European Connections & Tours, Inc. v. Gonzales, (2006) Developed amicus brief and assisted the U.S. Attorney General in a motion to dismiss a 1st Amendment challenge to the collection of data on male clients for prospective brides and 5th Amendment Equal Protection challenge to regulation of for-profit or majority for-profit but not cultural or religious International Marriage Brokers. (Crowell and Moring, Pro Bono).
Immigration > International Marriage Broker Regulation Act
Topic: International Marriage Broker Regulation Act
Materials regarding the International Marriage Broker Act in regards to immigration.
[pdf] European Connections & Tours Inc. v. Gonzales and The Tahirih Justice Center (+)
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia decision regarding Plaintiff’s (European Connections & Tours) challenge of IMBRA under the First and Fifth Amendments of the Constitution; specifically challenging the portions of the IMBRA statute relating to the disclosure of background information and the definition of International Marriage Brokers. Court dismissed the Plaintiff’s Complaint.
[pdf] Disclosure of Certain Information Relating to Criminal Histories of Petitioners to Potential Visa Beneficiaries (+)
USCIS memorandum to provide itnerim guidance to adjudicators regarding when it may be appropriate to disclose certain information relating to a visa petitioner’s criminal history involving violence or sexual offenses to potential visa beneficiaries.
[pdf] Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts about Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa (+)
Fact sheet explaining domestic violence and information of the legal rights in the United States for survivors of domestic violence. Also provide information on the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA), which requires that the U.S. Government provide foreign fiancé(e)s and spouses immigrating to the United States with information about their legal rights as well as about the criminal or domestic violence histories of their U.S. citizen fiancé(e)s and spouses.
[pdf] Out-of-Town Brides: International Marriage and Wife Abuse among Chinese Immigrants (+)
This paper attempts to provide a cross-cultural theoretical framework for the understanding of wife abuse among Chinese immigrants in the U.S. and examines the legal and social aspects of international marriages, gender inequality, and exploitation of women in a male-dominated society.
[pdf] Governmental and Industry Roles and Responsibilities with Regard to International Marriage Brokers: Equalizing the Balance of Power Between Foreign Fiances and Spouses (+)
Journal article detailing the unregulated nature of the international marriage broker (IMB) industry and how it can endanger women. This article (a) provides an overview of the contemporary IMB industry, including a discussion of reasons underlying women’s choices to use IMB agencies to meet and marry U.S.-based spouses, (b) discusses how this industry’s marketing of marriages potentially endangers many women recruits, and (c) offers an update and analysis of new provisions under U.S. immigration law that strengthen protections available for women who immigrate as fiancés and spouses of U.S. citizens.
[pdf] International Marriage Broker Regulation Act Implementation Guidance (+)
USCIS Inter-office memorandum to provide guidance to USCIS officers in the field regarding the new amendments made by IMBRA to sections 214(d) and 214 (r) of the INA.
[pdf] International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005: Agencies Have Implemented Some, but Not All of the Act’s Requirements (+)
This report addresses the extent to which the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); the Department of State (DOS); and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have implemented IMBRA, and the extent to which USCIS and DOS have collected and maintained data for this GAO report as required by IMBRA. To address these objectives, GAO reviewed the act and related legislation, analyzed IMBRA implementation guidance and available data on applications filed, and interviewed officials at USCIS, DOS, and DOJ.
[pdf] International Matchmaking Organizations: A Report to Congress (+)
This report is in response to the Congressional request under Section 652 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) that the Attorney General, in consultation with the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) and the Director of the Violence Against Women Office at the Department of Justice, conduct a study of mail-order marriages. The report includes a review of INS records for quantitative data as to the number of marriages facilitated by international matchmaking businesses as well as evidence of domestic violence or marriage fraud in the petitionable relationships which result between U.S. citizens (USCs) or lawful permanent residents (LPRs) and the foreign-born women recruited by these companies. The report also contains a literature review of related topics.
[pdf] Current State of VAWA and Trafficking Victim Protection Act Implementing Regulations and Policies (February 13, 2013) (+)
The following article provides an up-to-date list of VAWA statutory provisions for which no implementing regulations or policies have been issued. This list is followed by a consequent list of VAWA and Trafficking Victim
Protection Act (TVPA) regulations that were overruled by statute. This report ends with a list of
current regulations that do not reflect expansions of VAWA or TVPA protections that became
law subsequent to the issuance of the regulations.
[pdf] Information on the Legal Rights Available to Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence in the United States and Facts About Immigrating on a Marriage-Based Visa (+)
This pamphlet will explain domestic violence and inform you of your legal rights in the United States. The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) requires that the U.S. Government provide foreign fiancé(e)s and spouses immigrating to the United States information about their legal rights as well as criminal or domestic violence histories of their U.S. citizen fiancé(e)s and spouses. One of IMBRA’s goals is to provide accurate information to immigrating fiancé(e)s and spouses about the immigration process and how to access help if their relationship becomes abusive.
[pdf] Domestic Violence and the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (DHS Brochure for Law Enforcement and Victim Advocates) (+)
A brochure regarding the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act and domestic violence for Law Enforcement Officers and Domestic Violence Advocates.