Immigrant Legal Resource Center

This step-by-step guide will walk you through the steps for filing your first petition for habeas corpus (immigration) in the Central District of California. The guide provides helpful tips and how-tos from registering for PACER, the federal court electronic filing system, to applying for admission to the district bar, to formatting and filing your petition and motion for injunctive relief. The guide includes helpful screenshots and references to the local rules, as well as links to other useful practice advisories and resources.

On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 6-3 decision in Blanche v. Lau, in which it held that a border officer can determine that a lawful permanent resident (LPR) returning to the United States after a trip abroad is an applicant for admission based on the commission of a crime, even without clear and convincing evidence to support that finding. Mr. Lau, an LPR, traveled abroad while a criminal charge was pending against him for a potential crime involving moral turpitude (CIMT).

The comment explains that denying applications after they have already been accepted can result in the loss of filing fees, lengthy delays, and even permanent loss of immigration benefits when eligibility depends on the original filing date.

On June 29, 2026, the Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) submitted comments urging USCIS to withdraw its proposed revisions to Form N-648, the Medical Certification for Disability Exceptions used by naturalization applicants seeking a waiver of the English and civics requirements based on disability. ILRC commented that the proposed revisions unlawfully impose new eligibility standards that are not authorized by the Immigration and Nationality Act, federal regulations, or USCIS's own Policy Manual.