The Justice Department (DOJ) has directed U.S. attorneys to proceed on all civil immigration cases during the shutdown, departing from protocols that restricted work on such matters when federal funding lapses. According to guidance from the Deputy Attorney General’s office, attorneys “should NOT seek a stay on any civil immigration matters, whether affirmative or defensive.” That directive appears contrary to DOJ’s shutdown contingency plan, which said “civil litigation will be curtailed or postponed to the extent this can be done without compromising to a significant degree the safety of human life or the protection of property.”
