Current BLS students, faculty & administrators have off-campus access to selected BLS Library ebooks & to articles in $ databases (e.g., International Journal of Refugee Law, Journal of Refugee Studies, Refugee Survey Quarterly) that require use of a proxy server. Tip: Implement BLS proxy server instructions for 1 web browser, close/reopen the browser & access this guide through the browser that now communicates with the BLS proxy server. Based on patron feedback, librarians recommend the BLS proxy instructions for Firefox. For initial help implementing the BLS proxy instructions, email: library.lab@brooklaw.edu On campus or in a BLS residence, one should be able to link directly to these sources without needing the BLS proxy server.
During reference hours (currently 9-5, M-F + Sat. afternoon), BLS librarians can answer questions about sources through: askthelibrary@brooklaw.edu & the chat feature ("Need Help?") on this page.
$ Lexis+ > click icon on left side of home screen: Brief Analysis > upload brief or motion in Microsoft Word or PDF. (Text is only stored for current session.)
Note: In memo used as a test, L+: Brief Analysis provided Shepard's treatment for both cases & BIA Decisions cited in the memo. Safe Harbor participants: please check L+ Brief Analysis!
$ Westlaw Precision > Quick Check > choose option, such as: Check Your Work > upload brief or motion in Microsoft Word or PDF. (Text is only stored for current session.)
Tip: If document does not upload in Microsoft Word, try uploading document as a PDF.
$ Lexis For Microsoft Office for Law Schools
After downloading Lexis for Microsoft Office: When you open your Word document and click tab: LexisNexis, you will be able to Shepardize citations in your document, to check the Bluebook format of citations in your document, to check the accuracy of quotes in your document and to create a table of authorities.
This LibGuide was last substantively updated:
On: Sept. 22, 2023
At: 3:50 PM
By: Jean Davis
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Laws and Policy
Links to pertinent U.S. immigration legislation (including the Immigration and Nationality Act), regulations, the USCIS Policy Manual, policy memoranda, handbooks & the USCIS "Forms" page. Note: USCIS is in the process of retiring its Adjudicator's Field Manual (AFM) and updating/incorporating AFM content into the USCIS Policy Manual.
Other Resources links to U.S. Dep't. of Justice Board of Immigration Appeals decisions.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Reports and Studies
Links to recent annual reports and studies, such as USCIS' Annual Statistical Report FY 2021.
U.S. Dep't. of Homeland Security, DHS.gov
Includes a search box. For example, enter: quinquennial to find the most recently published Quinquennial Report on Asylum Decision Trends and Factors.
U.S. Dep't. of Justice, Executive Office for Immigration Review, EOIR Home
Links to the Virtual Law Library, EOIR Policy Manual & List of Downloadable EOIR Forms.
HIghly useful: $ AILALink subscription, available off campus to current BLS students, faculty & staff who have implemented the BLS proxy server instructions. This subscription supports up to 3 simultaneous users--please click Sign Out in upper right of screen when finished.
Provides tailored collections of immigration law primary sources through home page menu options Statutes & Regs, Court and Admin Decisions + government manuals, memos & correspondence + highly useful AILA books for practitioners, such as Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook & AILA's Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law + AILA conference publications.
AILA's instructions: To apply, start by creating an account at AILA.org, using the link at the top right of the screen. A law student's record type at this stage should be: “Prospective Applicant.” After entering your information, return to AILA.org and click on “Join AILA” at the top-right of the page to start your Law Student membership application. A law student will have the opportunity to attach proof of student status, which is a necessary part of the application process. Questions? Contact: membership@aila.org
Benefits of AILA law student membership include: access to immigration law research collection $ AILALink + access to federal statutes/regulations, federal/state cases & administrative decisions in Fastcase Premium database + AILA8 (= daily immigration e-newsletter) + AILA Membership Directory + selected free online programs/products + law student sessions of AILA's Annual Virtual Conference + free seminars/roundtables that will be held for law student members through AILA University.
$ Lexis+ > Practice Center > Immigration
Includes U.S. immigration statutes, regulations, federal court decisions & administrative decisions/guidance + Immigration Law and Procedure treatise + Bender's Immigration Bulletin & Bender's Immigration Law Bulletin, Daily Edition + Law360 Immigration legal news.
$ Westlaw Precision > Practice Area > Immigration
Includes U.S. immigration statutes, regulations, federal court decisions & administrative decisions/guidance + Asylum Case Law Sourcebook + treatises such as Law of Asylum in the United States & Steel on Immigration Law, handbooks such as H1-B Handbook & Immigration Procedures Handbook + analysis of immigration law developments in Interpreter Releases & Interpreter Releases Daily + checklists, practice notes & forms under: Practical Law Connect Tasks.
Aggregators of "Country of Origin Information" (COI) appear in section: COI of BLS Library's International Refugee Law LibGuide.