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Pasadena City College Dream Resource Center Offers Free Immigration Legal Services

Pasadena City College Dream Resource Center Offers Free Immigration Legal Services

Pasadena City College's Dream Resource Center, in collaboration with CARECEN College Legal Services, is providing free immigration legal assistance to all PCC students, faculty, and staff. These services are available every Monday, with options for both virtual and in-person appointments. The range of services includes general consultations, assistance with family-based petitions, green card renewals, naturalization/citizenship applications, consultations for victims of crimes or abuse, and DACA renewals, including advanced parole. While the center cannot provide deportation defense, it offers referrals to trusted attorneys, including pro bono and private immigration lawyers, for such cases. Appointments can be booked online, and fee assistance may be available for certain services.

U.S. District Judge Strikes Down State Department's 75-Country Visa Refusal Policy

U.S. District Judge Strikes Down State Department's 75-Country Visa Refusal Policy

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York has invalidated a U.S. State Department policy that mandated the refusal of immigrant visas for nationals from 75 specific countries, even if applicants were otherwise eligible. The policy, implemented on January 14, 2026, and in effect for seven months, instructed consular officers to refuse visas under INA § 221(g) if an applicant was from one of the designated countries, regardless of their individual public-charge assessment. The State Department had justified the policy by claiming these nationalities were at high risk of relying on public benefits. Judge Vargas's ruling in Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. v. Rubio (CLINIC) found that this directive violated INA § 202(a)(1)(A), which prohibits discrimination in visa issuance based on nationality. The court clarified that while consular officers retain discretion in individual cases and public-charge grounds remain valid, a blanket refusal based solely on nationality is u...

Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Address Fourfold Heart Disease Risk in South Asian Americans

Lawmakers Reintroduce Bill to Address Fourfold Heart Disease Risk in South Asian Americans

U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), along with Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), have reintroduced bipartisan legislation known as the South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act. This bill aims to increase awareness, expand research, and strengthen prevention efforts for heart disease within the South Asian American community. Studies indicate that South Asians in the U.S., including immigrants from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, face a fourfold higher risk of heart disease compared to the general population. The legislation would authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants to states. These grants would fund culturally appropriate materials on nutrition, diet, and exercise, support community-run heart health programs, and finance conferences and workshops to improve research practices and include disproportionately affected communities in scientific studies. The bill also mandates the HHS secretary...

Kimchi-Derived Probiotic Shows Promise in Removing Nanoplastics from the Body

Kimchi-Derived Probiotic Shows Promise in Removing Nanoplastics from the Body

A research team led by Drs. Se Hee Lee and Tae Woong Whon at the World Institute of Kimchi has identified a lactic acid bacterium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656, isolated from kimchi, that demonstrates a significant ability to bind to and promote the removal of nanoplastics from the body. Nanoplastics are ultrafine plastic particles, less than 1 micrometer in size, that can enter the human body through food and water and accumulate in organs due to their small size. In laboratory tests, strain CBA3656 showed an 87% adsorption efficiency against polystyrene nanoplastics. Crucially, under simulated human intestinal conditions, where another reference strain's adsorption rate sharply decreased, CBA3656 maintained a high adsorption level of 57%. Animal experiments using a germ-free mouse model further supported these findings, showing that mice administered CBA3656 had more than double the amount of nanoplastics detected in their feces compared to a control group. This suggests the probiotic aids in the ex...

USCIS Provides Reprieve for El Salvador TPS Beneficiaries Amidst Uncertainty

USCIS Provides Reprieve for El Salvador TPS Beneficiaries Amidst Uncertainty

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a short notice indicating that Salvadoran Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries will retain protection, including work authorization, despite the September 9 expiration date passing without a formal extension announcement. El Salvador has been designated for TPS since 2001, and the Biden administration had previously extended the designation for 18 months, from March 10, 2025, through September 9, 2026. As the deadline approached, employers and TPS holders were uncertain about their status, as federal employment verification guidance still indicated termination. USCIS's notice, posted on its TPS pages, states, "An announcement on El Salvador’s TPS will be made at the appropriate time. Until such announcement is made, Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection including work authorization." However, USCIS has not provided a new TPS expiration date or updated instructions for employers regarding Form I-9.

