CURRENT AWARENESS
AILALink (CUNY First credentials to access remotely)
Immigration Resources (Westlaw, sign-in to Westlaw)
Immigration Law (Lexis, sign-in to Lexis)
SECONDARY SOURCES
General
AILA Books (AILA)
Immigration Secondary Sources (Westlaw, filter to Topic: Immigration)
Immigration Treatises & Practice Guides (Lexis)
Selected Specific Immigration Titles
ILRC, Naturalization and U.S. Citizenship: The Essential Legal Guide-
U.S. Citizenship & Naturalization Handbook (Westlaw)
AILA's U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization Law Toolbox (AILA)
Immigration Law & Procedure // Gordon, Mailman (Lexis)
Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook (AILA)
Steel on Immigration Law (Westlaw)
Immigration Procedures Handbook (Westlaw)
National Security
CRS Reports on National Security (FAS)
National Security Investigations and Prosecutions (Westlaw)
Sentencing Guidelines
Annotated Federal Sentencing Guidelines (Westlaw, placed after Title 18 in USCA)
Federal Sentencing Guidelines Manual (Westlaw)
Federal Sentencing Law & Practice
US Sentencing Commission (Research Reports) (Amendments)
Law Review Articles
Lexis, Westlaw & HeinOnline law journal databases
PRIMARY MATERIALS
Statutes & Regulations
USE Annotated Statutes & Regulations on Westlaw & Lexis
INA (USCIS)
GovTrack.us (tracking legislation)
Federalregister.gov (tracking Federal Register filings, such as proposed and final rules)
Administrative Decisions & Guidance
Immigration Administrative Decisions & Guidance (Westlaw)
Memos, Cables & Letters (AILA)
USCIS Policy Manual
Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual
BIA Precedent Decisions (Lexis)
BIA Precedent Decisions (AILA)
BIA Non-Precedent Decisions (Lexis)
Unpublished BIA (EOIR Reading Room)
Other Unpublished BIA Decisions (Immigrant & Refugee Appellate Center) (ask about access)
For Federal court dockets while in law school USE BLOOMBERGLAW (for more info see FAQ on Dockets).
A private initiative called RECAP The Law is trying to ameliorate the access problems created by the costs of PACER access through a free extension for FireFox and Chrome browsers. The basic idea behind RECAP (PACER spelled backwards) is that when someone accesses records through PACER while using the RECAP extension a copy of any records downloaded are simultaneously uploaded to a free archive. The next researcher to visit the same docket on PACER will be able to download that document from the RECAP archive rather than pay PACER. Thus, in theory, if everyone were using RECAP, researchers would collectively only have to pay once for each filing.
A NOTE ON CERTAIN IMMIGRATION CASES
If you work on certain immigration and are looking up a docket you may at some point find, annoyingly that some filings are not electronically available online even though they are publicly available if you actually go to the courthouse. Why? The answer is Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 (c) which reads:
Limitations on Remote Access to Electronic Files: Social Security Appeals and Immigration Cases. Unless the court orders otherwise, in an action for benefits under the Social Security Act, and in an action or proceeding relating to an order of removal, to relief from removal, or to immigration benefits or detention, access to an electronic file is authorized as follows: (1) the parties and their attorneys may have remote electronic access to any part of the case file, including the administrative record; (2) any other person may have electronic access to the full record at the courthouse, but may have remote electronic access only to (A) the docket maintained by the court; and (B) an opinion, order, judgment, or other disposition of the court, but not any other part of the case file or the administrative record.
Here is a law review article all about it that argues that the rule does not properly balance the need for public access to court filings.
FEDERAL COURT LITIGATIONFRCP