SEC vs Seyed Taher Kameli: final decision on EB-5 case
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) v. Seyed Taher Kameli On January 24, 2022, Seyed Taher Kameli, without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations of fraud, agreed to the entry of a final judgment in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois.As summarized in the SEC’s press release, the second amended complaint, filed […]
DACA: Under Constant Threat
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri In 2012, then-President Barack Obama provided a crucial piece of legal protection for residents who unlawfully arrived in the United States as children in the form of the policy known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.[1] By executive action, the president provided these residents (or “Dreamers”) a two-year […]
The Potential Benefits of Assistive Technology on Special Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri The switch to virtual learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a process of adjustment for most grade-school students. Yet the challenge has been particularly acute for students with special needs.[1] Given the particular demands of the disabilities involved, the difficulty of providing specialized instruction via virtual schooling […]
Senate Bill 667 Sent to Governor Pritzker Would Improve Trust Between Undocumented Immigrants and Local Law Enforcement
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri The Illinois legislature has forwarded a bill to Governor J.B. Pritzker that, if passed, would go far in strengthening trust between Illinois law enforcement and immigrant communities. The bill, known as Senate Bill 667, or, the Way Forward Act, restricts local law enforcement from working with the U.S. Immigration and […]
Biden Administration Gives Much Needed Legal Protection to Undocumented Crime Victims with a Sped-Up U-Visa Application Process
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri In a move that is sure to be welcomed by many in both the immigrant community and law enforcement, the Biden administration has decided as of June 14, 2021 to speed up the process of granting U-Visas some undocumented immigrants who are victims of crime.[1] Under the new policy, the Biden […]
Supreme Court Jeopardizes Thousands of Migrants with Temporary Protected Status in Its Ruling in Sanchez v. Mayorkas
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri On June 7, 2021, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that unlawful migrants in the United States whose presence was permitted by having Temporary Protected Status (TPS) were not eligible to apply for green cards to become lawful permanent residents.[1] This ruling followed a case involving Jose Santos Sanchez and his wife, […]
Zhang v. USCIS Signals a Victory for EB-5 Immigrant Investors Looking for More Options to Fund Their Investments as USCIS Approves Petition at Heart of the Case Yet Questions Remain
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri On October 27 of 2020, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated a United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) denial of an EB-5 immigrant investor’s petition under its Loan Proceeds Policy.[1] The DC Circuit invalidated the Loan Proceeds Policy, under which cash from loans were treated as indebtedness and had […]
Biden Raises the Refugee Cap to 62,500 in Response to Pressure, Signaling a Dramatic Improvement in the United States’ Refugee Policy
By Taher Kameli and Chathan Vemuri The Biden administration challenged a core controversial feature of the Trump administration’s immigration policy this Monday when President Biden announced that it was abandoning the noticeably low Trump refugee cap.[1] Instead, President Biden has announced that the refugee cap would be raised to 62,500 people for this fiscal year.[2] […]
Supreme Court Rejection of GOP Attempt to Legally Defend the Trump Expansion of the Public Charge Rule is a Welcome Yet Insufficient Development
By Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri In a further demonstration of the Biden era Federal Government’s rejection of Trump-era restrictive changes to US immigration policy, the US Supreme Court turned down an attempt from several Republican states to defend the Trump-era expansion of the public charge rule.[1] Under the Trump administration’s rule, immigrants were denied […]
Belliveau v. Barco, Inc.
Written by Taher Kameli & Chathan Vemuri On January 28, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals re-interpreted the parameters of fiduciary duty and the breach thereof in relation to third party sublicensing and clarified what was necessary for a fiduciary duty to exist.[1] In the case of Belliveau v. Barco, Inc., the Fifth Circuit ruled that […]