PACER. As I have written previously, these cases are “locked” on PACER, meaning you can read the titles of the documents that have been...
by Matthew Hoppock | Apr 17, 2018 | Immigration, Removal Defense |
Dimaya v. Sessions – Sessions loses. And the cherry on top? Gorsuch casts the deciding vote and writes a compelling concurrence. So, what does this mean? I will have a lot more to say later, but my quick take: The aggravated felony of “a crime of...
by Matthew Hoppock | Mar 8, 2018 | Immigration, Naturalization |
Yesterday the USCIS rolled out e-filing for its naturalization form for everyone except military members. But in doing so it hid the link to the N-400 form, making it fairly difficult to know what form is the correct one to use if you’re in the military (or...
by Matthew Hoppock | Mar 4, 2018 | Denaturalization, Immigration |
I predict a sea change in Immigration enforcement efforts in the coming year, focusing finite resources on denaturalization at the expense of adjudicating benefits applications for everyone else. This is a summary of that program and how I think it’s going to...