Divorce Impacts Asylum Eligibility for Dependent Spouses in the U.S.

Divorce Impacts Asylum Eligibility for Dependent Spouses in the U.S.

A final divorce generally terminates a dependent spouse's eligibility to receive asylum based on their former spouse's pending application in the U.S. While being listed on an asylum application might seem like having an individual case, a divorce means the dependent spouse must typically file their own independent asylum claim. This requires establishing a new legal basis for protection, as divorce itself does not prove past persecution or a well-founded fear of future persecution. If asylum has already been granted to a derivative asylee, divorce does not automatically revoke that status, but it can prevent the individual from adjusting to a green card through the former spouse. In such cases, a separate process, potentially a 'nunc pro tunc' asylum request, might be necessary. The one-year filing deadline for asylum can be waived due to changed circumstances like divorce, but the new application must still be filed within a reasonable period.

ILRC Opposes Proposed Changes to Form I-130, Citing Increased Burden on Immigrant Families

ILRC Opposes Proposed Changes to Form I-130, Citing Increased Burden on Immigrant Families

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) has formally submitted a comment opposing proposed changes to Form I-130, the Petition for Alien Relative. The proposed revisions would significantly increase the form's length and require petitioners and beneficiaries to provide extensive additional information, including expanded criminal history, employment details, education, and family history. The ILRC argues that many of these new requirements extend beyond the legal purpose of a family petition, creating unnecessary burdens for immigrant families and legal service providers. Furthermore, the organization raises concerns that these changes may violate the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Administrative Procedure Act. The ILRC urges U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to withdraw the proposed modifications and maintain a family-based petition process focused solely on legally relevant questions concerning the petitioner's status and the qualifying family relationship.

Federal Judge Restricts Warrantless Immigration Arrests in Southern California

Federal Judge Restricts Warrantless Immigration Arrests in Southern California

A federal judge in Los Angeles, U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, has issued an order limiting immigration agents from making civil arrests without a warrant in the Central District of California. This district encompasses Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties. The ruling mandates that agents must first determine if an individual is likely to escape before a warrant can be obtained. Judge Frimpong stated that merely being present in the U.S. in violation of immigration law is not sufficient grounds to conclude an individual is likely to escape. Agents are now required to document specific, particularized facts demonstrating probable cause for an escape risk prior to a warrantless arrest. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), has not yet responded to the order. This ruling stems from a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Unio...

Costco Emerges as an Unlikely 'Third Place' Combating National Loneliness Crisis

Costco Emerges as an Unlikely 'Third Place' Combating National Loneliness Crisis

Costco Emerges as an Unlikely 'Third Place' Combating National Loneliness Crisis

Iowa State Public Defender Jeff Wright Addresses Drake University Law Students on Public Interest Careers

Iowa State Public Defender Jeff Wright Addresses Drake University Law Students on Public Interest Careers

Iowa State Public Defender Jeff Wright, a 2006 alumnus, returned to Drake University Law School to participate in the annual 'Conversations with a County Attorney and State Public Defender' panel. He was joined by Polk County Attorney Kimberly Graham, a 1999 alumna. This event is a highly anticipated yearly gathering for law students interested in pursuing careers in public interest and government-centric legal fields. During the panel, Attorney Wright and Attorney Graham engaged with students, addressing various aspects of their professions. Discussions covered topics such as maintaining professional congeniality, developing healthy coping mechanisms for career-related stress, effectively managing high caseloads while zealously advocating for clients, and navigating the political pressures inherent in their high-profile roles. The visit aimed to inspire and educate the next generation of legal professionals.

Arizona Republic

Paul Bender, legal scholar and former ASU law school dean, dies at 93

Paul Bender, legal scholar and former ASU law school dean, dies at 93

Paul Bender, a U.S. and Arizona constitutional law expert, took on major legal cases and causes in a career that spanned the 1950s to the 2010s.

Tabata Training Method Offers High-Intensity Interval Strategy for Physical Conditioning

Tabata Training Method Offers High-Intensity Interval Strategy for Physical Conditioning

Tabata Training Method Offers High-Intensity Interval Strategy for Physical Conditioning