Owing to the catastrophic spread of the coronavirus, a federal judge last spring ordered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release detainees with certain medical conditions. Eighteen detainees were released but continued to appear for their immigration court hearings from outside detention facilities. Attorneys of released immigrants now fear their medically vulnerable clients may be re-arrested and sent to Pennsylvania jails to continue their detention. Lag READ MORE READ MORE

On May 10, 2021, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the revival of the Obama-era program International Entrepreneur Rule (IER). In 2018, the Trump administration proposed to eliminate the IER rule, which allows certain foreign-born entrepreneurs to stay in the U.S. for up to five years. The DHS estimates that once the program is implemented, about 3,000 foreign entrepreneurs per year would qualify. This would result READ MORE READ MORE

State Bill Would End ICE Contracts in New Jersey The Law and Public Safety Committee of the New Jersey State Senate has advanced a bill that would bar local governments and private prisons from entering into any contracts to house or detain people for civil immigration violations. The New Jersey bill would also prohibit the renewal of any existing contracts, including between both Hudson and Bergen county READ MORE READ MORE

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has formally removed the rule that would have redefined the H-1B specialty occupations. The rule was also set to restrict the off-site replacement of H-1B employees and increase employer compliance requirements. On May 20, 2021, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), issued a statement confirming that the DHS has removed the Interim Final Rule issued in October 2020, READ MORE READ MORE

On April 30, 2021, a new COVID-related travel ban was implemented by the Biden administration. The ban suspended entry into the United States of nonimmigrants who were physically present in India during the preceding 14 days. The administration instituted this ban to curtail the spread of a new coronavirus variant that has caused catastrophic devastation in India. Currently, the U.S. has issued travel bans for 32 other READ MORE READ MORE