Immigration Law

(June 2003)

Halim Moris, issue editor, writes:

The sweeping changes in immigration law in the aftermath of 9/11 have touched every aspect of the lives of non-citizens in America. From the PATRIOT Act that expanded the grounds of removal and length of detention of non-citizens suspected of being involved in terrorist activities, to the "special registration" program that requires certain non-citizens, primarily Arab and Muslims, to register their presence in the U.S., immigration practitioners are facing on-going restrictions imposed on their clients.
In this issue of Mass Dissent several Guild immigration attorneys highlight some of the issues facing immigrants in the post September 11th America.
Three of the articles deal with the detention of non-citizens in light of the Bush administration’s official policy of massive detention of immigrants, including asylum seekers, as well as the recent Supreme Court decision of Demore v. Kim which upheld the constitutionality of mandatory detention of non-citizens regardless of their flight risk and/or ties to their community.
In the first article, Iris Gomez, examines various challenges facing detained immigrants.
The following piece by Anita Sharma examines current government policies which allow the mistreatment and marginalization of immigrants, and looks at how these policies impact immigration lawyers and their clients.
Abira Ashfaq presents the works of community coalitions, among them a new Massachusetts network initiated by the Guild to organize against the new anti-immigrant policies and to publicize the plight of non-citizens detained in Massachusetts with virtually no access to the outside world.
Rhonda Roselli then explores the problem of the long wait that many asylees encounter in obtaining permanent residency status.
Finally, Manfred Wiegandt’s article focuses on naturalization of non-citizens and the process of obtaining U.S. citizenship. With the recent increase in the detention and removal of non-citizens, naturalization might be the only remaining legal protection against deportation, especially since the war on terrorism has been interrupted and the government’s focus has turned to immigrants.

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