The Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) is an administrative
appellate body within the
Executive Office for Immigration Review of the
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...
responsible for reviewing decisions of the
U.S. immigration courts and certain actions of
U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services,
U.S Customs and Border Protection, and
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...
. The BIA was established in 1940 after the
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003.
Refe ...
was transferred from the
United States Department of Labor
The United States Department of Labor (DOL) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It is responsible for the administration of federal laws governing occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, unemp ...
to the Department of Justice.
[ ]
History
1891–1917: Early federal immigration laws
The Board of Immigration Appeals traces its origins to the
Immigration Act of 1891, which was the first comprehensive federal law that governed the immigration system. The Act established an Office of Immigration within the
Department of the Treasury, which would be supervised by a Superintendent of Immigration and responsible for handling immigration functions. The Act also laid out an appeals process where immigrants could appeal the Office's decisions to the Superintendent of Immigration.
Two years later, the Immigration Act of 1893 established three-member Boards of Special Inquiry to decide challenges to decisions of the Office of Immigration that deported or excluded an immigrant seeking to enter the United States.
Congress continued to adjust the immigration system over the coming decades. In 1903, Congress moved immigration functions from the Treasury to the newly created
Department of Commerce and Labor
The United States Department of Commerce and Labor was a short-lived United States Cabinet, Cabinet department of the United States Government of the United States, government, which was concerned with fostering and supervising big business. It ...
. Ten years later, Congress split the Department of Commerce and Labor into a
Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce (DOC) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government. It is responsible for gathering data for business ...
and a
Department of Labor
A ministry of labour (''British English, UK''), or labor (''American English, US''), also known as a department of labour, or labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workfor ...
, and assigned responsibility for the immigration system to the latter.
1917–1940: Board of Review, Immigration and Naturalization Service created
In 1917, Congress passed the Immigration Act of 1917 that reformed the provisions governing the exclusion and deportation of immigrants.
The Immigration Act of 1921 established a new system of national quotas that limited the number of immigrants from any given country. These reforms significantly increased the number of administrative appeals filed by immigrants and the complexity of each case. The
Secretary of Labor established a Board of Review to handle the increased caseload and recommend decisions.
In 1933, Executive Order 6166 centralized all immigration functions within a new
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003.
Refe ...
in the Department of Labor.
1940–1983: Board of Immigration Appeals created
In 1940, President Roosevelt moved the INS to the Department of Justice. The
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
replaced the Board of Review with a new Board of Immigration Appeals authorized to decide appeals itself, instead of recommending decisions. The BIA was given significant independence and remains responsible solely to the Attorney General.
In 1952, Congress replaced the complex network of immigration laws with a single statute, titled the
Immigration and Nationality Act. Among other things, the statue eliminated the archaic Special Inquiry Boards and gave responsibility for reviewing deportation cases to new special inquiry officers. The role of special inquiry officers was further formalized in 1973, when a new regulation renamed them "immigration judges" and granted them the power to wear judicial robes.
1983–present: Executive Office for Immigration Review created and other reforms
In 1983, the Attorney General established the Executive Office for Immigration Review to administer the immigration courts. Immigration judges and the BIA were moved to the EOIR. A new Office of the Chief Immigration Judge was established to supervise the work of immigration judges and immigration courts. The BIA retained its power to decide immigration appeals and establish precedents.
[ ]
Congress passed significant immigration reforms over the next few years. The
Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 and related regulations gave EOIR authority to decide cases related to immigration-related employment issues. The
Immigration Act of 1990 expanded EOIR's powers to review cases of "document abuse", or misuse of documentation to prove employment eligibility. The
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 replaced deportation proceedings and exclusion proceedings with "removal proceedings" and simplified procedures.
The
Homeland Security Act of 2002
The Homeland Security Act (HSA) of 2002 () was introduced in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and subsequent mailings of anthrax spores. The HSA was cosponsored by 118 members of Congress. The act passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of ...
further clarified EOIR's powers by formally separating it from the INS and codifying the Attorney General's supervisory authority. The Act also abolished the INS and transferred its functions to the newly created
Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior, home, or public security ministries in other countries. Its missions invol ...
.
Jurisdiction
The BIA reviews the decisions of the
U.S. immigration courts, some decisions of
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and immigration violation arrests by
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...
. BIA decisions are the final administrative action in a given case, and the next stage of appeal after a BIA decision is usually in the
United States courts of appeals if an appeal is allowed by statute.
Most opinions of the BIA are unpublished and do not apply outside of the cases in which they were issued. However, a limited number of BIA decisions are selected for publication in the Administrative Decisions under the Immigration and Nationality Laws of the United States. There are currently 28 volumes of administrative precedent decisions under the Immigration and Nationality laws encompassing decisions dating back to 1940. BIA precedent decisions are legally binding on all components of the Department of Homeland Security (
DHS). A precedent decision may be overruled by a published decision of the Attorney General, by a Federal court, by a subsequent BIA precedent decision, or by a change in the law.
The BIA is notable in that one need not be an attorney to appear before it representing a client. However, non-attorneys must be part of a BIA-recognized organization (generally a nonprofit), and also have obtained BIA accreditation as individuals. A practice manual for appearing before the BIA is available from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Composition
The BIA is located in
Falls Church, Virginia, and, as of February 2021, has 23 board members, who are administrative judges appointed by the
U.S. Attorney General, and six temporary members.
The size of the full BIA varies from time to time, depending on resignations, retirements, and new appointments; it may have up to 23 board members under the current authorizing regulation. Decisions issued by the BIA are by three-member panels in limited circumstances.
Otherwise, the vast majority of cases are decided by single panel members.
In certain circumstances, a single panel member can use a process called summary affirmance to affirm the lower court without issuing a written decision.
Current members
As of August 18, 2023:
See also
*
Administrative Appeals Office
References
External links
Board of Immigration AppealsDecisions of the Board of Immigration AppealsExecutive Office for Immigration ReviewList of Free Legal Service Providersprovided by the U.S. Department of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Board Of Immigration Appeals
United States Department of Justice agencies
Administrative courts
United States immigration law
United States tribunals
Asylum tribunals