Law Commons^™

Tortured Language: Lawful Permanent Residents And The 212(H) Waiver, Julianne Lee

Fordham Law Review

Recent amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act have greatly expanded the grounds for removal of lawful permanent residents (LPRs) and, at the same time, constricted judicial review of agency decisions to deport immigrants. Language added to the 212(h) waiver of inadmissibility has increased the number of LPRs that are now ineligible for relief from removal by barring certain LPRs from applying for a waiver if, since the date of their admission, they have committed an aggravated felony or have failed to accrue seven years of continuous presence. The controversy discussed in this Note stems from differing interpretations of this …

Bridging Bisexual Erasure In Lgbt-Rights Discourse And Litigation, Nancy C. Marcus

Michigan Journal of Gender & Law

LGBT rights are at the forefront of current legal news, with “gay marriage” and other “gay” issues visible beyond dispute in social and legal discourse in the 21st Century. Less visible are the bisexuals who are supposedly encompassed by the umbrella phrase “LGBT” and by LGBT-rights litigation, but who are often left out of LGBTrights discourse entirely. This Article examines the problem of bisexual invisibility and erasure within LGBT-rights litigation and legal discourse. The Article surveys the bisexual erasure legal discourse to date, and examines the causes of bisexual erasure and its harmful consequences for bisexuals, the broader LGBT community, …

Enforcing Immigration Equity, Jason A. Cade

Fordham Law Review

Congressional amendments to the immigration code in the 1990s significantly broadened grounds for removal while nearly eradicating opportunities for discretionary relief. The result has been a radical transformation of immigration law. In particular, the constriction of equitable discretion as an adjudicative tool has vested a new and critical responsibility in enforcement officials to implement rigid immigration rules in a normatively defensible way, primarily through the use of prosecutorial discretion. This Article contextualizes recent executive enforcement actions within this scheme and argues that the Obama Administration’s targeted use of limited enforcement resources and implementation of initiatives such as Deferred Action for …

Fragmenting The Community: Immigration Enforcement And The Unintended Consequences Of Local Police Non-Cooperation Policies, Natashia Tidwell

St. John's Law Review

(Excerpt)

Part I traces the historical roots of the relationship between local police and federal immigration authorities, beginning with the changes in enforcement strategy precipitated by the September 11, 2001 attacks and leading up to the launch of S-Comm. The federal government's increased reliance on local police to supplement its internal enforcement efforts has raised several Tenth Amendment concerns as the states struggle to define the proper scope of their "inherent authority" to act in immigration matters, with officials in some so-called sanctuary cities insisting that their inherent authority to enforce federal immigration law is commensurate with the sovereign right …

Submerging Islands: Tuvalu And Kiribati As Case Studies Illustrating The Need For A Climate Refugee Treaty, Rana Balesh

Environmental and Earth Law Journal (EELJ)

Climate change will significantly impact vulnerable populations. Included in those populations are island indigenous peoples. Small island developing states are particularly vulnerable to the rise in seal level. Loss of territory due to rising sea levels is not the only problem however, infrastructure and food supplies are also at risk. As such, this article addresses the need for a comprehensive climate change refugee treaty using Tuvalu and Kiribati's circumstances to illustrate the situation.

Plenary Power Is Dead! Long Live Plenary Power, Michael Kagan

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

For decades, scholars of immigration law have anticipated the demise of the plenary power doctrine. The Supreme Court could have accomplished this in its recent decision in Kerry v. Din, or it could have reaffirmed plenary power. Instead, the Court produced a splintered decision that did neither. This Essay examines the long process of attrition that has significantly gutted the traditional plenary power doctrine with regard to procedural due process, while leaving it largely intact with regard to substantive constitutional rights.

Where To, Mr. Warbucks?: A Comparative Analysis Of The Us And Uk Investor Visa Programs, Stephanie Torkian

Fordham International Law Journal

Part I discusses the background of the US and UK investor visas by considering the intentions, legislative histories, and relevant immigration schemes of each country’s program. Part II outlines and describes the requirements of each investor visa category and also touches on the alternatives offered under each program. Part III compares the US and UK investor visa programs, evaluates the issues associated with the US investor visa, and considers the benefits accompanying the UK investor visa. Eventually, this Comment concludes that the United Kingdom’s simple and straightforward process is preferred to the United States’ complicated and uncertain method.

Charles Demore V. Hyung Joon Kim: Antoher Step Away From Full Due Process Protections, Brian Smith

Akron Law Review

Part II of this note traces the development of substantive due process protections for aliens, including general due process jurisprudence, the statutory authority for detaining criminal aliens, significant Supreme Court decisions, and approaches taken by the circuit courts. Part III examines the Supreme Court’s decision in Hyung Joon Kim. Part IV evaluates the due process analysis used by the Court and addresses the implications of this decision. Part V of this note concludes that the Court’s strained departure from strict scrutiny and its failure to provide an adequate explanation of the departure will have implications for aliens, citizens, and future …

