Examples & Questions
See what open call for questions we have for the upcoming 2024 Annual Conference open forums and make sure to register for the Annual Conference before the early-bird rates disappear.
Federal Agencies, Agency Memos & Announcements
AILA provides a continually updated list of press releases announcing deaths in adult immigration detention.
Examples & Questions
AILA seeks non-case-specific questions for the EOIR open forum panel during AILA’s 2024 Annual Conference. Please send questions in by May 3, 2024.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee issued an order granting plaintiffs’ motion to enforce the Flores Settlement Agreement, finding that conditions at the open-air detention sites (OADS) along the California-Mexico border violated the agreement. (Flores, et al. v. Garland, et al., 4/3/24)
Professional Resources
Losing your device, either by accident or due to malicious behavior, happens. Guarding against theft in all the traditional ways of alarms and security systems is wise. But you also should also use these underutilized features available on most devices. Read this Practice Success Tip to learn more.
Practice Resources, Professional Resources
EOIR is actively recruiting and hiring attorney positions. AILA encourages its members to consider and apply for these opportunities. To assist you, AILA provides these resources for navigating the process.
Practice Resources
Reported issues of erroneous rejections across USCIS facilities and receipt delays have been raised to USCIS. AILA continues to seek examples of erroneously rejected applications and petitions.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 26, 2024.
4/26/24
AILA Announcements
Join us for a live-only briefing about the Welcome Corps, a private refugee sponsorship program under the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Speakers from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) at the U.S. DOS and the Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH) will present a program overview.
Practice Resources
Overwhelmed by all the things you need to get done? AILA member Laura Kelley is here to teach you how to use time-blocking in your schedule to create healthy boundaries and get your daily work done.
AILA Announcements
This course focuses on more advanced terminology and topics involving immigration law in the United States. Building on the general Spanish for Lawyers course, the sessions will run from April 22 to June 28, 2024, and require a weekly commitment of 5 to 10 hours of coursework.
4/26/24
Examples & Questions
AILA seeks examples of applications and/or petitions that may have been erroneously denied due to recent changes in filing locations and form editions associated with USCIS. This call will remain open until the issue has been resolved.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042513.
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS is holding four 90-minute focus group sessions to hear feedback about its website on May 7 and May 9. Attorneys and their support staff are encouraged to participate.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042512.
Liaison Minutes
The AILA CBP Liaison Committee met with CBP officials in Washington, D.C. on March 21, 2024. Read the agenda, key takeaways, and Q&As. Topics covered include OPT/petitioner scams, CHNV parole program, and I-94 issues, among others.
Professional Resources
AILA is hosting our fifth annual Well-Being Week in Law along with other bar associations across the country. During the first week of May 2024, AILA aims to raise awareness and encourage action across the profession to improve the well-being of lawyers and their support teams. Sign up now.
AILA Announcements
2024 AILA Northern Border Conference
September 20, 2024
Buffalo, NY
This event is being presented by AILA's Upstate New York Chapter. This event is not being organized by the AILA National Office.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042510.
Cases & Decisions
The court held that the BIA did not err in denying the petitioner’s motion to reopen based on new evidence of his son’s complex medical condition, finding that the petitioner had failed to demonstrate prima facie eligibility for cancellation of removal. (Olmedo-Martinez v. Garland, 4/16/24)
AILA engages in regular meetings with federal agencies, including USCIS, EOIR, ICE, CBP, DOL, and DOS, to discuss how the agencies are implementing policies and adjudicating cases, as well as to raise concerns about immigration issues that are impacting our members.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 21110803.
Policy Briefs
In February 2021, AILA highlighted a shift away from USCIS's mission, affecting customer service. It proposed nine improvements for USCIS and three for Congress to enhance accountability. Despite progress, challenges remain, with AILA urging further action to ensure better service and efficiency.
Examples & Questions
AILA seeks non-case-specific questions for the DOS open forum panel during AILA’s 2024 Annual Conference. Please send questions in by May 1, 2024.
AILA Blog
AILA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Member Lilia Alcaraz and Chair Allen Orr share ten essential insights that underscore the importance of Autism Acceptance Month and urge readers to use this knowledge year-round.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042504.
Liaison Minutes
AILA’s USCIS National Liaison Committees met with OCAHO, IER, ICE, CRCL, and USCIS to discuss issues related to employment verification. Please read the agenda, key takeaways, and Q&As.
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS released its 2007 reasonable fear procedures manual due to FOIA litigation. USCIS uses this manual to determine whether immigrants in fast-tracked removal proceedings who express a fear of persecution or torture will have the opportunity to pursue protection in the United States.
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS provides instructions and a form for requesting a refund for Form I-765 filing fees for Ukrainian parolees.
Cases & Decisions
The court held that the BIA had abused its discretion in denying the petitioner’s motion to reopen based on changed country conditions in Iraq, finding that the BIA had used an incorrect legal standard to assess whether the evidence offered was material. (Abdulahad v. Garland, 4/11/24)
Chapter Documents
2024 Upper Midwest Immigration Law Conference
May 17, 2024
Minneapolis, Minnesota
This event is being presented by AILA's Minnesota-Dakotas Chapter. This event is not being organized by the AILA National Office.
