Law Commons^™

From Precedent To Policy: The Effects Of Dobbs On Detained Immigrant Youth, Ciera Phung-Marion

Washington Law Review

In June 2022, the United States Supreme Court released the historic decision Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, holding that the U.S. Constitution does not protect an individual’s right to an abortion. Dobbs overturned many cases, including J.D. v. Azar, which previously protected abortion rights for unaccompanied migrant youth in federal detention facilities. Post-Dobbs, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)—the agency responsible for caring for detained immigrant children—still protects abortion rights as part of its own internal policy. Without judicial precedent, however, this policy lacks the stability to truly protect the rights of the children in its …

Adopting Nationality, Irina D. Manta, Cassandra Burke Robertson

Washington Law Review

Contrary to popular belief, when a child is adopted from abroad by an American citizen and brought to the United States, that child does not always become an American citizen. Many adoptees have not discovered until years later (sometimes far into adulthood) that they are not actually citizens, and some likely still do not know. To address this problem, the Child Citizenship Act of 2000 (CCA) was enacted to automate citizenship for certain international adoptees, but it does not cover everyone. Tens of thousands of adoptees still live under the assumption that they are American citizens when, in fact, they …

Renewing The Vagueness Challenge To Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude, Melissa London

Washington Law Review

Noncitizens who have been convicted of a “crime involving moral turpitude” (CIMT) under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) can be deported. However, the INA fails to provide a definition for “moral turpitude” or a list of crimes that necessarily involve “moral turpitude.” As a result, judges are given wide discretion to decide when a crime is morally reprehensible enough to render a noncitizen deportable. This moral determination in the CIMT analysis has led to disparate results among the lower courts, which deprives noncitizens of meaningful notice of what conduct could render them deportable. In 1951, the Supreme Court held …

Let Indians Decide: How Restricting Border Passage By Blood Quantum Infringes On Tribal Sovereignty, Rebekah Ross

Washington Law Review

American immigration laws have been explicitly racial throughout most of the country’s history. For decades, only White foreign nationals could become naturalized citizens. All racial criteria have since vanished from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)—all but one. Section 289 of the INA allows “American Indians born in Canada” to freely cross into the United States if they possess at least 50% blood “of the American Indian race.” Such American Indians cannot be prohibited from entering the United States and can obtain lawful permanent residence status—if they meet the blood quantum requirement. Such racialized immigration controls arbitrarily restrict cross-border Indigenous …

The Trauma Of Trump's Family Separation And Child Detention Actions: A Children's Rights Perspective, Jonathan Todres, Daniela Villamizar Fink

Washington Law Review

In April 2018, the Trump Administration publicly announced a new zero-tolerance policy for illegal entries at the U.S. border. This action kicked off a wave of family separations that made headlines and drew criticism from around the globe. Despite resounding condemnation of these actions, the Trump Administration defended its family separation policy as a “tough deterrent.” At least 2,600 families were torn apart in the ensuing months. And subsequent reports—from both the government and others—have detailed widespread abuses of and substandard conditions for children held in detention centers. The consequences of these separations and the maltreatment of children in detention …

The Story Of A Class: Uses Of Narrative In Public Interest Class Actions Before Certification, Anne E. Ralph

Washington Law Review

When litigants in public interest class actions tell their stories, the narratives can advance the law and influence public debate. But before class members’ stories can vindicate civil rights on the merits, plaintiffs must overcome the hurdle of class certification.

For decades, obtaining class certification under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 was not a significant challenge for plaintiffs seeking to litigate as a class. But recent restrictive procedural developments—including heightened standards for class certification—threaten the powerful stories that can be told through public interest class actions.

Missing in the critical analysis of class action jurisprudence is any discussion of …

Limitations Of Washington Evidence Rule 413, Sarah Desautels

Washington Law Review

This Comment analyzes Washington State Evidence Rule 413 (ER 413). ER 413 renders evidence of the immigration status of criminal defendants, civil plaintiffs, and witnesses presumptively inadmissible at trial. The Washington State Supreme Court adopted ER413 in September 2018. It is the first of its kind in the nation. ER 413 provides a clear, uniform rule limiting the use of immigration evidence, an area where prior caselaw had created uncertainty. However, ER 413 falls short of its goal of promoting access to justice and protecting immigrants from jury bias without a supporting system that addresses (1) the dangers of implicit …

The Substantial Impact Approach: Reviewing Policy Statements In Light Of Apa Finality, Emily Parsons

