2021
12/17/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to Congress requesting elimination or extension for the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness (LRIF) program’s current deadline of December 20, 2021, for at least two years.
AILA Doc. No. 21122237
12/16/2021
AILA and coalition partners sent a follow-up letter to USCIS regarding implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act. The organizations urged USCIS to comply with the agency's reporting requirements and to expand premium processing to additional form types as swiftly as possible.
AILA Doc. No. 21122138
12/10/2021
On December 10, 2021, AILA, IIUSA, and the EB-5IC sent a letter to USCIS urging the agency to continue to hold EB-5 Regional Center (RC) program-related petitions and applications beyond the end of calendar year 2021 to allow Congress sufficient time to reauthorize the EB-5 RC program.
AILA Doc. No. 21121302
12/9/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter requesting flexibilities on Form I-9 compliance requirements, permitting remote inspection of employee identity and employment authorization documents and the employment verification process, with the extension lasting through at least 6/30/22.
AILA Doc. No. 21121008
12/9/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter requesting that USCIS, ICE, and EOIR revise its regulations, policies, practices, and procedures for providing access to records of proceedings (ROPs) and digital audio recordings (DARs) and Alien Files (“A-Files”) in immigration court and USCIS proceedings.
AILA Doc. No. 21121006
12/1/2021
AILA sent recommendations opposing the amendment offered by Senator Steve Daines (MT-R), which would limit the federal government’s ability to provide settlement payments to immigrant families who were victims of the Trump administration’s illegal and inhumane family separation policies.
AILA Doc. No. 21120113
11/23/2021
AILA and partners sent a complaint to DHS CRCL requesting an investigation of the violations of due process and inhumane conditions and lack of access to counsel at the Torrance County Detention facility in Estancia, New Mexico.
AILA Doc. No. 21120111
11/17/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to DHS urging the Biden administration to rescind Trump administration employment authorization regulations and ensure making the work authorization process more humane.
AILA Doc. No. 21112200
11/17/2021
AILA and the American Immigration Council led a sign-on letter urging Congress to provide robust funding for appointed counsel for indigent individuals facing removal. 118 bar associations and organizations specializing in providing legal representation to immigrants signed onto the letter.
AILA Doc. No. 21111802
11/11/2021
AILA, along with 22 signatories, sent a letter requesting that the Nebraska and Vermont Service Centers reestablish regular humanitarian unit stakeholder engagement sessions.
AILA Doc. No. 21111203
3/10/2021
On 3/10/21, AILA and the Technology Advisory Group sent a letter to USCIS regarding the agency’s digitization efforts and requested a meeting to discuss collaboration on the agency’s ongoing digitization efforts.
AILA Doc. No. 21111201
11/5/2021
AILA, the American Immigration Council, and partner organizations sent a letter to ICE regarding "Operation Horizon"— its plan to mail Notices to Appear (NTA) to individuals released from the border.
AILA Doc. No. 21111161
11/2/2021
On 11/2/21, AILA joined the American Immigration Council, Niskanen Center, and the National Immigration Forum in leading a letter signed by 95 organizations requesting that Democrats include green card recapture and advanced adjustment of status provisions in the budget reconciliation package.
AILA Doc. No. 21110305
10/29/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to the Biden administration highlighting the host of obstacles to attorney access that exist in immigration detention facilities nationwide and make recommendations on ways to eliminate the barriers.
AILA Doc. No. 21110200
10/25/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to the Biden administration requesting immediate designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for the 40,000+ Cameroonians currently in the United States who are urgently in need of protection from deportation.
AILA Doc. No. 21102902
10/25/2021
AILA sent a letter to the administration following reports that the Laredo and Brownsville tent courts are re-opening as a result of the re-implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). AILA’s letter summarized the past problems and urges the administration issue a new termination memo.
AILA Doc. No. 21102563
10/5/2021
AILA and partners sent letter to the Biden administration and DHS opposing MPP and recommendations for the memorandum to clarify why COVID-19 continues to prevent the resumption of MPP hearings and the importance of adequate notice of the date and time of any future scheduled removal hearings.
AILA Doc. No. 21101908
9/17/2021
AILA joined 71 organizations in sending a letter in response to the notice of appeal in the Huisha-Huisha litigation urging the administration to restore access to U.S. asylum at ports of entry and immediately stop blocking and expelling asylum seekers and migrants.
AILA Doc. No. 21101167
10/8/2021
AILA joined 220 organizations in expressing disappointment about the planned reopening of Moshannon Valley Correctional Center as an ICE detention center, and the conversion and expansion of the Berks County ICE detention center to an adult facility for women.
