Novo Legal Group

09/03/2026

Los medios y nuestra comunidad necesitan saber esto: el Tribunal de Inmigración acaba de anular una regla de 25 años, y ahora una dirección antigua que usted nunca actualizó puede costarle su caso, por una notificación que usted jamás vio.

El 3 de septiembre de 2026, la Junta de Apelaciones de Inmigración (BIA), el organismo nacional que está por encima de las cortes de inmigración, decidió Matter of DIJI y eliminó una protección que existió por casi 25 años.

Antes, si usted nunca recibió su "notificación de comparecencia" (el documento que inicia un caso de deportación), por lo general el gobierno no podía ordenar su deportación "in absentia", es decir, sin que usted estuviera presente en la corte. La idea era simple: no se le castiga por faltar a una audiencia de la que nunca fue informado.

Ahora esa protección desapareció. El gobierno puede enviar la notificación por correo a la dirección más reciente que tiene en el archivo, incluso una que usted dio años antes de que su caso existiera. Si usted se mudó y no la actualizó, esa notificación antigua puede contar, y un juez puede ordenar su deportación aunque usted nunca viera nada.

Por eso su dirección con la corte y con USCIS ahora importa más que nunca. Confirme que la tengan actualizada, y guarde comprobante cada vez.

Un detalle clave: esto puede no aplicarse igual en todas partes. Las cortes federales de apelaciones de varias regiones tienen sus propias decisiones vigentes, así que la respuesta puede depender de dónde está su caso.

En Novo Legal, seguimos esto de cerca.

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09/03/2026

This is the change immigration reporters and our community need to understand this week: if you ever moved and didn't update your address, the government can now remove you from the country over a hearing notice you never saw.

On September 3, 2026, the Board of Immigration Appeals, which is the national appeals body that sits above the immigration courts, decided a case called Matter of DIJI and overruled a rule that had protected immigrants for nearly 25 years.

Here is what changed. Under the old rule, if you never actually received your "notice to appear" (the document that starts a deportation case), the government generally could not order you removed "in absentia," meaning removed without you present in court. The idea was simple: you cannot be punished for missing a hearing you were never truly told about.
Under the new rule, that protection is gone. The government can now mail your notice to the most recent address it has on file, even an address you gave years earlier, before your case ever existed. If you moved and didn't update it, that old notice can still count, and a judge can order you removed even though you never saw a thing.

The practical takeaway: your address on file with immigration authorities now carries more weight than ever. If you have a pending case or a pending application, confirm the court and USCIS have your current address, and keep proof every time you update it.

One more wrinkle. This may not apply the same way everywhere. Federal appeals courts in several regions have their own rulings on this exact question, and those still control in those states. So the answer can depend on where your case is, which is exactly why a case-specific review matters.

At Novo Legal, we are watching this closely as it develops.

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09/01/2026

Adjustment of status is the process that allows a person already in the United States to become a lawful permanent resident without having to leave the country, and its existence is more important than the technical name suggests. Congress added it to immigration law through the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, and it has been quietly essential ever since.

The alternative to adjustment is consular processing, which requires the applicant to leave the United States and apply for a green card at a consulate abroad. Leaving can trigger bars that keep the applicant out for years, particularly for anyone who has accrued unlawful presence during their time in the country. Adjustment sidesteps that problem when it is available.

Eligibility depends on several factors, including how the applicant entered the country, whether they have maintained lawful status, and whether they have a qualifying basis such as a family petition or an employer sponsor.

Consider, for illustrative purposes, a spouse of a US citizen who entered on a tourist visa and now needs to weigh whether to adjust in the United States or return home to consular process.

Talk to an attorney before you file, because the paperwork forecloses options fast.

09/01/2026

ICE Just Hit 50,000 Arrests in August: What Families Should Know

ICE arrested about 50,000 people in August 2026, the third straight record month. What the numbers mean, how enforcement has changed, and what to do.

09/01/2026

ICE arrested roughly 50,000 people in August, about 1,600 per day, and that pace has now held for three straight months.

The August figure is on par with July's 49,571 arrests, which was the highest single-month total during the second Trump administration. Arrests fell in February and March, then began climbing in May. June and July each set new records. August has now held the July pace.

The scale is being sustained by a $70 billion funding package that Congress passed in June for ICE and the Border Patrol. That legislation made ICE the wealthiest law enforcement agency in American history and has been used to buy new detention facilities and enforcement tools.

The enforcement itself has become less visible than earlier in the year, when large-scale operations in American cities drew public attention. The strategy has changed. The pace has not.

At Novo Legal, we handle federal habeas petitions, removal defense, and family reunification for detained immigrants across the region. If your family member is in ICE custody or you fear an ICE encounter, talk to an immigration attorney about your specific situation.

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08/31/2026

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08/28/2026

ICE Just Detained Milo Yiannopoulos in Louisiana: What to Know

Milo Yiannopoulos was detained by ICE at a Louisiana airport. What Fifth Circuit rules mean for his case, and what happens next for anyone in ICE custody.

08/28/2026

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08/28/2026

Milo Yiannopoulos, the British-born far-right commentator, was taken into ICE custody at a Louisiana airport this morning.

Yiannopoulos, 41, was detained while reportedly traveling for a Kanye West concert in New Orleans. He is a former Breitbart columnist who later served as chief of staff to Kanye West and directed political operations for West's 2024 presidential bid. ICE has confirmed he is in federal custody. The circumstances of the detention have not been publicly explained.

The story illustrates something we tell our clients regularly. ICE detention reaches anyone the government believes is in violation of immigration law. Political profile does not immunize a person from federal immigration enforcement, and a British citizen who has lived and worked in the United States for years remains subject to detention.

Louisiana sits in the Fifth Circuit. As we wrote earlier today about the Third Circuit's ruling on ICE detention, the Fifth Circuit is one of only two federal appeals courts that currently permits ICE to detain longtime U.S. residents under mandatory detention rules without a bond hearing.

Everyone in immigration custody, whatever their politics, is entitled to due process.

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08/28/2026

Someone who has lived in the United States for 20 years is not standing at the border trying to enter. That distinction is what the Third Circuit ruled on today.

In a 2-1 decision, the court held that longtime U.S. residents cannot be held by ICE without a bond hearing. Two people ordered released had been detained without any judicial review of flight risk or dangerousness. The Third Circuit found that the detention violated both federal immigration law and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Since July 2025, DHS has argued that anyone who entered without inspection remains an "applicant for admission" subject to mandatory detention under Section 1225. The Third Circuit rejected that reading. People living here for years are not, in the court's view, in a continuous state of seeking admission. They are entitled to a bond hearing under Section 1226.

The circuit split is now 8 to 2. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, and 11th Circuits require bond hearings. The 5th and 8th Circuits do not. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue this fall.

At Novo Legal, we handle federal habeas petitions for detained immigrants across the region. If your family member is in ICE custody without a bond hearing, talk to an immigration attorney.

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