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Immigration
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May 13, 2024
DOL Says Policy Disagreement Not Enough To Nix H-2A Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor rejected a group of farms' criticisms of new H-2A agricultural wages as a mere policy disagreement, telling a North Carolina federal court that the rule was appropriately enacted after taking stock of its potential financial effects.
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May 13, 2024
Texas, Mo. Say Border Contractors Lack Interests To Defend
Texas and Missouri have slammed contractors' attempts to defend the Biden administration's plans to use border wall construction funds to remediate existing barriers, telling a Texas federal court that the group lacks a direct interest in the case's outcome.
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May 13, 2024
Investor Seeks Info On Visa Denied For Money Exchanger Use
A Vietnamese woman challenging U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' denial of her EB-5 petition hauled the agency into a D.C. federal court, accusing it of withholding information that may reveal why her use of a money exchanger doomed her petition.
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May 10, 2024
Immigration Court Backlog Swells To Nearly 3.6M Cases
The number of pending deportation cases in courts across the country has swelled to almost 3.6 million as of the end of April, almost 1.3 million of which are asylum cases, while many immigrants continue to get deported without legal representation, according to a report issued by Syracuse University's Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse on Wednesday.
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May 10, 2024
Cos. Sufficiently Alleged DOL Retaliation Over Atty, Judge Says
The U.S. Department of Labor failed Friday to trim a lawsuit challenging three companies' five-year ban from the H-2B program after a Texas federal judge ruled that the companies sufficiently alleged that the department retaliated against them because of their attorney choice.
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May 10, 2024
Lack Of Specificity Dooms Concrete Co.'s H-2B Worker Bid
A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board backed a department certifying officer's decision not to let a concrete solutions company temporarily hire foreign workers to supplement its staff, saying the company failed to adequately explain why it needed the workers.
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May 10, 2024
Farm Gets 2nd Go At H-2A Extension After Worker's Aneurysm
A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board has revived a farm's request to extend two foreign workers' employment to finish up work that was delayed after a co-worker suffered a brain aneurysm, saying a certifying officer shouldn't have flat-out denied the extension request.
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May 10, 2024
Climate Group Settles DOJ Claims It Shut Out Noncitizens
A Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization focused on climate action agreed to settle claims it discriminated against non-U.S. citizen job seekers including asylees and green-card holders by inviting only U.S. citizens to apply for jobs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
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May 09, 2024
DHS Unveils Rule To Expedite Certain Asylum Rejections
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has unveiled a proposed rule that would allow DHS to more quickly determine whether certain asylum-seekers pose a public or national security risk and, if so, deport them, according to an announcement made Thursday.
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May 09, 2024
Chinese Tycoon In $500M Debt To Investors To Be Released
A Chinese cinema magnate who owes his investors more than $500 million will no longer be detained on immigration and campaign donor fraud charges, a New York federal court ruled Thursday.
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May 09, 2024
DHS Watchdog Flags Holes In Afghan Evacuee Processing
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog has found vulnerabilities in how the agency resolves potential red flags for Afghan evacuees in the U.S., including a lack of defined guidelines for Afghans who want to extend their humanitarian parole.
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May 09, 2024
Iowa Immigration Law Tramples On Feds' Authority, Suits Say
The U.S. Department of Justice and a nonprofit filed separate lawsuits on Thursday challenging Iowa legislation that empowers state officials to arrest and remove noncitizens who were previously deported, arguing the statute usurps federal authority over immigration.
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May 09, 2024
Visa Lottery Winners Urge DC Circ. To Finish 2-Yr-Old Review
Attorneys for thousands of diversity visa winners urged the D.C. Circuit to finish reviewing stayed orders mandating the visas' release, saying many clients are losing hope of coming to the U.S.
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May 09, 2024
Designer, Hotelier Sued For Allegedly Duping EB-5 Investors
Chinese investors in a luxury California hotel for green cards lodged a potential class action Thursday against a prominent interior designer and her hotelier husband for allegedly duping backers into believing Marriott would manage the hotel.
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May 08, 2024
Texas Wants Catholic Org. Barred For 'Systemic Violations'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday urged a state judge in El Paso County to enjoin Catholic nonprofit Annunciation House Inc. from operating in the state, alleging the organization has been engaging in systemic criminal conduct by illegally harboring noncitizens.
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May 08, 2024
Texas Says Asylum Rule Fight Withstands Toss Of La. Suit
Texas is urging a federal judge to preserve its challenge to a Biden administration rule broadening immigration officers' power to expedite asylum applications, saying a recent decision in Louisiana throwing out nearly identical claims has no bearing on its case.
