News | CAIR COALITION

May 23, 2018

Practice Alert: Attorney General Issues Decision Stripping Immigration Judges of Ability to Administratively Close Cases

In a disappointing development, last week Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a decision that eliminates the ability of immigration judges to administrative close immigration cases. In practice, this means that immigrants, especially children, face a greater chance of deportation despite being diligent in fighting their case.

May 17, 2018

Volunteer Spotlight: Darwin Murillo

My favorite quote says that "for it is in giving that we receive" and this perfectly describes my experience volunteering at CAIR Coalition. CAIR Coalition fights diligently for children who are escaping violence in their home countries. CAIR Coalition vigorously defends the rights of fathers and mothers who are seeking to provide a brighter future for their family. In many cases, CAIR Coalition is the only hope for these detained immigrant children, men and women. CAIR gives so much to the community and being a tiny part of their great work makes me receive so much more. That is why I love volunteering at CAIR Coalition.

May 1, 2018

CAIR Coalition's Claudia Cubas Speaks with Kojo Nnamdi Show

Claudia Cubas, Litigation Director at CAIR Coalition, speaks with the Kojo Nnamdi Show on the potential funding of legal representation for immigrants facing deportation in Montgomery County, Maryland.

April 26, 2018

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE RESUMES PROGRAM THAT PROVIDES LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO DETAINED IMMIGRANTS - CAIR COALITION URGING SUPPORTERS TO CALL MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO ENCOURAGE PROGRAM CONTINUATION PAST EVALUATION YEAR

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 26, 2018) — During a Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he will reinstate the Legal Orientation Program (LOP), which allows organizations such as the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition to provide legal assistance to detained immigrants and help them navigate the complex immigration process. This announcement came just two weeks after the Department of Justice (DOJ) through the Executive Office of Immigration (EOIR) abruptly suspended the program.

April 19, 2018

In Major Win for Immigrants’ Rights, Supreme Court Decides Second Part of Aggravated Felony Crime of Violence Definition is Unconstitutional

Addressing a circuit split in a decision favorable to immigrants, on April 17, 2018 the Supreme Court held in Sessions v. Dimaya that the second part of the “aggravated felony crime of violence” category of removable offenses, 18 U.S.C. § 16(b), is unconstitutionally void for vagueness. This means that no immigrant can ever be deported, barred from defenses to deportation, or barred from the right to a bond hearing again for having an offense categorized under this constitutionally invalid subsection.

April 12, 2018

Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition to Continue Regular Visits to Detention Facilities Despite The Department of Justice Halting Funding for Program That Provides Legal Assistance to Detained Immigrants

WASHINGTON (April 11, 2018) — This week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced it is indefinitely pausing its Legal Orientation Program (LOP). Cutting LOP funding will result in the suspension of programs that allow organizations such as Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition (CAIR Coalition) to provide legal assistance to detained immigrants and help them navigate the complex immigration process.

April 4, 2018

CAIR Coalition Condemns ICE's Change in Policy to Detain Pregnant Immigrant Women

Last week, the Daily Beast, reported that Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) had changed its policy in detaining pregnant women.

April 2, 2018

Why Every Immigrant Child Facing Deportation Needs an Attorney

Earlier this year, the Ninth Circuit decided against the right to counsel for immigrant children facing deportation. This was not the first time the Ninth Circuit had considered this question. In fact, advocates have fought hard to prove the obvious: indigent immigrant children who face deportation should have an attorney by their side.

March 30, 2018

False Claims of Gang-Ties Ruin Lives and are on the Rise

Unsubstantiated gang allegations can greatly impact the legal case of immigrants in deportation proceedings. Allegations of gang affiliation can increase the chance that a person will be detained. If detained, a person with gang allegations in their record will likely be denied bond altogether. When an immigrants moves on to their final hearing, gang allegations are then a big hurdle to overcome to win their cases.

March 19, 2018

DC Immigration Service Providers Advocate for $1.8 million Immigrant Defense Fund

CAIR Coalition has joined the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), Catholic Charities, Ayuda, Whitman Walker Health and the DMV Sanctuary Congregational Network in asking DC Mayor Muriel Bowser to fully fund immigration legal services in the District with $1.8 million dollars in recurring funds.

March 13, 2018

CAIR Coalition's Nithya Nathan-Pineau Speaks with Yahoo News

Nithya Nathan-Pineau, director of CAIR Coalition's Detained Children's Program, speaks with Yahoo News, discussing the ramifications of stalled cases and the seemingly indefinite detention of minors.

March 9, 2018

Adventures to Snow Hill in a Nor'easter

Last week, our Detained Adults Program Staff and volunteers ran into a slight bump on their trip to the Snow Hill Detention Center... Hurricane force winds, road closures, even overturned vehicles couldn't stop them! We are so proud to work with such dedicated allies.

February 27, 2018

Supreme Court Holds Immigrants Facing Indefinite Prolonged Immigration Detention Have No Right to Bond Hearings

In a disheartening case that has a resounding impact for thousands of detained immigrants across the country, as well as on the infrastructure of immigration detention itself, the U.S. Supreme Court held today in Jennings v. Rodriguez, No. 15-1204, 583 U.S. ___ (Feb.

February 20, 2018

DC Professional Responsibility Committee Disciplines Attorney for Providing Incompetent Counsel to Noncitizen Client Facing Deportation, Highlighting Need to Adequately Represent Immigrants in Criminal-Immigration Cases

On November 30, 2017, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility Ad Hoc Hearing Committee took disciplinary action against an attorney for providing incompetent representation to a noncitizen client facing deportation. The noncitizen client faced removal proceedings in immigration court triggered by a guilty plea in Virginia state court.

February 12, 2018

What Kind of Country are We?

What Kind of Country Are We?

February 8, 2018

A Reflection on My First Detention Center Visit

“And perhaps the only way to grant any justice—were that even possible—is by hearing and recording those stories over and over again so that they come back, always, to haunt and shame us. Because being aware of what is happening in our era and choosing to do nothing about it has become unacceptable. Because we cannot allow ourselves to go on normalizing horror and violence. Because we can all be held accountable if something happens under our noses and we don’t dare even look.” – Valeria Luiselli

February 6, 2018

Update on USCIS Asylum Interview Priorities

February 5, 2018

In an effort to keep you informed with the most up to date information, we are writing to inform you about a change in USCIS’s priority categories for scheduling affirmative asylum interviews. Because this change may affect the timeline of the asylum cases you may have filed previously or are yet to file, the following information may be important for your cases:

As you may have known, USCIS previously held the following priority categories since December 2014:

January 31, 2018

Response to the State of the Union

During yesterday's State of the Union address, President Trump had the opportunity to broadcast a message of hope and unity for the country. Instead, he chose to scapegoat unaccompanied immigrant children, one of the most vulnerable populations. He condemned inexistent "loopholes" and painted children as covert MS-13 members endangering the U.S. community.

January 23, 2018

Decision on DACA and Securing America’s Future Act

The federal government is back open for business after Congress agreed to postpone the shutdown until February 8^th, giving Democratic and Republican leadership a little over two weeks to come to a decision about DACA. At the moment, the GOP’s plan is summarized in H.R. 4760, which is called the “Securing America’s Future Act” (SAF).

January 18, 2018

Press Release: Lawsuit Challenges Illegal Bond Hearing Practices in Charlotte Immigration Court

Washington, D.C.– In a sharp departure from the practice of immigration courts around the country, immigration judges in North Carolina are refusing to conduct bond hearings for detained immigrants who come before the Charlotte Immigration Court. This unlawful, alarming, and unconscionable practice deprives noncitizens of their basic due process rights.