A district court judge in Sacramento has halted the planned deportation of thousands of undocumented immigrants nationwide, ruling that they were unlawfully denied amnesty.  The immigrants' attorneys estimate the number of affected immigrants at 200,000, but government attorneys argue that the number is closer to 45,000.  This preliminary injunction will be appealed immediately to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

The immigrants who are affected by this ruling are part of a class who were denied amnesty even though they were otherwise eligible because of brief trips outside the country without INS approval.  They have been in the US for at least 16 years and have businesses and families here.

The court order covers immigrants who qualified for the CSS class in the first suit, filed completed applications between May 5, 1987, and May 4, 1988 and had them rejected because of a "brief, casual and innocent" absence from the country without advanced parole from the INS.  Under the order, INS is not allowed to deport or detain any class member, to revoke the work permit of any class member, and/or to destroy pending applications and supporting documents submitted by class members.

For the latest on this important subject, visit our Documents Collection at http://www.visalaw.com/docs. We have posted a detailed memorandum from the organization representing the plaintiffs in the litigation.