Immigration Law Commons^™

The Legal Ethics Of Family Separation, Milan Markovic

University of Richmond Law Review

On April 6, 2018, the Trump administration announced a “zero tolerance” policy for individuals who crossed the U.S. border illegally. As part of this policy, the administration prosecuted parents with minor children for unlawful entry; previous administrations generally placed families in civil removal proceedings. Since U.S. law does not allow children to be held in immigration detention facilities pending their parents’ prosecution, the new policy caused thousands of children to be separated from their parents. Hundreds of families have yet to be reunited.

Despite a consensus that the family separation policy was cruel and ineffective, there has been minimal focus …

2017 Symposium Panel Discussion: The Life Of An Immigration Attorney, William Benos, Tanishka V. Cruz, Cori Alonso-Yoder, Naureen Hyder, Ashley Shapiro

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

No abstract provided.

Five Steps To A Better U: Improving The Crime-Fighting Visa, Jason A. Cade, Meghan L. Flanagan

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Congress created the U nonimmigrant status to assist noncitizen vic- tims of serious crime and to encourage them to assist law enforce- ment in the investigation of that crime. Despite these laudable goals, the process has been flawed since the outset. U visas were capped at 10,000 per year, eventually precipitating a multi-year backlog that diminishes the incentive to report crime for persons who fear depor- tation. Of particular importance, the willingness of law enforcement officers to provide a certification of helpfulness—a mandatory com- ponent of an application for U status—varies tremendously across agencies. Eligibility for U status is thus …

The Criminalization Of The Immigration System: The Dehumanizing Impact Of Calling A Person "Illegal", Ashley R. Shapiro

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

In the context of immigration, words matter. The increasingly used term “criminal alien” is not only used as an adjective to define a noncitizen who has committed a crime, but it also acts as a descrip- tion of his or her personhood. The use of the term “illegals,” which is the shortened version of “illegal alien,” is pervasive in the media as well as policy debate. In Part I, this paper discusses the evolution of the immigration system in the United States from a discretionary and humanitarian system to a criminalized process. In Part II, this paper examines the convergence …

Close To Crucial: The H-2b Visa Program Must Evolve, But Must Endure, Lindsay M. Pickral

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

A New "U": Organizing Victims And Protecting Immigrant Workers, Leticia M. Saucedo

University of Richmond Law Review

This article explores the viability and potential effectiveness of immigration law's U visa to contribute to the protection of groups of workers in substandard and dangerous workplaces. Immigration law has increasingly become an obstacle to the enforcement of employment and labor law to protect immigrant workers.Moreover, employment and labor law, with their individual rights frameworks, have proven blunt instruments in eradicating the type of subordinating, sometimes slave-like conditions of immi-grant workers, especially those in low-wage industries. The federal government recently issued long-awaited regulations govern-ing U nonimmigrant visas for certain crime victims. Several of the enumerated eligible crimes in the U …

Two Thumbs Down: In The Absence Of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Ill-Conceived Bills Flood The Virginia General Assembly, Leigh A. Sellers

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

On July 26, 2007, a federal court ruled it unconstitutional for city officials in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to implement a local anti-immigrant ordinance that punished employers and landlords for doing business with undocumented immigrants. Despite this well-grounded landmark decision, local governments throughout the nation continue to develop patchwork solutions to a broken federal immigration system, endangering the health and well-being of communities and people alike. Virginia has positioned itself at the forefront of America's immigration debate. Leading up to the 2008 General Assembly session, localities throughout the state developed public statements on immigration, reaffirmed English as the official language, and considered …

Two Thumbs Down: In The Absence Of Comprehensive Immigration Reform, Ill-Conceived Bills Flood The Virginia General Assembly, Leigh A. Sellers

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

On July 26, 2007, a federal court ruled it unconstitutional for city officials in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, to implement a local anti-immigrant ordinance that punished employers and landlords for doing business with undocumented immigrants. Despite this well-grounded landmark decision, local governments throughout the nation continue to develop patchwork solutions to a broken federal immigration system, endangering the health and well-being of communities and people alike. Virginia has positioned itself at the forefront of America's immigration debate. Leading up to the 2008 General Assembly session, localities throughout the state developed public statements on immigration, reaffirmed English as the official language, and considered …