In Spanish, the suffix "-ito" is an affectionate diminutive.
- "mi abuela" = "my grandma", "mi abuelita" = "my granny".
- "gato" = "cat", "gatito" = "kitty"
I was pleased to discover the word "diosito", an affectionate diminutive for God.
English doesn't have an equivalent. But it should.
Here's a piece that looks at the counter-narrative: a strong and valid claim, an incompetent attorney, and a U.S. citizen child orphaned. Incompetent and fraudulent lawyers are a huge problem, but not for the reasons the BBC is talking about.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
At the risk of self-promotion, I'd like to propose this as "proper journalism" that exposes ... if not a crook, at least an incompetent working in immigration law. "Administratively orphaned".
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
On the subject of gender and immigration law, this post takes a look at a recent case: "The opinion sounds a family arguing about the #MeToo movement over Thanksgiving dinner."
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-bedlam-o...
Or see this one: "This one opinion contains so much judicial misconduct that it’s challenging to write about."
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-judicial...
It's an open secret that in immigration, your judge is more important than your claim -- better to have a weak claim and a sympathetic judge than an ironclad claim and an unsympathetic judge.
Here's a good example:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-judicial...
Fraudulent or incompetent immigration lawyers are huge problem. Here's an example: a family destroyed, a citizen orphaned because their lawyer screwed up:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
This case was also mangled by an "experienced" immigration attorney:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
"Experienced" is a good start, but not enough. Speaking of which ... do you happen to know anything about attorney Michael Borja? I've been following Second Circuit immigration opinions, and he's been referred to the grievance panel 23 times (!!!) in the last 18 months. Something going on there.
Wow ... forgot to mention an internship. I don't have a lot of hope for relief from the fifth circuit; see e.g.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/whats-the-...
Bad, fraudulent, or unethical lawyers are a huge problem in immigration law. Here's a good example:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
If I'm allowed to self-promote -- I write a weekly blog, "immigration law explained", a funny-but-serious, non-specialist exploration of how immigration law actually operates in practice.
A good place to start:
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/greater-an...
(Free, no subscription required)
"Internal relocation" and the limits of asylum: Antonio’s relocation to the United States and his request to remain demonstrate that he is, in fact, willing and able to live away from his family’s land.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/a-barbaria...
I notice that the flag has the wrong number of stars...
If she’d made up her mind in advance, it doesn’t matter if she subsequently went through the motions of holding a hearing. A hearing held after the decision isn’t due process, it’s a show trial.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/administra...
A rare victory -- an all-women Circuit Panel understands why a victim of gender-based violence might not be able to call the police.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/who-will-b...
Must-read opinion from a MA District Court.
“What? Can this be true? There’s some unwritten deal whereby 6,000 Cuban nationals have already been shipped to Mexico? Tthis is but a stark admission that there’s no process at all beyond ‘it is what we say it is'.”
www.universalhub.com/files/attach...
Thanks. And yes -- it's not really funny. Sometimes you gotta laugh so you don't cry.
Not sure how much of this is true, but at least some is wrong. It wasn't "just before they finished". In the image they haven't even stripped off the old asphalt yet. In the video, one of the workers says that they were just getting started on the project.
Turns out that when every Somali case I have in court suddenly got expedited and reassigned to a new judge, it wasn't just me! The DOJ has officially denied that there is an expedited "Somali Docket," but now the public data refutes their denial. Here are the highlights: 🧵 bklg.org/blog/somali-...
The drive usually take a little over an hour. If she left the night before, AND hit really bad traffic, AND there was a terrorist attack, then that MIGHT be exceptional circumstances ...
... but probably not.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/that-darn-...
Immigration courts by the #’s:
- 25% less judges
- 400 less legal assistants + clerks
- 12 courts lost over half their judges, two have no full time IJs
- supervisors spread across several locations
We break down a clear picture of what is happening across the country:
www.npr.org/2026/02/23/g...
By the Court’s logic, it would seem that torture is not perpetrated in dingy basements by villains with backwards notions. Rather, only well-resourced, highly-educated, and caring individuals would appear capable of forming the specific intent to torture.
samsramblingss.substack.com/p/one-son-di...
Economic and social class doesn't disappear when you cross a border, but it does change. A new special issue in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies puts class back at the center of how we understand migration. Here's why that matters.
I'm always intrigued that in the U.S., wealth and poverty are treated as "mutable" for the purposes of PSG congizability. It shows a uniquely American (and perhaps out-of-date) presumption that social mobility is common and widely available.
