In Spanish, the suffix "-ito" is an affectionate diminutive. - "mi abuela" = "my grandma", "mi abuelita" = "my granny". - "gato" = "cat", "gatito" = "kitty" I was pleased to discover the word "diosito", an affectionate diminutive for God. English doesn't have an equivalent. But it should.

"Internal relocation" and the limits of asylum: Antonio’s relocation to the United States and his request to remain demonstrate that he is, in fact, willing and able to live away from his family’s land. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-barbaria...

If she’d made up her mind in advance, it doesn’t matter if she subsequently went through the motions of holding a hearing. A hearing held after the decision isn’t due process, it’s a show trial. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...

A rare victory -- an all-women Circuit Panel understands why a victim of gender-based violence might not be able to call the police. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/who-will-b...

Must-read opinion from a MA District Court. “What? Can this be true? There’s some unwritten deal whereby 6,000 Cuban nationals have already been shipped to Mexico? Tthis is but a stark admission that there’s no process at all beyond ‘it is what we say it is'.” www.universalhub.com/files/attach...

Great piece from The Border Chronicle: www.theborderchronicle.com/a-war-zone-m...

Turns out that when every Somali case I have in court suddenly got expedited and reassigned to a new judge, it wasn't just me! The DOJ has officially denied that there is an expedited "Somali Docket," but now the public data refutes their denial. Here are the highlights: 🧵 bklg.org/blog/somali-...

The drive usually take a little over an hour. If she left the night before, AND hit really bad traffic, AND there was a terrorist attack, then that MIGHT be exceptional circumstances ... ... but probably not. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/that-darn-...

Immigration courts by the #’s: - 25% less judges - 400 less legal assistants + clerks - 12 courts lost over half their judges, two have no full time IJs - supervisors spread across several locations We break down a clear picture of what is happening across the country: www.npr.org/2026/02/23/g...

By the Court’s logic, it would seem that torture is not perpetrated in dingy basements by villains with backwards notions. Rather, only well-resourced, highly-educated, and caring individuals would appear capable of forming the specific intent to torture. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/one-son-di...

Economic and social class doesn't disappear when you cross a border, but it does change. A new special issue in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies puts class back at the center of how we understand migration. Here's why that matters.

“People don’t want to go out to work or buy necessities,” he said. “But they really don’t have a choice, right? It’s like having their backs against the wall.”

You can't understand deportations without understanding immigration courts. And right now, those courts are in crisis with new rule changes that could make things significantly worse. 🧵

The judge essentially says “you’re telling the truth now, which proves that you were lying then, which proves that you’re not telling the truth now.” samsramblingss.substack.com/p/beaten-but...

So honored by this recognition of our reporting -- that was a real team effort -- about kids in family immigration detention.

Loved the whole interview; this was my favorite: "Wiggle room may not exist anymore, but it should. All law needs wiggle room to obtain justice."

NEW: Federal judges have spent months ordering ICE to give detainees a chance for release in bond hearings. Now, they're worried that the bond hearings themselves — conducted by Executive Branch immigration judges — are a farce. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...

What effect does parental deportation (or the threat of it) have on U.S. citizen children? My latest at JSTOR Daily focuses on research into that question by Lauren Gulbas and Luis Zayas -- notably it's a 2017 article, so...everything is worse now.

“I’m talking about the term ‘crime’: What did Congress mean by that single word?” Lawmakers clearly meant something more serious than briefly leaving kids unattended. www.propublica.org/article/trum...

The guerrillas tried to recruit Valoyes because he was a former soldier. His special training and his unique experience made him valuable. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/off-center

Well this is scary as hell for the quarter-million people waiting for a U-visa — now ICE can move to re-open and the IJ is more or less required to grant. www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1... “We conclude that the Immigration Judge erred in denying DHS’ motion to recalendar...”

Tomorrow on Immigration Law Explained: a close look at a case where the protected ground is "a reason" (withholding of removal (sometimes)) but not "a central reason" (asylum) for the persecution.

Going to try something I haven't before - a thread recapping a morning immigration court accompaniment shift Tomorrow is my regular volunteering date for immigration court in NYC; I'm theoretically in court from 8am to 12pm 1/?