AILA Doc. No. 21101161
10/5/2021
AILA and the American Immigration Council sent a follow-up letter to DHS calling for the creation of a meaningful and functioning system of discretionary release within ICE.
AILA Doc. No. 21100604
9/24/2021
AILA and partners sent a complaint to DHS CRCL requesting an immediate dialogue with CRCL staff about a variety of serious violations of migrants’ rights documented by advocates and attorneys on the ground in Del Rio, Texas.
AILA Doc. No. 21093007
9/17/2021
After a federal district court held that the government likely does not have authority to implement the Title 42 policy and enjoined the use of the policy against families with young children, AILA urged the administration to stop blocking asylum seekers and restore access at our ports of entry.
AILA Doc. No. 21092206
9/21/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to the White House requesting that deportation flights to Haiti stop, restoration for asylum access at ports of entry, rescind the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s expulsion order, and issue a new termination memo for the Migrant Protection Protocols.
AILA Doc. No. 21092203
9/13/2021
AILA sent a letter to Congress urging immediate reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program.
AILA Doc. No. 21092022
8/23/2021
On 8/23/21, AILA joined national, state, and local organizations in urging Congress to not miss out on the opportunity to make important visa reforms and increase immigration numbers via the budget reconciliation package as it considers a legalization program.
AILA Doc. No. 21091003
9/3/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter urging the Biden administration to ensure that U.S.-Afghan allies and other at-risk Afghans do not languish in legal limbo abroad. The letter includes several recommendations.
AILA Doc. No. 21090900
7/31/2021
AILA offers recommendations to DHS on how to improve the interim enforcement priorities and ensure consistent implementation.
AILA Doc. No. 21090107
8/16/2021
AILA’s Asylum & Refugee Committee sent a letter to Associate Director of the USCIS Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate (RAIO) Jennifer B. Higgins requesting the opportunity meet and discuss policy updates, trends, and issues in the field of asylee and refugee processing.
AILA Doc. No. 21081862
8/17/2021
AILA, the American Immigration Council, and other organizations call on the Biden administration to appeal the erroneous and factually incorrect decision issued by a federal judge in Texas that ordered DHS to “enforce and implement MPP in good faith” for an indefinite period of time.
AILA Doc. No. 21081731
8/10/2021
On 8/10/21, AILA sent a letter to the Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO) requesting clarifying guidance for I-765 and I-131 applications filed by EB-5 regional center investors with pending regional center-affiliated Forms I-485.
AILA Doc. No. 21081132
8/10/2021
On August 10, 2021, AILA sent a letter to new USCIS Director Ur Jaddou requesting an introductory meeting to hear about her vision for USCIS and to share recommendations for the future of immigration.
AILA Doc. No. 21081033
8/6/2021
On 8/6/21, AILA joined over 200 organizations in urging Congress to support provisions in the FY2022 budget reconciliation package that establish a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, and to oppose any harmful anti-immigrant amendments to the package.
AILA Doc. No. 21080641
7/9/2021
On 7/9/21, AILA joined other advocates and partners in calling for procedural measures to allow families and individuals deported to danger in Guatemala under the Asylum Cooperative Agreement program to return and seek protection in the United States.
AILA Doc. No. 21072335
7/21/2021
On 7/21/21, AILA joined the American Immigration Council, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), and Value Our Families in leading a letter requesting urgent action to ensure maximum visa use in FY2021 and to ensure that no green cards are lost due to administrative delays.
AILA Doc. No. 21072139
7/8/2021
On 7/8/21, AILA joined a letter to the Biden administration requesting immediate protection of Haitians inside the U.S. and at the southern border after the assassination of President Moïse and serious injury of the first lady, Martine Moïse, at home in the middle of the night.
AILA Doc. No. 21071330
6/30/2021
On 6/30/21, 105 organizations, including AILA and the American Immigration Council expressed alarm and disappointment that the Biden administration is considering plans to continue to use the Title 42 expulsion policy.
AILA Doc. No. 21070634
5/26/2021
AILA signed onto a letter urging the Biden administration to consider and undertake additional recommendations for ending anti-black racism in immigration laws and policies.
AILA Doc. No. 21060441
5/25/2021
AILA joined Immigration Justice Campaign Local Partner, the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN), in urging DHS to suspend the practice of detaining and transferring immigrants as COVID-19 cases in ICE custody trend upward.
