Press Room
Recent AILA Press Releases
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AILA: Congress Must Pass Dream Legislation Before the Holidays
AILA urged Congress and the President to pass the Dream Act before the December holidays. Failing to act will hurt Dreamers, their families, and the businesses and communities that depend on them.
AILA: AG Sessions Cites Flawed Facts in Missive on the Immigration Court System
AILA condemned attacks by AG Sessions on the immigration courts and the due process rights of immigrants, stating that “For the AG to blame immigration lawyers for imagined trespasses is both malicious and wrong. We will not let that misinformation pass without setting the record straight.”
Senate Appropriators Propose Billions for Mass Deportation Machine
AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released on 11/21/17 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which would dramatically increase spending on immigration enforcement while stripping funds for critical oversight programs.
AILA Deeply Disappointed by Decision to Terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
AILA denounced the decision by DHS to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals, effective July 22, 2019. AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noted, “Given the great uncertainty surrounding the future of Haiti…the administration’s decision is shortsighted and uninformed.”
AILA: Ending Protected Status Will Tear Apart American Families, Harm Businesses, and Communities
AILA warned that the decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 2,500 Nicaraguan nationals will harm American families, businesses, and communities.
Undeterred by White Supremacist Threats, AILA Stands with America’s Immigrants
After members of a white supremacist group targeted our building, AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson stated: “AILA and its members will not be deterred or distracted from our work and our mission to stand by America’s immigrants and to advocate for fair and just immigration laws and policies.”
AILA: Trump Administration Erodes Integrity and Fairness in Immigration Courts
AILA strongly opposes the Trump administration’s plans to impose numeric quotas on immigration judges in order to speed up deportations which threatens the integrity of the immigration court system and the independence of the judicial branch.
AILA: Attorney General Derides the Role of Due Process in the American Asylum System
AILA rejected the baseless attacks on America’s asylum system by the attorney general, noting that “Given the humanitarian concerns involved, the tragedy here is that nowhere in the attorney general’s harangue against the system were any useful solutions that would actually make the system better.”
AILA: White House Principles on Immigration Fail America
AILA condemned the Trump administration’s “Immigration Principles and Priorities” as destructive and unworkable. AILA reaffirms its commitment and support for real bipartisan immigration reform to increase our country’s shared prosperity and restore our legacy as a nation welcoming to immigrants.
New Edition of AILA Treatise on Immigration and Crimes Released
AILA released the seventh edition of Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity: A Guide to Representing Foreign-Born Defendants by Mary E. Kramer; the book is a vital resource for any lawyer working with foreign national or naturalized citizen clients who have been charged with a crime.
Civil and Human Rights Organizations File Joint Complaint Against DHS on Behalf of Pregnant Women Detained by ICE
AILA joined six other organizations filing a joint complaint today concerning ICE’s treatment of pregnant women in detention, highlighting inhumane conditions, inadequate medical care and failure to implement agency policy limiting the detention of pregnant women.
AILA: Latest Travel Ban Will Weaken Not Strengthen America
AILA expressed concerns about the new travel ban, with AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noting the “changes…will add unnecessary steps to our already robust visa screening procedures and ultimately will block or slow the entry of legitimate business, family, and other travelers.”
AILA Releases Fourth Edition of Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court
AILA released the fourth edition of Litigating Immigration Cases in Federal Court by Bob Pauw, which provides expert guidance and a summary of case law for practitioners defending noncitizens who are subject to removal or who have been denied immigration benefits to which they are entitled.
AILA and NALEO Educational Fund to Help Thousands of Eligible New Americans on National Citizenship Day
AILA is proud to sponsor the 11th Annual Citizenship Day on Saturday, September 23, 2017; the event, a partnership with the NALEO Educational Fund, brings together AILA attorneys across the country, along with other advocates, to provide assistance as lawful permanent residents seek to naturalize.
AILA Stands with Dreamers, Condemns DACA Cancellation
In the wake of the announcement by the Trump administration, AILA condemned the cancellation of the DACA initiative and reiterated its support for Dreamers and DACA recipients, calling on Congress to “live up to America’s fundamental principles and stand up for Dreamers.”
AILA: Ending DACA Would Be Inhumane and Bad for America
AILA condemned reported plans that the Trump Administration will end the DACA program with a six-month enforcement delay and urged President Trump to endorse legislation to protect Dreamers “and ensure a solution is passed before terminating the DACA program.”
AILA: Court’s Halt of SB 4 Is Win for Immigrants and Entire Nation
AILA welcomed the decision by federal judge Orlando Garcia to enjoin the implementation of several unconstitutional provisions of SB 4, a Texas law targeting immigrant communities which would have taken effect September 1.
A Shameful Exercise of Presidential Power
AILA condemned President Trump’s decision to grant a pardon to disgraced Sheriff Joe Arpaio; AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noted, “By pardoning Sheriff Arpaio, the President has undermined the judicial branch, a core institution of our democracy.”
ICE Settles Case Challenging Interference with Legal Representation at Dilley
The parties in Dilley Pro Bono Project v. ICE reached a settlement ensuring access to mental health evaluations for detained asylum-seeking mothers and children. The case was filed after ICE barred a full-time legal assistant with the pro bono project from entering the Dilley facility.
RAISE Act Attacks Legal Immigration System; Ignores Needs of U.S. Businesses and Families
AILA opposes yesterday’s introduction of the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, which does nothing to reform our outdated immigration system yet seeks to curtail legal immigration levels over the next decade.
AILA: House Bills Give Hope to Dreamers, but DACA Still in Danger
AILA praised the Dream Act of 2017 and the American Hope Act introduced in the House, both of which “would provide young people, who were brought to this country as children and grew up in the United States, the chance to apply for lawful permanent residence, and eventually apply for citizenship.”
AILA Urges House to Reject Wasteful and Unnecessary Border Wall Spending
AILA opposes adding funding for a wasteful and unnecessary border wall to the funding package set to be voted on later this week; members of the House plan to add the $1.6 billion in funding to a spending measure covering, among other things, Defense, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs.
AILA Welcomes Bipartisan Dream Act of 2017; Calls on Congress and the Administration to Protect Dreamers
AILA welcomes the introduction of the Dream Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin, that would provide young people who were brought to the U.S. as children a chance to apply for lawful permanent residence if they meet certain requirements.
House Appropriations Committee Gives Trump Administration Blank Check to Implement Mass Deportation Plan
AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee, which would massively increase immigration enforcement and border spending at a time when border apprehensions have plummeted and ICE and CBP funding is already at all-time high levels.
AILA: House Bills Erode Public Safety and the Constitution
AILA urged lawmakers to oppose two bills slated to be taken up this week by the House of Representatives: the “No Sanctuary for Criminals Act” (H.R. 3003) and “Kate’s Law” (H.R. 3004), noting that the bills “will undermine public safety and erode our nation’s bedrock constitutional principles.”