Washington Law Review

Federal agencies engage in a wide range of non-binding action, issuing guidance documents such as policy statements and interpretive rules. Although these guidance documents may have a substantial impact on industries or members of the public, courts often refuse to review their substance. The Administrative Procedure Act requires agency action to be “final” before courts can review it. The D.C. Circuit and the Ninth Circuit have taken conflicting and often messy approaches in determining whether interpretive rules and policy statements are final and thus reviewable. This Comment proposes a new approach: the substantial impact approach. Under this approach—repurposed from a …

Addiction-Informed Immigration Reform, Rebecca Sharpless

Washington Law Review

Immigration law fails to align with the contemporary understanding of substance addiction as a medical condition. The Immigration and Nationality Act regards noncitizens who suffer from drug or alcohol substance use disorder as immoral and undesirable. Addiction is a ground of exclusion and deportation and can prevent the finding of “good moral character” needed for certain immigration applications. Substance use disorder can lead to criminal behavior that lands noncitizens, including lawful permanent residents, in removal proceedings with no defense. The time has come for immigration law to catch up to today’s understanding of addiction. The damage done by failing to …

Preventing Erroneous Expedited Removals: Immigration Judge Review And Requests For Reconsideration Of Negative Credible Fear Determinations, Katherine Shattuck

Washington Law Review

The Central American refugee crisis has renewed criticism of expedited removal, which allows immigration officials to remove without a hearing certain noncitizens who seek to enter or have entered the United States. Asylum seekers who arrive at the border or ports of entry without entry documents undergo a screening process to determine whether they have a “credible fear of persecution.” An individual who receives a positive credible fear determination is entitled to a full hearing before an immigration judge. In contrast, an individual who receives a negative credible fear determination is typically subjected to expedited removal. Scholars and human rights …

Kill The Snitch: How Henriquez-Rivas Affects Asylum Eligibility For People Who Report Serious Gang Crimes To Law Enforcement, James Carr

Washington Law Review

In 2015, El Salvador became the murder capital of the world. Like its Central American neighbors, El Salvador has experienced a significant increase in gang violence during the past decade, as evidenced by its 2015 homicide statistics showing over 6,600 registered homicides in the country despite a population of only 6.3 million people. Rising crime rates and widespread gang influence are forcing many affected Central Americans to seek asylum in the United States. Individuals may qualify for asylum if they have a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social …

Ninth Circuit V. Board Of Immigration Appeals: Defining "Sexual Abuse Of A Minor" After Estrada-Espinoza V. Mukasey, Enoka Herat

Washington Law Review

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), lawful permanent residents are rendered removable if they commit an “aggravated felony” at any time after they are admitted into the United States. Significant interpretive issues arise in determining whether a non-citizen’s state-based criminal conviction meets the INA’s definition of an aggravated felony. One aggravated felony enumerated in the INA is “sexual abuse of a minor.” The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) has interpreted the phrase using a broad federal definition as a guide. In Estrada-Espinoza v. Mukasey, however, the Ninth Circuit declined to defer to the BIA’s interpretation because the BIA’s …

Preempting State E-Verify Regulations: A Case Study Of Arizona's Improper Legislation In The Field Of "Immigration-Related Employment Practices", Rachel Feller

Washington Law Review

In 1996, Congress established E-Verify, a program that allows employers to confirm the employment eligibility of new hires by using a federal electronic database. Although the federal government makes the program voluntary for employers, some states and municipalities have enacted legislation requiring the program’s use to prevent the employment of undocumented workers. Some of these state laws have been challenged in federal court on the grounds that they are preempted by federal law, particularly the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA). Courts have divided on this issue. This Comment explains the boundaries of preemption in the context of …

Trading Information For Safety: Immigrant Informants, Federal Law-Enforcement Agents, And The Viability Of Non-Deportation Agreements, Colleen Melody

Washington Law Review

Federal law-enforcement agents use informants to help guide investigations. Immigrants sometimes possess valuable information about organized crime connected with their home countries. To persuade an immigrant to divulge such information, federal agents and prosecutors often promise to reward cooperation with permission to stay in the United States. Non-deportation is a persuasive enticement to an informant who might otherwise be unwilling to help; criminal groups would likely harm a known informant returning home. After deciding to cooperate, many immigrants are placed in deportation proceedings notwithstanding their deals. This Comment discusses the persistent legal conundrum faced by immigrant informants after the U.S. …

An Administrative "Death Sentence" For Asylum Seekers: Deprivation Of Due Process Under 8 U.S.C. § 1158(D)(6)'S Frivolousness Standard, E. Lea Johnston

