Nobody wants to be in immigration court or lose their visa, especially someone already paying a fortune for international tuition and studying hard to get their degree. But it is shocking how often international students are unaware that seemingly-innocuous actions...
Two reports over the weekend have made it clear that if anything is changing within the Obama administration, it is getting worse for immigrants. First, just in time for Christmas, the Obama administration is planning ICE raids, targeting Central American families who...
I argued a case in the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis in September, 2015 which demonstrates how vitally important it is for immigrants to have access to an immigration court attorney. We're still waiting for a decision, but whether we win or lose, the case demonstrates...
In immigration court, it's easy to focus only on "relief" from removal, but what if an immigrant in deportation proceedings isn't even deportable? Now you may be thinking the government would not put an immigrant into deportation proceedings if he isn't even...
In the last few weeks, the Eighth Circuit has issued three new opinions that are helpful to immigrants in removal proceedings. The Eighth Circuit is known as perhaps the most difficult court in which to litigate immigration cases. In 2014 the court granted just one...
The Board has published a new decision holding that to qualify as a "theft offense" for purposes of determining whether a conviction is an Aggravated Felony, the criminal statute must require an "intent to deprive the owner of rights and benefits of ownership" and...
In a precedent decision on March 27, 2014, the Board has held in Matter of C-J-H- that a person whose status has been adjusted from asylee to lawful permanent resident cannot subsequently readjust status under section 209(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8...
In a new precedential decision, Matter of Chavez Alvarez, the Board considers whether an immigrant who was not formally "admitted" when he first entered but then adjusted his status to become a permanent resident could be found removable under INA 237(a)(2)(A)(iii)....
The BIA has published a new decision on the federal statute barring possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. In Matter of Oppedisano, the BIA held that a conviction under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g) for unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon is an...
In some removal cases, immigrants with approved visas ask the court to wait—sometimes for years—until their visa number becomes available. But how long is too long? A recent unpublished BIA decision sheds some light on the uncertainty. In a recent unpublished...