Wednesday, April 12th, 2017

Sessions Announces “Renewed Commitment to Criminal Immigration Enforcement” and the End of the National Commission on Forensic Science

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued this  statement regarding a “Renewed Commitment to Criminal Immigration Enforcement” yesterday.  It’s unclear how much it will change enforcement priorities in the ED and SDNY, but it does encourage the piling on of additional charges, such as aggravated identity theft and document fraud, in immigration cases.  If you get assigned to a case that seems unusual to you, meaning an immigration case that would not have been prosecuted under previous administrations or one that involves unusual ICE investigative or arrest tactics, please reach out to the Federal Defenders so we can keep track of developments in this area.

Earlier this week, Sessions announced the end of the National Commission on Forensic Science, an advisory panel of judges, lawyers, scientists and crime lab leaders.  One of the outstanding items the Commission was addressing was national standards for forensic testimony.  The official announcement is here .  The Washington Post covered the announcement here and the New  York Times ran an op-ed criticizing the move here.

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