Dear Readers:
Immigration always seems to be in the news and it remains so this month because of the heated presidential election campaign. The presumptive Republican nominee, Donald Trump, has made headlines around the country and the world because of a number of shocking immigration proposals. Among them are plans to build a wall on the US border with Mexico, ban Muslim immigration to the US, dramatically curtail employment-based immigration and deport the millions of people in the US without legal status.
The plans have been condemned by one Republican after another in the course of the campaign. But now that Donald Trump is the party’s nominee – the leader of the Republican Party – it is becoming difficult for many in the party to speak out against these ideas. Quite the opposite – most elected officials are falling in to line behind Mr. Trump.
During every presidential election campaign, you’ll hear me and others talk about how important the election will be to the future of immigration policy. But we’ve never had a major party candidate with positions as extreme as Mr. Trump’s. We’ll be following the race here and on our social media accounts (including our firm’s Facebook page and on my Twitter feed (@gsiskind).
***
Sometime in the next several weeks, we expect the Supreme Court to issue a decision in Texas v. US, the case that led to the blocking of the DAPA and DACA+ programs to provide employment authorization and a temporary reprieve from deportation. The case is one of the most important to be decided this term on the Supreme Court and the possibilities are more confusing with Justice Scalia’s absence. Most people understand what a majority decision one way or the other would mean. But there is also the possibility of a tie and it is not clear what that would mean. Many believe that the 5th Circuit decision remaining standing would mean the end of the line for the President. But another possibility is that the injunction against the programs would only stand in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals states (Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas) and the program could be implemented in the other 47 states. Of course, that might lead to the programs being litigated in courts across the country.
Once a decision is announced, we will prepare a special issue of the newsletter analyzing the decision and advising on what happens next.
***
In firm news, we say goodbye this month to Logan Bierman who is leaving to attend law school. Logan is the first person to hold a new position at our firm – Optimization Manager. The position is unusual for a boutique practice of our size. It was created to help our firm develop more standardized systems and oversee the incorporation of technology to improve the quality and efficiency of our work. I was inspired by a book I read a few years back by immigrant physician Atul Gawande entitled The Checklist Manifesto. The book talks about how developing checklists and standardization in surgery, airline cockpits and other high stakes environments dramatically improved outcomes.
Logan got us off to a great start in his position and now turns the reins over to Josh Waddell who we welcome. We’re looking forward to Logan joining the bar in the next few years and wish him the very best of luck.
***
As always, we invite you to contact us if our firm can be of assistance. Please visit our web page at www.visalaw.com for information on reaching the firm or scheduling a consultation.
Regards,
Greg Siskind
Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.