Palmer Polaski Blog

All foreign nationals who are registered and are 18 years or older must carry proof of registration or face criminal penalties, including fines of up to $5000 or imprisonment for up to 30 days, or both. We recommend that all noncitizens carry with them one of the following, as applicable: I-94, I-485 receipt notice, or […]

USCIS has promulgated a new regulation, effective April 11, 2025, that governs the requirements of noncitizens who are present in the United States. While many of the requirements are not new law, most had not been enforced and, even when they were, the penalties were not severe. The new penalties for noncompliance include large fines, […]

In this heightened era of security, travelers entering the United States should anticipate stricter scrutiny from immigration inspectors. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers had begun asking ESTA travelers for social media account information upon entry — the theory being that this will enable CBP and DHS to better spot individuals with ties to terrorist […]

President Trump ended the enforcement priority system put in place by President Obama and modified by President Biden, which classified targets for removal based upon the seriousness of their crimes, among other factors. While during the first term of President Trump, immigration arrests appeared to be largely indiscriminate, the current term appears to focus on […]

On March 21, 2025, DHS abruptly closed three critical offices: the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. On January 22, 2025, USCIS waived the COVID-19 vaccination requirement for Adjustment of Status Applicants. The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm Kristi […]

Sixty days into office, President Trump enacted dozens of Executive Orders (EOs) on immigration, promulgated new regulations, and made over 200 changes to immigration policy with speed, intensity, and severity. This rapid succession of change wreaked havoc on U.S. immigration law and procedures and caused chaos, panic, and fear within the nation. Below are a […]

After several precedential Supreme Court decisions on Notices to Appear (NTA), the initial charging document that starts removal proceedings, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued updated guidance on September 6, 2024 that appears to contradict both statute and precedent. The decision indicates that upon motion of the Department of Homeland Security, an immigration judge can […]

The E-2 treaty investors visa is a nonimmigrant visa available to foreign nationals from certain treaty countries who make a substantial investment in a U.S. enterprise. The E-2 visa does not provide a path towards permanent residence but does allow the foreign national to live and work in the U.S. for an indefinite period of […]

Unlawful voting by noncitizens does occasionally occur but is exceptionally rare. In a study by the Brennan Center on the 2016 general election, there were only an estimated 30 incidents of suspected noncitizens voting, out of 23.5 million tabulated votes. The libertarian Cato Institute also found in a study that noncitizens do not vote in […]

While the public charge ground can be challenging and confusing for many, it is critical to note that not all permanent resident applicants are subject to this ground of inadmissibility. Notably, asylees and refugees are not subject to the public charge ground. Additionally, this ground does not apply to VAWA self-petitioners, T and U visa […]