Press Room
Recent AILA Press Releases
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AILA: Once Again, Congress Holds DREAMers Hostage
As Congress gears up to vote on two immigration bills next week, AILA President Anastasia Tonello and Executive Director Ben Johnson raise serious concerns about the provisions which would, among other things, severely cut legal immigration, undermine vital protections for vulnerable populations.
New Edition of Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook Released by AILA
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is proud to release the 16th edition of Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook at the 2018 AILA Annual Conference being held in San Francisco this week.
AILA Elects New Officers for 2018-2019
Today, Anastasia Tonello was installed as AILA’s President at AILA’s Annual Conference and the following officers were elected: Marketa Lindt as President-Elect, Jennifer Minear as First Vice President, Allen Orr as Second Vice President, Jeremy McKinney as Treasurer, and Farshad Owji as Secretary.
Immigration Attorneys Offer Free Legal Consultations in San Francisco on June 16
This Saturday, June 16, 2018, AILA, in partnership with AILA’s Northern California Chapter and La Raza Centro Legal, will offer free immigration law consultations. Immigration attorneys will be available to answer questions and assist immigrants with a variety of immigration-related questions.
AILA Presents Cyrus D. Mehta with the 2018 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
AILA will recognize Cyrus D. Mehta with the 2018 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law. He will receive the award this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Dilruba Hashim and Tracie L. Klinke with the 2018 Advocacy Award
AILA will recognize Dilruba Hashim, of Washington, D.C., and Tracie L. Klinke, of Marietta, Georgia, with the 2018 Advocacy Award for outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s advocacy agenda. They will accept their awards this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Rebecca Sharpless with the 2018 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
AILA will recognize Rebecca Sharpless of the University of Miami School of Law with the 2018 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents John C. Keller with the 2018 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award
AILA will recognize John C. Keller with the 2018 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Sheila Starkey Hahn with the 2018 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
AILA will recognize Sheila Starkey Hahn, of Memphis, Tennessee, with the 2018 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field. The award will be presented this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Jonathan Blitzer and Sarah Stillman of The New Yorker with the 2018 Media Leadership Award
AILA will recognize The New Yorker's Jonathan Blitzer and Sarah Stillman with the 2018 Media Leadership Award, for individuals whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants. The award will be presented this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Patrick Taurel with the 2018 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award
AILA will recognize Patrick Taurel, of Washington, D.C., with the 2018 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for his outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law. He will receive the award this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents Dagmar Butte with the 2018 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award
AILA will recognize Dagmar Butte of Portland, OR, with the 2018 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award for her outstanding service in advancing the mission, development, and values of AILA. She will receive the award this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Recognizes Helen L. Tarokic with the 2018 Sam Williamson Mentor Award
AILA will recognize Helen L. Tarokic, of Wilmington, North Carolina, with the 2018 Sam Williamson Mentor Award for her outstanding counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance. The award will be presented this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
AILA Presents the MAVNI Litigation Team of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver, & Jacobson LLP with the 2018 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award
AILA will recognize the MAVNI Litigation Team of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP with the 2018 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in San Francisco.
Attorney General Pushes Immigration Judges to Deny Asylum to Victims of Violence
AILA responds to the Attorney General's precedent decision in which he vacated the BIA decision in Matter of A- B and announced that in his view, domestic violence victims and other victims of crimes perpetrated by private, non-government actors do not generally qualify for asylum.
Complaint Filed with DHS Oversight Bodies Calls for Improvements to Medical and Mental Health Care of Immigrants in Aurora Detention Center
AILA and American Immigration Council released a press release on their complaint, filed 6/4/18, regarding inadequate access to medical and mental health care for immigrants detained at the Denver Contract Detention Facility, which is owned and operated by the private prison company Geo Group, Inc.
ICE Has Missed Two Detention Reporting Deadlines Set by Congress in March
AILA joined other organizations calling on congressional appropriators to hold ICE accountable for violations of congressionally imposed transparency obligations in the ever-expanding immigration detention system.
AG’s Latest Move Further Erodes the Independence of Immigration Judges
The AG announced that immigration judges and members of the BIA may no longer “administratively close” cases, except cases that meet very narrow criteria, eliminating a critical docket management tool and effectively ensuring that the courts will remain encumbered with massive backlogs.
DOJ and DHS Decide to Forcibly Separate Families and Prosecute Asylum Seekers
As DHS and DOJ announced new efforts that will result in the forcible separation of vulnerable families seeking protection in the United States under U.S. law, AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson called the decision “a gross injustice.”
Termination of TPS for Honduras Will Tear Apart Families and Harm American Businesses
DHS announced that TPS for approximately 57,000 Honduran nationals will end on January 5, 2020. In this statement, AILA President Annaluisa Padilla responded to the news and called on Congress to “pass a permanent fix to provide relief for long-term TPS beneficiaries.”
DOJ Reverses Course on Legal Orientation Program, For Now
AILA and the American Immigration Council welcomed the news that the Department of Justice will not halt the Legal Orientation Program (LOP) for now; AILA and the Council again highlighted the LOP’s benefits to the efficiency and effectiveness of the immigration court system.
DOJ Ignores Set of Recommendations to Strengthen Immigration Court System Efficiency and Effectiveness
In response to a FOIA request, AILA and the American Immigration Council received a partially redacted report written by Booz Allen Hamilton and commissioned by EOIR which offers recommendations to ensure efficient proceedings and due process. The administration, however, has done the opposite.
AILA: H-1B Numbers Show America is Losing Out on Talent
AILA responds to the news that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it received 190,098 new H-1B visa cap-subject petitions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, down from approximately 199,000 in FY 2018.
DOJ Cuts Immigrants’ Access to Counsel in Latest Attack on Due Process
AILA and the American Immigration Council responded to the recent news that DOJ was halting the Legal Orientation Program despite the program’s success and congressional directives to maintain it.
AILA: Outdated Immigration Laws Locking Out Job Creators
AILA responded to the USCIS announcement that the agency has received more than enough H-1B petitions within the first five business days of the FY2019 filing period to reach the annual H-1B cap.