Yesterday in Diouf v. Napolitano the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit  issued an opinion confirming that an individual facing prolonged immigration detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1231(a)(6) is entitled to release on bond unless the government establishes that he is a flight risk or a danger to the community. In other words, the burden [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported earlier this week that the proposal of an Arizona style immigration legislation that some say helped Florida’s current Governor Rick Scott get elected, is not well received in the Florida legislature. Critics in the Florida Legislature have said that for Arizona, a border state that has a lot of undocumented immigrants and sees ongoing violence just across the [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the Florida Senate Judiciary Committee has invited speakers for a hearing scheduled for later today to provide information about immigration reform and its impact on the State of Florida. Both Florida’s Governor and Attorney General who began their terms in office just last week, support an Arizona style immigration related legislation. We at Pappas Law Group [...]

Immigration reform had a high and a low in 2010.  For example, on December 9, 2010, the House of Representatives passed the DREAM Act that would allow certain undocumented immigrants that were brought to the U.S. as young children who met requirements such as receipt of a college degree or having completed a certain amount of military service, would be legalized.  However, [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that critics in the federal government have raised concerns that although the President has heightened immigration enforcement efforts on businesses that are suspected of hiring undocumented immigrants, and despite the fact that the U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (USICE) has already conducted more workplace audits of the I-9  (Employment Eligibility Verification) forms, critics feel that the government’s enforcement has been has been too lenient [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano reported yesterday that the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (USCBP), a component of the DHS, reported a 17% reduction in arrests in Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 which ended on September 30, 2010. According to the DHS Secretary, the reduction in arrests is the result of a combination of factors such as the downward economy, heightened [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that a federal judge in Phoenix ruled in favor of the federal government late yesterday in its petition for injunction against the implementation of the Arizona immigration law (SB 1070) that was scheduled to be in effect today.  The judge ruled that the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws rest with the federal government. The temporary injunction delays some of [...]

The Los Angeles Times reported today that immigration activists in numerous cities across the country have planned to protest the implementation of the Arizona immigration law (S.B. 1070) that is scheduled to be in effect tomorrow. Some of the protests include a march across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, a vigil outside a detention center in Georgia, a unity event [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported yesterday that earlier this week, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Arizona immigration law that will become effective on July 29th.  The law will authorize law enforcement while enforcing another law such as a traffic violation, to question the immigration status of the individual stopped if law enforcement reasonably suspects he or she is  [...]

The Orlando Sentinel reported today that the Arizona immigration law that will become effective next month has drawn a lot of attention to the politically sensitive issue of immigration reform. The timing of the law has put federal lawmakers in a difficult position.  Lawmakers must decide whether they will draft legislation and pass comprehensive immigration reform or, to set the matter aside and focus on keeping their [...]