The case of Abdulrahim Kewan: a visa the State Department refuses to issue.

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

I have posted twice about a friend and client, Abdulrahim Kewan, who is stuck in Egypt despite having an approved petition to come to the United States. The background of the case was laid out in a posting on October 17, 2010. To summarize very briefly, Mr. Kewan was applying for permanent residence in the San Diego Immigration Court based on an approved visa petition as a battered spouse. In October 2002, he stopped at a gate at the U.S….

Is ICE entering a new, restrictice phase in paroling asylum seekers?

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

On December 9, 2009, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced a new policy regarding the custody of aliens coming to the border to seek asylum.  I wrote about the policy change with great excitement when it was announced. The memo states:   Each alien’s eligibility for parole should be considered and analyzed on its own merits and based on the facts of the individual alien’s case. However, when an arriving alien found to have a credible fear establishes to the satisfaction of…

July in October

Sunday, November 1st, 2009

Remember July? Hotter? Long days and short nights? In July, I had two clients in immigration detention. Nice young women. Neither needed to be detained. Needed in the sense that there was any point to their detention. They were placed into detention months earlier, April. Remember April? Cooler? Shorter days and longer nights? October’s mirror image. Both had trials set for July. The clients hated being in detention – regimentation, bars and locks, crowded, horrible food, noisy, an environment of ignorance. But…