Maria Sacchetti, Washington Post, Dec. 8, 2023 "A federal judge in San Diego on Friday approved a settlement that prohibits U.S. officials from separating migrant families for crossing the U.S....
USCIS, Dec. 8, 2023 "The employment-based (EB) annual limit for fiscal year (FY) 2024 will be higher than was typical before the pandemic, though lower than in FY 2021-2023. We are dedicated to...
Elliot Spagat, Associated Press, Dec. 8, 2023 "A federal judge was poised Friday to prohibit separation of families at the border for purposes of deterring immigration for eight years, preemptively...
In an unpublished decision dated Dec. 4, 2023 a panel of the Ninth Circuit remanded for a new hearing. The facts are stunning...unless you practice immigration law: "Because Lead Petitioner credibly...
This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 12/07/2023 "The Department of State (“Department”) is amending its regulation governing immigrant visas by removing...
Alcaraz-Enriquez II, Sept. 16, 2021
"Petitioner Cesar Alcaraz-Enriquez (“Alcaraz”), a native and citizen of Mexico, petitions for review of the order of the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), which denied his applications for withholding of removal and deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”). We previously granted Alcaraz’s petition on two bases: (1) that the BIA erred in not requiring the DHS to make a good-faith effort to make available key government witnesses for Alcaraz’s cross-examination; and (2) that the BIA erred in not deeming true Alcaraz’s testimony before the Immigration Judge (“IJ”) in light of the absence of any express adverse credibility determination from the IJ. Alcaraz-Enriquez v. Sessions, 727 F. App’x 260, 261 (9th Cir. 2018). However, the Supreme Court reversed our judgment upon the second basis for granting the petition, vacated all of our decision, and remanded for further proceedings. Garland v. Ming Dai, 141 S. Ct. 1669 (2021). On remand, we again grant Alcaraz’s petition for review in part. ... Preliminarily, we observe that the Supreme Court in Ming Dai did not alter the law as it relates to our holding as to the cross-examination of declarants to the probation report. However, because all of our prior opinion was vacated, we must address again Alcaraz’s argument that he was denied a fair hearing because the government proffered the report even though Alcaraz was never given an opportunity to cross-examine the report’s author or the declarant, his former girlfriend. We reaffirm our prior holding. ... Based on the BIA’s failure to require the DHS to make a good faith effort to present the author of the probation report or the declarant for Alcaraz’s cross-examination and the prejudice generated therefrom, we grant in part Alcaraz’s petition and remand for a hearing that comports with the requirements of § 1229a(b)(4)(B)."
[Hats off again to Bob Jobe!]