Immigration Law Review - UK and USA

In the Matter of Jonathan Javier Yajure Hurtado , 29 I&N Dec. 216 (BIA 2025)   Facts: Jonathan Javier Yajure Hurtado, the Respondent, a native and citizen of Venezuela, c rossed the U.S. border without inspection near El Paso, Texas, in November 2022. He was granted Temporary Protected Status (“TPS”) in 2024. The TPS expired April 2, 2025. The Respondent was apprehended on April 8, 2025. DHS issued a Notice to Appear charging inadmissibility under INA § 212(a)(6)(A)(i) for presence without admission or parole. Respondent sought a bond hearing; Immigration Judge (IJ) denied on April 18, 2025, ruling there is no jurisdiction under INA § 235(b)(2)(A) due to mandatory detention. Respondent was also denied bond due to flight risk. Respondent appealed. The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”), the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying U.S. immigration laws within the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), under the U.S. Department of Justice, reque...

Faits: L’espèce porte sur un différend relatif à l’enlèvement d’enfant au sens de la Convention de La Haye sur les aspects civils de l’enlèvement international d’enfants . L’enfant, A.F., est née au Venezuela en 2018 des parents Jose Leonardo Brito Guevara (père, requérant) et Samantha Estefania Francisco Castro (mère, intimée). Au début de l’année 2021, M. Brito s’établit en Espagne, laissant A.F. et Mme Castro au Venezuela. En novembre 2021, alors qu’A.F. était âgée de trois ans, Mme Castro et l’enfant fuient le Venezuela et entrent aux États-Unis, où elles sollicitent l’asile en invoquant des persécutions et l’insécurité du pays d’origine. Leurs demandes d’asile sont toujours en instance, mais elles bénéficient toutes deux du statut de protection temporaire (TPS) et d’une autorisation d’emploi. Depuis leur arrivée, elles résident dans la région de Dallas (Texas) depuis près de quatre ans. A.F., aujourd’hui âgée de sept ans, n’a aucun souvenir du Venezuela ; elle fréquente l’école...

Facts: The case involves a child abduction dispute under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. The child, A.F., was born in Venezuela in 2018 to parents Jose Leonardo Brito Guevara (father, petitioner) and Samantha Estefania Francisco Castro (mother, respondent). In early 2021, Brito moved to Spain, leaving A.F. and Castro in Venezuela. In November 2021, when A.F. was three years old, Castro and A.F. fled Venezuela and entered the United States, where they sought asylum due to alleged persecution and unsafe conditions in Venezuela. Their asylum applications remain pending, but both have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and employment authorization. Since arriving, they have resided in the Dallas, Texas area for nearly four years. A.F., now seven years old, has no memory of Venezuela, attends George Herbert Walker Bush Elementary School (where she participates in the Gifted and Talented Program), is involved in church and community act...

Facts: Hamilton Jorge Da Silva Pinho, a Portuguese national born on February 15, 1988, entered the UK in August 2009 at age 21 with his parents. He was granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (“EUSS”) on November 19, 2019, which expired on November 20, 2024. On October 20, 2021, he applied for settled status under the EUSS. His criminal record includes: a 2011 caution for threatening behavior; a 2013 caution for theft; a 2015 conviction for battery (community order and restraining order); a 2017 conviction for property destruction (conditional discharge); and a 2023 conviction for three counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm (20 months' imprisonment, restraining order until 2028). On November 15, 2023, the Secretary of State issued a Stage 1 Deportation Decision Notice. On January 16, 2024, a deportation decision was issued, refusing his human rights claim (with appeal rights under s82 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 (“NIAA 2002”) ...

Faits: Le demandeur, Daniel Girmai Negusie, est entré aux États-Unis en tant que passager clandestin en 2004. En 2005, un juge de l'immigration (« IJ ») l'a déclaré inéligible à l'asile et à la rétention de renvoi en raison de la barre des persécuteurs (pour avoir assisté à la persécution en Érythrée), mais a accordé un ajournement de renvoi en vertu de la Convention contre la torture (« CAT »).   Le Bureau des appels en matière d'immigration (« BIA ») a confirmé la décision du IJ en 2007. La Cinquième Circuit a rejeté le recours. La Cour suprême a annulé et renvoyé l'affaire en 2009 (Negusie v. Holder, 555 U.S. 511), ordonnant au BIA de déterminer si la contrainte ou la coercition constitue une exception à la barre des persécuteurs. En 2018, le BIA a reconnu une exception pour contrainte mais a conclu que Negusie n'y était pas éligible. Le procureur général Barr a annulé la décision du BIA de 2018 en 2020, statuant qu'aucune exception pour contrainte n...