4/25/24
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 25, 2024.
4/25/24
Practice Resources
As technology evolves, legal marketing is undergoing its own evolution from billboards to social media. The informal nature of communication on social media can cause attorneys to miss the ethics mark. Learn how attorneys should be careful when selecting their social media usernames.
Examples & Questions
AILA's VAWAs, Us, and Ts Committee is seeking questions for an upcoming stakeholder engagement with USCIS on VAWAs, Us, and Ts. Please submit your non-case-specific questions/topics to AILA by May 10, 2024.
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS wants to hear from representatives who have experience managing paper-filed cases in their USCIS online account and have used the “Inbox” feature to contact USCIS on behalf of their clients. Sessions will be held between April 29 – May 10, RSVPs are due by May 3.
4/25/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042312.
Practice Resources
AILA provides a practice alert on USCIS's recent Temporary Final Rule (TFR) that increases the auto-extension period for certain employment authorization documents from 180 days to 540 days.
AILA Announcements
The 2024 AILA Annual Conference in Chicago brings together the largest gathering of immigration law professionals in the country. This four-day event with over 120 CLE sessions and 5+ concurrent tracks, covers an expansive array of topics. Register today and save with early bird pricing!
4/25/24
Examples & Questions
AILA seeks non-case-specific questions for DOL open forum panel during AILA’s 2024 Annual Conference. Please send questions in by April 26, 2024.
Examples & Questions
The EOIR National Committee is aware that practitioners have received hearing notices listing a medium that is inaccurate as to the actual medium in which the IJ prefers their hearing. Please send AILA your examples by May 10.
AILA Public Statements, Memo & Regulatory Comments
AILA and the American Immigration Council submitted a comment to DOL with recommendations on how to modernize Schedule A as a flexible tool that would help the U.S. economy, U.S. employers and workers, and DOL resources. Members are encouraged to submit their own comments by May 13.
Professional Resources
This article from AILA's Practice and Professionalism Center provides an overview of new requirements on AI use in immigration law.
AILA Announcements
Join the Federal Court Litigation Section for an overview of discovery in immigration-related litigation with the opportunity to hear from experienced practitioners and get their advice on discovery. Topics include: Types of discovery available, using FOIA as a discovery tool, and more!
4/24/24
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 24, 2024.
4/24/24
FR Regulations & Notices
Advance copy of HHS final rule that adopts and replaces regulations relating to the placement, care, and services provided to unaccompanied children referred to the Office of Refugee Resettlement under the Flores settlement. To be published in the Federal Register on 4/30/24.
AILA Announcements
Author Mary Kramer, author of the recently released 10th edition of Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity, will lead a roundtable where you can discuss the latest law and policy from the courts and agencies impacting all areas of criminal immigration law.
AILA Announcements
Dealing with USCIS errors, incorrect decisions, system glitches, and other bureaucratic inefficiencies can frustrate one. Our panel of experts will provide practical tips and strategies to help preserve your sanity and achieve better outcomes for your clients.
4/24/24
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS invites stakeholders to a webinar on May 29, 2024, to discuss Form I-730, Refugee/Asylee Following-to-Join Processing. Questions are due by May 3.
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042315.
Asylum
AILA Governance
As part of National Volunteer Week, AILA shares this short video to say thank you to our amazing AILA volunteers for all you do for AILA and the wider immigration law field.
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042314.
Agency Memos & Announcements
The CIS Ombudsman's Office invites stakeholders to a webinar on April 30 to engage in a dialogue with USCIS representatives about HART Service Center operations at the one-year mark. Registration is not required.
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042313.
AILA Blog
AILA Ethics Committee Chair Cyrus Mehta explains how under Matter of Lozada, immigration attorneys, unlike any other type of lawyer, must file a bar complaint in order to help a client seek to reopen a case based on ineffective representation and why AILA urges that requirement be removed.
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042311.
Ethics
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS announced the upcoming opening of international field offices in Doha, Qatar, and Ankara, Turkey, to "increase capacity for refugee processing, strengthen strategic partnerships, and facilitate interagency cooperation."
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042307.
Asylum
Agency Memos & Announcements
USCIS invites stakeholders to a webinar on 5/9/24 to discuss the temporary protected status extension and redesignation for Burma (Myanmar). Questions are due by 4/30/24.
AILA Governance
All candidates for the 2024 National Office and the AILA Board of Governors were invited to submit statements regarding their candidacy, which will be posted by Tuesday, April 30. You are invited to attend a virtual candidate forum on May 2. Registration will close on April 30.
4/23/24
AILA Doc. No. 24042305.
FR Regulations & Notices
USCIS 60-day notice and request for comments on Form G–325A, Biographic Information (for Deferred Action). Comments due by 6/24/24. (89 FR 30388, 4/23/24)
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 23, 2024.
4/23/24