Federal Court Archives - Benach Collopy

April 25, 2018

[caption id="attachment_3143" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Judge John D. Bates is a George W. Bush appointee on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.[/caption] DACA lives! Maybe? Yesterday, U.S. District Judge John Bates ruled that...

August 2017 Client of the Month- Milan Stankovic

September 1, 2017

This month we are thrilled to recognize Milan Stankovic as our client of the month. After filing his I-589 asylum application and three evidentiary filings, several hours of grueling interviews, numerous status inquiries, and six...

Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017

March 27, 2017

The Benach Collopy Asylum Summer Fellowship 2017 I have been so lucky to get to know so many brave, hard-working, family-oriented, and generous people from all over the globe. They all shared one thing in...

Walls, DACA and Raids: What has happened in immigration since Trump’s inauguration?

March 16, 2017

Back in November, we made some predictions about what might occur in a Trump presidency as it relates to immigration. Generally, we were very pessimistic and presumed that almost all areas of immigration would become...

What now for deferred action? After the Supreme Court decision on DAPA and expanded DACA in Texas v. US.

June 27, 2016

"The judgement is affirmed by an equally divided court." With one sentence, the Supreme Court refused to engage in the question of the President's authority to extend deferred action to the parents of U.S. citizens...

ICE’s New Facility for Trans Detainees Promises More of the Same Abuse

May 31, 2016

Even as the Obama administration takes steps to protect transgender children in schools and provide access to health care for trans people, the President's illiberal approach to immigration continues to affect trans women in predictable...

The DAPA and Expanded DACA Case Before the Supreme Court May Be Affected by Justice Scalia’s Passing

February 15, 2016

The death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has created turmoil in Washington DC and on the Presidential campaign trail. Republicans are uniformly calling on the President to refrain from nominating anyone to fill the...

Client of the Month January 2016- Monique Kagayigayi

January 12, 2016

Our Client of the Month for January 2016 is Monique Kagayigayi. A survivor of the Rwandan genocide whose asylum claim was granted in 2004, Monique just received her green card after more than 10 years...

On Being an Immigration Lawyer in Washington DC

November 29, 2015

We get a lot of questions about what it is like to be an immigration lawyer in Washington DC. After all, immigration is a federal matter and Congress and the executive branch are just blocks...

Executive Action Update: FAQ on the Fifth (5th) Circuit Ruling on the DAPA & DACA Injunction

November 12, 2015

What just happened in the 5th Circuit? The U.S. Court of Appeals formally upheld Judge Hanen's injunction prohibiting the administration for implementing DAPA & DACA. The injunction prohibited the administration from implementing DAPA and expanded...

Bad Decision on Transgender Asylum Seeker Reversed by 9th Circuit

September 4, 2015

In Avendano-Hernandez v. Lynch, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit ruled today that the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) made an error of law in denying protection under the Convention Against Torture...

Under Pressure over Family Detention, the Administration Finally Agrees to Exercise a Little Humanity

July 14, 2015

Since last summer, when the Obama Administration hastily resurrected the concept of family detention to jail refugee women and children seeking asylum, thousands of women and children have languished in inhumane conditions, have been refused...

July 2015 Client of the Month- Franklin Crespo

July 6, 2015

[caption id="attachment_2395" align="aligncenter" width="345"] The Crespo Family[/caption] Franklin Crespo is our Client of the Month for June 2015. BR attorney Dree Collopy has been representing Mr. Crespo and his family since 2009. At that time,...

Naturalization victory after four years, three lawsuits and three USCIS interviews

June 29, 2015

After a years-long battle, a client of ours was recently sworn in as a United States citizen after his naturalization victory. Why is this significant? Because in 20 years of practicing immigration law, it’s...

Supreme Court Socks it to the Board of Immigration Appeals in Mellouli

June 4, 2015

Yesterday, in a 7-2 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that an immigrant who pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor paraphernalia charge for concealing pills in his sock cannot be deported for the offense. Simply stated,...