Recent AILA Press Releases
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Litigation Team Sues Biden Administration’s State Department as Agency Unlawfully Refuses to Issue Visas
AILA joined Jeff Joseph, Charles Kuck, and Greg Siskind in filing litigation on behalf of scores of plaintiffs against Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, alleging that he and the Department of State have unlawfully refused to issue visas because of temporary regional bans.
Civil Rights Coalition Celebrates End of Harmful Visa Ban
AILA and our litigation partners celebrated the end of the harmful nonimmigrant visa ban that AILA Director of Federal Litigation Jesse Bless noted, “was based on a false premise that foreign nationals take away jobs.” He urged the Biden administration to redress the wrongs caused by the ban.
AILA and Wasden Banias, LLP File Lawsuit Against DHS for L-2 and H-4 Processing Delays
AILA and Wasden Banias, LLP filed a lawsuit against DHS on March 22, 2021, challenging extraordinary processing delays on extensions of status and extensions of employment authorization documents (EAD) for H-4 and L-2 nonimmigrant spouses.
AILA Welcomes End to Trump Administration’s Public Charge “Wealth Test”
AILA celebrates the end of the Trump administration’s public charge “wealth test” and offers gratitude to “everyone who collectively fought to see the battle against this unjust rule through to victory.”
Civil Rights Coalition Celebrates Partial End of Immigration Ban
President Biden revoked former president Trump’s immigrant visa ban, rejecting the previous administration’s proclamation that the entry of immigrants presents a risk to the U.S. economy during the pandemic. However, he did not take action to revoke the entry ban on temporary nonimmigrant workers.
Court Preserves Validity of 2020 Diversity Visas
AILA and our litigation partners welcomed the district court emergency injunction which preserves and extends the validity of most visas from the 2020 lottery, and the news that the State Department had issued national interest exceptions for DV winners with visas expiring Feb 17-28.
ICE Memo Offers Promising Changes but More Reforms Are Needed
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomed changes to immigration enforcement priorities outlined in a memo from ICE Acting Director Tae Johnson but flagged key areas requiring additional action. The interim guidance is effective immediately.
AILA, NALEO Educational Fund, and the National Partnership for New Americans Team Up for Virtual Citizenship Day Events
AILA, NALEO Educational Fund, and the National Partnership for New Americans are proud to sponsor AILA’s 15th Annual Citizenship Day, taking place virtually on Saturday, February 20, 2021, with dozens of naturalization clinics across the country.
AILA Welcomes Bipartisan Dream Act of 2021; Calls on Congress to Take Action on This and Other Necessary Immigration Legislation
AILA welcomed the introduction of the bipartisan Dream Act of 2021, calling on Congress “to pass this bill as a step forward toward legalization of the undocumented, and the many other necessary changes to our immigration laws our country requires.”
Biden Administration Continues Taking Necessary Steps to Bring Our Immigration and Asylum Policies Back in Line with Our Values, However More Needs to
AILA welcomed actions taken by the Biden administration that will continue to ameliorate the damage done over the past four years and move our immigration and asylum policies toward fairness and justice, however leaders cautioned that much more needs to be done.
U.S. Government Records Reveal Expanded Methods to Rush Deportations at Border
AILA, the Council, HRW, and Winston & Strawn LLP obtained documents about the Migrant Protection Protocols which reveal U.S. immigration agencies' efforts in 2019 to rapidly deport thousands of people from the United States through the little-known Electronic Nationality Verification (ENV) program.
Day One of the Biden Presidency Focuses on Key Immigration Reforms
AILA commended the Day One actions on immigration undertaken by the Biden administration, recognizing that “the Biden team got straight to work fulfilling promises on immigration.”
AILA Welcomes Biden Plans to Reimagine America's Immigration System
AILA welcomed the planned reimagining of America's immigration laws and policies by the incoming Biden-Harris administration; this reasoned framework lays out the guideposts of smart and necessary immigration reform, something our country has desperately needed for decades.
AILA Welcomes Biden-Harris Administration Commitment to Fair and Humane Treatment of Migrants in the Americas Region
AILA welcomes reports that President-elect Biden is committed to following through on campaign pledges that will help ensure our immigration system and asylum process become fairer and more just.
Big Win on Pro Bono Suit Challenging Department of Labor’s Midnight Rule Changing Prevailing Wage Determinations
AILA and our litigation partners celebrate today’s summary judgment in our pro bono lawsuit challenging the Department of Labor’s attempt to change prevailing wage determinations.
New Rule Spells Death for the Asylum System - AILA and the Council Urge the Biden Administration to Prioritize Its Undoing
AILA and American Immigration Council leadership respond to the latest asylum regulation that would make it nearly impossible for most applicants to successfully claim humanitarian protection in the United States.
AILA Welcomes Nomination of Alejandro Mayorkas to Lead DHS for the Biden Administration
AILA welcomes the news that President-elect Biden will nominate Alejandro Mayorkas to lead the Department of Homeland Security.
Lawsuit Now Covers Hundreds of H-1B Petitions for Market Research Analyst Positions Filed by American Businesses
A federal judge has granted class certification in AILA’s lawsuit, filed with the Council, Van Der Hout LLP, Joseph & Hall P.C., and Kuck Baxter Immigration LLC, challenging USCIS’s practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analyst positions.
AILA Publishes Immigration Road Map for Incoming Biden-Harris Administration
AILA released recommendations on immigration reform and called upon the incoming Biden-Harris administration to take swift action to fix the immigration system because “nothing short of a comprehensive plan is needed to restore American values and our standing in the world.”
AILA Welcomes the Incoming Biden-Harris Administration and the Opportunities Ahead on Immigration
AILA congratulates the incoming Biden-Harris administration and pledges to offer solutions that will ensure our nation’s immigration policies reflect America’s founding principles and contribute to our shared prosperity.
Lawsuit Seeks to Uncover Secretive Expansion of Judicial Black Sites for Immigration Cases
AILA joined the American Immigration Council and the National Immigrant Justice Center in litigation against EOIR and GSA. The lawsuit requests information on the expansion and creation of immigration adjudication centers, which were established as part of EOIR’s Strategic Caseload Reduction plan.
New H-1B Regulation Defies Congressional Intent and Threatens to Hurt U.S. Economy
AILA President Jennifer Minear and AILA Director of Government Relations Sharvari Dalal-Dheini respond to a new H-1B regulation that will harm U.S. workers and businesses.
AILA and Board of Governors’ Members File Pro Bono Suit Challenging Department of Labor’s Midnight Rule Changing Prevailing Wage Determinations
AILA joins Jeff Joseph, Charles Kuck, and Greg Siskind in suing to enjoin, in its entirety, the Department of Labor Interim Final Rule, “Strengthening Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Aliens in the United States.”
Sweeping Changes Will Alter H-1B Process and Harm American Businesses
AILA President Jennifer Minear and AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson respond to sweeping rules that will alter the H-1B process.
House Condemns Atrocities Against Immigrants in Custody
AILA welcomed the passage of the bipartisan U.S. House of Representatives Resolution 1153 which condemns unwanted, unnecessary medical procedures on individuals in immigration detention without their full, informed consent.