Press Room
Recent AILA Press Releases
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AILA Presents Palma Yanni with the 2023 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Palma Yanni with the 2023 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award, in recognition of her years of outstanding service in advancing the mission, development, and value of AILA for its members and the public it serves.
AILA Recognizes Brian S. Green with the 2023 Sam Williamson Mentor Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Brian S. Green with the 2023 Sam Williamson Mentor Award, in acknowledgment of his outstanding efforts and excellent counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance.
AILA First-Time Survey of Asylum Practitioners Asks and Answers the Question: What Does it Take to Prepare a Migrant for the High-Stakes Asylum Proce
AILA released report on asylum entitled High-Stakes Asylum: How Long an Asylum Case Takes and How We Can Do Better; AILA President Jeremy McKinney noted that the report’s solutions “would go a long way toward ensuring the integrity of a system that is inefficient and often unjust.”
AILA Presents Troutman Pepper with the 2023 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Troutman Pepper with the 2023 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field.
AILA Presents Priscilla Alvarez with the 2023 Media Leadership Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Priscilla Alvarez of CNN with the 2023 Media Leadership Award, given to individuals whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants.
AILA Presents Sarah Pitney with the 2023 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Sarah Pitney with the 2023 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for their outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law.
AILA Presents the AILA Amicus Committee with the 2023 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes the AILA Amicus Committee with the 2023 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law.
AILA Presents Karla McKanders with the 2023 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Karla McKanders with the 2023 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award.
AILA Presents Amy Nice with the 2023 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Amy Nice with the 2023 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.
AILA Presents Ban Al-Wardi and Maria Chavez with the 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Ban Al-Wardi and Maria Chavez with the 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for outstanding efforts in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion excellence in the immigration legal profession.
AILA Presents the UndocuBlack Network with the 2023 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes UndocuBlack Network with the 2023 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights.
AILA Executive Director Responds to Introduction of the Dignity Act of 2023
AILA ED Ben Johnson responded to the introduction of the bipartisan Dignity Act of 2023 calling it a “heartening sign in this divided and ultra-partisan era… AILA doesn’t agree with everything in this bill but looks forward to working with these leaders to find a smart workable compromise.”
Draconian Anti-Immigrant Legislation Will Negatively Impact Florida’s Communities and Businesses
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) condemns two Florida bills, SB1718 and SB264, which will cause harm to communities and businesses throughout the state and beyond. Governor DeSantis is expected to sign both bills.
H-1B Visa Registration Numbers Show Demand Far Exceeds Supply; Changes Are Necessary to Ensure Integrity of the System
AILA urges the Biden Administration to immediately act to ensure the integrity of the H-1B registration system, applauding USCIS efforts in creating a streamlined registration and lottery process, but noting the flaws and vulnerabilities have become impossible to ignore.
AILA Welcomes Menendez Plan Offering Humane and Effective Border Management Solutions
AILA commends Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) for offering up concrete recommendations on immigration issues noting the “multi-pronged plan” is “a starting point for reasoned discussion and debate grounded in the realities of immigration.”
AILA Urges the Biden Administration to Reject the Return of Family Detention and Calls for the Adoption of Humane and Effective Alternatives
AILA expressed grave concern at the possibility the Biden Administration may resume family detention; AILA urges President Biden to stand by the previous decision to end family detention and reject policies that have been proven to have devastating consequences on children and families.
AILA Offers Border Solutions Ahead of First Immigration-Related Hearing in the 118th Congress
AILA addresses Congress and urges it to take swift action to update our nation’s immigration system at the border and beyond in advance of a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the southern border.
Class Action Filed Against USCIS for Extreme Processing Delays that Leave American Families Stranded
AILA amplifies the filing of a federal class action lawsuit in Seattle against USCIS challenging bureaucratic logjams that have left families in a multi-year limbo as thousands of spouses of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents wait for their unlawful presence waivers to be processed.
Biden Administration Expands Legal Pathways with Parole Strategy but Deeply Erodes U.S. Commitment to Asylum Protection
AILA responds to an announcement from President Biden that expands humanitarian parole programs for migrants from Nicaragua, Cuba, and Haiti but severely restricts asylum access, including expanding Title 42, to migrants from those countries.
AILA Condemns SCOTUS Ruling Extending Title 42 Border Expulsion Policy
AILA condemns the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upholds Title 42, a public health expulsion order, for now, and shares recommendations for more fair and efficient border solutions.
New Edition of Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook Released by AILA
The 18th edition of Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook is now available, filled with expert guidance to help readers navigate the labyrinthine U.S. immigration laws.
AILA President Applauds the Signing and Passage of the Respect for Marriage Act
AILA President Jeremy McKinney applauds the signing and passage of the Respect for Marriage Act and noted, “Many mixed-nationality couples in the U.S. have obtained life-altering immigration benefits due to the constitutional right to marriage equality, and now those rights are here to stay.”
AILA and the American Immigration Council Respond to a Bipartisan Framework of Immigration Reform Compromises
AILA and the Council respond to the news that Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) have reached an agreement on a draft Border and DREAM Act Deal.
AILA and the American Immigration Council Respond to Supreme Court Oral Arguments in U.S. v. Texas
AILA and the Council respond to oral arguments heard by the Supreme Court in the case U.S. v. Texas, a dispute over the Biden Administration’s authority to set immigration policy.
AILA Welcomes Federal Court Decision to End Title 42; Implementation Will Begin in Five Weeks
AILA welcomes the decision from U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan striking down the public health law wielded by the Trump Administration as a weapon against asylum seekers as “arbitrary and capricious.” The decision has been stayed for five weeks.