Washington Law Review

In 1996, Congress amended the Immigration and Nationality Act by providing a new sanction for asylum seekers: if an immigration judge makes a finding that a noncitizen has knowingly filed a fraudulent asylum application, then that person is permanently ineligible for immigration benefits. For eleven years, immigration judges, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal courts have imposed and reviewed this sanction without specifying a burden of proof. When it did act to fill the statutory gap in April 2007, the Board held that the government must prove the elements of the statute by a preponderance of the evidence. This …

New Word, Same Problems: Entry, Arrival, And The One-Year Deadline For Asylum Seekers, Joanna R. Mareth

Washington Law Review

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) imposed a one-year filing deadline on all applications for asylum. Under this law, an alien applying for asylum bears the burden of showing that he or she applied for asylum within one year of arrival into the United States. The word "arrival" is not defined in immigration law, but the Second Circuit recently held that not every border crossing into the country is an "arrival" for purposes of the asylum filing deadline. The court's reasoning was reminiscent of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1963 decision in Rosenberg v. Fleuti, …

New Word, Same Problems: Entry, Arrival, And The One-Year Deadline For Asylum Seekers, Joanna R. Mareth

Washington Law Review

The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) imposed a one-year filing deadline on all applications for asylum. Under this law, an alien applying for asylum bears the burden of showing that he or she applied for asylum within one year of arrival into the United States. The word "arrival" is not defined in immigration law, but the Second Circuit recently held that not every border crossing into the country is an "arrival" for purposes of the asylum filing deadline. The court's reasoning was reminiscent of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1963 decision in Rosenberg v. Fleuti, …

Abay V. Ashcroft: The Sixth Circuit's Baseless Expansion Of Ina § 101(A)(42)(A) Revealed A Gap In Asylum Law, Wes Henricksen

Washington Law Review

In Abay v. Ashcroft, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that a noncitizen mother qualified for asylum based on her fear that her daughter, who qualified as a refugee, would undergo female genital mutilation if her daughter were to return to the family's home country. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides derivative asylum for spouses and children, but not parents, of refugees granted asylum. Parents of asylees must therefore independently qualify for asylum under INA § 101(a)(42)(A), which requires that the applicant show a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to the applicant's …

Kim Ho Ma V. Reno: Cloaking Judicial Activism As Constitutional Avoidance, Matthew E. Hedberg

Washington Law Review

In Kim Ho Ma v. Reno, the Ninth Circuit rewrote the plain language of § 241(a)(6) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) to avoid a constitutional defect in the statute. Section 123 1(a)(6) of Title 8 of the U.S. Code, which codifies § 241(a)(6) of the IIRIRA, authorizes the Attorney General to detain criminal aliens, or removable aliens posing a danger to the community or a danger of flight risk, beyond the statutory removal period if they have not been removed from the country. Under the guise of constitutional avoidance, the Ma court …

The Property Scope Of Habeas Corpus Review In Civil Removal Proceedings, Andrea Lovell

Washington Law Review

The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) and the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), two 1996 amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act, eliminated direct judicial review in the federal courts of appeals of final removal orders for aliens convicted of certain enumerated crimes. The legislation also appears to limit the habeas corpus jurisdiction of the federal district courts. While most circuit courts agree that some degree of habeas corpus review of removal orders is constitutionally mandated, several have interpreted AEDPA and IIRIRA as limiting the scope of that review. This Comment argues that the scope …

Quixotic Attempt? The Ninth Circuit, The Bia, And The Search For A Human Rights Framework To Asylum Law, Shelley M. Hall

Washington Law Review

The Ninth Circuit and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) historically have disagreed about the application of human rights norms in many areas of asylum law. Although recent decisions by the BIA indicate more receptiveness toward the Ninth Circuit's broader approach, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 seeks to stifle judicial review in many areas of immigration law, including asylum. This Comment analyzes the potential impact of the law on the development of asylum jurisprudence and recommends areas for future dialogue between the Ninth Circuit and the BIA.

Immigrants, Immigration Law, And Tuberculosis, Sana Loue

Washington Law Review

Current U.S. immigration law provides for the exclusion of all aliens who are "determined ... to have a communicable disease of public health significance. In addition to numerous sexually transmitted diseases such as infectious syphilis and gonorrhea, "communicable diseases of public health significance" include infectious tuberculosis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The first portion of this Article provides a brief overview of the history and epidemiology of tuberculosis, as well as the diagnosis and management of the disease. The Article next reviews current information on tuberculosis in immigrant populations and proceeds to a discussion of U.S. immigration processes relating to …

States As International Law-Breakers: Discrimination Against Immigrants And Welfare Reform, Elizabeth Landry

