A Michigan federal district court judge ruled this month that a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleging unreasonable delays in initial decisions for people seeking U visas has enough standing to move forward.

U visas provide legal protections for non-citizens who are victims of serious crimes in the U.S. and who help law enforcement prosecute the cases. They can earn work authorization and enter a path to citizenship.

The lawsuit was brought by a group of noncitizens who applied for U visas years ago and have not yet received DHS documentation that allows for work authorization and temporary relief from deportation, called initial bona fide determinations.

The National Immigrant Justice Center, Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and Winston and Strawn LLP filed the lawsuit on December 19, 2023.

The court previously decided to dismiss the case in A.M.P. v. DHS (formerly known as B.L.R. v. DHS) due to the fact that there is no statutory deadline for the processing of U visa applications. The plaintiffs, who were allegedly left in precarious financial, physical, and mental situations following the decision, asked the court to reconsider.

U visas, created by Congress in October 2000, aim to aid victims of crimes such as rape, trafficking, and sexual assault who have been helpful to law enforcement’s investigation or prosecution. There is, however, a cap on how many U visas can be granted each year: 10,000.

Extended backlogs have prevented U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services from making the initial “bona fide determinations” that would support and grant these applicants amnesty.

Meredith Luneack, a staff attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, said initial bona fide determinations allow those waiting to receive a U visa to have an understanding that their case is being processed.

Luneack also said there are community benefits to providing bona fide determination to those eligible for U visas.

“So with a work permit, which is a part of this bona fide determination, is eligibility for a work permit, (with which) comes obviously the ability to work legally in the United States, which allows for taxing in the United States, allows people to get licenses so they can drive, [and] really kind of increases their ability to become a more productive community member,” Luneak explained.

She said that the extended delays have inhibited U visas from mitigating relationships between law enforcement and immigrant communities.

“They are, you know, sitting there waiting often for years without any kind of status or any kind of acknowledgement of the fact that they have this pending U visa,” Luneack said.

This ruling overturns a previous motion brought by DHS to dismiss the case last year.

UNLV head football coach Dan Mullen joined OutKick’s Dan Dakich on the latest episode of Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich and talked about some of the new players he’s bringing to the Rebels including former Michigan Wolverines quarterback Alex Orji.

Mullen was talking about bringing in Orji as well as former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea which he was able to do thanks to a ton of scouting, made possible in part by his job at ESPN.

“You know, the greatest thing you have been at ESPN is I’ve gotten to watch everybody play,” Mullen said. “You know, you sit in that room all day, and I’m watching every game in college football. I’ve seen them all.”

Mullen had a lot of praise for both of his new signal callers.

“I got to watch Anthony live,” Mullen said. “His ability to extend play, scramble around, throw the ball, tremendous arm talent. Really excited about what he brings to the table.”

He then moved on to praise Orji, but not without getting in what sure seemed like a subtle shot at Michigan in how they used — or, perhaps more accurately — misused their former quarterback.

“I mean, he’s undefeated against Ohio State. Mullen noted, but he didn’t seem to think that Michigan always used him the best way. “He was a guy that was head scratching to me last year. Sometimes I’m watching him and, you know, I don’t know. I’m not in the game meetings, don’t know what like everything going on at Michigan, but I’m saying, ‘I don’t know that they’re highlighting his strengths,’ right?

“I mean, you know, in football, the job of coaches is to put a guy in position to do what he does. Well, that’s what coaching is all about.”

Mullen continued by saying that while systems are important, they should fit the players, not the other way around, something he said confused him about Michigan’s handling of Orji.

“I was watching some of the games, and I’m saying, hey, when they put that guy in a position to do what he does well, Ohio State won’t tackle him, and they’re playing for a National Championship, Mullen said. “But to sit there and put him in a position to do things where you’re not highlighting his strengths all the time, that’s a little confusing.”

Ann Arbor — More than two dozen vehicles in a high school parking lot had their windows smashed and were broken into during a men’s college basketball game at University of Michigan.

Ann Arbor police said the break-ins occurred Sunday, WXYZ-TV reported. Damage was reported to 27 vehicles. No arrests have been made.

Fans watching the Wolverines defeat the Washington Huskies at Crisler Arena discovered the damage as they returned to the lot at Pioneer High School. Cash, purses, wallets and other items were taken from the vehicles, police said.

“Everything was great until we got back out to the car after the game and saw glass everywhere,” Joe Weitz told the TV station.

Weitz, of Kalamazoo, said he had taken his 8-year-old daughter to her first Michigan basketball game.

“It was pretty devastating,” he said. “My daughter was definitely pretty emotional because they went through everything in our car.”