On March 2, 2012, I spoke at the NY Immigration Coalition on Immigration Litigation in U.S. District Court. Continuing legal education credit was given to the immigration lawyers that attended. I explained how cases are filed in U.S. District Court and discussed specific types of actions that relate to immigration like: (1) actions under the Administrative Procedure Act to challenge decisions by agencies like the U.S. Citizenship Immigration Service; (2) delayed adjudication actions like mandamus actions; (3) petitions for review of denied naturalization applications; and (4) habeas corpus actions. I’ve done many continuing legal education courses on federal court litigation before. However, this was the first time that I spoke about all of these topics at once. Normally, when I speak at a continuing legal education course, I’m part of a panel of speakers. However, at the NY Immigration Coalition, I was the only speaker. I spoke for two hours. It was a nice change of pace being the only speaker. I enjoyed speaking and I’m excited at the thought that now that I’ve taught this course, there are more immigration lawyers ready to go out there and take the Government to court.
ICE Announces Creation of Public Advocate
The Department of Homeland Security’s (“DHS”) website has announced that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has created a new position: Public Advocate and Senior Advisor. The position will be held by Andrew Lorenzen-Strait. According to the announcement, the Public Advocate position primarily involves assisting individuals and community organizations with their complaints and concerns. I find it both fascinating and wonderful that a law enforcement agency would create a Public Advocate position. The most incredible part of the announcement is not just that the position has been created, but the statement that:
As we work to enact significant policy changes to focus the agency’s immigration enforcement resources on sensible priorities, implement policies and processes that prioritize the health and safety of detainees in our custody while increasing federal oversight, and improve the conditions of confinement within the detention system, I will strive to expand and enhance our dialogue with the stakeholder community.
I really hope that this portion of the announcement is true. It would be wonderful if ICE focused its enforcement resources on sensible priorities and improved the conditions of confinement. I’ve yet to see any signs of improvement for any of my detained clients.
I Am Now A Member of the BDS Advisory Board
The Brooklyn Defender Services (“BDS”) has invited me to be on its Advisory Board for its Immigration Unit. BDS originated as a public defender service and has expanded its services to include immigration. The BDS Advisory Board provides guidance to the BDS’ immigration lawyers. I’ve been helping their Immigration Unit with developing strategies for their cases and answering their questions about immigration law and immigration court practices. I enjoy mentoring immigration attorneys. One of my favorite things to do at the law firm that I used to work for was to train the new associates and supervise the interns.
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