Featured Issue: Asylum Under Trump 2.0
On the first day of his second term, President Trump suspended all entries at the U.S. Southern Border for asylum seekers. Since then, the Administration has implemented sweeping restrictions that shut America’s doors to people fleeing persecution. These policies violate federal law, erode constitutionally protected due process, exacerbate the asylum backlog, and give those seeking safety an increasingly narrow path to protection.
Left unchecked by Congress, these policies will have dire consequences for both asylum seekers and the integrity of our legal system. Asylum seekers—especially those without access to counsel—are at grave risk of being returned to harm.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The Administration can maintain order at U.S. borders and effectively manage migration without sacrificing fairness and adherence to the law. With more trained asylum officers, a streamlined legal process, legal representation for asylum seekers, and more effective coordination between relevant agencies, the U.S. can establish a safe, orderly, and humane asylum system.
Browse the Featured Issue: Asylum Under Trump 2.0 collection
BIA Finds IJ Cannot Deny Asylum Application Without Merits Hearings
In an unpublished decision, the BIA held that the IJ erred by requiring the asylum applicant to establish a prima facie asylum case in their written asylum application as a prerequisite to holding a hearing and remanded the case to the IJ. Courtesy of Patricia G. Mattos.
District Court Complaint Challenges Withholding Asylum Interview Notes Under FOIA
Complaint filed by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area challenging the USCIS policy of withholding asylum interview notes in response to FOIA requests submitted for applicants’ A files. (Martins v. USCIS, 2/11/13)
CA1 Upholds Denial of Asylum for Ecuadorian Indigenous Activist
The court denied asylum, finding that the harassment faced by the Ecuadorian petitioner due to her activities on behalf of the indigenous community did not amount to persecution and that the agency did not err in its factfinding. (Guaman-Loja., Holder, 2/7/13)
USCIS Will Permanently Close Kingston, Jamaica Field Office on March 1, 2013
USCIS press release announcing that USCIS will permanently close its field office in Kingston, Jamaica on March 1, 2013. After 3/1/13, the countries currently served by Kingston field office will be in the jurisdiction of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic USCIS field office.
CA11 Reverses BIA on Past Persecution
The court remanded the asylum case, holding the abuse the petitioner suffered – which included being detained for a week and subjected to physical abuse – rose to the level of past persecution, if the petitioner is found to be credible. (Shi v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 2/5/13)
Immigration Law Advisor, January 2013 (Vol. 7, No. 1)
Immigration Law Advisor, a legal publication from EOIR, with an article on humanitarian asylum, as well as circuit court decisions from December 2012, calendar year 2012 totals, recent BIA precedent decisions, and a regulatory update.
CA4 on Deportation Suspensions in Light of NACARA
The court held that the petitioner was limited by the modified categorical approach in what evidence he could present to show that his 1996 conviction was not a crime of violence, despite the record of conviction being inconclusive. (Mondragon v. Holder, 1/31/13)
BIA Reverses IJ on Exception to One-Year Asylum Filing Deadline
In an unpublished decision, the BIA held the respondent qualified for an exception to the one-year filing deadline based on her mother’s later arrest by Chinese officials, noting that “changed personal circumstances may form the basis of an exception.” Courtesy of Alan Lee.
DOJ OIL January 2013 Litigation Bulletin
The DOJ Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) January 2013 Litigation Bulletin where the Seventh Circuit ruled that pending adjustment application did not toll accrual of days without “lawful status” for adjustment of status purposes.
BIA on the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime
The Board found the respondent was statutorily barred from CAT relief, and held that the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime does not provide an independent basis for relief in immigration proceedings. Matter of G-K-, 26 I&N Dec. 88 (BIA 2013)
BIA Finds HIV Diagnosis Constitutes Changed Circumstances in Asylum Case
In an unpublished asylum case, the BIA reversed the IJ, finding that the respondent’s HIV diagnosis and subsequent AIDS diagnosis constituted changed circumstances for the purposes of the one-year filing deadline. Courtesy of Ashley Huebner.
