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Press Releases and Statements

AILA Disappointed in Supreme Court Stay of Injunction of Public Charge Rule

1/27/2020
AILA expressed disappointment and concern at the 5-4 Supreme Court decision to stay the current nationwide injunction of the “public charge” rule. The administration can now, temporarily at least, implement the Public Charge Final Rule everywhere but Illinois, while underlying litigation continues.
AILA Doc. No. 20012705

Litigation Team Sues Biden Administration’s State Department as Agency Unlawfully Refuses to Issue Visas

4/8/2021
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.
AILA Doc. No. 21040836

Civil Rights Coalition Celebrates End of Harmful Visa Ban

4/1/2021
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 Doc. No. 21040131

AILA and Wasden Banias, LLP File Lawsuit Against DHS for L-2 and H-4 Processing Delays

3/23/2021
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 Doc. No. 21032301

AILA Welcomes End to Trump Administration’s Public Charge “Wealth Test”

3/10/2021
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.”
AILA Doc. No. 21031034

Civil Rights Coalition Celebrates Partial End of Immigration Ban

2/24/2021
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.
AILA Doc. No. 21022500

Court Preserves Validity of 2020 Diversity Visas

2/22/2021
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.
AILA Doc. No. 21022200

ICE Memo Offers Promising Changes but More Reforms Are Needed

2/18/2021
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 Doc. No. 21021890

AILA, NALEO Educational Fund, and the National Partnership for New Americans Team Up for Virtual Citizenship Day Events

2/16/2021
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 Doc. No. 21021633

AILA Welcomes Bipartisan Dream Act of 2021; Calls on Congress to Take Action on This and Other Necessary Immigration Legislation

2/4/2021
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.”
AILA Doc. No. 21020437

Biden Administration Continues Taking Necessary Steps to Bring Our Immigration and Asylum Policies Back in Line with Our Values, However More Needs to Be Done

2/2/2021
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.
AILA Doc. No. 21020200

U.S. Government Records Reveal Expanded Methods to Rush Deportations at Border

1/27/2021
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.
AILA Doc. No. 21012700

Day One of the Biden Presidency Focuses on Key Immigration Reforms

1/20/2021
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 Doc. No. 21012042

AILA Welcomes Biden Plans to Reimagine America's Immigration System

1/19/2021
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 Doc. No. 21011941