Category Archives: BIA

⚖️ Matter of Lopez Rico: One Ballot, Counted Twice — and the Fifth Amendment Trap

Posted on July 23, 2026 by Mike Baker

The Board made unlawful voting a significant adverse factor and held that taking the Fifth can be used against you. Fourteen years between the ballot and the order. Matter of Lopez Rico, 29 I&N Dec. 780 (BIA 2026), Interim Decision … Continue reading →

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The Floor Drops Out — Three Rulings in Thirty Days Dismantle the Deferred Action Safety Net for SIJ and DACA Recipients

Posted on May 9, 2026 by Mike Baker

⚖️ Multi-Decision Alert — BIA & USCIS — April–May 2026 Matter of Santiago-Santiago, 29 I&N Dec. 589 (BIA 2026)  |  Matter of C-P-Y-, 29 I&N Dec. 610 (BIA 2026)  |  USCIS PM-602-0198 (Apr. 10, 2026) Thirty days. Three rulings. The … Continue reading →

Posted in BIA, DACA, DACA Renewal, DACA Statistics, Special Immigrant Juveniles, USCIS Policy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

IIRIRA at 28: The Law That Still Runs Every Removal Case in America

Posted on April 24, 2026 by Mike Baker

→ READ THE FULL STATUTEPub. L. 104-208, Div. C (IIRIRA) — PDF In This Post Admission Redefined Unlawful Presence Bars Prior Removal Bars Expedited Removal Detention: § 236 & 236(c) Aggravated Felony “Conviction” Defined Removal Proceedings Cancellation of Removal Judicial … Continue reading →

Posted in BIA, Board of Immigration Appeals, Criminal Immigration, I-864, IIRIRA, INA § 236(c), Judicial Review, One-Year Bar, Pub. L. 104-208, Removal Defense | Leave a comment

BIA Reverses Anglophone Withholding Grant in Matter of E-N-N- — Credibility Shortcuts and the Wrong Standard Cost This Case

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Mike Baker

⚖️ BIA Precedent Decision — 29 I&N Dec. 586 (BIA 2026) Matter of E-N-N-: IJ Finds Credibility, Gets the Standard Wrong, BIA Vacates Posted: April 23, 2026  |  Citation: 29 I&N Dec. 586 (BIA 2026)  |  Decided: March 20, 2026 … Continue reading →

Posted in Asylum & Protection, BIA, Board of Immigration Appeals, Cameroon / Anglophone Crisis, Immigration Court Practice, Precedent Decisions, withholding of removal | Leave a comment

BIA’s Radical Move: Indefinite Immigration Detention Without Bond After YAJURE HURTADO

Posted on February 7, 2026 by Mike Baker

Breaking: BIA Eliminates Bond Hearings for Millions in Matter of YAJURE HURTADO – Why This Decision Won’t Stand Breaking: BIA Eliminates Bond Hearings for Millions in Matter of YAJURE HURTADO – Published September 5, 2025 On September 5, 2025, the … Continue reading →

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