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Recent Blog Posts
Federal Court Strikes Down USCIS Asylum and Benefits Freezes: What You Need to Know
On June 5, 2026, a federal court in Rhode Island ruled that USCIS had no legal authority to freeze thousands of pending immigration applications and asylum cases. The ruling was final as of June 11, 2026, and it applies nationwide immediately.
If you have been waiting for months without a decision on your green card, asylum application, work permit, or other immigration benefit, this ruling may affect your case. Here is what happened and what it means for you.
What USCIS Froze
Starting in December 2025, USCIS issued policy memos that created two major freezes.
The first freeze was on asylum applications. USCIS ordered a hold on all asylum cases from certain countries, saying it needed time for a "comprehensive review." The policy memo said the hold would stay in place "until lifted by the USCIS Director through a subsequent memorandum." That memorandum never came. Even though USCIS later said on its website that some countries were no longer frozen, the official policy was never rescinded.
The 39-Country Visa Ban and the June 5 Court Ruling: What It Means for Your Immigration Case
The expansion of U.S. travel restrictions in January 2026 created significant uncertainty for immigrants worldwide. But a federal court decision issued on June 5, 2026, has fundamentally changed how these restrictions affect pending immigration applications. If you are a national of one of the 39 designated countries, or if someone you know is, it is critical to understand both what has changed and what remains in effect.
The Travel Ban: What Remains in Place
On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued Presidential Proclamation 10998, which expanded U.S. travel restrictions from 19 countries to 39 countries effective January 1, 2026. This proclamation did two things:
What Are "Mega Master" Hearings? What Every Immigrant in the Bay Area Needs to Know Right Now
Immigration courts are now scheduling 100+ deportation cases in a single hearing. If you have a pending case in the Bay Area, here's what you need to know - and do - right now.
If you or a family member has a pending immigration court case - especially one scheduled for later this year or into 2027 or beyond - your hearing date may have already changed without any notice to you. This is not a rumor. It is happening right now across the country, and it could have serious, permanent consequences for your immigration case.
At Hafey Karim, our immigration attorneys in Concord, California are closely monitoring a rapidly developing situation in U.S. immigration courts: the rise of so-called "mega master" hearings. Here is everything you need to understand about what they are, why the government is doing this, and most importantly, what steps you should take immediately to protect yourself.
What Is a Master Calendar Hearing?
To understand what is happening, it helps to know what a master calendar hearing normally is.
The Green Card Earthquake: What the New USCIS Memo Means for You
If your phone has not stopped ringing this weekend, you are not alone. On Friday, May 22, 2026, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy memo that is causing serious concern across the immigrant community. Immigration attorneys are fielding urgent calls. Online forums are full of rumors and fear. Everyone is asking the same question: What does this mean for me?
The honest answer is that this memo creates more questions than it answers. But there is a lot you can understand right now, and there are important steps you should NOT take before speaking with a qualified immigration attorney.
What Just Happened?
On May 22, 2026, USCIS issued Policy Memo PM-602-0199. This memo changes how the government will decide green card applications for people who are already living in the United States.
The process being affected is called Adjustment of Status (AOS). Adjustment of Status is how many immigrants apply for a green card without having to leave the United States. Instead of going to a U.S. embassy in another country, you file Form I-485 here and wait for approval.
Married a US Citizen After Being Placed in Removal Proceedings? Here's What You Need To Know
If you were placed in removal proceedings and then married a US citizen, here is the hard truth: the government already presumes your marriage is a fraud. You are not going to get an easy continuance to wait for your I-130 to be adjudicated. You need to be ready to walk into immigration court and prove your marriage is real.
What Is a Hashmi Hearing?
A Hashmi hearing is named after Matter of Hashmi, 24 I&N Dec. 785 (BIA 2009), a Board of Immigration Appeals decision that set out the framework an immigration judge uses when deciding whether to give you more time in removal proceedings because of a pending I-130 petition filed by your US citizen spouse.
USCIS Just Changed the Rules for Special Immigrant Juveniles. Here's What Families Need to Know.
If you have a child in your care who may qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, there is a policy change you need to understand right now.
What Changed
On April 10, 2026, USCIS announced the rescission of the 2022 SIJ deferred action policy. The new policy took effect May 10, 2026. For all SIJ-based Forms I-360 filed on or after that date, USCIS will no longer automatically conduct deferred action determinations for SIJs who cannot apply for adjustment of status solely because an immigrant visa is not immediately available.
In plain English: before this change, when a child was approved for SIJ status but could not yet get a green card due to visa backlogs, USCIS would automatically consider protecting them from deportation and allowing them to work legally while they waited. That automatic protection is now gone.
Who Is SIJ Status For?
If you are in the United States and need the protection of a juvenile court because you have been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, you may be eligible for Special Immigrant Juvenile classification. If SIJ classification is granted, you may qualify for lawful permanent residency.
What are you actually signing when ICE asks you to agree to leave?
ICE is showing up with paperwork and telling people it is "for your deportation." But not all documents are the same, and no one is required to sign anything. Here is what you need to know before you put your name on anything.
The Department of Homeland Security is ramping up arrests across the country. When people are detained, ICE officers are showing up with paperwork and pressuring them to sign. Some of these documents give up your right to go before an immigration judge. Others do not. Knowing the difference could change the rest of your life.
What does a removal order actually mean?
Before going through each document, it helps to understand what a removal order does — because avoiding one is the main reason DHS uses these agreements as leverage.
Important: Choosing to leave voluntarily to avoid a removal order does not mean you will automatically have a pathway to come back. Most people who lived in the US without status for more than one year still face a separate 10-year bar, even without a formal removal order on their record.
San Francisco's immigration court is officially closing
The Montgomery Street location already shut down May 1st. The Sansome Street location, the last one standing, closes permanently on September 4, 2026.
That means nearly 180,000 combined cases are now being transferred to the Concord Immigration Court.
If your case was in San Francisco, it is moving to Concord. You will receive a new hearing notice. Do NOT miss it.
Here's what you should do right now:
✅ Update your address with the court
✅ Check your case status on the EOIR portal
✅ Talk to an attorney before your new hearing date
Immigration Scammers Are Targeting Desperate Immigrants. Here Is How to Protect Yourself in 2026
Immigration scams are surging across the country in 2026. These are not small time con artists. These are sophisticated criminal operations that look completely real. They have professional websites, hundreds of social media followers, official looking logos, and in some cases, they even set up fake immigration courts complete with a person dressed as a judge, all over a video call.
Real people are losing thousands of dollars. Real families are having their cases destroyed. And in many situations, victims are too afraid to report it because of their immigration status.
Who Is Being Targeted?
Scammers target immigrants who are scared. It is that simple.
In the current climate, with mass deportation fears, policy changes happening every week, and courts backed up for years, millions of immigrants are desperately looking for help. That desperation is exactly what these criminals exploit.
The communities most commonly targeted include:
Habeas Corpus vs. Mandamus: Two Legal Tools Every Immigrant Needs to Know
If you or someone you love is navigating the U.S. immigration system right now, there are two legal tools that could change everything: Habeas Corpus and the Writ of Mandamus. They sound complicated, but understanding the difference between them could be the difference between freedom and detention — or between waiting years for an answer and finally getting one.
At Hafey & Karim, we help immigrants across the country fight back using every legal tool available. This guide breaks down both options in plain language.
