Novo Legal Group

09/25/2026

The BIA denied Mahmoud Khalil's motion to reopen his removal case today. The decision is a warning to every immigration attorney bringing due process challenges.

In Matter of M-K-, 30 I&N Dec. 84 (BIA 2026), decided today, the Board of Immigration Appeals denied Mahmoud Khalil's motion to reopen, rejecting his arguments that recusals by Appellate Immigration Judges, expedited docketing, and broader institutional bias at the Executive Office for Immigration Review denied him a fair hearing.

Three features of the decision warrant attention beyond the ruling itself:

First, the BIA constructed an evidentiary framework for discounting news reporting, citing the AllSides Media Bias Chart, a private-sector media rating website, as authority. Federal appellate opinions rarely cite media bias rating sites in this way.

Second, the BIA explicitly defended its own recent restructuring, including the reduction of the Board from 28 to 15 members, and cited a 5.1% federal circuit reversal rate as evidence its decisions are "generally legally correct." That framing overreads what a low reversal rate actually shows.

Third, the BIA warned that arguments made by Mahmoud's attorney (Marc Van Der Hout, one of the most respected immigration attorneys in the country) may "potentially" violate professional responsibility rules governing statements about judges. That warning creates a chilling effect on advocacy in high-profile cases.

Mahmoud's federal court litigation continues. A petition for certiorari is pending at the Supreme Court.

Full analysis on https://hubs.ly/Q04ymPy50.

09/25/2026

Matter of M-K-: BIA Denies Reopening Mahmoud Khalil’s Case

In Matter of M-K-, the BIA denied Mahmoud Khalil’s motion to reopen, rejecting due process claims about recusals and institutional bias.

09/25/2026

Tome lo que necesite y etiquete a alguien que lo necesite 💛 Inmigración, defensa criminal, DUI, derecho familiar y lesiones personales, con un equipo que habla español y entiende su situación.
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📍 Denver · Kent · Walla Walla
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Take what you need and tag someone who needs it 💛 Immigration, criminal defense, DUI, family law and personal injury, with a Spanish-speaking team that understands your situation.
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📍 Denver · Kent · Walla Walla

09/25/2026

An asylee is a person who has already been granted asylum in the United States, and the distinction matters because it changes what a person can and cannot do. Being granted asylum is not the same as being in the process of applying for it, since applicants live in a different legal space and face different limits on work, travel, and family reunification.

Once someone becomes an asylee, they receive protection from removal to their home country, work authorization, and the ability to petition for their spouse and unmarried children under twenty-one. After one year, an asylee can apply for lawful permanent residence, and after five years total in residence, they may become eligible for citizenship.

Travel outside the United States requires careful planning, because returning to the country of persecution can undermine the very basis of the asylum grant. Any international travel should be planned with counsel.

Consider, for illustrative purposes, an asylee who wants to visit a parent in a neighboring country to the one they fled.

Follow for more terms you should know.

Un asilado es una persona a quien ya se le concedió asilo en Estados Unidos, y esta distinción es importante porque cambia lo que la persona puede y no puede hacer. Haber recibido asilo no es lo mismo que estar solicitándolo: quienes tienen una solicitud pendiente se encuentran en una situación legal distinta y enfrentan otros límites en cuanto al trabajo, los viajes y la reunificación familiar.

Una vez que alguien obtiene la condición de asilado, recibe protección contra la deportación a su país de origen, permiso de trabajo y la posibilidad de solicitar a su cónyuge y a sus hijos solteros menores de veintiún años. Después de un año, el asilado puede solicitar la residencia permanente y, tras cinco años de residencia en total, podría ser elegible para la ciudadanía.

Viajar fuera de Estados Unidos requiere una planificación cuidadosa, ya que regresar al país donde sufrió persecución puede debilitar el fundamento mismo del asilo concedido. Todo viaje internacional debe planearse con la orientación de un abogado.

