Sam Nelson
@immlaw.bsky.social
Author of "Immigration Law Explained" https://samsramblingss.substack.com/
Pinned
A bedlam of women
Three-person panel has three opinions on nexus in gender-based asylum
samsramblingss.substack.com
We’ve strayed pretty far from the technical question of nexus when when two judges feel the need to publicly admonish their colleague that “no means no”.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
We’ve strayed pretty far from the technical question of nexus when when two judges feel the need to publicly admonish their colleague that “no means no”.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
A bedlam of women
Three-person panel has three opinions on nexus in gender-based asylum
samsramblingss.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:07 PM
We’ve strayed pretty far from the technical question of nexus when when two judges feel the need to publicly admonish their colleague that “no means no”.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
Reposted by Sam Nelson
Learn what your rights are as you go about your day in public spaces! Know the difference between public and private spaces. Use your knowledge to keep yourself and those around you safe!
nyic.org/kyr
nyic.org/kyr
November 21, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Learn what your rights are as you go about your day in public spaces! Know the difference between public and private spaces. Use your knowledge to keep yourself and those around you safe!
nyic.org/kyr
nyic.org/kyr
Reposted by Sam Nelson
Trump Admin planning a rule to re-decide whether *every* refugee who entered under Biden meets their criteria for a refugee. That’s 230,000 people! And no appeals!
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com
November 25, 2025 at 2:44 AM
Trump Admin planning a rule to re-decide whether *every* refugee who entered under Biden meets their criteria for a refugee. That’s 230,000 people! And no appeals!
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
More evidence, if any were needed, of the dangers of the 10-year visa scam. Zhu had been in the country for 15 years, had four qualifying USC relatives, including a severely handicapped daughter. She was still denied cancellation of removal, and her appeal failed.
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:52 PM
More evidence, if any were needed, of the dangers of the 10-year visa scam. Zhu had been in the country for 15 years, had four qualifying USC relatives, including a severely handicapped daughter. She was still denied cancellation of removal, and her appeal failed.
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
Reposted by Sam Nelson
A Biden-era senior policy official shares surprising facts about the immigration system and concerning changes under the Trump administration.
bit.ly/3LSrLet
bit.ly/3LSrLet
An Insider’s View of the Immigration System
A former senior immigration policy official offers insight into how the system works and highlights urgent problems that must be addressed.
www.brennancenter.org
November 23, 2025 at 10:04 PM
A Biden-era senior policy official shares surprising facts about the immigration system and concerning changes under the Trump administration.
bit.ly/3LSrLet
bit.ly/3LSrLet
Great post from "Immigration Law Unhinged" re. laws barring migrants from buying property.
ccgh.substack.com/p/its-1923-a...
ccgh.substack.com/p/its-1923-a...
It's 1923 Again
States can bar migrants from buying property, federal appellate court says in Florida dispute
ccgh.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Great post from "Immigration Law Unhinged" re. laws barring migrants from buying property.
ccgh.substack.com/p/its-1923-a...
ccgh.substack.com/p/its-1923-a...
"Under the proposed framework, asylum would be temporary and the host country would decide whether conditions in their home country had improved enough to return."
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
www.reuters.com
November 22, 2025 at 11:05 PM
"Under the proposed framework, asylum would be temporary and the host country would decide whether conditions in their home country had improved enough to return."
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
www.reuters.com/world/africa...
Remarkable post from The Asylumist. We're seeing much higher evidentiary standards for asylum applications; this post tells what they are and how to comply.
Trump-Proofing Your Asylum Application (Part 1)
Since the advent of the Trump Administration, it has been getting more and more difficult to win asylum. Decision-makers in court and at the Asylum Office are more suspicious of fraud, have higher …
www.asylumist.com
November 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Remarkable post from The Asylumist. We're seeing much higher evidentiary standards for asylum applications; this post tells what they are and how to comply.
Reposted by Sam Nelson
A new DOJ lawsuit targets California’s in-state tuition rules for undocumented students, raising big questions about state authority, student access, and how far federal preemption will reach in education policy. @sfchronicle.com
Read: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
Read: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
Trump’s DOJ sues California over law granting in-state tuition to undocumented residents
The Trump administration says California violates federal law by allowing undocumented immigrants who live in the state to pay the same reduced UC and CSU tuition rates as other in-state residents.
www.sfchronicle.com
November 21, 2025 at 9:03 PM
A new DOJ lawsuit targets California’s in-state tuition rules for undocumented students, raising big questions about state authority, student access, and how far federal preemption will reach in education policy. @sfchronicle.com
Read: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
Read: www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...