Washington Law Review

As part of the current "devolution revolution," policy makers at the state and federal levels are designing proposals that would permit states to discriminate on the basis of immigration status in determining eligibility for public education, medical care, social services, and cash assistance. This Comment asserts that such proposals violate international human rights norms, by which both federal and state governments are bound. Mbreover, it maintains that legislators must consider international law when crafting proposals that would allow discrimination on the basis of alienage. If they fail to do so, courts are obliged to intervene and ensure that treaty provisions …

A Comparison Of Processes For Reforming Migration Laws In Transitional States: China, Kazakhstan, And Albania, James A.R. Nafziger

Washington Law Review

This article will highlight the problems confronting China, Kazakhstan, and Albania as well as the divergent agencies and systems for drafting, enacting and otherwise reforming their migration laws. The institutional processes of reform are particularly noteworthy. A comparison of them among the three countries suggests dominance by political and cultural determinants, along with administrative and economic issues, in forming migration policy and law within modem legal systems. This insight helps explain the constraints on the efficacy of administrative tinkering in improving the migration laws of the United States and other countries.

A Lion In The Path? The Influence Of International Law On The Immigration Policy Of The United States, Joan Fitzpatrick, William Mckay Bennett

Washington Law Review

This article explores the place of international law in the immigration policy process in four settings: (1) the tentative and ultimately failed efforts of the executive and the judiciary to keep Congress within the bounds of internationally law-abiding conduct with respect to Chinese exclusion; (2) the almost complete disregard by Congress and the executive of international norms concerning health-related travel restrictions relating to HIV/AIDS; (3) Congressional inaction in the face of executive and judicial hypocrisy toward fundamental principles of refugee law in relation to interdiction of asylum-seekers; and (4) the emergence of a perverse canon presuming the abrogation of uncodified …

An Essay On Immigration Politics, Popular Democracy, And California's Proposition 187: The Political Relevance And Legal Irrelevance Of Race, Kevin R. Johnson

Washington Law Review

My contribution to the Symposium considers how Proposition 187 fits into the peculiar politics of immigration, which in many ways are without parallel. The hope is to shed light on the dynamics culminating in the passage by the California electorate of a measure that in time may prove to be a watershed in immigration policymaking. In analyzing Proposition 187, this Article generally considers the risks posed to discrete and insular minorities by the initiative process and the difficulties in mounting legal challenges under current constitutional doctrine to democratic subordination of minority interests through initiatives. It raises serious questions about whether …

The Role Of Interest Groups In Policy Formulation, Warren R. Leiden

Washington Law Review

In the immigration field, as in most areas of national policy, advocacy groups play an important and sometimes essential role in the policymaking process. Often derided as "special interests" and accused of opposing the "public interest," advocacy organizations are in fact manifestations of the public and give voice to the concerns of specific segments of it. This article will examine how advocacy groups determine policy positions and activities and the nature of their role in the making of public policy on immigration matters.

The Making Of United States Refugee Policy: Separation Of Powers In The Post-Cold War Era, Stephen H. Legomsky

Washington Law Review

Thus, there are three features of immigration policy to consider in combination: First, its repercussions are powerful and widespread. Second, with so many conflicting priorities to juggle, the decisions depend heavily on personal values and ideologies. Third, with so many different interest groups in the mix, decisions on immigration policy tend to be shamelessly vulnerable to constituent pressures. What all three factors have in common is that they accentuate the importance of choosing the right decisionmaker. The high impact means that much is at stake, and the last two features mean that the results will often turn on who the …

Making Asylum Policy: The 1994 Reforms, David A. Martin

Washington Law Review

The asylum reforms adopted in 1994 provide an intriguing glimpse into the making of immigration policy in the media spotlight—an intermittent spotlight, in this policy domain, with a short attention span. My primary aim here is to capture the history of those reforms, as it appeared to an outsider who was invited to play an insider's role as a nearly full-time consultant to the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) during certain crucial months in summer and fall 1993. The account should also help clarify certain central features of the reforms and offer some insight into key decisions in their shaping. …

Judicial Review Of "Pattern And Practice" Cases: What To Do When The Ins Acts Unlawfully, Robert Pauw

Washington Law Review

Many such pattern and practice cases have been filed :in the past, and we can expect that such cases will continue to arise in the future. At this point, it is unsettled whether and under what circumstances district courts have jurisdiction to hear pattern and practice cases. In this article, I consider the case law that has developed in the context of the legalization program. In part I, I describe the legalization program established by Congress and explain the unlawful manner in which the program was implemented by the Immigration Service, adversely affecting hundreds of thousands of applicants. In part …