AILA Correspondence with the Government
Read letters that AILA has sent to government officials about pressing immigration -related issues, as well as coalition letters to government officials that AILA has signed.
Browse the AILA Correspondence collection
AILA and Partners Send Letter Urging DOJ and DHS to Rescind the Pandemic-Related Ban on Asylum
AILA and partners sent a letter urging to DOJ/DHS to rescind the Security Bars and Processing rule, which would ban asylum seekers who have transited through or come from a country with a communicable disease or who exhibit symptoms consistent with such disease.
AILA and Partners Send Letter to Biden on New 18-Month Designations of TPS or DED and SSR for Ukraine
AILA and partners sent a letter to Biden requesting an immediate 18-month designation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) and Special Student Relief (SSR) for Ukraine.
AILA and more than 100 Partners Recommend Priorities for Spending on Immigration in FY2022 Appropriations Bill
On February 24, AILA and more than 100 organizations sent a letter to leaders in Congress setting forth priorities for spending on immigration matters for the FY2022 appropriations bill.
AILA Leads Partners in Calling for Review of DHS’s Reopening of Private Prisons
AILA led partners in calling for an investigation of DOJ and DHS’s implementation of the President’s executive order banning private prisons and reiterating our support for the ban being extended to immigration detention.
AILA Sends Letter to Immigration Investor Program Office (IPO) Requesting Reestablishment of Stakeholder Engagement
On 2/9/22, the AILA EB-5 Committee sent a letter to Alissa Emmel, Chief of the Immigrant Investor Program Office (IPO) to request the resumption of stakeholder engagements between the IPO and EB-5 stakeholders, including AILA, EB-5 trade associations, and industry groups.
AILA, the American Immigration Council, and 147 Partners Send Letter to Biden on Funding for Legal Representation Programs
AILA, the American Immigration Council, and 147 partners sent a letter to Biden and Congress requesting an increase in funding to expand legal representation for people in removal proceedings.
AILA and Partners Request USCIS to Accept Prior Edition of I-918 Through December 31, 2022
ASISTA, ILRC, and AILA sent a letter to USCIS requesting that the agency extend the transition period and accept prior editions of Form I-918 through December 31, 2022.
AILA and Partners Urge Congress to Extend the LRIF Program
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 and Partners Send Follow-Up Letter to USCIS Regarding Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act
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 and Partners Send Letter to USCIS Urging EB-5 Regional Center-Related Applications and Petitions to Continue to be Held in Abeyance
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 and Partners Send Letter to USCIS and ICE on Access to Client Records
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 and Partners Send Letter to DHS Encouraging Extension of I-9 Flexibility Policy
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 Recommends NO VOTE on the Daines Amendment 4236 to NDAA
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 and Partners File Complaint with DHS on Violations and Inhumane Conditions at Torrance Detention Facility
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 and Partners Urge Congress to Provide Funding for Appointed Counsel for Individuals Facing Removal
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 and Partners Send Letter to DHS on Providing EADs to Asylum Seekers
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 and Partners Requests Reestablishment of USCIS Humanitarian Unit Stakeholder Engagements
AILA, along with 22 signatories, sent a letter requesting that the Nebraska and Vermont Service Centers reestablish regular humanitarian unit stakeholder engagement sessions.
AILA and Partners Call on ICE to Ensure Due Process in Operation Horizon
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 Joins Partners in Urging Inclusion of Visa-Related Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Package
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 and Partners Send Letter to Biden Administration on Access to Counsel and Legal Representation
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 Letter to the Administration on Due Process and Access to Counsel Failures of MPP
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 and Partners Send letter to Biden Administration Requesting TPS or DED for Cameroonians
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 Joins 220 Organizations in Opposing Expansion of Immigration Detention
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 and the Council Urge Creation of Universal System for Discretionary Release from ICE Detention
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 and Partners Send Letter to Biden Administration with Recommendations on Terminating MPP
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.