Press Room
Recent AILA Press Releases
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AILA Executive Director Welcomes Administration’s Moves to Protect Haitians in the United States
AILA ED Ben Johnson welcomed news that the Biden Administration will redesignate and extend TPS for Haitian nationals and offer hardship work authorization for Haitian students, stating, “This is exactly what U.S. leadership should look like when confronting a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude.”
U.S. Court of Appeals Damages Lower Courts’ Power to Hold Executive Branch Accountable for Refusing to Issue Diversity Visas
AILA, JAC, and ILL respond to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s reversal of the lower court’s order in Gomez v. Biden (first known as Gomez v. Trump). Class counsel is evaluating possible next steps and will be in touch with class members shortly.
AILA President Responds to Supreme Court Decision in Department of State v. Muñoz
AILA President Kelli Stump responded to the Supreme Court ruling in Department of State v. Muñoz, which held that U.S. citizens do not have a fundamental liberty interest in their noncitizen spouses’ ability to come to the United States.
AILA Applauds Announcement of Life-Changing Protections for Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Dreamers
AILA applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement of executive actions to provide protections and work authorization for some undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens and Dreamers with comments from President Kelli Stump and Executive Director Ben Johnson.
AILA President: Supreme Court Decision in Campos-Chaves Gives Government Free Pass and Undermines Due Process
AILA President Kelli Stump responded to today’s SCOTUS ruling in Campos-Chaves v. Garland, highlighting that “this is yet another example of why we so desperately need an independent immigration court in order to have any chance of fairness and justice.”
AILA Elects New Officers: Kelli Stump to Serve as President of Association
AILA installed Kelli Stump as the association’s president for the 2024-25 term and elected officers to its Executive Committee.
AILA Presents Stephen Yale-Loehr with the Robert Juceam Founders Award
AILA recognizes Stephen Yale-Loehr with the Robert Juceam Founders Award, which is given from time to time to the person or entity having the most substantial impact on the field of immigration law or policy.
AILA Presents Robert H. Cohen and Leslie A. Holman with the 2024 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award
AILA recognizes Robert H. Cohen and Leslie A. Holman with the 2024 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award, in recognition of their outstanding service, over a period of years, in advancing the mission, development, and value of AILA for its members and the public it serves.
AILA Recognizes Gregory Siskind with the Inaugural Technology & Innovation Award
AILA recognizes Gregory Siskind with the inaugural Technology & Innovation Award, in acknowledgment of his pioneering work leveraging technology to streamline processes, increase efficiency, and improve client service.
Legal and Policy Experts Discussed Asylum and Border Changes in Virtual Press Briefing
AILA held a virtual press briefing in which AILA ED Ben Johnson was joined by Greg Chen, Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, and Angela Kelley to discuss the recently issued Interim Final Rule (IFR) and Presidential Proclamation; an audio recording is available.
AILA Recognizes Susan G. Roy with the 2024 Sam Williamson Mentor Award
AILA recognizes Susan G. Roy with the 2024 Sam Williamson Mentor Award, in acknowledgment of her outstanding efforts and excellent counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance.
Audio Recording of Press Briefing Held June 6, 2024, Regarding Implementation of Border IFR
Unofficial transcription and audio recording of AILA's press briefing held on June 6, 2024, regarding the implementation of the recent border IFR.
AILA Presents Tracy Harper and Patrick Taurel with the 2024 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
AILA recognizes Tracy Harper and Patrick Taurel with the 2024 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field.
AILA Presents Caitlin Dickson with the 2024 Media Leadership Award
AILA recognizes Caitlin Dickson of Yahoo News with the 2024 Media Leadership Award, given to individuals whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants.
Stuck Between Congressional Inaction and Border Realities, President Biden Issues New Proclamation and Rule on Asylum
AILA ED Ben Johnson responded to the Biden Administration’s new proclamation and rule aimed at preventing migrants entering the U.S. between ports of entry from accessing asylum, noting that “the powers of the Executive Branch alone are insufficient to address the challenges at the border.”
AILA Presents Laila Ayub and Maria Aftab Kari with the 2024 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award
AILA recognizes Laila Ayub and Maria Aftab Kari with the 2024 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for their outstanding contributions made as young lawyers in the field of immigration and nationality law.
AILA Presents the Muñoz Litigation Team with the 2024 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award
AILA recognizes the Muñoz Litigation Team with the 2024 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law.
AILA Executive Director Welcomes Anti-Trafficking Effort, Urges Focus on Real Threats
AILA ED Ben Johnson states DOJ’s anti-trafficking and smuggling plans are exactly where DHS and DOJ “should focus efforts to reduce crime and improve border management” but flags concerns with “the agencies’ plan to increase prosecutions of people for improper entry or re-entry after removal.”
AILA Presents Alberto M. Benitez with the 2024 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
AILA recognizes Alberto M. Benitez of George Washington University Law School with the 2024 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award.
Audio Recording of May 30, 2024, Press Briefing with Rep. Stanton and AILA and Council Border Policy Experts
Listen in on the press briefing featuring Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ), AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson, AILA Senior GR Director Greg Chen, and American Immigration Council Senior Fellow Dara Lind as they discussed possible border solutions in the broader immigration context.
AILA Presents Rex Chen with the 2024 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
AILA recognizes Rex Chen with the 2024 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.
AILA Presents Paulina Reyes-Perrariz with the 2024 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award
AILA recognizes Paulina Reyes-Perrariz with the 2024 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights.
AILA Presents Allen Orr with the 2024 Advocacy Award
AILA recognizes Allen Orr with the 2024 Advocacy Award for outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s advocacy agenda.
AILA Senior Director of Government Relations Shares Insights on Asylum Rule Notice
Greg Chen responds to the advance copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would give authority to asylum officers to apply existing security and terrorism related bars during the initial screening process for credible fear.
AILA President Welcomes Biden Administration’s Moves on Ethiopian TPS as well as DED and Special Student Relief for Palestinian Nationals
AILA President Farshad Owji responded to the Biden Administration’s recent actions to extend and redesignate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ethiopia and to introduce additional measures for certain Palestinian nationals.