Immigration Law Commons^™

New York’S Law Allowing Trafficked Persons To Bring Motions To Vacate Prostitution Convictions: Bridging The Gap Or Just Covering It Up?, Whitney J. Drasin

Touro Law Review

No abstract provided.

Immigration Relief For Victims Of Abuse And Domestic Violence, Penn State Law Immigrants' Rights Clinic, Centre County Women's Resource Center

Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic Publications

Advocates and attorneys who work with victims of domestic violence need to understand the dynamics of power and control and how they affect the safety of their clients. This understanding is especially important in working with non-citizen victims who often face additional hurdles compared to American citizens. The Center for Immigrants' Rights has published "Immigration Relief for Victims of Abuse and Domestic Violence," a toolkit to help practitioners in representing immigrant victims of domestic abuse.

Leveling The Playing Field: Reforming The H-2b Program To Protect Guestworkers And U.S. Workers, Penn State Law Immigrants' Rights Clinic, National Guestworker Alliance

Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic Publications

This report highlights cases of exploitation from Texas to Tennessee, and calls for four indispensible reforms that would end employer abuse and protect both guest workers and U.S. workers: (1) Guaranteeing guest workers the right to organize without fear of retaliation; (2) Prohibiting employers from using guest workers as cheap, exploitable alternatives to U.S. workers; (3) Eliminating debt servitude and other elements of human trafficking in the program; and (4) Subjecting employers to meaningful government enforcement and community oversight.

An Analysis Of The United States Employment Immigration System In Attracting And Retaining Skilled Workers And The Effects Of Its Dichotomous Objectives—Competitiveness Versus Protectionism: A Case For Reform?, Vignaswari Saminathan

Pace Law Review

The aim of this Article is to analyze the dichotomous objectives of U.S. immigration policy and to determine what recourse exists to improve the competitiveness of the U.S. immigration system and to ensure adequate protection for U.S. workers. Given that the H-1B visa, the temporary nonimmigrant visa category, has become a very important stepping stone to legal permanent residency, this Article will examine the developments and impact of the dichotomous measures within the context of the H-1B as well as the second employment-based preference category (EB-2) and the third employment-based preference category (EB-3). As such, Part II of this Article …

The Nseers Effect: A Decade Of Racial Profiling, Fear, And Secrecy, Penn State Law Immigrants' Rights Clinic, Rights Working Group

Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic Publications

n the wake of the tragic attacks of September 11, 2011, the landscape of immigration law and policy in the United States changed dramatically as the government scrambled to create counterterrorism programs to respond to potential national security threats. One program is the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) or "special registration" that was initiated by the Department of Justice in 2002 and inherited by the Department of Homeland Security in 2003. NSEERS served as a tool that allowed the government to systematically target Arabs, Middle Easterners, Muslims, and South Asians from designated countries for advanced scrutiny. ...The purpose of …

Finding A Country To Call Home: A Framework For Evaluating Legislation To Reduce Statelessness In Southeast Asia, Alec Paxton

Washington International Law Journal

Statelessness is a problem that affects 12 million people worldwide, with severe social, economic, and political consequences. This problem is particularly acute in Southeast Asia. Over the last sixty years, Southeast Asian states have attempted to reduce existing stateless populations through nationalization. These attempts have been met with varying degrees of success. The United Nations High Commission on Refugees and other non-governmental organizations have recently started to evaluate the outcome of these legislative attempts to reduce statelessness. These ad hoc evaluations provide valuable lessons for those who are drafting legislation to reduce existing stateless populations as well as legal scholars …

Importing The Flawless Girl, Kit Johnson

Nevada Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Behind Closed Doors: An Overview Of Dhs Restrictions On Access To Counsel, Penn State Law Immigrants' Rights Clinic, American Immigration Council

Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic Publications

The Center collaborated with LAC to produce a white paper addressing the law, policy and practice surrounding right to counsel in non-removal contexts before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). To reach this end, students at the Center reviewed an internal legal memorandum prepared by the American Immigration Lawyers Association and LAC; a detailed memo prepared by the Center analyzing individual attorney experiences with restrictions on access before DHS; and conduct additional research pertaining to access to counsel. The white paper articulates the legal and policy standards governing an individual’s right to counsel in various non-removal settings in order to …

Aliens In A Foreign Field: Examining Whether States Have The Authority To Pass Legislation In The Field Of Immigration Law, Jonathan Futrell

Mercer Law Review

There is no question that immigration regulation is primarily a national issue. The federal government regulates when people can come into the country, how long they can stay, and what they can do while they are here. The United States Supreme Court has continually reaffirmed Congress's plenary power to create and regulate immigration laws. Any comprehensive immigration reform law must come from Congress. The recent laws passed by Arizona, Georgia, and Alabama cannot be classified as immigration reform laws. Instead, these are immigration "related" laws. The question then becomes just how far can the states go in passing laws that …

Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, And Migration: A Complex Nexus, Mostafa Mahmud Naser

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

The individual or combined effects of climate change are likely to trigger mass human movement both within and across international borders. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (“UNHCR”) predicts that between 50 and 200 million people may be displaced by 2050. Thus, the human impact on the environment is creating a new kind of global casualty for the twenty-first century—an emergent class of environmental migrants. The exact number of individuals cannot be predicted as scholars and international agencies provide varying statistics depending on underlying methods, scenarios, time frames, and assumptions. Many authors challenge the concept of climate change as …

Human Trafficking Post 9/11 Policy And Practice Beyond Cutting The Tail Off The Snake, Alexandra Caitlin Rice

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The U.S. Department of State estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders each year, approximately 14,500 to 17,500 of which are trafficked into the United States. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (VTVPA) was created to combat human trafficking in the country, and as a result created the T-visa to provide immigration relief to non-citizen victims of trafficking. In this work I analyze U.S. government efforts to combat trafficking in the twelve years following implementation of the VTVPA. I expand my analysis beyond T-visa distribution data to incorporate interviews with high-level government …

“Strong Words, Gentle Deeds”: Evaluating The Effectiveness Of The Maryland Immigration Consultant Act Five Years On, Cori Alonso-Marsden

Legislation and Policy Brief

On February 7, 2005, legislators introduced in the Maryland General Assembly a bill entitled “Consumer Protection – Immigration Consulting Services.” Designated as House Bill 691, the legislation sought to protect Maryland consumers through a series of civil and criminal provisions targeting consultants for unauthorized immigration legal practice. Primarily, House Bill 691 limited the types of services an immigration consultant could offer and the claims she could make regarding those services. In addition, the law required that the consultant provide the client with a posted disclaimer regarding the scope of the service, and a written contract prior to the provision of …

The Fate Of "Unremovable" Aliens Before And After September 11, 2001: The Supreme Court's Presumptive Six-Month Limit To Post-Removal-Period Detention, Megan Peitzke

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Umass Boston – Brazilian Immigrant Center Partnership, Tim Sieber, C. Eduardo Siqueira, Natalicia Tracy, Gaston Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

The Brazilian Immigrant Center (BIC) does organizing, advocacy and training to reduce marginalization of Brazilian immigrants, promoting their engagement as workers & civic participants. A worker’s center, BIC supports and defends workers’ rights under current state & US labor laws. BIC helps workers mediate complaints with employers, and refers others for class action suits, or intervention by the Mass. Attorney General or US Dept. of Labor. A special focus at present is organizing mostly women domestic workers, and BIC has a new Law and Policy Clinic, a Domestic Worker Mediation Program, and an Immigration Justice Project staffed by two full-time …

Undocumented Debtors, Chrystin Ondersma

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Undocumented immigrants in financial distress are barred from seeking many forms of assistance. Bankruptcy is one tool that is, in theory, available to undocumented debtors because legal status is not a prerequisite to bankruptcy relief. This Article explores undocumented debtors' interactions with the bankruptcy system. Undocumented debtors face both formal and informal barriers to bankruptcy filing, including fear of deportation, misinformation, and the legal requirement that the debtor produce financial records. It is both possible and desirable to ease many of these barriers. Bankruptcy relief facilitates the rehabilitation of debtors in financial distress, contributes to the economic well-being of the …

The Right U.S. Immigration Enforcement Solution: "Make Haste Slowly", Michael J. Larson

University of Miami Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Politics Of H-1b Visa Limits, Fang Fang

Political Science Theses and Capstones

In recent years, the number of H-1B Visa (Temporary Work Visa) issued has increased tremendously. Various lobbying groups are devoted to persuading Congress to revise immigration laws and to increase the work visa issuance cap. The purpose of my study is to find out the how the H-1B Visa policy is effected by analyzing the lobbying expenditures of different economic sectors. Although there are abundant studies on the factors that affect immigration policies, there are few studies that concentrate specifically on the H-1B Visa. I combined campaign finance data and annual work visa data to assess the relationship between lobbying …

Discretionary (In)Justice: The Exercise Of Discretion In Claims For Asylum, Kate Aschenbrenner

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Section 208(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act provides that asylum may be granted to an applicant who meets the definition of a refugee-that is, someone who has been persecuted or has a well-founded fear of future persecution in her own country on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Asylum is a discretionary form of relief which means that the United States government is not required to grant asylum to every refugee within the United States but instead may decide whether or not to do so. This Article sets out in Part …

S-Comm: Shattering Communities, Hannah Weinstein

Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal

The note argues that the Secure Communities program, initiated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in 2008, operates unlawfully under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and raises significant constitutional concerns. By bypassing notice-and-comment requirements and failing to address public concerns, the program has led to racial profiling, pretextual arrests, and widespread detention of noncriminal individuals, undermining its stated goals and eroding community trust in law enforcement. The analysis calls for immediate cessation of the program and congressional funding due to its legal violations and harmful consequences.

