Aaron Reichlin-Melnick Profile picture
Jun 11, 2021 24 tweets 14 min read Read on X
The Uniform Regulatory Agenda is out and we now have our first OFFICIAL confirmation that the Biden administration is planning to issue its first big asylum rule through an "interim final rule," without going through notice and comment.

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
I'm going to do a thread on all of the immigration-related new regulations and proposals included in the Spring 2021 Uniform Regulatory Agenda, which previews an administration's plans to create new regulations.

Here is a link to the full agenda. reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge…
Continuing on the theme of asylum, here is the Biden administration's preview of a *separate* asylum rule, that would go through notice and comment rulemaking, to follow the February 2 executive order that called on DHS and DOJ to strengthen asylum protections by regulation. Image
The Biden administration will also formally "rescind or substantively revise" two Trump regulations aimed at restricting eligibility for work permits to asylum seekers.

One is already blocked in full and the other has been partially blocked in court.

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The Biden administration will also formally rescind three Trump regulations—all currently blocked in court—that would have made it almost impossible for people to seek asylum. This includes the infamous "death to asylum" regulation.

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Moving way from asylum, the Biden administration previewed a new "public charge" rule that will likely put the more favorable old standards into regulations. This will be an "Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking," meaning they'll ask for early comment. reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
The regulatory agenda shows that the Biden administration is currently targeting August for their new regulation that would "preserve and fortify" DACA, as promised in a day one EO.

There will be a notice and comment period after the rule is proposed.

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
Confirming comments that Secretary Mayorkas made at yesterday's conversation at the AILA conference, USCIS will be proposing a new fee rule this fall that rescinds the block-in-court Trump fees and proposes new fees.

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The Biden administration is also going to propose its own "specialty occupation" H-1B rule, which will also address "F-1 students who are the beneficiaries of timely filed H-1B cap-subject petitions." More details in the abstract.

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
The Biden administration will also publish a rule to implement the 2020 Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act which expanded "premium processing" for USCIS benefits. The rule, which will be a final rule, will set the new fees.

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
There is also a series of actions that the Biden administration will take to rescind or modify a number of Trump immigration regulations, such as:

- The DOL discretionary review rule
- The Asylum Ban 1.0 regulation
- The Asylum Ban 2.0 regulation
- The COVID Asylum Ban ImageImageImageImage
The Biden administration says that it will formally withdraw the terrible proposed rule that would have ended "duration of status" admissions for student visas and that would have targeted students from many African countries with harsher visa rules.

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The Biden administration also seeks to move ICE into the 21st century by "allow[ing] delivery bond notifications requiring obligors to present noncitizens at ICE Offices or Immigration Courts to be issued electronically."

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Moving to the State Department, looks like there will be a State Department process similar to what USCIS did that asks for comments that "identify[] barriers that impede access to immigration benefits and fair, efficient adjudication of these benefits."

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Here's one of the more technical changes I've seen yet; the Biden administration proposes to make a technical amendment to an old State Department regulation that falsely suggests consular officers could grant Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

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The Biden administration says that it will formally rescind the 2019 State Department "public charge" rule, given that "the 2019 [interim final rule] is based on a rule that is no longer the policy of the Department of Homeland Security."

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
Here's a great new rule; the Biden administration will formally publish a "temporary final rule" that allows consulates to waive in-person appearances and oath requirements for "certain repeat immigrant visa applicants." That should help clear backlogs!

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
On top of that temporary final rule on the waiver of in-person appearance at consulates, the Biden administration will also add a more permanent "limited exception to the general requirement that an immigrant visa applicant appear in person."

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
There are also two new planned Notices of Proposed Rulemaking on exchange visitors, entitled "Records" and "Sanctions."

There is very little detail on what these rules would do.

Records: reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge…
Sanctions: reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… ImageImage
On to the immigration courts! There are multiple proposals to modify or rescind Trump-era rules, such as:

- The 15-day filing rule
- The rule expanding the EOIR Director's authority
- The "no admin closure" rule
- The EOIR fee rule

3 of 4 of these are blocked in court already. ImageImageImageImage
The Biden administration will also reopen the comment period on two terrible midnight rules on motions to reopen and continuances that the Trump administration failed to get over the finish line. The goal will likely be to formally withdraw the rules after that. ImageImage
The Biden administration will also "rescind or modify" the 2019 rule on safe third country agreements that the Trump administration used to send nearly 1,000 people to Guatemala before the pandemic led to the asylum cooperative agreement being suspended.

reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
The Biden administration will issue an interim final rule rearranging the organizational structure of the Office of Legal Access Programs inside EOIR "to better facilitate the agency's mission." OLAP oversees legal orientation programs. reginfo.gov/public/do/eAge… Image
And that's it for new rules! There are a few parallel EOIR asylum rules that I didn't include here because they are effectively repeats of the DHS rules.

