Introduction Administrative closure is a docket-management mechanism used by immigration judges and the Board of Immigration Appeals (“BIA”) since the 1980s.[1] Typically, administrative closure is used when the decision on a case is affected by an application pending before another government agency, for example, when a decision for removal relies […]
International Law
27 posts
Introduction After two years of violent war, the Ethiopian government and authorities from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (“TPLF”) announced on November 2, 2022 a “cessation of hostilities.”[1] Overshadowed in the media by coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, this two-year-long war has been dubbed as […]
Abstract The tyrannical Sri Lankan Prevention of Terrorism Act (“PTA”) has been in effect for over forty years. Dating back to the decades-long civil war, the PTA has terrorized Sri Lankan citizens. The PTA authorizes the Sri Lankan government to arbitrarily detain citizens without warrants for up to eighteen months; […]
Since 9/11, the United States has continuously used unmanned drone strikes in counterterrorism efforts in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.[1] Drones have become a preferred weapon as they allow for military objectives to be fulfilled without placing soldiers in physical danger.[2] Drones also allow pilots to distance themselves from the […]
Introduction “We do not want to face [atrocities] again. Every Rohingya will refuse to go [back to Myanmar (Burma)].”[1] This sentiment from a Rohingya refugee refers to the decades of systematic “disenfranchisement, discrimination, and targeted persecution that Rohingya people have faced in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.”[2] Rohingya refugees have fled to […]
Recently, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced a new bill focused on strengthening the human rights standards used by the U.S. Department of the Interior in awarding international conservation grants.[1] The bill is a product of a year-long investigation by the House Natural Resources Committee […]
On December 28, 2021, satirical writer and government critic, Kakwenza Rukirabashaija was beaten by Ugandan military officers and arrested for violation of the Computer Misuse Act.[1] His crime was criticizing the physical weight of Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, on Twitter.[2] Rukirabasaija was held for fourteen […]
“We believe that sons and daughters are equal. By increasing the marriage age of women from [eighteen] to [twenty-one], the government wants to enable ‘desh ki beti’[1] to build a career for herself and become Aatmanirbhar.[2]” These were the words stated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in support of […]
Author’s Note: This blog was written at the beginning of March 2022. It focuses on several issues that occurred within the first three weeks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Subsequent allegations of acts against humanity and war crimes are not mentioned in this blog. The international community is calling for […]
Before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there were only 12 people on the No-Fly Lists.[1] After 9/11, the newly formed Transportation Security Administration (“T.S.A.”) took over aviation security from the Federal Aviation Administration.[2] In September 2011, ten years after 9/11, there were approximately 420,000 individuals on the Terrorist Watchlist, with 32,000 […]