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
CA7 Finds No Jurisdiction to Review Motion to Reopen
The court held that it did not have jurisdiction to review the petitioner’s motion to reopen the reinstatement order. (Tapia-Lemos v. Holder, 8/31/12)
CA7 Denies Withholding Request Based on Factory Protest
The court denied the petitioner’s request for withholding of removal, finding that his protest at a state-owned factory was economic, not political, activity and that any persecution he endured was not because of a protected ground. (Liu v. Holder, 8/31/12)
CA9 Remands Case to Determine Term of Imprisonment
In order to decide whether the petitioner is eligible for relief under former 212(c), the court remanded to determine whether the petitioner’s term of imprisonment was over five years given his time in pre-trial psychiatric confinement. (Corpuz v. Holder, 8/31/12)
CA3 Finds Petitioner Subject to Removal After Passing Natz Exam
The court held that the petitioner was subject to removal for his 2008 drug-related convictions even though he had completed his naturalization examination in 1998 because he was never scheduled for nor took the required oath. (Duran-Pichardo v. Att’y Gen., 8/31/12)
CAP Report on Consequences of Legalization Versus Mass Deportation
Center for American Progress report describing direct impacts of either deporting or legalizing undocumented workers, showing economic contributions of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, for seven states.
HHS Notice on PCIP Program Definition of “Lawfully Present”
HHS notice of amendment to interim final rule on amending definition of “lawfully present” for rules governing health insurance exchanges & tax credits to ensure that people applying for deferred action are not eligible. Comments are due 10/29/12. (77 FR 52614, 8/30/12)
Immigration Officials Advise Educators on Deferred Action
Education Week blog post about school records being among the key documents that young undocumented immigrants must submit in deferred action requests, where they must demonstrate that they are currently enrolled in school, have graduated from high school or obtained a GED.
AAO Finds Applicant Did Not Willfully Misrepresent Criminal History
In an unpublished decision, the AAO found the applicant did not willfully misrepresent his criminal history because he did not understand the meaning of “moral turpitude,” and granted a 212(h) waiver for other grounds of inadmissibility. Courtesy of Steven Heller.
HHS Letter Announcing DACA Grantees Not Eligible for Medicaid
Letter from the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services informing state health officials and Medicaid directors that individuals who qualify for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will not be eligible for Medicaid and CHIP under the CHIPRA state option.
CA2 Holds VWP Entrant Cannot Contest Removal Through Adjustment of Status
The court held that a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) participant could not contest her removal on the basis of an adjustment of status application filed after the 90-day period during which a VWP participant may stay in the country. (Gjerjaj v. Holder, 8/28/12)
CA11 Holds Petitioner Must File for Adjustment with 212(h) Waiver
The court held that a removable noncitizen is not eligible for a 212(h) waiver of inadmissibility if he remains in the U.S., but fails to apply for adjustment of status. (Poveda v. U.S. Att’y Gen., 8/27/12)
DHS Letter on Immigration Enforcement During Tropical Storm Isaac
DHS letter from 8/27/12 stating that there will be no immigration enforcement initiatives associated with evacuations or sheltering related to Tropical Storm Isaac, including the use of checkpoints for immigration enforcement purposes in impacted areas during an evacuation.
CA9 Lacks Jurisdiction to Review Challenge to 8 C.F.R. §208.31
The court held it lacked jurisdiction to review the petitioner’s challenge to the regulations – which bar him from seeking asylum because he is subject to reinstatement – because DHS has not completed the reasonable fear proceedings. (Ortiz-Alfaro v. Holder, 8/27/12)
BIA Holds IJ Lacks Jurisdiction to Review DHS Termination of Asylum
The BIA held that an immigration judge does not have jurisdiction under 8 C.F.R. § 1208.24(f) to review DHS’s termination of a noncitizen’s asylum status pursuant to 8 C.F.R. § 208.24(a). Matter of A-S-J-, 25 I&N Dec. 893 (BIA 2012)
CRCL Newsletter, August 2012
DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) August 2012 newsletter with information on Secure Communities, cultural training awareness sessions and more.
ICE Agents File Lawsuit Challenging DACA Memo
A suit filed in a Texas District Court alleges that the DHS memorandum on deferred action for childhood arrivals violates federal law and requires ICE officers to violate their oaths to uphold federal law. (Crane v. Napalitano, 8/23/12)
CA9 Holds Petitioner Is Removable for Controlled Substance Offense
The court found that the petitioner is removable because the documents of conviction in his criminal case established that he was convicted of possessing methamphetamine, and not merely of possession of a controlled substance generally. (Cabantac v. Holder, 8/23/12)
CA7 Remands for Fact Finding in Alien Voter Case
The LPR petitioner argued that she did not violate 18 U.S.C. §611 because state officials led her to believe it was legal for her to vote, and the court remanded to the IJ for further fact finding. (Keathley v. Holder, 8/22/12)
CA7 Holds Petitioner Is Inadmissible for Voting
The court found that the petitioner violated 18 U.S.C. §611 when he voted, rejecting his “entrapment by estoppel” argument because he did not show that he received official assurance that voting was lawful. (Kimani v. Holder, 8/22/12)
BIA Finds Texas Conviction for Resisting Arrest Is Not CIMT
In an unpublished decision, the BIA held that a Texas conviction for resisting arrest only qualifies as a CIMT if there is an intentional act combined with a meaningful level of bodily harm to the victim. Courtesy of Sonali Patnaik.
AILA Liaison Summary of Visit to CDJ
AILA Liaison provides an overview of the key issues discussed during an 8/21/12 AILA Liaison meeting with USCIS and DOS at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico (CDJ). Topics include IV procedural issues, medical examinations, gang affiliation, and tattoos.
CA3 on the Post-Departure Bar and Motions to Reopen Sua Sponte
The court upheld the BIA’s determination that it lacked jurisdiction to review a motion to reopen sua sponte - filed by the petitioner out of time and after he was already removed from the country - because of the post-departure bar. (Desai v. Att’y Gen, 8/21/12)
BIA Finds Advance Parole Not “Departure” Under INA § 212(a)(9)(B)(i)(II) (Updated 8/20/12)
The BIA found the respondents, who applied for adjustment under 245(i) and left on advance parole, did not make a departure which resulted in their inadmissibility under §212(a)(9)(B). Revised 8/16/12. Matter of Arrabally and Yerrabelly, 25 I&N Dec. 771 (BIA 2012).
ICE Report on Detained Asylum Seekers
ICE report from 8/20/12 presenting to Congress data on asylum applicants in detention with a report on detained asylum seekers covering FY2009 and FY2010.
AILA Amicus Committee Urges BIA to Reject “Social Visibility” Test
The AILA Amicus Committee filed an amicus brief in a case remanded from the Third Circuit, urging the BIA to reject the “social visibility” test in asylum cases and restore the "immutable characteristic" test as the sole measure of particular social groups.