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
DOJ Press Release on Prison Rape Elimination Act
DOJ press release on the release a final rule to prevent, detect and respond to sexual abuse in confinement facilities, in accordance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA), but which excludes over 400,000 immigrants in DHS facilities from protection.
IJ Grants Asylum to Liberian Woman Captured During War
In an unpublished decision, the immigration judge held that the respondent demonstrated that she suffered past persecution in Liberia on account of her membership in the particular social group of Liberian women who were captured during the war and used as sex slaves.
White House Domestic Policy Council Director’s Speech at Brookings
White House speech transcript of 5/15/12 speech from Domestic Policy Council Director Cecilia Munoz at The Hamilton Project at Brookings Institution where she talked about DREAM Act, immigrant entrepreneurs, stateside waivers and many other important immigration issues.
BIA Finds Jurisdiction Over Appeal By Unlawfully Removed Respondent
The BIA held that it has jurisdiction to review the appeal of an alien who was unlawfully removed in violation of 8 C.F.R. § 1003.6(a), but concluded the respondent’s accomplice conviction rendered him removable. Matter of Diaz-Garcia, 25 I&N Dec. 794 (BIA 2012)
CA2 on Embezzlement By a Bank Employee
The court rejected the BIA’s conclusion that the conviction for embezzlement by a bank employee was an aggravated felony, noting that the facts the petitioner pled to did not indicate whether he acted with intent to defraud. (Akinsade v. Holder, 5/1/12, amended 5/11/12)
ICE Directive on Sexual Abuse and Assault Prevention and Intervention
ICE directive on sexual abuse and assault prevention and intervention, dated 5/11/12. The directive covers procedures for preventing sexual abuse of persons in ICE custody, timely notification of allegations, response and intervention, and monitoring incidents.
Minutes from NBC Meeting with AILA (5/11/12)
Meeting minutes from the AILA NBC Liaison Committee 5/11/12 meeting with NBC, including information on new NBC initiatives, an updated organizational chart, EADs in cases administratively closed under prosecutorial discretion, I-485s, AWA, change of address, and more.
CA1 Finds Malicious Destruction of Property Is a CIMT
The court upheld the BIA’s conclusion that malicious destruction of property under Massachusetts law qualifies as a crime involving moral turpitude and that as a result, the petitioner was ineligible for cancellation of removal. (Palmeira v. Holder, 5/10/12)
BIA Remands I-130 Appeals in Same-sex Marriage Cases
In four unpublished decisions, the BIA remanded I-130 appeals brought by same-sex couples for USCIS to clarify whether the marriages were valid under state law and whether the beneficiary would be considered a "spouse" under the INA, absent DOMA. Courtesy of Masliah & Soloway.
CA5 Finds Padilla Cannot Be Applied Retroactively
The court reversed the district court’s ruling, held that Padilla, announced a new constitutional rule of criminal procedure and thus does not apply retroactively, and noted that the issue is pending before the Supreme Court. (United States v. Amer, 5/9/12)
CA10 on Jurisdiction to Review Citizenship Claim
The court held that it had jurisdiction to review whether the petitioner – who was brought to the U.S. as a baby by her adoptive USC mother - was a citizen, and determined that she was too old to qualify under the CCA for citizenship. (Shepherd v. Holder, 5/8/12)
BIA Finds Respondent Eligible for Derivative Asylum
The BIA held that the respondent, who is unmarried and turned 21 while her mother’s asylum application was pending, continues to be classified as a “child” for purposes of qualifying for derivative asylum. Matter of A-Y-M-, 25 I&N Dec. 791 (BIA 2012)
TRAC Report on Decrease in Criminal Charges in Deportation Proceedings
TRAC report outlining that ICE is identifying fewer individuals as deportable owing to alleged criminal activity. During the most recent quarter from January-March 2012, ICE deported 5,450 individuals on criminal grounds.
CA8 Declines to Reopen Cancellation Case
The court found that the BIA did not abuse its discretion when it refused to reopen the petitioner’s removal proceedings based on new evidence regarding his son’s developmental delay. (Camarillo-Jose v. Holder, 5/7/12)
AILA Urges Supreme Court to Revise Nken v. Holder Opinion
Letter from AILA to the Supreme Court, requesting that the Court remove the portions of its opinion in Nken v. Holder that rely on inaccurate representations from DHS on its policies for facilitating the return of removed noncitizens who prevail on judicial review.
Internal ICE E-mails Reveal Plans to Boost Deportations
ICE e-mails from 2012, obtained by the ACLU of NC, reveal tactics for increasing deportations, such as trolling state driver's license records for foreign-born applicants and dispatching ICE agents to traffic checkpoints, which could target individuals with minor offenses.
CA9 Applies Collateral Estoppel in Nigerian CAT Claim
The court held that collateral estoppel bound the BIA to the findings that led to the petitioner’s first grant of CAT deferral, and concluded that the BIA erred in denying a motion to reopen to introduce new evidence. (Oyeniran v. Holder, 3/6/12; amended 5/3/12)
AILA Comments on ACUS Immigration Removal Adjudications Report
AILA comments on the Administrative Conference of the United States’ draft report and recommendations on potential improvements to immigration removal adjudication in EOIR.
CA8 on 212(h) Waiver Eligibility
The court upheld the BIA’s conclusion that the petitioner was ineligible for a 212(h) waiver because his conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia in a vehicle is not “a single offense of simple possession of … marijuana.” (Popescu-Mateffy v. Holder, 5/2/12)
CA1 Finds NTA Was Not Withdrawn, Triggered Stop-Time Rule
The court found that the petitioner was not eligible for cancellation of removal because the NTA - issued 5 days before he would have accrued the required physical presence – was amended but not withdrawn, and triggered the stop-time rule. (Cheung v. Holder, 5/2/12)
CA6 Upholds Denial of Hardship Waiver Under INA §216(c)(4)(B)
The court found that there was substantial evidence supporting the Board’s decision to deny a hardship waiver under INA §216(c)(4)(B). (Johns v. Holder, 5/2/12)
BIA Finds Respondent with Aggravated Felony Conviction Eligible for 212(h) Relief
The BIA held that the respondent - who entered without inspection and later adjusted to LPR status – was eligible for 212(h) relief despite an aggravated felony conviction due to controlling Fifth Circuit precedent. Matter of Rodriguez, 25 I&N Dec. 784 (BIA 2012)
VOICE: May/June 2012
This latest edition is packed with great practice tips, such as why collaborating with a psychologist could benefit your client, how the “government error” queue might boost your PERM case, and more invaluable expert advice.
DOJ OIL April 2012 Litigation Bulletin
The DOJ Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) April 2012 Litigation Bulletin where Eleventh Circuit held that asylum confidentiality provision was not violated by disclosure of name to hospital administrator and other issues related to adjustment of status and asylum decisions.
Immigration Law Advisor, April 2012 (Vol. 6, No. 4)
Immigration Law Advisor, a legal publication from EOIR, with an article on circuit court modifications to the modified categorical approach, as well as circuit court decisions for March 2012, recent BIA precedent decisions, and a regulatory update.