There are some lingering Trump-era rules still in the pipeline, too. I expect those to eventually be quietly withdrawn.

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More from @ReichlinMelnick

Dec 8
In every single major immigration raid so far, the MAJORITY of people arrested by DHS officers have no criminal record whatsoever — not even any traffic violations or misdemeanors.

In Washington, DC, it was 84% of all those arrested. In Los Angeles, 57%. In Illinois, 66%. Image
That is simply not true. Not only is being undocumented not a crime, but to have a criminal record requires someone to have been arrested for an offense in the past.
Neither of those offenses are relevant to the question of whether being undocumented is a crime, nor the question of whether a person who may have committed a crime for which they weren't charged can accurately be described as "having a criminal record."
Read 10 tweets
Dec 7
This is FALSE. As the Supreme Court spelled out very clearly 125 years ago, “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” refers to three categories of exceptions, two ancient and one uniquely American.

- Children of diplomats
- Children of occupying soldiers
- Native Americans Image
Mr. Wong’s parents were ineligible for citizenship in a way today’s permanent residents are not. And the Court was clear that the 14th Amendment codified the ancient rule of birthright citizenship.

Also, Trump’s EO claims to bar citizenship even for children of ppl here legally.
That is exactly what the excerpt says. Read it again. “The real object of the Fourteenth Amendment … would appear to have been to exclude … (besides children of members of the Indian tribes…), the two classes of cases” recognized in common law.

So yeah; an exclusive list. Image
Read 10 tweets
Dec 3
Obviously I have little sympathy for this guy, given his offenses. But I do want to explain why it is that this man was still in the country and not deported under any previous admin, including the first Trump admin.

In short - because for 50+ years, Cuba refused deportations.
Florida's sex offender registry says that Mr. Milian has two convictions relating to a single court case from 1996. So he's been deportable for at least 29 years.

But from 1965 to 2017, Cuba refused to accept any deportations of people who were inside the United States. Period. Image
The result of this diplomatic impasse means that for 50+ years, Cuban noncitizens convicted of a crime in the U.S. and ordered removed were mostly treated like regular American ex-con. After they did their time they'd be transferred to immigration custody and eventually released.
Read 8 tweets
Nov 20
THREAD: Judge Ellis is the first federal judge to review extensive body cam video of DHS's actions in Chicago. She finds that DHS *repeatedly* misled the public and made claims that were disproven by agents' own videos.

I'll go through some of the most egregious ones here. Image
On October 28, @DHSGov claimed that days earlier "rioters" had "shot at agents with commercial artillery shell fireworks," thus forcing agents to deploy tear gas and riot munitions.

Judge Ellis reviewed the video. This was completely false. The explosions were DHS's flashbangs! Image
Image
@DHSgov DHS claimed that agents were forced to use riot munitions to disperse an "unruly mob" on Sept. 19.

In fact, "the scene [was] quiet," and then "almost immediately and without warning, agents lob flashbang grenades, tear gas, and pepper balls, stating 'fuck yea!' as they do so." Image
Read 15 tweets
Nov 4
Rep. Jayapal is correct -- it is not a crime to be undocumented. Here's the Supreme Court saying as much.

Plus, less than 10% of the undocumented population has a removal order, and would only be chargeable if they had willfully disobeyed it, and many don't know they have one. Image
As for 8 USC 1325, illegal entry applies only to the undocumented population that crossed illegally, meaning visa overstays or people who came via humanitarian parole commit no crime -- and the statute of limitations is 5 years, so most people couldn't even be criminally charged.
Two things can be true at once:

1. It is not a crime to be undocumented, as the Supreme Court itself has noted.
2. A subset of the undocumented population (far less than half) is theoretically criminally chargeable for specific immigration violations.
Read 9 tweets
Nov 4
🧵Today a federal judge is looking into horrific conditions inside ICE holding cells in Chicago, which until January were for stays under 12 hours absent exceptional circumstances.

People are now held for days — and ICE uses the threat of longer stays to get deportation orders. Image
The excerpts I'm posting are taken from over a dozen sworn declarations submitted in a lawsuit seeking to force ICE to improve conditions. I'll link to the docket at the end of the thread.

One thing comes through clearly in these declarations: the cells are FILTHY. Image
Multiple immigrants detained at the facility say ICE officer demanded that they sign deportation paperwork, refused to let them talk to lawyers, and threatened them when they wouldn't sign documents in English that they couldn't read.

Here's a representative example. Image
Read 13 tweets

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