On August 18, 2021, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”), keeping in line with their goal of a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system, published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”), amending the processing of protection claims. The proposed rule would allow individuals who receive a positive credible fear determination to be further interviewed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) asylum READ MORE READ MORE

Democrats Announce Path to Citizenship for Certain Immigrant Children  This week, a bi-partisan group in the United States Senate introduced a bill that would allow children who had entered with their parents on short-term visas to apply for permanent residence, and ultimately citizenship. Currently, many adult immigrants on temporary work visas are unable to obtain permanent residency or otherwise face long delays, forcing their dependent children, who READ MORE READ MORE

On June 23, 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) launched the H-2B data hub, which provides information to the public on employers or agents petitioning for H-2B workers. A press release noted that this is an effort to increase transparency in employment-based visa programs. H-2B Data Hub The data hub will allow the public to search for H-2B petitioners by cap fiscal year since 2015. READ MORE READ MORE

Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship, and Rep. John Curtis (R-Utah) have introduced the Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment (“EAGLE”) Act. Its reforms focus on employment-based green cards, the H-1B visa program, and family-sponsored visas. The EAGLE Act The proposed bill makes it harder for fraud to occur. The bill requires all H-1B job postings to be READ MORE READ MORE

Landlord Sues New Jersey ICE Detention Facility Portview Properties, which owns a property in Elizabeth, New Jersey, that is currently being used to detain immigrants, has filed a lawsuit in New Jersey state court against CoreCivic, the operator of the prison, alleging that the company has failed to implement safety guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) on COVID-19, posing a threat to the READ MORE READ MORE