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Practice resources

Immigration Practice Resources

Search immigration practice advisories, sample filings, manuals, brief banks, and government guidance from trusted practitioner sources.

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Immigration court deadline 624 Asylum merits package 95 Motions, stays, and pretermission 139 Bond, detention, and habeas 85 BIA, PFR, and federal court 466 USCIS and AAO appeals 214 Crim-imm screening 158 VAWA, U, T, and survivor relief 197
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National Immigration Project Practice advisory Aug 4, 2026

Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega and 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) Detention in the Fifth Circuit

This practice alert explains the holding of the now-vacated decision on the merits from a panel of the Fifth Circuit in Sosnava Rodriguez v. Ortega , No. 26-50183, and collects caselaw in which district judges have granted habeas relief despite the Fifth Circuit’s recent decisions to vacate the panel’s merits decision and enter a stay of the district court orders pending en banc review.

Detention / bond Federal court Federal district court Court of appeals Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Template motion Jul 15, 2026

Guide to Filing Your First Habeas Corpus Petition: Central District of California

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps for filing your first petition for habeas corpus (immigration) in the Central District of California. The guide provides helpful tips and how-tos from registering for PACER, the federal court electronic filing system, to applying for admission to the district bar, to formatting and filing your petition and motion for injunctive relief. The guide includes helpful screenshots and references to the local rules, as well as links to other useful

Federal court Entry and admission Federal district court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
National Immigration Project Template motion Jun 17, 2026

Template Motion to Reconsider Before the Immigration Court and Motion to Remand Before the BIA Based on Vacatur of the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule

On June 3, 2026, a federal district court in California entered a final judgment in the East Bay Sanctuary Covenant v. Trump , vacated the Circumvention of Lawful Pathway (“CLP”) rule, codified at 8 C.F.R. § 1208.33 et seq. The vacatur means that the CLP rule has been set aside and is without legal effect unless and until the ruling is stayed, modified, or reversed on appeal. As a result, noncitizens whose asylum applications were denied solely because of the CLP rule—but who were otherwise foun

Asylum Removal defense Motions to reopen / reconsider Immigration court BIA Direct PDF
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Immigrant Legal Resource Center Template motion Apr 20, 2026

Guide to Filing Your First Habeas Corpus Petition: Eastern District of California

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps for filing your first petition for habeas corpus (immigration) in the Eastern District of California. The guide provides helpful tips and how-tos from registering for PACER, the federal court electronic filing system, to applying for admission to the district bar, to formatting and filing your petition and motion for injunctive relief. The guide includes helpful screenshots and references to the local rules, as well as links to other useful

Federal court Entry and admission Federal district court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
Immigrant Legal Resource Center Practice advisory Apr 2, 2026

Challenging EOIR Bond Denials in Federal Court

When an immigration judge denies bond based on a finding that a person is a danger to the community or a flight risk, what options remain to challenge that decision? As immigration detention expands and bond denials become increasingly common, federal court litigation is emerging as a critical tool to obtain judicial review of these determinations.

Detention / bond Federal court Immigration court Court of appeals Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
National Immigration Litigation Alliance Template motion Mar 20, 2026

Template DVD Habeas Petition (March 20, 2026)

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Federal court Motions to reopen / reconsider Federal district court Court of appeals Direct DOCX
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American Immigration Council Practice advisory Mar 13, 2026

Electronic Filing and Access to Electronic Federal Court Documents

This Practice Advisory explains the federal rules authorizing electronic filing in federal court; describes how to file documents in federal court using the Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) System; and outlines how to access electronic documents through Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER). The Advisory discusses restrictions on electronic access to court documents in immigration cases.

Federal court Cross-forum Direct PDF
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National Immigration Project Practice advisory Feb 23, 2026

Habeas in the Fifth Circuit After Buenrostro

Analysis of Buenrostro-Mendez and its effect on detention under 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(A), with practical implications for habeas strategy in the Fifth Circuit.

Detention / bond Federal court Removal defense Federal district court Court of appeals Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
National Immigration Project Practice advisory Feb 23, 2026

Habeas in the Fifth Circuit After Buenrostro

On February 6, 2026, the Fifth Circuit issued Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi , No. 25-cv-20496, 2026 WL 323330 (5th Cir. Feb. 6, 2026), a split decision with a strong dissent in which the Fifth Circuit sided with DHS and the BIA to determine that all noncitizens who are present in the United States without lawful admission are subject to mandatory detention under 8 U.S.C. § 1225(b)(2)(A) during removal proceedings, rather than discretionary detention under § 1226(a). Despite Buenrostro , habeas opti

Removal defense Detention / bond BIA appeals BIA Federal district court Direct PDF
Direct PDF Source page Record
NIWAP Library Amicus brief Feb 1, 2026

Perales v. Ashcroft, (2003) U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit

Perales-Cumpean, A76 386 969, Board of Immigration Appeals (2001), U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit (2003). Amicus brief discussing the any credible evidence standard and the definition of battery or extreme cruelty in an immigrant rape and domestic violence victim’s Violence Against Women Act suspension of deportation case (National immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, BIA, Arnold and Porter, Pro Bono 10th Circuit)

Removal defense BIA appeals Federal court BIA Court of appeals Direct PDF
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National Immigration Project Practice advisory Jan 13, 2026

Quick Guide to Release from Immigration Detention for SIJS Youth

IMPORTANT: On February 6, 2026, the Fifth Circuit ruled in Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi , No. 25-20496, that noncitizens in removal proceedings who have not been admitted are subject to "mandatory" detention under 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(A). This resource has not been updated since the Buenrostro decision. If you are filing a habeas petition in a district within the Fifth Circuit, you will need to adapt your legal claims in light of the Buenrostro-Mendez v. Bondi decision, e.g. by focusing on constitu

Removal defense Detention / bond Federal court Immigration court Federal district court Direct PDF
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