Such a dilemma for the administration! They need to simultaneously claim that prices are falling, but hit migrants with an inflation increase to their fees.
Where would we be without doublethink?
www.uscis.gov/newsroom/ale...
Where would we be without doublethink?
www.uscis.gov/newsroom/ale...
USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees
We have issued a Federal Register notice that will increase certain H.R. 1 immigration-related fees for fiscal year (FY) 2026.
www.uscis.gov
November 21, 2025 at 3:56 PM
Such a dilemma for the administration! They need to simultaneously claim that prices are falling, but hit migrants with an inflation increase to their fees.
Where would we be without doublethink?
www.uscis.gov/newsroom/ale...
Where would we be without doublethink?
www.uscis.gov/newsroom/ale...
USC wrongfully detained, sued, won summary judgement: "failure to release the individual from custody violates the individual's rights under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Florida tort law."
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:15 PM
USC wrongfully detained, sued, won summary judgement: "failure to release the individual from custody violates the individual's rights under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and Florida tort law."
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
scholar.google.com/scholar_case...
Reposted by Sam Nelson
‼️A federal judge has ordered the government to reinstate the SIJS deferred action policy while the lawsuit is ongoing, requiring USCIS to resume considering SIJS youth for this vital protection from removal that thousands of young people have depended on.
November 20, 2025 at 10:42 PM
‼️A federal judge has ordered the government to reinstate the SIJS deferred action policy while the lawsuit is ongoing, requiring USCIS to resume considering SIJS youth for this vital protection from removal that thousands of young people have depended on.
Reposted by Sam Nelson
The "safe third" agreement the US signed with Honduras says Honduras will take *any* asylum seekers the US wants to send, with few limits. Judges in the US are pretermitting asylum applications because of it, even though a separate implementation plan says Honduras will only take 10 people a month.
Asylum seekers also told their claims will not be adjudicated and that they will be sent to Honduras to seek asylum there under an asylum cooperative agreement. This is to coerce people Into giving up since many more asylum cases have been pretermitted that can be transferred under the agreement.
A huge cause of this drop in asylum grant rates is the rise of “pretermission”; judges denying applications without ever having a hearing. This used to be incredibly rare and now it’s become normal, with the Trump admin strongly pushing judges to deny on minor technical faults and red tape issues.
November 20, 2025 at 1:05 AM
The "safe third" agreement the US signed with Honduras says Honduras will take *any* asylum seekers the US wants to send, with few limits. Judges in the US are pretermitting asylum applications because of it, even though a separate implementation plan says Honduras will only take 10 people a month.
My new hero -- pro se asylum win at the second circuit, immigration judge taken down hard.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/lin-wins
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/lin-wins
Lin wins
Pro se appeal to the Second Circuit results in a gratifying takedown of the IJ
samsramblingss.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:32 PM
My new hero -- pro se asylum win at the second circuit, immigration judge taken down hard.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/lin-wins
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/lin-wins
Reposted by Sam Nelson
NEW: I spent a week in Connecticut’s only immigration court, where thousands of people each year learn if they can stay in the United States.
The court doesn’t allow photography, so I took an illustrator.
My latest for @ctinsider.bsky.social —
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
The court doesn’t allow photography, so I took an illustrator.
My latest for @ctinsider.bsky.social —
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
A week inside the opaque court where CT immigrants learn their fate
The courtroom often resembles an assembly line, with many cases taking less than five minutes.
www.ctinsider.com
November 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
NEW: I spent a week in Connecticut’s only immigration court, where thousands of people each year learn if they can stay in the United States.
The court doesn’t allow photography, so I took an illustrator.
My latest for @ctinsider.bsky.social —
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
The court doesn’t allow photography, so I took an illustrator.
My latest for @ctinsider.bsky.social —
www.ctinsider.com/news/article... #nutmegsky
Reposted by Sam Nelson
“Why, then, would Congress have thought it necessary to specifically add a provision making those noncitizens subject to mandatory detention if they are charged with certain crimes?” wrote Liman, a Trump appointee in the Southern District of New York. “The government has no answer.”
