Blog
- Santee Named Immigration Super Lawyer
May 29, 2019
Congratulations to our firms’s founder, Super Lawyers is Thompson Reuters’ rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The patented multiphase selection process relies on peer nominations and evaluations, as well as Thompson Reuters’ independent research. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis. The objective is...Read More - How Does the Government Shutdown Affect Your Immigration Case?
Jan 5, 2019
The federal government entered a partial shutdown on Friday, December 21, 2018. Many clients have been asking me how this affects their immigration cases? The short answer is that, in many cases, there is little to no effect at all. Below is a quick summary of how the shutdown affects each of the federal agencies involved in immigration cases. USCIS: DOS CBP: ICE EOIR DOL: CIS Ombudsman Please do not hesitate to...Read More - Real life superheroes assemble in San Diego for social justice rally
Jul 24, 2018
This article...Read More - What Ever Happened to Prosecutorial Discretion?
Jul 24, 2018
The term “prosecutorial discretion” refers to the prerogative of law enforcement officials to decline to prosecute. I see it often in my criminal and immigration practice. Sometimes it is a question of enforcement priorities and resources. But other times, it is a question of justice. Every case is different and there are times when applying the letter of the law would lead to an unjust result. Unfortunately, the concept of prosecutorial discretion seems to be...Read More - Attorney General Vacates Key BIA Asylum Decision
Mar 10, 2018
On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions vacated a 2014 Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision requiring that those seeking asylum be afforded a full hearing before their asylum claims are denied. The practical implications of this decision remain to be seen, but many worry that this represents a step toward substantial limitations on the availability of asylum in the United States. The decision by the Attorney General, which is available...Read More - USCIS Issues Update on DACA: Accepting DACA Renewal Requests
Feb 14, 2018
On February 14, 2018, USCIS issued the following update on its administration of DACA requests in light of two recent federal court orders: USCIS is not accepting requests from individuals who have never before been granted deferred action under DACA. Due to federal court orders on Jan. 9, 2018 and Feb. 13, 2018, USCIS has resumed accepting requests to renew a grant of deferred action under DACA. The scope of the Feb. 13 preliminary injunction...Read More - Supreme Court Allows Enforcement of Travel Ban 3.0
Dec 7, 2017
On Monday, December 4, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two orders temporarily allowing the government to enforce the full set of restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump’s September 24 proclamation, commonly referred to as “Travel Ban 3.0.” The ban generally limits the entry into the United States of nationals from the following eight countries: Iran, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela and Chad. So what does this mean? Is Travel Ban 3.0 here...Read More - Santee to Teach at NITA Program
Oct 19, 2017
Philadelphia Attorney Mr. Santee has been teaching trial advocacy at Villanova University School of Law since 2003. For six years, he served as Villanova Law’s Assistant Dean for Trial Advocacy Programs. He also served as Head Coach of Villanova Law’s award-winning National Trial Competition Team...Read More - New Sentences for Juvenile Lifers
Oct 19, 2017
Philadelphia Criminal Defense Client L.G. was convicted of first degree murder for a crime committed when he was 17 years old. Client B.H. was convicted of Second Degree Murder for a crime committed when he was 15 years old. Both were sentenced to Life without the possibility of parole, which was the mandatory sentence for juveniles convicted of either First or Second Degree murder. Mr. Santee filed petitions for post-conviction relief on behalf of...Read More