Kenney Confuses On Permanent Residence Loss, Sean Rehaag, Audrey Macklin, Lorne Waldman

Editorials and Commentaries

No abstract provided.

We Don't Need To See Them Cry: Eliminating The Subjective Apprehension Element Of The Well-Founded Fear Analysis For Child Refugee Applicants, Bridgette A. Carr

Pepperdine Law Review

This article addresses a barrier to effective protection faced by child refugee applicants. Currently all refugee applicants, including infants, are required to satisfy two elements of well-founded fear. All applicants must prove that they face an objective risk of persecution and that they subjectively fear this risk. But children often cannot exhibit the subject apprehension element of the test. As a result, UNHCR, and the U.S and Canadian governments issued guidelines that encourage decision makers to accept other evidence to prove a child's subjective apprehension when the child is unable to exhibit fear. However, this approach does not go far …

Massachusetts Immigrants By The Numbers, Second Edition: Demographic Characteristics And Economic Footprint, Alan Clayton-Matthews, Paul Watanabe

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

With this update to the original groundbreaking study of Massachusetts Immigrants by the Numbers in 2009, we continue to focus on the economic and social contributions that immigrants have made in building the vibrant Massachusetts economy. It shows that, despite heightened public debate, the demographic characteristics and economic trends of the state’s immigrant population have remained largely unchanged. Immigrants continue to have a positive impact on the Commonwealth.

Sharing Secrets: Examining Deferred Action And Transparency In Immigration Law, Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia

The University of New Hampshire Law Review

[Excerpt] “This Article is about deferred action and transparency in related immigration cases falling under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). While scholars from other genres have written extensively on the topic of prosecutorial discretion, the subject is largely absent from immigration scholarship, with the exception of early research conducted by Leon Wildes in the late 1970s and early 2000s, and a law review article I published in 2010 outlining the origins of prosecutorial discretion in immigration law and related lessons that can be drawn from administrative law and criminal law. That article ends with specific recommendations …

Understanding Immigrant Behavior In Denmark: The Immigrant Enclave And Employment Rate Paradox, Andrew Christensen

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

No abstract provided.

Who's Bringing The Children?: Expanding The Family Exemption For Child Smuggling Offenses, Rebecca M. Abel

Michigan Law Review First Impressions

Under immigration law, an alien smuggling offense takes place when one knowingly encourages, induces, assists, abets, or aids an alien to enter or to try to enter the United States. Committing this offense is cause for either removal or inadmissibility charges under the Immigration and Nationality Act ("INA"). In addition, a federal criminal conviction for alien smuggling under INA section 274(a)(1)(A) or 274(a)(2) classifies the immigrant as an aggravated felon, leading to near certain deportation. Although the INA levies harsh penalties against smugglers, the practice has not showed any signs of slowing. In 2010, the United States Border Patrol apprehended …

Prescribing Disproportionate Punishment: The Federal Sentencing Guidelines For Illegal Reentry, Zoey T. Jones

Cardozo Law Review

No abstract provided.

Chevron Without The Courts? The Supreme Court's Recent Chevron Jurisprudence Through An Immigration Lens, Shruti Rana

Faculty Scholarship

The limits of administrative law are undergoing a seismic shift in the immigration arena. Chevron divides interpretive and decision-making authority between the federal courts and agencies in each of two steps. The Supreme Court may now be transforming this division in largely unrecognized ways. These shifts, currently playing out in the immigration context, may threaten to reshape deference jurisprudence by handing more power to the immigration agency just when the agency may be least able to handle that power effectively.

An unprecedented surge in immigration cases—now approximately 90% of the federal administrative docket—has arrived just as the Court is whittling …

Chamber Of Commerce Of U.S. V. Whiting: The Possibility Of Anti-Discriminatory Immigration Reform In An Era Of Resurgent Federalism, Keelan Diana

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Can Chinese Migrants Bolster The Struggling Economies Of Europe?, Felix B. Chang

Faculty Articles and Other Publications

This article examines new Chinese migration into Europe during a period of economic stagnation - more specifically, the movement of Zhejiangese merchants in Southeast Europe. The Zhejiangese migration pattern is diversifying from a predominantly petty merchant phenomenon to include the sophisticated operations of large-scale investors. It is therefore in the interests of host countries to foster, rather than restrict, this progression toward institutionalization. As such, governments should shape immigration and antidiscrimination policies to harness the potential of these migrants.

The Legal Regulation Of Gay And Lesbian Families As Interstate Immigration Law, Sarah Abramowicz

Law Faculty Research Publications

No abstract provided.