CA8 Upholds Adverse Credibility Determination, Denies Relief
The court upheld the IJ’s adverse credibility determination and denied asylum, withholding, and CAT relief, finding that the IJ highlighted the inconsistencies and implausibilities in the applications, testimony, and hearing exhibits. (Fofana v. Holder, 1/29/13)
CA7 Denies Asylum Request of Falun Gong Practitioner
The court held that the petitioner had not suffered past persecution when he learned that his wife in China had been forcibly sterilized, and also that he lacked a well-founded fear of future persecution based on his Falun Gong activities. (Chen v. Holder, 1/18/13)
USCIS Notice of Proposed Class Action Settlement on Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition Claims
USCIS press release on proposed settlement notice of federal class action lawsuit called Tsamcho v. Napolitano on reopenings & denials of refugee /asylee Form I-730 petitions when relative of petitioner was unable to appear at U.S. consulate or embassy for interview.
USCIS Presentation from January 2013 Webinars on New USCIS Policy Manual (Updated 1/31/13)
USCIS PowerPoint presentation slides from January 2013 webinars on new USCIS Policy Manual, which specifically deals with new and updated policies related to naturalization and citizenship. The original invitation follows the PowerPoint slides.
CA9 on Resisting Arrest as a Particularly Serious Crime
The court remanded the case, holding that the BIA did not adequately explain its conclusion that the petitioner’s California conviction for resisting arrest constituted a particularly serious crime. (Alphonsus v. Holder, 1/18/13)
CA7 Finds Jurisdiction to Review Deferral of Removal Request
The court held that INA §242(a)(2)(C) does not bar judicial review of a deferral of removal request, found that the evidence supported that the petitioner will probably be murdered if he returns to Kenya, and remanded the case. (Wanjiru v. Holder, 1/11/13)
CA1 Remands Pakistani Petitioner’s Asylum Case
The court found that the BIA and IJ did not properly consider evidence supporting the petitioner’s claim that he could face future persecution in Pakistan by the Taliban because he is an ANP activist and a special police officer. (Khattak v. Holder, 1/17/13)
CA6 Finds Withholding of Removal Not Available Derivatively
The court held the petitioner was not eligible for asylum or withholding of removal because he sought relief as a derivative of his wife, whose asylum application was denied, and that withholding of removal is not available derivatively. (Camara v. Holder, 1/15/13)
TRAC Report on Record Year for Asylum Cases
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) report showing odds of an asylum claim being denied reached an historic low in FY2012, with only 44.5% being turned down. Almost 2 out of 3 (62.6%) individuals seeking asylum lost their cases in similar actions 10 years ago.
USCIS Asylum Division Memo on Credible Fear Checklist Pilot Program
USCIS Asylum Division memorandum from Acting Chief Ted Kim dated 1/14/13 establishing a pilot program for the use of a credible fear determination checklist in place of the brief written assessment currently required.
CA8 Finds BIA Failed to Consider Future Persecution Claim
The court found that while the petitioner did not establish that he experienced past persecution, the BIA failed to consider one aspect of his distinct claim of a well-founded fear of future persecution and remanded the case. (Tegegn v. Holder, 1/11/13)
CA11 Finds BIA Erred in Making De Novo Factual Findings
The court held that the BIA erred in overturning the IJ’s finding that Petitioner would be forcibly sterilized upon returning to China because 8 CFR 1003.1(d)(3) empowers the BIA to review an IJ’s factual findings for clear error only. (Zhu v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 1/4/13)
DOJ OIL December 2012 Litigation Bulletin
The DOJ Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) December 2012 Litigation Bulletin where the Eight Circuit ruled that an asylum applicant’s eight-hour detention and unattributed deaths of his children do not constitute past persecution of a particular social group.
CBP Releases Memo, Muster, and Reference Guide on Processing Refugee Applicants
CBP released a redacted memo, muster, and reference guide dated January 2013 on processing refugee applicants, including accompanying and following to join spouses and children. The muster and the guide are almost entirely redacted.