US Immigration Law refers to the rules and procedures governing how non-citizens enter, reside, work in, and depart the United States. It encompasses many facets, such as:
The Supreme Court has made it abundantly clear that immigration laws established by the federal government should serve the national interest and have wide discretionary authority. At the same time, however, judicial review of such laws should remain limited, with courts refraining from commenting on wisdom, fairness or justice of any specific immigration policy.
Congress has passed numerous laws since the early 20th century that affect non-US citizens and have had an enormous effect on society and economy; some laws may have negative consequences while others help foster an environment for diversity and growth in this nation.
Immigration law covers many issues related to citizenship and permanent residency (green cards). Immigration Law encompasses numerous issues pertaining to naturalization – the process by which foreign nationals become United States citizens through marriage, adoption or naturalization – or special visa applications.
Law that grants expedited naturalization for individuals who have been charged with certain crimes has allowed thousands of Iraqis and immigrants, as well as members of the Armed Forces killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, access to citizenship.
Since 1980, this statute has provided a streamlined application process for refugees seeking asylum in the US. It requires them to be evaluated by the Department of State before being decided upon by President. Over 400,000 persons have received refugee status since its passage.
An executive order issued to ease the pain of families of deceased noncitizens serving in either the military or police is now law. It grants posthumous citizenship for noncitizens who died while serving the nation and provides posthumous citizenship rights posthumously. This provisional citizenship helps ease families who lost loved ones while protecting the nation.
This statute altered the Immigration and Nationality Act to enable spouses, children, and parents of U.S. citizens to sponsor them for immigration into the country. Furthermore, it reduced processing times for family-based immigration cases that are most frequently filed.
Case wherein the Supreme Court will decide if they will hear an appeal challenging Trump administration policy of forcing asylum seekers to remain in Mexico until their cases have been decided by Immigration Judges. This policy has proven highly contentious, and their ruling could come as early as late 2020 or 2021; such a change would dramatically alter how Immigration Judges manage their dockets, backlog of asylum cases grow or shrink and how deportation cases are dealt with by Immigration judges.