A former Chicago resident who was prohibited from reentering the United States after a trip abroad in 2003 should be allowed to return to the United States, the District Court of Northern Illinois ruled today.

A Somali refugee who has been represented by the National Immigrant Justice Center for more than six years and whose case was pending at the U.S. Supreme Court will receive protection as the result of a settlement with the U.S. Solicitor General.

In the case of Mekhael v. Mukasey, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals delivered the latest in a series of stinging rebukes to the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) when it ordered the review of the case of a Lebanese asylum seeker and called for the Department of Justice to allocate more resources to ensure that immigrants receive fair review of their cases.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of a Somali refugee who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and was denied refugee protection in the United States after being convicted of battery in a 2000 fight in Madison, Wisconsin. The National Immigrant Justice Center has represented Mr. Ali through more than five years of immigration proceedings.

Finds Applicants Who Have Waited More than 120 Days Are Entitled to Judicial Review

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals today rejected the U.S. government's attempts to prevent naturalization applicants whose cases have been delayed by a backlog in FBI background checks from taking their cases to federal court.

The Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals recognized this week that asylum seekers fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation face particular obstacles when they begin the process of seeking asylum in the United States.