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FIRM NEWS
In Memory of Partner Jules E. Coven
Bretz & Coven, LLP is saddened to announce that our retired, founding Partner Jules E. Coven has passed away. Mr. Coven formed a partnership with Partners Kerry Bretz and Eileen Bretz in 1999. The three attorneys combined two separate law firms, which practiced different aspects of immigration law, into one full-service, multi-language immigration law firm. Mr. Coven had an extraordinary law career. He was AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, its highest peer review rating for knowledge and ethics, he was a law professor at Brooklyn Law School, he served as a past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, was on the cutting edge of U.S. asylum policies for forced family planning against Chinese nationals, and together with Mr. Bretz at Bretz & Coven, LLP directed a very successful and aggressive federal litigation practice that resulted in many published cases in numerous federal courts that changed, often for the better, the way immigration law is practiced. Mr. Coven is survived by his wife, Dorothy, his daughter, Michele, a lawyer in New York and Israel, his son, a professional musician in California, and his daughter, who currently lives in Rochester. Mr. Coven will be missed dearly by the members of our firm.
The Members of Our Firm Wish You a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season and a Prosperous New Year
LEGAL NEWS
United States Has Record High Immigration Court Backlog
With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on January 20, 2017, United States non-citizens may find that they have a need to get in front of an immigration judge. President-elect Trump's anti-immigration statements may cause the addition of cases to an already backlogged immigration court system nationwide. The day after the election, Syracuse University released data which shows an alarming rate of pending cases currently before immigration courts.
The Future of Asylum Law in Donald Trump's America
Donald Trump's many campaign promises may have disheartened asylum seekers or those with asylum status in the U.S. He has spoken of banning Muslims, building a wall between Mexico and the U.S., and implementing a so-called "extreme vetting" process of people from war-torn countries seeking entry into the U.S. While it is difficult to say for sure which of those promises Trump's administration intends to make good on, it is possible to distinguish between the power that Trump will actually have to change asylum policy and how asylum law will remain unaffected.
The Future of Prosecutorial Discretion
Late in his administration, President Barack Obama outlined a system of "priorities" for deportation in order to channel the government's resources towards deporting certain types of immigrants. Under this strategy, called "prosecutorial discretion" ("PD"), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is encouraged to prosecute immigrants with criminal histories or who had recently entered the country. At the same time, these guidelines are designed to discourage DHS' prosecution of immigrants with longstanding and family ties to the U.S., children, the elderly, and anyone facing serious humanitarian concerns (such as a serious medical condition).
Statement by Secretary Johnson to Resume Regular Deportations of Haitian Nationals
On September 22, 2016, days before Hurricane Mathew, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a press release by Secretary Jeb Johnson, who stated that, effective immediately, Haitian nationals, under the November 20, 2014, memorandum "Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants," will be removed in the same manner as other nationals from other countries.
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In Memory of Partner Jules E. Coven