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May 08, 2024
Legal Access Program Being Set Up For Separated Families
The Biden administration has tapped the Acacia Center for Justice to manage a court-ordered legal access program to help migrant families stay in the U.S. after they were separated under a Trump-era policy to prosecute anybody caught entering the country unlawfully.
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May 08, 2024
Fed. Circ. Judge Troubled By Government's Visa Fraud Sting
A Federal Circuit judge on Wednesday said he was troubled by the federal government's argument that it has no liability to foreign students who paid thousands of dollars to attend a fake university the government set up to ensnare visa fraudsters.
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May 08, 2024
GOP Bill Aims To Fund Southwestern States' Border Barriers
States along the southwestern U.S.-Mexican border looking to build physical barriers or update existing ones could receive federal grants to do so under new legislation from a pair of Republican members of the House of Representatives.
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May 08, 2024
Farmworkers Union Says DOL's 2022 Rules Keep Wages Low
A farmworkers union in Washington state is challenging rules the U.S. Department of Labor introduced in 2022 that the union said are depressing farmworkers' wages.
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May 07, 2024
2nd Circ. Weighs Border Wall Fraud Juror's Tie To Prosecution
A Colorado man convicted of scheming to defraud donors to a campaign to build a southern border wall told the Second Circuit on Tuesday that his trial was tainted by a juror's family connection to the prosecution team.
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May 07, 2024
DOJ Says Cross-Border Antitrust Trial Must Stay In Houston
Prosecutors have advised Houston's federal court against transferring a criminal case closer to the border, saying their witnesses fear testifying against defendants charged with using violence to control the cross-border sale of used vehicles and other goods in Central America.
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May 07, 2024
Feds Tell 11th Circ. Justices' Ruling Saves DHS Parole Policies
The Biden administration has urged the Eleventh Circuit to vacate separate decisions from a Florida federal judge striking down two U.S. Department of Homeland Security parole policies, saying U.S. Supreme Court precedent mandates that outcome.
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May 07, 2024
9th Circ. Revives Removal Fight Over Justices' Notice Ruling
A Honduran woman who received a notice to appear in immigration court without a time specified can resume fighting her deportation after the Ninth Circuit leaned on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling requiring all court hearing information to be on a single document.
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May 07, 2024
Fisher Phillips Adds Ex-Lyons HR GC To Employment Group
Employer-side labor and employment law firm Fisher Phillips has brought on the former general counsel and senior vice president of human resources for professional employer organization Lyons HR to its Atlanta office, strengthening its professional employer organization and staffing practice.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform
The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.
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EB-5 Investment Period Clarification Raises More Questions
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' recent clarifying guidance for EB-5 investors, specifying that the statutory investment period begins two years from the date of investment, raises as many questions as it answers given related agency requirements and investors' potential contractual obligations, says Daniel Lundy at Klasko Immigration Law Partners.
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5 Considerations for Year-End Immigration Budget Planning
Courtney Noce and Miriam Thompson at Greenberg Traurig offer insights to help companies with year-end immigration budget planning, a complex process with many factors affecting expenses, from changes in corporate policy or structure, to anticipated fee increases and the uncertainties inherent in visa processing.
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How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing
Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Tips For Student Visa Applicants Mired In Processing Delays
Notwithstanding procedural changes at the U.S. Department of State that provided hope for more timely and predictable visa processing outcomes, international student applications continue to risk becoming bogged down in administrative processing, but certain steps may improve the situation, say Carl Risch and Lauren Epstein at Mayer Brown.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Avoiding The Ethical Pitfalls Of Crowdfunded Legal Fees
The crowdfunding of legal fees has become increasingly common, providing a new way for people to afford legal services, but attorneys who accept crowdsourced funds must remember several key ethical obligations to mitigate their risks, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Julienne Pasichow at HWG.
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What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review
Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.
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Series
Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer
My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.
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How A Gov't Shutdown Would Affect Immigration Processing
While a government shutdown would certainly create issues and cause delays for immigration processing, independently funded functions would continue for at least a limited time, and immigration practitioners can expect agencies to create reasonable exceptions and provide guidance for navigating affected matters once operations resume, say William Stock and Sarah Holler at Klasko Immigration Law Partners.
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Opinion
Smart Immigration Reform Can Improve Health Care Access
With the U.S. health care crisis expected to worsen due to ongoing nationwide physician shortages, immigration reform can provide one short-term solution to bring more trained doctors to medically underserved areas, says Sarah Peterson at Fragomen.