Featured Issue: U.S. Immigration Courts under Trump 2.0
The U.S. immigration court system plays a critical role in upholding due process and ensuring fair hearings for individuals facing deportation. However, since January 20, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has implemented significant changes that challenge the structural integrity of these courts. This page aims to provide up-to-date information on the policy and legal shifts affecting the U.S. immigration court system.
Latest Updates
Updates from EOIR
Browse the Featured Issue: U.S. Immigration Courts under Trump 2.0 collection
CA11 Finds it Lacks Jurisdiction to Review BIA’s Battered-Spouse Discretionary Decision
The court found it lacked jurisdiction to review the BIA’s order denying the motions to reopen and reconsider, as the BIA’s battered-spouse determination under INA 204 §(a)(1)(A)(iii) was discretionary. (Butalova v. Att’y Gen., 10/7/14)
AILA Quicktake #101: DACA Recipients and MAVNI
AILA member Margaret Stock discusses the limitations to the Department of Defense's announcement to open its Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program (MAVNI) to DACA recipients.
AILA: Obama Talks Big on Immigration Reform, But is Not Delivering
AILA President Leslie Holman responds to two recent announcements from the Obama Administration regarding the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program and a plan to allow young children from Central American countries to apply for refugee status from outside the U.S.
Third DHS OIG Memo on Site Visits for UACs in DHS Custody
DHS OIG released a memo on site visits performed between 8/21/14 and 9/26/14 of detention facilities for UACs. Report states that CBP has improved medical screening, facility cleaning, food service, and case processing but improvements are still needed in training, policies, and procedures.
CA1 Affirms Grants of Habeas Corpus Relief for Two Petitioners
The court concluded that petitioners were not subject to mandatory detention under INA §236(c) and were entitled to an individualized bail hearing under INA §236(a), because petitioners were not timely detained under any reasonable interpretation of INA §236(c). (Castañeda v. Souza, 10/6/14)
CA2 Says Asylum Applicant Is Not Required to Establish Nationality Through Documentary Evidence Alone
The court vacated and remanded with instructions to review the IJ’s adverse credibility finding, and that the BIA erroneously required the petitioner, who claimed he was a stateless Tibetan born in Nepal, to prove his nationality through documentary evidence alone. (Urgen v. Holder, 10/2/14)
CA9 Says NACARA Seven-Year Good Moral Character Period Ends on Filing Date
The court held that an application for special rule cancellation of removal under §203 of NACARA is not a continuing application, and that the seven-year period during which good moral character is required ends on the date of the filing of the application. (Aragon v. Holder, 10/2/14)
BIA Holds Connecticut Third Degree Burglary Statute Not Generic Burglary, May Be Crime of Violence
Unpublished BIA decision holds third degree burglary under Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann 53a-103 is not an aggravated felony “burglary offense” but remands to consider whether it is a “crime of violence.” Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Genego, 10/2/14)
CBP Issues Guidance on Processing Expedited Removal Cases
CBP issued a memo on processing expedited removal cases, including reminders on the use of the correct forms and charges for expediated removal, asking the four “fear” questions on the I-867B, referring individuals who express a fear of return, and use of interpreters.
BIA Reverses IJ for Considering Order of Restitution Under Modified Categorical Approach
Unpublished BIA decision holds grand theft under Fla. Stat. 812.014(1) is not a categorical aggravated felony theft offense and that IJ was not permitted to consider order of restitution under the modified categorical approach. Special thanks to IRAC. (Matter of Thompson, 10/1/14)
CA11 Says Florida Aggravated Fleeing Is an Aggravated Felony
The court denied the petition for review, upholding the BIA’s finding that the petitioner’s conviction for aggravated fleeing under Florida statue §316.1935(4)(a) was an aggravated felony and thus was deportable under INA §237(a)(2)(A)(iii). (Dixon v. Att’y Gen., 10/1/14)
DHS OIG Annual Performance Plan for FY2015
DHS’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) annual performance plan for FY2015, detailing planned evaluations on the scalability of USCIS’s visa and immigrant processing, ICE’s practices on I-9 inspections, USCIS’s credible fear screening, alternatives to detention, policies relating to UACs, and more.
Immigration Law Advisor, September 2014 (Vol. 8, No. 7)
The September 2014 Immigration Law Advisor, a legal publication from EOIR, with an article on assessing the government’s inability or unwillingness to control private persecution, circuit court decisions for August 2014, recent BIA precedent decisions, and a regulatory update.
VOICE: October 2014
In the October 2014 VOICE, learn about the effect of Matter of Chairez on foreigners facing removal for a crime, issues concerning alcohol abuse and waivers of inadmissibility, one attorney’s path to starting her practice out of law school, the benefits of AILA’s Mentor Program, and more!
DOJ OIL October/November 2014 Litigation Bulletin
The DOJ OIL Immigration Litigation Bulletin for October/November 2014, with articles on false claims of citizenship on the Form I-9 and DHS’s actions on immigration, as well as summaries of circuit court decisions for October/November 2014 and monthly topical parentheticals.
Immigration Court Practice Manual Updates Appendix A
On 9/30/14, the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge updated Appendix A of the Immigration Court Practice Manual to reflect the closing of the El Centro Immigration Court.
USCIS Response to CIS Ombudsman Recommendations on Improving Quality in Notices to Appear
USCIS response to CIS Ombudsman recommendations on improving the quality and consistency in Notices to Appear (NTA), concurring that USCIS will provide additional guidance for issuing NTAs with input from ICE and EOIR and that USCIS will create a working group to improve tracking and coordination.
CRS Report on DACA FAQs
CRS report on background information on the initial Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, approval and denial rates, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and information on DACA renewals.
Letter from AILA Chapters to the Obama Administration on the Need for Children and Families to Receive Due Process
All of AILA’s U.S.-based chapters signed on to this open letter which calls for the Obama Administration to immediately review its current inhumane and unconstitutional detention and removal policies towards children and families with children.
CA9 Says BIA Abused its Discretion when Denying Motion to Reopen In Absentia Order
The court granted the petition for review, finding that the petitioner should not have lost her right to a hearing because the government improperly recorded, and then sent notice to an old address, rather than the current one she claimed to have given them. (Velasquez v. Holder, 9/29/14)
District Court Reaffirms that ICE Detainers Are Not Mandatory
The district court in Illinois cited Galarza v. Szalczyk to rule that local law enforcement offices should not consider ICE detainers issued pursuant to 8 CFR §287.7 as mandatory. (Moreno v. Napolitano, 9/29/14)
CA7 Upholds BIA’s Approach in Matter of Rodriguez-Rodriguez
The court upheld the BIA’s analysis using as a guide the definition of “sexual abuse” in 18 U.S.C. §3509(a)(8) rather than in 18 U.S.C. §2243(a) to find that petitioner’s violation of California Penal Code §261.5(c) involved “sexual abuse of a minor.” (Velasco-Giron v. Holder, 9/26/14)
AILA Quicktake #98: DHS Announcements on Family Detention
AILA President Leslie Holman discusses the two disturbing announcements made this week by ICE and DHS regarding a new family detention facility in Dilley, Texas, and DHS appealing bond decisions for some mothers and children detained in Artesia, NM.
Letter to President Obama Opposing Family Detention
On 9/25/14, AILA joined 167 organizations in urging President Obama to close the Artesia and Karnes detention centers and to halt plans to open a new family detention facility in Dilley, Texas.
CA7 Denies Consolidated Petition for Review
The court denied the consolidated petition for review, finding that the petitioner did not demonstrate that the IJ or BIA legally erred or denied him due process. (Antia-Perea v. Holder, 9/25/14)