Immigration officials announced last year that they would review the huge backlog of cases in immigration court, at least in part, to reduce the backlog. That announcement was in relation to the policy of prosecutorial discretion, an issue previously covered here. Now government officials have adopted a series of ideas that aim to streamline the federal immigration court process.
Supreme Court hands down its ruling on Arizona's state immigration law
The United States Supreme Court handed down its long-awaited ruling on state immigration laws. People all across the country have been waiting for the ruling, including people in Florida. The Florida legislature considered several similar measures, especially last year. However, Florida lawmakers have not passed any similar measures. The high court upheld a portion of Arizona's state immigration law, while finding other parts unconstitutional under the doctrine of preemption.
Senate bill to make EB-5, E-Verify, other immigration programs permanent
Four United States immigration programs are scheduled to automatically end September 30 if Congress does not act. The four programs include the EB-5 investor visa program, the E-Verify program, Special Immigrant Nonminister Religious Worker Program and a specialty visa waiver program for doctors, known as the Conrad State 30 J-1 Visa Waiver Program.
Pew Research says number of new immigrants from Asia exceeds Hispanic immigration
A report released Tuesday says that new immigration from Asian countries now outnumber the immigration of Hispanics. The Pew Research Center also says that recent Asian immigrants are three times more likely than any other foreign nationals to get permanent resident status through employment based visa processes rather than family sponsorship in immigration law.
White House to announce policy to halt deportation for certain young immigrants
The White House reportedly is making an immigration policy change that will give many young undocumented immigrants essentially some of the benefits of the DREAM Act without waiting for the measure to make it through Congress.
Immigration reviews under fire from groups seeking immigration reform
The federal government recently announced that the review process in the roughly 300,000 backlogged deportation cases has resulted in fewer than 2 percent of deportation cases being closed under the review for whether or not the cases are appropriate for prosecutorial discretion. The government asserts that thousands more cases will be closed under the review process.
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill consider Startup Act 2.0
While relatively few proposals that make their way into Congress seem to be associated with the term "bipartisan" in recent years, an immigration law reform measure has been introduced in both houses of Congress that reportedly has support from both sides of the aisle.
Florida Rep introduces DREAM Act alternative in U.S. House
A Representative from Southern Florida has introduced an alternative to the DREAM Act in the U.S. House. Representative David Rivera introduced the "Studying Towards Adjusted Residency Status Act" In the U.S. House last Wednesday. Many people in South Florida know that the DREAM Act generally proposes to create a pathway to citizenship for young immigrants who intend to pursue an education in the U.S. or serve in the military.