Pensemos, a modo de ejemplo, en un asilado que desea visitar a su padre o a su madre en un país vecino de aquel del que huyó.

Síganos para conocer más términos que le conviene saber.

09/23/2026

¿Qué ícono eligió? 👀 Un accidente, sus papeles, su familia, un cargo criminal o un DUI: cada situación es diferente, pero no tiene que enfrentarla solo. Todos los caminos llevan a Novo Legal. Le acompañamos en su idioma, paso a paso.
Comente su ícono 👇
📞 Llame hoy: 720-534-0513
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📍 Denver · Kent · Walla Walla

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Which icon did you pick? 👀 An accident, your papers, your family, a criminal charge or a DUI: every situation is different, but you don't have to face it alone. Every path leads to Novo Legal. We walk with you, in your language, step by step.
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📍 Denver · Kent · Walla Walla

09/23/2026

Matter of K-K-U-J-: BIA Restricts Reopening After Non-Lawyer Fraud

In Matter of K-K-U-J-, the BIA held that being misled by a non-lawyer does not warrant reopening an in absentia removal order.

09/23/2026

The BIA just made it harder to reopen your case if a non-lawyer scammed you. This is a warning every immigrant family should hear.

Today, the Board of Immigration Appeals published Matter of K-K-U-J-, 30 I&N Dec. 81 (BIA 2026), holding that being misled by someone who is not a licensed attorney generally does not qualify as an "exceptional circumstance" that would justify reopening an in absentia removal order (a removal order entered when you fail to appear at your hearing).

The person at the center of this case is a man from Uzbekistan who paid a non-lawyer to help with his removal case. That person told him he did not need to appear in court. He followed that advice, missed his hearing, and an in absentia removal order was entered. When he tried to reopen the case, the Immigration Judge agreed he had been deceived and reopened proceedings. The BIA reversed. The removal order stands.

If you paid a "notario," an "immigration consultant," or anyone who is not a licensed attorney for help with your immigration case, and something went wrong, contact a licensed immigration attorney immediately. The pathways to reopening your case have narrowed under this ruling, but they are not closed.

In the United States, a notary public is not a lawyer. Verify every attorney's license through your state bar before hiring anyone.

Share this with someone who may need to know.

09/23/2026

USCIS just restricted SIJS age rules. A young woman who acted a week ahead of her birthday now faces removal to Brazil.

Today, USCIS's Administrative Appeals Office designated Matter of Borges Borsoi as a precedent decision, holding that a Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) petition must be filed before the day the applicant turns 21. Filing on the birthday itself is too late, even by an hour.

The applicant in this case is a young Brazilian woman who obtained a Massachusetts state court dependency order finding that her mother had neglected and abandoned her, and special findings supporting her SIJS petition. She got that order a week before her 21st birthday. She mailed her petition two days before her birthday. USCIS received it on the birthday itself, hours later than USCIS's new rule now requires.

Under Matter of Borges Borsoi, 30 I&N Dec. 67 (AAO 2026), the calendar date of birth, not the hour, determines age. Mail transit time does not count. The filing date is the date USCIS receives the petition. The AAO rejected the argument that a day should be divided by hours.

The practical takeaway for anyone approaching 21 with a SIJS pathway: use USCIS's in-person filing option at select field offices (available in a two-week window before the 21st birthday). Do not rely on mail alone. Get your state juvenile court dependency order well in advance. Coordinate with an immigration attorney early.

Full analysis on https://hubs.ly/Q04y8jvK0.

09/23/2026

Matter of Borges Borsoi: USCIS Just Restricted SIJS Age Rules

In Matter of Borges Borsoi, the AAO held that SIJS petitions must be filed before the 21st birthday. Filing on the birthday itself is too late.

09/22/2026

Matter of Mendez Maldonado: BIA Ends 81-Year Interview Warning Rule

In Matter of Mendez Maldonado, the BIA overruled 81 years of precedent and ended the requirement that officers warn noncitizens at USCIS interviews.