Recent AILA Press Releases
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AILA Presents Rebecca Kitson with the 2022 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
AILA recognizes Rebecca Kitson with the 2022 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award in recognition of outstanding teaching in the area of immigration law.
AILA Launches FOIA Toolbox: A Practical Guide to Obtaining Records for Immigration Cases
AILA has a new resource for practitioners seeking to gain access to government records: AILA's FOIA Toolbox: A Practical Guide to Obtaining Records for Immigration Cases through FOIA and Other Document Requests.
AILA Presents Sandra A. Grossman with the 2022 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
AILA recognizes Sandra A. Grossman with the 2022 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.
AILA Presents Olivia Serene Lee with the 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award
AILA recognizes Olivia Serene Lee with the 2022 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award for outstanding efforts in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion excellence in the immigration legal profession.
AILA and the American Immigration Council Welcome Angela Kelley as Chief Advisor – Policy and Partnerships
AILA and the American Immigration Council welcome Angela Kelley as Chief Advisor – Policy and Partnerships. In her role, Ms. Kelley will be a critical member of the executive management team of both organizations; she most recently served as Senior Counselor to the Secretary of Homeland Security.
AILA Presents Guerline Jozef with the 2022 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award
AILA recognizes Guerline Jozef with the 2022 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights.
AILA President Allen Orr: Pause on Title 42 Rollback Unsurprising; the Fight Continues
Allen Orr responded to the preliminary injunction keeping Title 42 in place as a border expulsion policy noting, “We are disappointed but in no way surprised by this decision…we will overcome this decision and ensure America’s compassion and commitment to fairness and justice prevail.”
AILA President-Elect Jeremy McKinney Responds to Supreme Court Decision in Patel v. Garland
AILA President-Elect Jeremy McKinney responded to the decision in Patel v. Garland, stating, “This decision strips non-citizens of an important avenue for relief after incorrect decisions by immigration judges. It does so by ignoring the plain language of the statute.”
Texas AG “Investigating” Texas Bar Foundation is an Attempt to Shift Attention and Undermine the Rule of Law
AILA and the American Immigration Council stand in support of the Texas State Bar Foundation in response to TX AG Ken Paxton’s investigation of the Foundation for supporting organizations that provide legal representation, citizenship classes, and other legal needs to the immigrant community in TX.
AILA Welcomes USCIS Action to Address Effect of Processing Delays on Families and the U.S. Economy
AILA welcomed news that USCIS will automatically extend work permits for up to 540 days beginning May 4, 2022. AILA President Allen Orr said, “It is a great step forward, but there remain many more simple changes the Biden Administration can and should make to right the ship at USCIS.”
AILA Welcomes New Humanitarian Parole Process for Ukrainians, but Administration Needs to Recognize Disparate Treatment of Populations
AILA welcomed the announcement the Biden administration is building out a process to allow U.S.-based individuals and organizations to more easily sponsor Ukrainian refugees but must redouble its efforts to correct what continues to be starkly disparate treatment of other populations.
AILA Welcomes Designation of Cameroon for Temporary Protected Status
AILA welcomed the recent designation of Cameroon for TPS which will protect thousands of Cameroonian nationals currently in the U.S. but noted, “We cannot sacrifice one vulnerable population for another. These decisions must be centered in equity and our common humanity.”
New ICE Guidelines for Its Attorneys Prioritize Prosecutorial Discretion
AILA welcomed the recent memo from ICE Principal Legal Advisor Kerry Doyle directing prosecutors “to use their discretion to look for opportunities to resolve cases promptly and in the interest of justice for all parties involved.” The memo will take effect April 25, 2022.
Ending Title 42 Finally on the Horizon
AILA welcomes the announcement from the Biden Administration that the use of Title 42, a public health law, to expel vulnerable migrants at our border will finally end on May 23, 2022. AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson noted, “This day has been far too long in coming.”
Legal Associations Call for Support of Real Courts, Rule of Law Act (H.R. 6577)
On March 29, 2022, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the National Association of Immigration Judges, and the Federal Bar Association sent a letter to Congress urging support of the Real Courts, Rule of Law Act (H.R. 6577).
AILA Welcomes ICE Announcement to Close Etowah Detention Center
AILA welcomed the news that ICE will close the Etowah Detention Center in Alabama and limit the use of three other detention facilities across the country. AILA Policy Counsel Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock stated, “the next step as the wind down is implemented is the release of individuals.”
Asylum Changes from the Biden Administration Will Not Ensure Due Process as Required by U.S. Asylum Law
AILA and the Council responded to today’s release of an interim final rule related to asylum procedures with deep concern, noting that “the tight deadlines and rapid scheduling of hearings” will undoubtedly curtail due process and interfere with the ability to obtain legal representation.
ACLU-NM and Immigrant Rights Groups Call for the Immediate Release of People Detained in Torrance County Detention Facility, and for the Termination o
AILA joined partners in calling for the immediate release, not transfer, of people detained by ICE at the Torrance County Detention Facility following deeply disturbing findings announced by a federal watchdog agency.
AILA President Allen Orr Responds to Recent Slaying of Immigration Attorney Jim Li in New York
AILA President Allen Orr responded to news that AILA member Jim Li was slain in New York, stating, “It is a tragedy that Jim’s life was cut short, and we will mourn the man he was: someone called to help others.”
AILA Welcomes Biden Administration Moves to Help Ukrainian Nationals But More Needs to Be Done on Several Fronts
AILA welcomed the designation of Ukraine for TPS while also calling on the administration to do more for Ukraine, and move rapidly to offer similar protections to nationals of several other countries that already face dire circumstances on the ground such as Cameroon and Haiti.
AILA President Allen Orr Responds to D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Decision Rejecting “Title 42”
AILA President Allen Orr called the D.C. Circuit decision on Title 42 expulsions a “significant victory for the migrant families who have correctly and consistently asserted that the law of this nation protects those fleeing persecution, and for all of us advocating for this cruel policy to end.”
AILA President Allen Orr Responds to SCOTUS Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson
AILA President Allen Orr welcomed the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, noting she has “legal knowledge of immense depth and breadth” and is someone “who embodies the strength that comes through diversity and inclusion.”
AILA Calls on Biden Administration to Help Ukrainian Nationals as Russia Invades
AILA calls on the Biden administration to move immediately to help Ukrainian nationals as Russia invades Ukraine, including expeditious processing and humanitarian relief such as Temporary Protected Status and a moratorium on removals.
Eighty-Five Immigrant and Human Rights Groups Call for Investigation and Demand Private Prison Ban Extend to ICE Detention
AILA and our partners requested the DHS and DOJ OIGs review the implementation of President Biden’s EO phasing out DOJ’s use of private prisons; the request was supported by 85 immigrant and human rights groups that delivered a complementary letter demanding the findings be made public.
AILA: USCIS Needs to Give Meaning to the Words of Its New Mission Statement
AILA applauded the Biden administration’s rewrite of the USCIS mission statement which clearly signals a more welcoming and respectful attitude towards immigrants and recognition of the importance of immigration to America’s success.