US immigration court judges are under pressure from a quota system implemented by Attorney General Jeff Sessions that pushes them to close 700 cases per year as a way to get rid of a huge backlog, the head of the judges' union said on Friday.
It means judges would have an average of about two and a half hours to complete cases – an impossible ask for complex matters that can include hundreds of pages of documents and hours of testimony, Judge Ashley Tabaddor said.
"This is an unprecedented act, which compromises the integrity of the court and undermines the decisional independence of immigration judges," she said in a speech at the National Press Club, in her capacity as head of the union. Ms Tabaddor said the backlog of about 750,000 cases was created in part by government bureaucracy and a neglected immigration court system.
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"Now, the same backlog is being used as a political tool to advance the current law enforcement policies," she said.
Curbing immigration is a signature issue for Donald Trumps government, and the jobs of the nation's more than 300 immigration judges are in the spotlight.
Judges decide whether someone has a legal basis to remain in the country while the government tries to deport them, a process that includes those seeking asylum. Mrs Tabaddor presides in Los Angeles, where she oversees about 2,000 cases, including many involving juveniles.
The judges are employees of the Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which is overseen by the attorney general – unlike the criminal and civil justice systems where judges operate independently.
Immigration court judges have repeatedly asked for independence, and Mrs Tabaddor brought it up again on Friday, calling the current structure a serious design flaw.
A justice department spokesman said the union has repeatedly tried to block common-sense reforms that would make the judges' jobs better, and the proper home for the courts is where they are right now, under the justice department.
Earlier this year, it sent a memo to immigration judges telling them they would need to clear at least 700 cases a year in order to receive a "satisfactory" rating on their performance evaluations. Mr Sessions has pushed for faster rulings and issued a directive that prevents judges from administratively closing cases in an effort to decrease the backlog by 50 per cent by 2020.
This month, he appointed 44 more judges, the largest class of immigration judges in US history, and is pledged to hire more. He said in a speech to the judges that he would not apologise for asking them to perform "at a high level, efficiently and effectively."
Mrs Tabaddor would not say whether the quotas were putting pressure on judges to deport more people – not just decide cases faster.
"There's certainly no question they're under pressure to complete more cases faster," she said. "I think I would just say listen to the attorney general's remarks and you can decide what messaging is going to be sent."
This summer, Mr Sessions tightened the restrictions on the types of cases that can qualify someone for asylum, making it harder for Central Americans who say they are fleeing the threat of gangs, drug smugglers or domestic violence to pass even the first hurdle for securing US protection.
Immigration lawyers say that has meant more asylum seekers failing interviews with US Citizenship and Immigration Services to establish credible fear of harm in their home countries. They also say that immigration judges are overwhelmingly signing off on those recommendations during appeals, effectively ending what could have been a years-long asylum process almost before it has begun.
President Mr Trump has not been behind the move to bolster the roster of judges. "We shouldn't be hiring judges by the thousands, as our ridiculous immigration laws demand, we should be changing our laws, building the (Mexico) wall, hire border agents and Ice," he said in a tweet in June, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TCL INFO
Teams:
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Company%20Profile
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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Tips for SMEs to cope
- Adapt your business model. Make changes that are future-proof to the new normal
- Make sure you have an online presence
- Open communication with suppliers, especially if they are international. Look for local suppliers to avoid delivery delays
- Open communication with customers to see how they are coping and be flexible about extending terms, etc
Courtesy: Craig Moore, founder and CEO of Beehive, which provides term finance and working capital finance to SMEs. Only SMEs that have been trading for two years are eligible for funding from Beehive.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
