Alyssa Aquino, Law360, Oct. 31, 2023 "The Biden administration will provide temporary immigration protections to migrants who challenged a Trump-era policy that forced them to wait in Mexico while their asylum claims were processed in exchange...

USCIS, Aug. 31, 2023 - Affirmative Asylum Procedures Manual

"This guide gives service providers the information needed to address the resettlement needs of asylees. The guide contains crucial and timely information about the benefits and services for which asylees are eligible, including job placement assistance...

"The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) funds and administers resettlement programs for refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, foreign victims of severe forms of human trafficking, Lawful Permanent Residents who have held one of those statuses...

USCIS, Dec. 15, 2020 "U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is updating guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual regarding adjustment of status interview waiver categories and expanding the interview criteria for asylee and refugee adjustment...

USCIS, Feb. 2, 2023 "... To promote consistency in the processing of asylee and refugee adjustment of status applications and reduce barriers that might impede refugees from timely filing for adjustment of status, USCIS is updating policy guidance...

E-Mail to Stakeholders: "Dear Stakeholder, To enhance customer service and bolster program integrity, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is improving the way it processes Form I-730< http://www.uscis.gov/i-730 >, Refugee/Asylee...

Anna Benvenue writes: "I just won summary judgment on a case in the Northern District of California in which my client's asylee adjustment application was denied by USCIS based on a finding that he was barred for terrorist inadmissibility. This...

Lin v. Garland "The question before us is whether the BIA’s determinations are supported by substantial evidence. As will be explained below, the BIA’s rationale does not allow us to make that determination. So we grant Lin’s...

Reyes-Corado v. Garland "Francisco Reyes-Corado (“Reyes-Corado”), a native and citizen of Guatemala, petitions for review of a decision of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) denying ReyesCorado’s motion to reopen...

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Biden "Before: W. FLETCHER, PAEZ, and VANDYKE, Circuit Judges. Order by Judges W. FLETCHER and PAEZ; Dissent by Judge VANDYKE. The motion to stay the district court’s July 25, 2023, order and judgment (Docket...

The Louise Trauma Center obtained the USCIS Affirmative Asylum Processing Manual (AAPM) via a FOIA request. The 253-page PDF can be viewed and downloaded here .

Hon. Jeffrey S. Chase, July 28, 2023 "For Immigration Judges, country experts serve as the lens through which a confusing jumble of evidence becomes a clearer picture. No judge can be an expert on all countries; it is therefore by way of the country...

East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Biden ORDER GRANTING PLAINTIFFS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT AND DENYING DEFENDANTS’ MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT

Prof. Steve Yale-Loehr reports: "Thanks to the excellent work of our law students, our Cornell asylum clinic received three BIA remands this spring. A short summary of each case follows. ... If anyone wants redacted copies of our briefs, have them...

G.P. v. Garland "Petitioner G.P. seeks review of the Board of Immigration Appeals' ("BIA") decision affirming the denial of his application for protection under the Convention Against Torture ("CAT"). We first address our...

Naah v. Garland (unpub.) "Mercy Naah, a native of Cameroon, was charged as removable from the United States. She applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture. Naah demonstrated that she is unable...

Chicas-Machado v. Garland "In sum, the BIA erred in finding that Chicas-Machado was not a refugee under the INA due to a lack of nexus to a protected ground, religion. Chicas-Machado demonstrated past persecution on account of religion, and is...

Santos Garcia v. Garland "Petitioner Christian Alberto Santos Garcia, a native and citizen of El Salvador, has twice travelled unlawfully into the United States — first in 2012, and again in 2016. In both instances, Garcia fled threats to...

Chen v. Garland "Petitioner Zuowei Chen is a native of China admitted to the United States on a student visa in 2009. Chen now seeks review of a Board of Immigration Appeals order denying his applications for asylum, withholding of removal, and...

Ullah v. Garland "The United States’ war in Afghanistan required regional allies willing to aid the effort. One such ally was Shaker Ullah, a Pakistani businessman who sold supplies to coalition forces. This invoked the wrath of the Pakistani...

Marvin A.G. v. Garland "Upon our review, we conclude that the Board abused its discretion by applying an incorrect legal standard in its nexus analysis for the petitioner’s asylum and withholding of removal claims. We also hold with regard...

Filed June 7, 2023

David L. Cleveland, May 16, 2023 - "The Office of Principal Legal Advisor, [OPLA], a component of ICE, released a 321-page document:“Asylum and Protection Law,” [September 9, 2021], in response to a FOIA lawsuit by the Louise Trauma Center. This...

Mendez Esteban v. Garland "[T]he 2017 report and the testimony from Mendez do not -- together or independently -- establish that changes in Guatemala have fundamentally altered the specific conditions that gave rise to Mendez's substantiated...