Remote Adjudication In Immigration, Ingrid V. Eagly

Northwestern University Law Review

This Article reports the findings of the first empirical study of the use of televideo technology to remotely adjudicate the immigration cases of litigants held in detention centers in the United States. Comparing the outcomes of televideo and in-person cases in federal immigration courts, it reveals an outcome paradox: detained televideo litigants were more likely than detained in-person litigants to be deported, but judges did not deny respondents’ claims in televideo cases at higher rates. Instead, these inferior results were associated with the fact that detained litigants assigned to televideo courtrooms exhibited depressed engagement with the adversarial process—they were less …

The Political Discourse Of Amnesty In Immigration Policy, Bryn Siegel

Akron Law Review

This Article attempts to inform the reader on how politics surrounding the term itself has distracted lawmakers, and caused an ineffective backlash against all legalization measures. The deadlock which has prevented George W. Bush’s administration from making any significant changes to the INA can be largely attributed to this fundamental concern over amnesty...In an effort to resolve the dilemma of how to address the undocumented immigrant problem, this Article proposes two changes to the INA. First, Congress should reenact Section 245(i). This code section provides an opportunity for undocumented immigrants to legalize their status. Section 245(i) applies only to a …

Splitting The Baby: Immigration, Family Law, And The Problem Of The Single Deportable Parent, Timothy E. Yahner

Akron Law Review

The purpose of this article is not to suggest that the Fifth Circuit was wrong in upholding the dismissal of Monica’s case. Indeed, the court was faced with a dilemma that would give King Solomon pause: what to do when two parents claim one child. This article’s purpose is to show that a regulatory solution is preferable to forcing the courts to make impossible choices between parents. Part II discusses the factual and procedural history of Castro. Part III details the policies and rules of law of immigration and custody at play in the case. Part IV explains why the …

The Inquisitorial Advantage In Removal Proceedings, Won Kidane

Akron Law Review

A thoughtful student once asked an immigration judge during an informal exchange: “If the respondent in your court who has just been found deportable appears to qualify for cancellation of removal but has failed to fill out the form properly, what would you do?” The judge responded matter-of-factly, “I am not his attorney. If the application is not completed properly, I don’t have an application to consider.” It goes without saying that the judge would then order the respondent deported for not submitting a properly completed application for relief. The judge’s response might have seemed harsh or even insensitive to …

Leave The Door Open: Mental Incompetency And The Case For A Clear Standard Of Equitable Tolling In Immigration Cases, Claire M. Wheeler

University of Miami Race & Social Justice Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Presumption Of Disclosure: Towards Greater Transparency In Asylum Proceedings, Rose Linton

Seattle University Law Review

Every day, Asylum Officers (AOs) and Immigration Judges (IJs) hear cases to determine if the asylum seeker has a genuine claim to protection under the Refugee Act, which prohibits returning a refugee to a country where her life or freedom is threatened due to race, religion, political opinion, nationality, or membership in a particular social group. AOs and IJs are aware that their decision may mean life or death for an asylum seeker. They are also aware that false claims are “distressingly common,” that unscrupulous attorneys and unauthorized practitioners of immigration law have perpetrated fraudulent asylum schemes, and that granting …

Coping With A New "Yellow Peril": Japanese Immigration, The Gentleman's Agreement, And The Coming Of World War Ii, Paul Finkelman

West Virginia Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Struggle To Rise Above The Shadows Before Sunset: A Critical Discussion On The Need To Lift The Expiration And Renewal Requirements Of Daca And Dapa, Anna Oguntimein

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

Reasoning that judicial economy is best served when a law enforcement agency determines how to expend its limited enforcemen tresources, the Supreme Court has held that the decision to exercise prosecutorial discretion is presumptively unreviewable.1 In the realm of immigration law, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the recently announced Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) promote the goal of judicial economy by imposing a freeze on the deportation of eligible noncitizens who either entered the United States as children or who have a child who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident …

Remedies For Detainees: The Impact Of The Ninth Circuit's Decision On Medical Negligence Cases, Arzoo Rajani

University of Massachusetts Law Review

This comment examines the impact of the Ninth Circuit‘s holding in medical neglect cases and whether the Second Circuit made an error. To examine this issue, it must first be understood what the factual and legal background is concerning each case, the detainee‘s medical rights and the types of actions they can bring against government employees. After examining the law, the Second Circuit‘s holding is then compared with the Ninth Circuit‘s holding. Finally, this comment argues why the Supreme Court should affirm the Ninth Circuit‘s holding.

