National JFON signed on to a CCRS-authored amicus brief along with other nonprofit organizations and law school clinics.
The brief was in support of a rehearing en banc seeking to ensure the rights of pro se respondents in immigration court. Specifically to this case, the 9th Circuit panel rejected its previous standard in Jacinto v. INS, 208 F.3d 725 (9th Cir. 2000) (which several circuits now follow) that IJ’s must “fully develop the record” when an unrepresented respondent seeks protection under the immigration laws.
This standard was developed because immigration law has been called “labyrinthine” and second only to tax law in its complexity, leaving the burden on respondents to show their eligibility for relief.
The case is still pending.