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AILA Correspondence

AILA Requests Clarity from USCIS on Afghanistan Evacuation Policies

8/21/2021
On 8/20/21, in light of the escalating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, AILA sent a letter to USCIS with recommendations regarding USCIS policy and procedures relating to the Afghanistan evacuation and seeking clarifying information regarding humanitarian parole adjudications.
AILA Doc. No. 21082391

AILA Joins Sign-On Letter Urging the Administration to End Title 42 Expulsions and MPP

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

AILA and Partners Urge White House to Change Course After Violations to Asylum Rights and Refugee Laws on Haitians

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

AILA Urges Congress to Reauthorize the EB-5 Regional Center Program

9/13/2021
AILA sent a letter to Congress urging immediate reauthorization of the EB-5 Regional Center Program.
AILA Doc. No. 21092022

AILA and Partners Calls for Visa Reforms and Increased Immigration Numbers in Budget Reconciliation

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

AILA and Partners Sent Letter to Biden Administration on Legal Limbo of Afghan Evacuees

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

AILA Recommendations on Biden Administration Enforcement Priorities

7/31/2021
AILA offers recommendations to DHS on how to improve the interim enforcement priorities and ensure consistent implementation.
AILA Doc. No. 21090107

AILA Joins the American Immigration Council in Calling on the Biden Administration to Block the Return of MPP

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

AILA’s Asylum & Refugee Committee Requests Meeting Opportunity with the USCIS Asylum Division

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

AILA Requests Clarifying Guidance from IPO Regarding I-765 and I-131 Adjudications for EB-5 Investors

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

AILA Sends a Welcome Letter to USCIS Director Jaddou

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

AILA Joins Partners in Urging Congress to Provide a Pathway to Citizenship

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

AILA Supports the Fair Treatment of Asylum Seekers Wrongfully Deported Under the Asylum Cooperative Agreements

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

AILA and the Council Join Partners in Urging the Biden Administration to Ensure Maximum Visa Use in FY2021

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

AILA and Partners Urge Urgent Action Following the Assassination of Haitian President Moise

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

AILA and the Council Express Concern over President Biden’s Continued Use of Title 42 Expulsion Policy

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

AILA Supports Recommendations to the Biden Administration on Reversing Anti-Black Immigration Policies

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

AILA and Partners Urge DHS to Stop Detentions and Transfers as COVID-19 Cases Spread in ICE Custody

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter Requesting DOJ and EOIR to Repeal the EOIR Fee Rule

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

AILA and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Press the Biden Administration to Redesignate Haiti for TPS

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

AILA and Partners Urge DOJ to Review EOIR Personnel and Install New Leadership

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter to AG Garland Urging Reform of America's Immigration Enforcement and Judicial Systems

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

AILA and Partners Urge the Attorney General and DHS Secretary to Create a Welcoming, Effective, and Timely Asylum System

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

AILA Submits Statement to House Judiciary Committee for Markup of NO BAN Act and the Access to Counsel Act of 2021

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

AILA Sends Letter to DHS Urging Modernization of the Form I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification Process

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

AILA Sends Letter to USCIS Urging Equitable Relief for Stakeholders Impacted by Delayed Rejections

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter to DHS on Concerns Regarding the ICE Detention System

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

AILA and the Council Urge DHS and ICE to Create Functioning System of Discretionary Release from ICE Detention

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter to USCIS on Status Extension and EAD Processing Delays

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter Recommending Additional Actions on the Wind Down of MPP

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter on the NO BAN ACT

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter to DHS on the H-2B Visa Program

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

AILA and Coalition Partners Send Letter to USCIS Urging Implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act

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

AILA Sends Letter to USCIS About the Impact of Receipt Notice Delays on the Form I-9 Employment Verification Process

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

AILA and Partners Urge President Biden to Rescind the Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Bans

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

AILA and Partners Send Letter to President Biden on DOJ Reform of Immigration Courts and Enforcement Priorities

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