The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has issued a fact sheet on its Office of the Chief Administrative Hearing Officer (OCAHO). OCAHO heads a staff of administrative law judges (ALJs) who are responsible for presiding over hearings and deciding cases arising from alleged violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) and the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) related to:

• Employer Sanctions;

• Document Fraud;

• Unfair Immigration-Related Employment Practices; and

• International Marriage Broker provisions of IMBRA;

For full fact sheet, please click: EOIR’s Fact Sheet on OCAHO

Off late there has been a growing list of law enforcement agencies to receive biometric-based immigration history information about inmates via the new Secure Communities program, and the latest to join are nine Florida Counties – Charlotte, Clay, Collier, Duval, Hillsborough, Marion, Miami Dade, St. John’s, and St. Lucie counties. Secure Communities allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to determine if an arrested individual is a removable criminal alien. With the implementation of this program, everyone booked into these county jails has their fingerprints screened in the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration database. Secure Communities enhances the ongoing joint efforts between Florida sheriff offices and ICE to identify criminal aliens in local jails, and process them for deportation. Eventually, with Department of Justice (DOJ) and DHS component collaboration, ICE plans to expand this capability to all state and local law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. Currently, more than 60 counties nationwide are participating in Secure Communities Program.

For complete information, please click New program Enhances Identifying and Deporting Criminal Aliens in 9 Florida Counties

Minor adjustment was made in the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) by the Department of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). Mr. David L. Neal, who was Vice Chair since, January 2009, was elevated to Acting Chair of BIA in June. The EOIR also issued a revised fact sheet on biographical information of all the BIA appointees. The BIA is permitted to have 15 Board Members, including a Chairman and Vice Chairman. The BIA is the highest administrative body for interpreting and applying U.S. immigration laws and its decisions are binding on all immigration judges and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers. Certain BIA decisions are designated for publication in the Administrative Decisions Under Immigration and Nationality Laws of the United States.

For complete information, please click David Neal now Acting Chair of BIA

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has published an updated list of 22 measures to strengthen the quality and efficiency of the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). EOIR has developed these improvement measures in conjunction with the Department of Justice (DOJ). While EOIR is making efforts to finish the few pending measures, agency is striving on an ongoing basis to improve and enhance completed initiatives. EOIR also intends to implement performance evaluations for immigration judges on July 1, 2009 similar to what it has implemented for BIA members on July 1, 2008.

For detailed information, please read: EOIR Releases Updated List of Improvement Measures

Seeking feedbacks from the public and affected agencies, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) has published a revised information collection on Form EOIR-29, Notice of Appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) from a decision of a USCIS officer.  The comments will be accepted only for “sixty days” until July 28, 2009. Comments regarding the estimated public burden or associated response time or request for a copy of the proposed information collection instrument with instruction should be directed to John N. Blum, Acting General Counsel, EOIR, U.S. Department of Justice, Suite 2600, 5107 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia, 22041.

For detailed information, please read: EOIR Circulates Revised Information Collection on Form EOIR-29