"Despite public concern with the increasing politicization of U.S. immigration courts, few people are aware of the system's fundamental flaw: the immigration courts are not really 'courts' but an office of the Department of Justice--the nation's law enforcement agency. Alison Peck's original and surprising account shows how paranoia sparked by World War II and the War on Terror drove the structure of the immigration courts. Focusing on previously unstudied decisions in the Roosevelt and Bush administrations, this book divulges both the human tragedy of our current immigration system and the human crises that led to its creation. Peck provides an accessible legal analysis of recent events to make the case for independent immigration courts, proposing that the courts be moved into an independent, Article I court system. As long as the immigration courts remain under the authority of the attorney general, the administration of immigration justice will remain a game of political football--with people's very lives on the line." -- back cover.

This is a book about the immigration court seasoned with observations and some anecdotal humor. The book also serves as a practical guide for attorneys and laymen who are interested in immigration matters within the jurisdiction of the United States immigration courts. In addition, this book provides a historical overview of the evolution of immigration law in relation to the role of the Immigration Judge, including suggestions for improvements in the institutions that enforce and administer United States immigration law.

Court of Injustice reveals how immigration lawyers work to achieve just results for their clients in a system that has long denigrated the rights of those they serve. J.C. Salyer specifically investigates immigration enforcement in New York City, following individual migrants, their lawyers, and the NGOs that serve them into the immigration courtrooms that decide their cases. This book is an account of the effects of the implementation of U.S. immigration law and policy. Salyer engages directly with the specific laws and procedures that mandate harsh and inhumane outcomes for migrants and their families. Combining anthropological and legal analysis, Salyer demonstrates the economic, historical, political, and social elements that go into constructing inequity under law for millions of non-citizens who live and work in the United States. Drawing on both ethnographic research conducted in New York City and on the author's knowledge and experience as a practicing immigration lawyer at a non-profit organization, this book provides unique insight into the workings and effects of U.S. immigration law. Court of Injustice provides an up-close view of the experiences of immigration lawyers at non-profit organizations, in law school clinics, and in private practice to reveal limitations and possibilities available to non-citizens under U.S. immigration law. In this way, this book provides a new perspective on the study of migration by focusing specifically on the laws, courts, and people involved in U.S. immigration law.

This book assesses the role of the federal judiciary in immigration and the institutional evolution of the Supreme Court and the US Courts of Appeals. Neither court has played a static role across time. By the turn of the century, a division of labor had developed between the two courts whereby the Courts of Appeals retained their original function as error-correction courts, while the Supreme Court was reserved for the most important policy and political questions. Law explores the consequences of this division for immigrant litigants, who are more likely to prevail in the Courts of Appeals because of advantageous institutional incentives that increase the likelihood of a favorable outcome. As this book proves, it is inaccurate to speak of an undifferentiated institution called 'the federal courts' or 'the courts', for such characterizations elide important differences in mission and function of the two highest courts in the federal judicial hierarchy.

The purchase of this ebook edition does not entitle you to receive access to the Connected eBook on CasebookConnect. You will need to purchase a new print book to get access to the full experience including: lifetime access to the online ebook with highlight, annotation, and search capabilities, plus an outline tool and other helpful resources. This innovative casebook approaches immigration law and policy from a public interest perspective with a special emphasis on issues of social justice. Along with cases and statutory material, Immigration Law and Social Justice employs a variety of materials from appellate cases, client examples, article excerpts, and hypotheticals. These materials not only provide the basic framework for immigration law, but also engage students with the greater social, political, and economic context necessary to understand the movement of immigrants to the United States, as well as the human impact of immigration law enforcement and administration. Through examples, notes and questions that raise the social, racial, and political questions of admission and enforcement, as well as discussion of public interest lawyers’ strategies, this casebook advances students’ understanding of the creative approaches used in the field. Ultimately, this book encourages students to think broadly about relevant social, economic, and political forces. New to the Second Edition: Supreme Court decisions on expedited removal and DACA Analysis of the Trump administration approaches to relief from removal, judicial review, and the rights of noncitizens Major Supreme Court decisions, including Trump v. Hawaii (Muslim ban) and Dimaya v. Sessions (2018) (aggravated felonies) Administrative decisions such as Matter of A-C-M- (material support bar), Matter of A-B- (domestic violence and particular social group) Developments in how immigration courts define convictions Additional/updated material on: History of U.S. immigration laws Race-conscious lawyering; racial justice and immigrant rights New ICE enforcement guidance under the Biden administration; U.S. v. California (upholding California’s sanctuary policies) Citizenship for orphans; renunciation of citizenship Public charge grounds and Title 42 COVID exclusions; I-601A waiver; firearms offenses; crimes involving moral turpitude Restrictions on bond hearings imposed by the Trump administration; monitoring of children’s detention centers under Flores settlement; Zepeda Rivas v. Jennings (requirements on ICE detention facilities in light of COVID-19) Border wall and related litigation; Operation Streamline; worksite enforcement; state and local cooperation Pereira v. Sessions and Niz-Chavez v. Garland (defective Notice to Appear and eligibility for cancellation of removal); cancellation of removal Examination of right to counsel for minors and for non-detained respondents with mental challenges; ineffective assistance of counsel; restrictions imposed by Trump administration on immigration court continuances; problems with distance videoconference hearings New refugee numbers under the Biden administration; past persecution; membership in particular social groups Professors and student will benefit from: Deep background on the social context of immigration law and its enforcement in the context of a sophisticated examination of the technicalities of relevant statutory and administrative law Materials encouraging students to learn relevant law with an eye toward potential advocacy, including litigation strategies, and which challenge students to evaluate critically the mutually constitutive work of race and immigration law Contextual background to understand immigration and immigration enforcement Unique focus on immigration and social justice, as well as public interest immigration lawyering Focus on issues of contemporary relevance, highlighting some of the most contentious areas of immigration law and policy Materials designed to facilitate student understanding of the letter of immigration law, and to encourage students to think creatively about possible reform Integrated critical materials exploring the role of race, class, religion, gender, and disability in immigration law and policy Problems designed to encourage active learning and application of law

From Alaska to Florida, millions of immigrants and their supporters took to the streets across the United States to rally for immigrant rights in the spring of 2006. The scope and size of their protests, rallies, and boycotts made these the most significant events of political activism in the United States since the 1960s. This accessibly written volume offers the first comprehensive analysis of this historic moment. Perfect for students and general readers, its essays, written by a multidisciplinary group of scholars and grassroots organizers, trace the evolution and legacy of the 2006 protest movement in engaging, theoretically informed discussions. The contributors cover topics including unions, churches, the media, immigrant organizations, and immigrant politics. Today, one in eight U.S. residents was born outside the country, but for many, lack of citizenship makes political voice through the ballot box impossible. This book helps us better understand how immigrants are making their voices heard in other ways.