The Efficacy Of Indefinite Detention: Assessment Of Immigration Case Law In Kiyemba V. Obama, Hansdeep Singh

University of Massachusetts Law Review

This note discusses the potential indefinite detention, also called preventative detention, of the Uighur detainees. Until early 2010, the U.S. Government had been unable to resettle seventeen Uighurs for over 5 years. In 2009, the Supreme Court, granted certiorari on the issue of whether federal courts have the authority to ―order the release of prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay 'where the Executive detention is indefinite and without authorization in law, and release into the continental United States is the only possible effective remedy.‘ However, on March 1, 2010, the Supreme Court vacated and remanded the case to the United States …

Immigration As Business Strategy: Simplifying American Immigration Law In A Global Economy, Peter Choi

University of Massachusetts Law Review

Despite immigration law’s notorious complexity, public debate on immigration reform has historically ignored basic questions of why and how the current laws should be simplified. Instead, discussion has often focused on substantive proposals—most commonly regarding legalization and border enforcement—without reference to the impact of these proposals on the legal immigration structure. This article emphasizes that any durable immigration reform must take steps to free the immigration system from the intricacies that define it today. The article begins by overviewing the basic features of the modern global economy, their implications for immigration law, and why these implications compel an immigration system …

Involuntary Return And The “Found In” Clause Of 8 U.S.C. § 1326(A): An Immigration Conundrum, Matthew J. Geyer

Fordham Law Review

Illegal reentry into the United States by previously removed aliens is a major problem that has risen steadily in recent years. 8 U.S.C. § 1326(a) punishes such aliens. Specifically, § 1326(a) provides for criminal fines or imprisonment (or both) of any previously removed alien who enters, attempts to enter, or is “found in” the United States at any time after his or her initial removal.

What does it mean to be “found in” the United States in violation of § 1326(a)? The easy case is when a previously removed alien surreptitiously reenters the United States illegally, remains in the United …

Removing The Distraction Of Delay, Jill E. Family

Catholic University Law Review

Immigration adjudication is in an awkward position. There is an intricate system to adjudicate immigration removal (deportation) cases, but that system is hindered by restrictions, and the constant threat of further restrictions, that reflect distaste for providing process to foreign nationals facing removal. There is a push and pull phenomenon, with immigration adjudication stretched uncomfortably in between two forces. On the one side, there is a push to apply common notions of due process to immigration removal cases, to push that the same concepts of procedural justice should apply in immigration cases as they would in any other context. On …

Student Comment: Exchange Cooperation For Visas: Flaws In U.S. Immigration System Criminalizes Trafficking Victims, Laurie Culkin

University of Baltimore Journal of International Law

This student comment explores the Palermo Protocol to the United Nation’s Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, and the United State’s response, the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act (TVPA). Under the TVPA, the U.S. made a temporary, nonimmigrant visa, the T-Visa, available to trafficking victims illegally located in the U.S., provided that the victim cooperates with law enforcement to prosecute their trafficker. Though at first blush the TVisa seems like a valuable resource to victims who would otherwise find no immigration relief for violations of criminal and immigration law as a result of their victimization, but in practice the flawed process to …

Executive Action On Immigration: Constitutional Or Direct Conflict?, Todd Curtin

Florida A & M University Law Review

On November 20, 2014, the White House released a press statement notifying viewers that President Obama would do everything within his executive powers to solve the problems surrounding the immigration system. The White House made it clear that the President would be acting with legal authority in taking these steps. This paper addresses whether or not the Obama Administration did, in fact, act with legal authority by initiating the following steps using his executive authority: “cracking down on illegal immigration at the border; deporting felons, not families; and accountability through criminal background checks and taxes.” President Obama, acting through Secretary …

"Following-To-Join" The Fifth And Ninth Circuits: Why The Supreme Court In Scialabba V. Cuellar De Osorio Erred In Interpreting The Child Status Protection Act, Justin Youngs

Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review

No abstract provided.

A Survey Of Florida Baseball Cases, Louis H. Schiff, Robert M. Jarvis

Nova Law Review

Florida has long been a hotbed of baseball activity.1 Today, the state

is home to two Major League Baseball (“MLB”) teams, fourteen minor

league teams, fifteen spring training sites, both of the schools that train future

big league umpires, and numerous amateur and youth teams

Invisible: My Experiences With The Undocumented And Abused, Anna Paden Carson

VA Engage Journal

As a legal advocate at Tapestri, Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia this summer, I saw many of my immigrant and refugee clients consumed by fear, desperation, and insecurity, and I quickly realized that many of the women I helped only contacted Tapestri because they truly had nowhere else to turn. They were victims of domestic violence and usually living in America undocumented, making the seriousness of their situations that much more intense and pressing. These women were trapped and alone, and Tapestri’s role was to help them in any way we could.

This article explores what I learned throughout my eight-week …

Why Immigration’S Plenary Power Doctrine Endures, David A. Martin

Oklahoma Law Review

The plenary power doctrine, traditionally traced to the Supreme Court’s decision in Chae Chan Ping, has persisted despite a steady and vigorous stream of scholarly criticism. This essay undertakes to explain why. First, the Court’s strong deference to the political branches does not derive from the concept of sovereignty. Justice Field’s opinion for the Court invoked sovereignty not to trump rights claims but to solve a federalism problem — structural reasoning that locates the immigration control power squarely in the federal government, though not explicitly enumerated in the Constitution. The Chae Chan Ping Court’s deference to the political branches instead …

Immigration In The Supreme Court, 2009-13: A New Era Of Immigration Law Unexceptionalism, Kevin R. Johnson

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Elusive Equality: Reflections On Justice Field’S Opinions In Chae Chan Ping And Fong Yue Ting, Victor C. Romero

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.

Chae Chan Ping At 125: An Introduction, Kit Johnson

Oklahoma Law Review

No abstract provided.