Immigration attorney provides update on Liberty, Mo., Mexican restaurant employees arrested during ICE raid
KSHB’s update features immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford after a federal judge ruled the February ICE operation at El Potro in Liberty, Missouri was illegal due to lack of warrants or probable cause. Sharma-Crawford shares where the workers’ cases stand now—most remain in the U.S. on bond as the next rulings move through immigration court. Read […]
U.S. Immigration Courts Are Far From Normal — Rekha Sharma-Crawford Responds
NJ Spotlight’s August investigation reveals how the U.S. immigration court system has become overburdened, underfunded, and subject to political influence — with posters urging “self-deportation,” judges serving as Justice Department employees, and nearly 4 million pending cases. Immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford, quoted in the piece, warns these conditions undercut fairness and due process for asylum […]
Justice Department to prioritize revoking U.S. citizenship for naturalized Americans
NBC Philadelphia reports the Justice Department issued a memo directing attorneys to prioritize denaturalization—revoking U.S. citizenship for some naturalized Americans—across categories ranging from fraud to serious human-rights abuses, while critics warn the memo’s language could be applied broadly. Immigration attorney Rekha Sharma-Crawford notes these cases must be brought in federal district court, where strict rules […]
Supreme Court rolls back nationwide block on birthright citizenship order, legal fight continues
PolitiFact reports the Supreme Court rolled back nationwide blocks on Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order in Trump v. CASA—without deciding whether the order is constitutional—setting up fresh litigation that could determine where the policy applies and who remains protected. Read the full PolitiFact update →
Think Immigration: The Fourteenth Amendment Survives in 22 States: Trump v. CASA, Inc. Call to Action!
AILA’s Rekha Sharma-Crawford co-authors a rapid-response breakdown of Trump v. CASA, Inc., explaining why the Supreme Court’s ruling limited universal injunctions but did not end birthright citizenship—and why the fight now shifts to class actions, state-led litigation, and Administrative Procedure Act challenges. Read the full AILA post →
AILA Elects New Officers
AILA has elected its 2025–2026 Executive Committee, installing Jeff Joseph as President and naming Rekha Sharma-Crawford as Second Vice President—a leadership milestone highlighted in AILA’s official announcement. Read the full AILA release →
Authorities detain migrants protected by program that offers help to victims of crime
An NPR report highlights a troubling enforcement shift: migrants who applied for U visas as crime victims — a program meant to encourage cooperation with law enforcement — are still being detained by ICE. Attorneys warn the policy change could chill crime reporting and undermine public safety. Read the full report →
Kansas Immigrant Qualified for Protection Gets Arrested by ICE Anyway: ‘Always Been About Racism & Hatred’
The Nerd Stash reports that Rekha Sharma-Crawford is representing Jose Madrid-Leiva, a Kansas City, Kansas father seeking U visa protection after a 2022 armed robbery, who was detained by ICE after an April 2025 traffic stop despite being told he could live and work while his application was pending. \ Read the full story → […]
Authorities told this Kansas immigrant he was protected. ICE detained him anyway
A KAKE report highlights the case of Jose Madrid-Leiva, a Kansas City, Kansas father who applied for U visa protection as a crime victim and was told he qualified to remain and work while his case was pending — yet he was detained by ICE after a traffic stop, signaling a sharper turn in immigration […]
Kansas City immigration lawyer fighting against Trump blocking immigrants from access to college
A Kansas Reflector report spotlights Rekha Sharma-Crawford as she challenges the Trump administration’s move to revoke international students’ legal status, putting their college education and ability to remain enrolled at risk. Court filings show a judge granted a temporary restraining order and later extended it—an early win that keeps students protected while the case moves […]