Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted by Law360 in “DHS Will Maintain H-1B Lottery System Through 2021.” Mr. Yale-Loehr said the announcement was good news for employers and potential H-1B workers, particularly junior-level applicants. “It gives them reassurance that the normal H-1B lottery rules apply again this year. It also means that new graduates have an equal shot this year in being selected for the H-1B lottery. By contrast, if the Trump lottery rule had applied, it is likely that no entry-level applicants would have been selected this year,” he said. The full article can be found at https://www.law360.com/articles/1352470/dhs-will-maintain-h-1b-lottery-system-through-2021 (registration required)

Steve was quoted by Correio Braziliense in ” ‘Os EUA estão de volta’, diz Biden ao retomar alianças” (” ‘The U.S. Is Back,’ Says Biden As He Resumes Alliances”). Mr. Yale-Loehr said it will take time for the United States to admit up to 125,000 refugees a year, as the Biden administration has called for. “But it sends a symbolic message that the country supports a robust refugee policy. It is also part of Biden’s more friendly tone towards immigrants,” he said. According to Mr. Yale-Loehr, President Biden has already made several important decisions on immigration, such as ending the ban on travel for Muslims and Africans, temporarily suspending deportations, and creating a task force to bring together separated families. “Reforming the failed immigration system will require the help of the United States Congress,” he noted. The full article can be found at https://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/mundo/2021/02/4904774-os-eua-estao-de-volta-diz-biden-ao-retomar-aliancas.html (Portuguese)

Steve was quoted by the Haitian Times in “Over 1400 Haitians Scheduled for Removal by U.S. Immigration Authorities.” He noted that the Biden administration has discretion to review Title 42 and determine expulsion based on legitimate national security concerns, as opposed to a blanket policy that assumes all entrants are a COVID-19 threat. Separately, he said a Texas federal judge’s order “does not require everyone to be deported immediately. The Biden administration can take other administrative steps to review deportation orders.” For example, he noted, the administration can direct immigration officials to loosen prosecutorial discretion, allowing for the continuation of legal proceedings concerning deportation. The full article can be found at https://haitiantimes.com/2021/02/03/over-1400-haitians-scheduled-for-removal-by-us-immigration-authorities/ (subscription required)

Steve was quoted by the Associated Press in an article about deportations under the Biden administration. “Scheduling deportations is still a matter of discretion for the agency,” Mr. Yale-Loehr said. The full article can be found at https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-02-02/hundreds-deported-under-biden-witness-walmart-massacre

Steve was quoted by the Arizona Republic in “Thousands of Dreamers Have Applied for DACA Since December as Texas Court Ruling Looms.” Mr. Yale-Loehr noted that a judge expected to rule on the legality of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program “certainly seemed to indicate that the DACA program was illegal.” Mr. Yale-Loehr said he believes the program is lawful because deferred action has been on the books for 50 years and has benefitted many people. Work permits that DACA recipients receive stem from separate regulations that say that anyone granted deferred action from deportation is eligible for a work permit, he noted. The full article can be found at https://bit.ly/3cIokUa