Legalization

Immigration Law and Disorder

Published on Mon, May 03, 2010

It's not every day in Arizona that the police are so eager not to do their job. Yet the state's latest anti-immigrant crack down has evoked protests from cops across the state, who fear that a new measure to criminalize undocumented immigrants will only make it harder to deal with local crime.

Broad opposition to the law, SB 1070, has produced some of the immigration debate's strangest bedfellows: civil rights advocates have aligned with police chiefs to warn of the consequences of entangling local police in federal immigration policy. And law enforcement officials nationwide have warned that the growing trend of localizing immigration enforcement undermines years of progress in establishing “community policing” techniques that are believed effective in preventing crime.

Published in the Colorline Magazine

Arizona's Law Is Most Extreme Anti-Immigration Measure—For Now

Published on Thu, May 06, 2010

Arizona’s law is—to date—the most extreme and has gone the furthest, but many states and localities have been introducing and passing immigration-related bills for several years, says Michele Waslin, a senior policy analyst at the Immigration Policy Center.

“There is a lot of frustration around the country because Congress, the federal government, has not acted on immigration reform. Everyone knows there is a problem, and it isn’t getting any better,” she says.

Published in the Campus Progress

Immigrants Impact on Idaho Economy

Published on Thu, Jul 29, 2010

BOISE, Idaho -- A new study shows how immigrants, both legal and illegal, effect Idaho's economy.

Numbers from the Immigration Policy Center show immigrants made up 7.2 percent of Idaho's workforce in 2008. Of that, 3.1 percent were illegal immigrants.

The study also says that if all undocumented immigrants were removed from the state, Idaho would lose nearly $430 million in economic activity. "These immigrants are an integral part of our economy, they're an integral part of our communities and if they were to leave, there would be huge economic repercussions. So if the Federal Government acts, people will be able to come out of the shadows and legalize and pay their fair share on the economy," said Tyler Moran of the National Immigration Law Center.

The study also showed the purchasing power of immigrants in Idaho. Latinos purchasing power totaled 2.5 billion dollars. That a more than 500 percent increase from 1990.

WATCH:

Published in the Fox News

SB 1070: New Study Released Showing Economic Impact of Latinos Leaving AZ

Published on Thu, Jul 29, 2010

For more than a year, senior researcher Dr. Walter Ewing and research associate Seth Hoy analyzed and compiled data on every state in the US to track the powerful impact immigrants have on this country. The result: A recent study released by the Immigration Policy Center that highlights both the political and economic power that immigrants—specifically Latinos and Asians—have on the United States. With Arizona's controversial SB 1070 scheduled to go into effect today (although a ruling yesterday by US District Judge Susan Bolton blocks some aspects of the law), politicians, business owners and the like should take note.

Published in the Latina

§ 212(h) Eligibility: Case Law and Potential Arguments

This Practice Advisory addresses statutory requirements for § 212(h) waivers; availability of § 212(h) waivers in removal proceedings for both LPRs and non-LPRs; and situations when a “stand-alone” § 212(h) waiver can, or arguably might, be filed. The advisory also discusses the regulation imposing a heightened hardship standard in cases involving violent or dangerous crimes.

Published On: Tuesday, February 19, 2008 | Download File

Why We Should Applaud ICE's Immigration Initiative

Published on Mon, Aug 30, 2010

As Mary Giovagnoli writes on the Immigration Policy Institute's Immigration Impact blog, 17,000 out of the close to 400,000 people deported in 2009, is not exactly a significant number. Still, I want to argue that these types of small tweaks to the immigration system are crucial to obtaining larger reforms down the road.

Published in the The Huffington Post

Return to the United States After Prevailing on a Petition for Review or Motion to Reopen

This practice advisory contains practical and legal suggestions for individuals seeking to return to the United States after they have prevailed on a petition for review or an administrative motion to reopen or reconsider to the immigration court or Board of Immigration Appeals.

Published On: Friday, December 21, 2012 | Download File

Heritage Boxes

Creating Heritage Boxes will allow students to obtain a cross-curricular knowledge using relevant literature and information obtained through family member interviews. Students will understand the value of becoming familiar with their heritage and culture through the research of an ancestor. (NOTE: This is a project-based learning activity that requires several months and the support of families and the school community to implement. The interconnected activities will foster an overall understanding and appreciation for the diversity in your school and our nation.)

View File

Report: Immigrants and Their Children Becoming More Influential in Elections

Published on Thu, Oct 14, 2010

Immigration Policy Center released a study today contending that “new Americans,” defined as recent naturalized citizens and U.S.-born children of immigrants from Latin America and Asia since 1965, are becoming increasingly powerful in elections as their numbers grow. In 2008, these groups made up about 10 percent of the voting population, a number that grew by more than 100 percent since 1996, according to the report.

Published in the The Washington Independent

INA § 242(a)(2)(D) not a bar to district court jurisdiction

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Federal District Court Jurisdiction over Legal and Constitutional Questions

The Legal Action Center (LAC) is urging a narrow and strict interpretation of the statutory bars to review of discretionary issues in cases where discretionary relief may have been sought, but the cases themselves present legal or constitutional issues. This situation arises when a person seeks district court review of USCIS’s denial of an application for adjustment of status on non-discretionary grounds. This issue has become increasingly important as more noncitizens challenge USCIS denials of applications in district court. It is an issue that remains unresolved in the majority of circuits. We argue that: (1) the bar in INA § 242(a)(2)(B)(i) is inapplicable to a court’s review of non-discretionary statutory eligibility for benefits; and (2) that INA § 242(a)(2)(D) expands the court of appeals’ jurisdiction and in no way limits district court jurisdiction over legal and constitutional questions.

The LAC presented these arguments to the court of appeals in an amicus curiae brief in support of rehearing and rehearing en banc in Lee v. USCIS, 592 F.3d 612 (4th Cir. 2010). We also received a decision in another case in which we had filed an amicus curiae brief. Although the Third Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the district court’s finding that the plaintiff was seeking review of a discretionary determination that is barred under INA § 242(a)(2)(B), the court agreed with the LAC that the district court would retain jurisdiction over nondiscretionary issues and that it had wrongly interpreted INA § 242(a)(2)(D) as restricting the court’s jurisdiction over legal and constitutional questions.

LAC amicus briefs on 242(a)(2)(D):Read more...