Facts: The applicant, Daniel Girmai Negusie, entered the U.S. as a stowaway in 2004. In 2005, an Immigration Judge (“IJ”) found him ineligible for asylum and withholding of removal due to the persecutor bar (for assisting in persecution in Eritrea), but granted a deferral of removal under the Convention Against Torture (“CAT”).  The Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) affirmed the IJ’s decision in 2007. The Fifth Circuit denied review. The Supreme Court reversed and remanded in 2009 (Negusie v. Holder, 555 U.S. 511), directing the BIA to determine whether duress or coercion is an exception to the persecutor bar. In 2018, the BIA recognized a duress exception but found that Negusie did not qualify. Attorney General Barr vacated the BIA’s 2018 decision in 2020, ruling no duress exception exists (Matter of Negusie, 28 I. & N. Dec. 120). The BIA dismissed Negusie’s appeal in March 2021, affirming denial of asylum/withholding and granting CAT deferral. Attorney General Garland re...

On October 14, 2025, the US Supreme Court declined to hear a challenge to work authorization for spouses of temporary foreign workers. Save Jobs USA, representing American-born IT workers, sought to overturn an Obama-era rule granting employment to H-4 visa holders, who are dependents of H-1B workers. Save Jobs USA argued that the Court should resolve whether DHS can authorize noncitizen employment or if Congress alone can do so. The government said Save Jobs USA lacked standing and that the case lacked a circuit split or national importance. The denial follows recent Trump-era moves targeting H-1B. Justice Kavanaugh did not participate. Save Jobs USA is represented by the Immigration Reform Law Institute. DHS is represented by the Justice Department. Summary of the D.C. Circuit's "Original Judgment" (Save Jobs USA v. DHS, No. 16-5287, November 8, 2019) The case centers on a 2015 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rule allowing certain H-4 visa holders—dependen...

Le régime d’établissement de l’UE (EU Settlement Scheme, EUSS) a été conçu pour protéger les droits des citoyens de l’Union européenne (UE), ainsi que ceux de l’Espace économique européen (EEE) et de la Suisse, qui résidaient au Royaume-Uni avant la fin de la période de transition du Brexit. Lancé dans le cadre du retrait du Royaume-Uni de l’UE, le régime permet aux personnes éligibles et à leurs membres de famille de demander soit le « settled status » (statut établi), soit le « pre-settled status » (statut pré‑établi), leur garantissant la continuité de l’accès à la résidence, au travail, à l’éducation, aux soins de santé et à d’autres prestations au Royaume‑Uni. En 2025, l’EUSS a traité des millions de demandes et a fait l’objet de plusieurs ajustements pour répondre à des défis persistants, tels que les arriérés administratifs et les exigences de résidence. Contexte et origine Avant le Brexit, les citoyens de l’UE bénéficiaient de la liberté de circulation en vertu du droit de l’UE...

The EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) was designed to protect the rights of European Union (EU) citizens, along with those from the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, who were residing in the UK before the end of the Brexit transition period. Launched as part of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, the scheme allows eligible individuals and their family members to apply for either "settled status" or "pre-settled status," granting them continued access to residence, work, education, healthcare, and other benefits in the UK. As of 2025, the EUSS has processed millions of applications and undergone several refinements to address ongoing challenges, such as administrative backlogs and residency requirements. Background and Origin Prior to Brexit, EU citizens enjoyed freedom of movement under EU law, allowing them to live, work, and study in the UK without needing visas or residency permits. This right was reciprocal, benefiting around 3.8 million EU nationals in...

Recently, the British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced that soon migrants will have to prove they are contributing to society to earn the right to remain in the UK. In her speech to the Labour conference, Mahmood proposed that legal migrants will have to learn English to a high standard, have a clean criminal record and volunteer in their community to be granted permanent settlement status. Currently, in the United Kingdom, Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) grants individuals the right to live, work, and study in the UK without immigration restrictions. Foundational Statute: The rights associated with Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the United Kingdom primarily flow from the Immigration Act 1971, which is the foundational statute governing immigration control in the UK. This The Immigration Act 1971 is the cornerstone of UK immigration law and provides the legal basis for granting ILR. Specifically: Section 1(2) establishes that individuals with ILR (referred to as those wh...