Tired of reading about the anti-Muslim travel bans? Sorry – they continue to live, and will be litigated for months (years?) to come. The latest comes from the Ninth Circuit, which upheld in part and reversed in part the ruling by Hawaii Federal District Court Judge Derrick Watson, halting enforcement of the travel ban. The Hawaii ruling was one of a pair: a Maryland court also stopped the travel ban, but only in part. Both orders were temporary, pending full litigation of challenges to the travel ban.
The Ninth Circuit ruling brings the Hawaii temporary order in sync with the Maryland temporary order, saying that the travel ban can take partial effect, barring those persons from designated countries who do not have “bona fide” U.S. connections. The Ninth Circuit enumerated the family relationships that qualify: “grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins” living in the United States.
Appeals Court Partly Reinstates Trump’s New Travel Ban (New York Times, 11/13/17) Restrictions will apply to travelers from Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen.
“The appeals panel on Monday upheld that ruling for people with a “bona fide relationship” with close family or an entity in the United States, like a university or company. But the court blocked the lower court’s decision for people from the six countries without such ties, meaning they can now be kept from entering the United States.”
Federal appeals court allows Trump’s travel ban for six majority-Muslim countries to partially go into effect (Los Angeles Times, 11/13/17) In a carefully detailed article, the LA Times describes procedural paths and impact of the ruling.
“The 9th Circuit decision is a temporary measure before judges hear arguments Dec. 6 over the government’s appeal of Watson’s ruling….
“In issuing its order Monday, the 9th Circuit said that foreign nationals who have “bona fide” U.S. connections cannot be blocked. The court said those included “grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins” who live in the U.S.”
Immigrants waiting longer for U.S. citizenship as backlog builds (KPCC, 11/10/17)
“Mario Solis of South Los Angeles applied to become a citizen about a year ago after more than 20 years in the United States. Solis, who is from El Salvador and a legal U.S. resident, submitted his citizenship application along with his fingerprints.
“He said he’s still waiting to receive an appointment with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials. So far, there’s been no word.
“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” Solis said in Spanish. “It’s been since November and I’m still waiting for my interview.”
Immigration leads agenda as U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops turns 100 (Baltimore Sun, 11/13/17)
“‘The urgent need to welcome and integrate new waves of immigrants continues unabated,’ Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the No. 2 official at the Vatican, said at a Mass Sunday evening at the Baltimore Basilica. ‘At the same time, the Catholic community is called under your guidance to work for an ever more just and inclusive society.’…
“The bishops’ position — and that of the worldwide Roman Catholic Church — is that immigration, legal or otherwise, should be understood and addressed first and foremost as a humanitarian matter, not a political or legal one.”
Minnesotans upbeat even as problems, politics swirl (MPR, 11/13/17) Attitudes on immigration were one of the areas surveyed.
“Politics and geography shape Minnesotans’ opinions of how the state is handling immigrants and refugees. In every part of the state, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say Minnesota’s on the wrong track when it comes to welcoming immigrants and refugees.
“Residents of the St. Cloud area and rural Minnesota are much more likely to say this than residents of the Twin Cities metro, Duluth or Rochester — regardless of party affiliation….
“Some who say Minnesota’s on the wrong track for welcoming immigrants and refugees believe the state is allowing too many immigrants to settle here. Others say Minnesota’s on the wrong track because it’s not welcoming enough to the immigrants already here.”
Most California sheriffs fiercely opposed the ‘sanctuary state’ law. Soon they’ll have to implement it (Los Angeles Times, 11/12/17)
“As keepers of jails across the state, sheriffs will retain control over who has access to the citizenship status of hundreds of thousands of people booked into their facilities every day. As elected officials, many represent conservative or rural areas, where voters might be more likely to oppose the new state law.”
The U.S. has been home for nearly 20 years. Now Trump is expelling these Nicaraguans (Miami Herald, 11/13/17)
“For nearly 20 years the Nicaraguan man worked long hours cleaning homes and buildings in South Florida. He started his own cleaning business 11 years ago and now employs a half dozen workers.
“He thought he could soon begin to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but now all of that is at risk.
“Like many Americans approaching retirement age, the 62-year-old planned to retire next year and start collecting his benefits. Then the Trump administration announced a week ago that it’s ending an immigration protection for him and 2,500 other Nicaraguans.”
Salvadorans in U.S. fear rollback of immigration program (Washington Post, 11/13/17)
“The Department of Homeland Security recently said it will stop offering temporary legal status to 5,300 Nicaraguan nationals.
“The decision has alarmed Salvadorans, Haitians, and others living in the U.S. under similar protection.”
Canada fears a huge rush of asylum seekers if their U.S. protected status is lifted (Washington Post, 11/13/17)
“As the Trump administration signals that it may soon remove the Temporary Protected Status designation from more than 300,000 Central Americans and Haitians, threatening them with deportation, Canadian officials are bracing for a new wave of asylum seekers flooding over the border.”
Fewer Foreign Students Are Coming to U.S., Survey Shows (New York Times, 11/13/17) Some small universities and some Midwestern universities have been particularly hard-hit, though the overall decline is about 7 percent.
“Experts cited an uncertain social and political climate in the United States as part of the reason for the decline in enrollment.
“It’s a mix of factors,” said Rajika Bhandari, head of research for the institute, which collects data on international students in cooperation with the State Department. “Concerns around the travel ban had a lot to do with concerns around personal safety based on a few incidents involving international students, and a generalized concern about whether they’re safe.”
Kagan recuses from immigrant detention case (SCOTUSblog, 11/13/17)
“The fate of a high-profile challenge to the prolonged detention of immigrants facing deportation without a bond hearing appeared less certain tonight, with the announcement – made over a month after oral argument – that Justice Elena Kagan would no longer participate in the case. In a letter sent to lawyers for the two sides in Jennings v. Rodriguez, Scott Harris – the clerk of the Supreme Court – indicated that Kagan had learned only today that “while serving as Solicitor General, she authorized the filing of a pleading in an earlier phase” of the case.“
Immigration news 