'UNIMAGINABLE CRUELTY': Judge Gary Brown, a Trump appointeee from NY, thrashes DHS' treatment of a man who came to the US at 9 as an abuse/neglect victim, has no criminal record and became a college grad. "The laws of decency condemn such villainy." storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

The Court says that Ms. Zhao’s appeal “strained credulity.” They conclude their error-laden opinion by calling her a liar. Unfortunately, the ignorant and insulting treatment that she received is all too easy to believe. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/an-incredi...

Coming tomorrow: part II of the series on credibility in asylum law.

We just had our first community member assessed a $5,000 "alien apprehension fee". Anybody have experience with this? Recommendations?

Inhospitable -- a report from UNITE HERE revealing how these White House immigration policies are creating a crisis in America’s hospitality industry. unitehere.org/inhospitable/

Latest post from Immigration Law Explained: "Shellacking a judge", a four-coat takedown of an immigration judge's attempt to find an asylum seeker "not credible." samsramblingss.substack.com/p/shellackin...

Immigration appeal denied because the petitioner didn't say the magic words. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/whats-the-...

"Mr. Aguilar wasn’t targeted because he was a business owner. He was only targeted because he owned a business." Sometimes the law is weird. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/law-is-weird

Seeing an absolute FLOOD of habeas wins in the district courts. Never get tired of reading this: “Respondents must immediately RELEASE Petitioner from custody immediately, and may not re-detain Petitioner without notice and an opportunity to be heard."

This one opinion contains so much judicial misconduct that it’s challenging to write about. I’ll do my best to break it down. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-judicial...

Wow, it's as cold outside as an inappropriate simile.

Diaz arrived on August 27, 2005, heading for the Gulf Coast. Two days later, Hurricane Katrina made landfall. The levees failed. New Orleans was under water. 1,400 people died. Adjusted for inflation, the cost of the damage was almost 0.3 Musks. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/and-to-thi...

In the U.S., informing on a gang would have been brave. In El Salvador, it was nothing short of heroic. Ms. Gonzalez defied the gang. She trusted the police, they betrayed her. Her family paid a terrible price. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/greater-an...

Lots of organizations have been putting together KYR resources. Austin Kocher pulled them together into a single curated list. austinkocher.substack.com/p/know-your-...

1/3: The last few years, I've worked on a lot of SIJS petitions. When I'm helping to draft the affidavit, I always ask the kid what they want to do when they grow up. It's become an unofficial, unscientific, and subjective poll. The results:

Amazing story from an immigration attorney defending a DV survivor. unfunnylawyer.substack.com/p/seeds-plan...

After ten years of litigation, the Circuit Court rebuffs the BIA and grants asylum. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/the-saga-o...

ICE is furious because the Hilton cancelled their reservation because of ICE’s immigration enforcement activities.

The first genuinely nuanced view of the Venezuela strikes that I've found: behindtheborder.substack.com/p/listening-...

A big win on "cancellation of removal", with commentary from Shanta Driver of the United for Equality and Affirmative Action Legal Defense Fund (UEAALDF). samsramblingss.substack.com/p/justice-de...

A client was released and will sleep in his own bed tonight. Everything Is Terrible etc but I am grateful for the great writ of Habeas Corpus and federal judges who apply the law and smart lawyers I can rely on and learn from. May the coming year be better than 2025. Have a peaceful one, y’all.

Snowy hike up Mt. Abe this morning.

Your kid invites an undocumented friend over for a sleepover. Are you guilty of "alien harboring"? Legal guidance for churches, nonprofits, individuals, and anybody else who interacts with or provides services to an immigrant community. samsramblingss.substack.com/p/harboring-...

Merry Christmas. The court concludes that his continued detention offends due process. Accordingly, the court grants the petition, and orders the respondents to provide him with a constitutionally adequate bond hearing in Immigration Court as soon as possible. scholar.google.com/scholar_case...

DetentionReports.com has been updated. Detention trends for a total of 233 facilities can be found on the website. Of those, the 216 facilities that ICE identified on the most recent list have data updated through December 11.

Warrant needed to enter defendant's room at transitional homeless center to arrest him, NY trial court rules. It's not a traditional home, but Payton still applies, so physical fruits of search suppressed. www.nycourts.gov/reporter/3ds...