AILA Doc. No. 21052733
5/21/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter requesting DOJ and EOIR to repeal the EOIR fee rule that imposes draconian fee increases for critical immigration filings, and to ensure that any further rulemaking involving fees in EOIR proceedings does not deny due process or access to asylum to any person.
AILA Doc. No. 21052536
5/20/2021
AILA joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and others to call on the Biden administration to redesignate Haiti for TPS considering the widespread violence, civil and political unrest, economic and humanitarian strife, and the COVID-19 crisis and lack of available vaccines.
AILA Doc. No. 21052131
5/19/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter urging DOJ to conduct a review of all EOIR personnel decisions made by the previous administration, immediately install new leadership in all key posts, and to diversify the immigration judge corps.
AILA Doc. No. 21052030
3/16/2021
On March 16, 2021, AILA and coalition partners sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting action on various priorities, including the reprioritization of 700,000 cases in the immigration court backlog.
AILA Doc. No. 21050300
4/15/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and AG Garland with recommendations on how to receive and screen migrants seeking safety in the United States in a humane and orderly fashion, including expanding legal counsel programs and using initial asylum interviews at the border.
AILA Doc. No. 21042031
4/14/2021
AILA’s Senior Director of Government Relations, Gregory Chen, submitted a statement to the House Judiciary Committee for its April 14, 2021, markup of the NO BAN Act and the Access to Counsel Act of 2021. AILA urges passage of both bills.
AILA Doc. No. 21041430
4/13/2021
AILA sent a letter to DHS urging modernization of the Form I-9 employment eligibility verification process, including permanent virtual review of the Form I-9 employment eligibility documentation. Special thanks to the AILA Verification Committee for their contributions to this letter.
AILA Doc. No. 21041330
4/7/2021
On April 7, 2021, AILA sent a letter to USCIS expressing concerns about USCIS’s untimely rejection of applications and petitions, and urging equitable relief for all stakeholders affected by such delayed rejections.
AILA Doc. No. 21040935
3/29/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to DHS on urgent, unaddressed concerns regarding the ICE detention system and requesting that ICE meaningfully consider all people in custody for release as the first step toward a longer term dismantling of the harmful ICE detention system.
AILA Doc. No. 21033032
3/25/2021
AILA and the Council sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and Acting ICE Director Johnson urging DHS to establish a functioning system of discretionary release from ICE custody, arguing that all detained individuals must have a meaningful opportunity to have their custody evaluated.
AILA Doc. No. 21033031
3/22/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter to USCIS requesting prompt action on H-4, L-2, and F-1 nonimmigrant EAD delays and status extensions to ensure that individuals currently employed do not lose their employment authorization and that business disruption in a rebounding economy is kept to a minimum.
AILA Doc. No. 21032300
3/12/2021
On 3/12/21, AILA and partners sent a letter to DHS and DOS with recommendations on additional actions the administration could take to end the Migrant Protections Protocols (MPP).
AILA Doc. No. 21031242
3/11/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter urging Representatives Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Steny Hoyer (D-MD) to move the NO BAN ACT to a floor vote before April 1, 2021, rather than unnecessarily repeating the markup process.
AILA Doc. No. 21031238
2/11/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter requesting DHS to promptly make all authorized additional H-2B visas available for FY2021 and to encourage President Biden to rescind Presidential Proclamation 10052, which restricts the entry of H-2B visa holders into the United States through March 31, 2021.
AILA Doc. No. 21030840
3/1/2021
AILA and 16 coalition partners sent a letter urging USCIS to implement the provisions of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act which were included in H.R. 8337. These provisions authorize USCIS to expand premium processing to additional form types.
AILA Doc. No. 21030443
3/3/2021
AILA sent a letter to USCIS expressing concern about receipt notice delays, which have impacted stakeholders’ ability to demonstrate employment eligibility for Form I-9 purposes. AILA urged USCIS to implement flexibilities related to the verification process for applicants impacted by the delays.
AILA Doc. No. 21030338
2/5/2021
AILA and partners sent a letter urging President Biden to rescind, without delay, Proclamations 10014 and 10052, which have suspended the entry of many people seeking to enter as immigrants and nonimmigrants, and which continue to cause harm to families, businesses, and communities in the U.S.
AILA Doc. No. 21020536
2/1/2021
On February 1, 2021, AILA, along with 164 immigration, civil rights, and human rights organizations, sent a letter to President Biden urging reforms to ensure that the Department of Justice (DOJ) establishes fairness and integrity in the immigration courts and the immigration enforcement system.
AILA Doc. No. 21020137