NEW: Judges around the country are citing an unexpected source to free ICE detainees:
The Laken Riley Act
They're finding ICE's mass detention agenda is SO broad it could actually "nullify" the controversial law.
cc @courthousenews.bsky.social
The Laken Riley Act
They're finding ICE's mass detention agenda is SO broad it could actually "nullify" the controversial law.
cc @courthousenews.bsky.social
How the Laken Riley Act is working against ICE to free some noncitizens
Judges around the country are citing the GOP-backed immigration law, designed to detain more noncitizens, to free them instead.
www.courthousenews.com
November 6, 2025 at 12:05 AM
“Why, then, would Congress have thought it necessary to specifically add a provision making those noncitizens subject to mandatory detention if they are charged with certain crimes?” wrote Liman, a Trump appointee in the Southern District of New York. “The government has no answer.”
Reposted by Sam Nelson
apnews.com/article/trum... tosses DOJ lawsuit challenging a New York law barring immigration agents from state courts
Judge tosses DOJ lawsuit challenging a New York law barring immigration agents from state courts
A judge has dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit challenging New York's policies that block immigration officials from making arrests at state courthouses. U.S.
apnews.com
November 19, 2025 at 9:30 AM
apnews.com/article/trum... tosses DOJ lawsuit challenging a New York law barring immigration agents from state courts
Reposted by Sam Nelson
A Border Patrol agent who took $20k per load to wave cartel vehicles through an Arizona checkpoint will now serve 6.5 years in federal prison. Undercover agents caught him ignoring suspicious cars.
Read more: myfox8.com/news/border-...
Read more: myfox8.com/news/border-...
Ex-Border Patrol agent who took cartel bribes is going to prison
A former Border Patrol agent will spend 78 months in prison for taking bribes from drug traffickers.
myfox8.com
November 19, 2025 at 11:09 AM
A Border Patrol agent who took $20k per load to wave cartel vehicles through an Arizona checkpoint will now serve 6.5 years in federal prison. Undercover agents caught him ignoring suspicious cars.
Read more: myfox8.com/news/border-...
Read more: myfox8.com/news/border-...
Reposted by Sam Nelson
“There are just no guarantees, especially with how law enforcement is intertwined in enforcing immigration law.”
ICE Crackdown Heightens Barriers for Immigrant Domestic Violence Victims - KFF Health News
Immigrant victims of domestic violence have long encountered hurdles when seeking help from police and courts. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has made victims without legal status ev...
kffhealthnews.org
November 18, 2025 at 9:30 PM
“There are just no guarantees, especially with how law enforcement is intertwined in enforcing immigration law.”
Reposted by Sam Nelson
For further context to understand the inevitable impact of this policy change, you should know that USCIS only permits people to apply for work permit renewals 6 months before they expire — yet the average processing time for some types of work permits is higher than 6 months!
October 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
For further context to understand the inevitable impact of this policy change, you should know that USCIS only permits people to apply for work permit renewals 6 months before they expire — yet the average processing time for some types of work permits is higher than 6 months!
Really interesting article: "The Lozada rule is a chimera of justice, a means not to cure attorneys’ mistakes but to weaponize attorneys against their clients and separate
lawyers from a population who critically need representation"
Not sure I'm convinced, but a fascinating take.
lawyers from a population who critically need representation"
Not sure I'm convinced, but a fascinating take.
What's The Matter With Lozada: How The Board Of Immigration Appeals Coerces Immigration Lawyers To Breach Legal Ethics papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
What's The Matter With Lozada: How The Board Of Immigration Appeals Coerces Immigration Lawyers To Breach Legal Ethics
In general, if an attorney makes a mistake, they can cure it by notifying the forum and filing the appropriate remedy. Immigration law, by contrast, stands alon
papers.ssrn.com
November 18, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Really interesting article: "The Lozada rule is a chimera of justice, a means not to cure attorneys’ mistakes but to weaponize attorneys against their clients and separate
lawyers from a population who critically need representation"
Not sure I'm convinced, but a fascinating take.
lawyers from a population who critically need representation"
Not sure I'm convinced, but a fascinating take.
Matter of A-C-M- has been overruled, at least in the Fourth Circuit:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/where-do-t...
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/where-do-t...
November 18, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Matter of A-C-M- has been overruled, at least in the Fourth Circuit:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/where-do-t...
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/where-do-t...
The 10-year visa scam -- let's all be careful out there. Here's a good explanation.
An example of the "10-year visa" scam
I happened across a case today that I wanted to share as a perfect example of the "ten-year visa" scam.
samsramblingss.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 11:20 PM
The 10-year visa scam -- let's all be careful out there. Here's a good explanation.