AILA’s Advocacy Action Center allows you to advocate for legislative and policy reforms consistent with AILA’s principles and priorities.
Get InvolvedThe brand-new 18th edition of Kurzban's Immigration Law Sourcebook is now shipping.
Order NowLearn how to tackle challenges like finding and retaining affordable staff, working better in a hybrid or remote environment, when and how to raise fees, and much more.
Register NowAILALink puts an entire immigration law library at your fingertips! Search the AILALink database for all your practice needs—statutes, regs, case law, agency guidance, publications, and more.
AILA Doc. No. 18022333 | Dated February 23, 2018
CONTACTS: | |
---|---|
George Tzamaras 202-507-7649 gtzamaras@aila.org |
Belle Woods 202-507-7675 bwoods@aila.org |
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) expresses its deep disappointment at the Trump administration's rewrite of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) mission statement to, among other things, remove the phrase "a nation of immigrants."
"Removing words in the USCIS mission statement cannot change the proud history of our country whose success is owed to the immigrants who have contributed immensely to our society and have made America home," said Annaluisa Padilla, AILA President. She continued, "I am a proud American citizen. I am an immigrant. I am an immigration attorney, dedicated to upholding our most cherished principles. This latest insidious attempt by the Trump administration to diminish the valuable contributions that immigrants have made to our nation and our local communities will not turn Americans away from our most fundamental values."
Benjamin Johnson, AILA Executive Director added, "USCIS was created with a distinct purpose - the adjudication of naturalization applications, immigrant and nonimmigrant visa petitions, and asylum and refugee applications - enshrining in law our rich tradition as a nation of immigrants. America is a place that honors the contributions of immigrants and secures their place in our society. The Trump administration is bent on turning USCIS away from its core mission, and the core values that guide that mission. It is sad to see this attempt to rewrite that history and close our doors to the world. We will not let this change go unnoticed or ignored."
###
The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.
Cite as AILA Doc. No. 18022333.
American Immigration Lawyers Association
1331 G Street NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
Copyright © 1993-
American Immigration Lawyers Association.
AILA.org should not be relied upon as the exclusive source for your legal research. Nothing on AILA.org constitutes legal advice, and information on AILA.org is not a substitute for independent legal advice based on a thorough review and analysis of the facts of each individual case, and independent research based on statutory and regulatory authorities, case law, policy guidance, and for procedural issues, federal government websites.