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 Sends Letter to USCIS Urging Equitable Relief for Stakeholders Impacted by Delayed Rejections
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 and Partners Send Letter to DHS on Concerns Regarding the ICE Detention System
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 and the Council Urge DHS and ICE to Create Functioning System of Discretionary Release from ICE Detention
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 and Partners Send Letter to USCIS on Status Extension and EAD Processing Delays
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 and Partners Send Letter to AG Garland Urging Reform of America's Immigration Enforcement and Judicial Systems
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 and Partners Send Letter Recommending Additional Actions on the Wind Down of MPP
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 and Partners Send Letter on the NO BAN ACT
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 and the Technology Advisory Group Send Letter to USCIS Regarding Digitization Efforts
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 Sends Letter to USCIS About the Impact of Receipt Notice Delays on the Form I-9 Employment Verification Process
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 and Coalition Partners Send Letter to USCIS Urging Implementation of the Emergency Stopgap USCIS Stabilization Act
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 and Partners Send Letter to DHS on the H-2B Visa Program
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 and Partners Urge President Biden to Rescind the Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Bans
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 and Partners Send Letter to President Biden on DOJ Reform of Immigration Courts and Enforcement Priorities
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 Provides Feedback to USCIS on FY2021 H-1B Electronic Registration Process and Recommendations for Improvements
On 12/29/20, AILA provided feedback to USCIS on the H-1B electronic registration process and recommendations for improvements. AILA addressed account creation issues, duplicate registrations, selection issues, and rejections/denials for failure to list a 10/1 start date, among other things.
AILA and Partners Send Letter Requesting Legislation to Create an Article l Immigration Court
Nearly 120 organizations, including AILA, sent a letter urging Rep. Lofgren (D-CA) to introduce legislation creating an Article l immigration court before the end of the 116th Congress or the beginning of the 117th Congress.
AILA and Partners Send Letter Opposing Exclusionary Language in the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act
AILA and partners sent a letter urging Representative Nadler (D-NY) and Representative Lofgren (D-CA) to strip xenophobic language from Section 9 of the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act that would ban many Chinese nationals from becoming LPRs and eventually citizens in the United States.
AILA and Partners Request DHS and OIRA to Extend Comment Period for H-1B Wage Lottery Proposed Rule
On 11/16/20, nearly 128 multi-sector organizations, including AILA, sent a letter to DHS and OIRA requesting the agencies to extend the comment period on DHS’s H-1B Wage Lottery proposed rule from 30 days to a minimum of 60 days.
AILA and Partners Request EOIR to Extend Comment Period for Proposed Rule on Asylum and Withholding of Removal Procedures
Nearly 90 organizations, including AILA, sent a letter to EOIR and OMB urging the agencies to extend the public comment period on EOIR's proposed rule on asylum and withholding of removal procedures from 30 days to a minimum of 60 days.
AILA and Partners Request DHS to Extend Comment Period for New Proposed Duration of Status Rule
AILA and partners sent a letter to DHS requesting an extended 60-day comment period on DHS's new proposed rule on establishing a fixed time period of admission and an extension of stay procedure for nonimmigrant students, exchange visitors, and representatives of foreign information media.
AILA and Partners Send Letter Urging Congressional Leaders to Reject Extra Funding for CBP and ICE
AILA joined over 200 organizations in sending a letter urging congressional leaders to reject any anomalies or any other funding mechanisms that would increase funding for CBP or ICE in a FY2021 Continuing Resolution, stating that “filling these agencies’ coffers” even higher “would be reckless.”
AILA and Partners Request DHS to Extend Comment Period on Proposed Rule Expanding Biometrics Collection
One hundred and five organizations, including AILA, sent a letter to DHS and OMB requesting an extension to the public comment period for the DHS proposed rule on the use and collection of biometrics from 30 days to 60 days.
AILA and Partners Send Letter to DHS and USCIS Requesting 18-Month Extension and Redesignation of TPS For South Sudan
AILA joined over 210 organizations in sending a letter to DHS and USCIS urging the agencies to extend for 18 months and redesignate TPS for South Sudan to protect the 84 current South Sudanese TPS holders and their families, as well as recent arrivals who would benefit from redesignation.
AILA and Partners Send Letter to USCIS on the Blank-Spaces Form Rejection Policy
AILA, ASISTA, Tahirih Justice, Freedom Network USA and over 140 other organizations sent a letter urging USCIS to immediately rescind the agency’s processing policy of rejecting applications for blank spaces on forms, which creates unnecessary barriers for individuals, organizations, and agencies.
AILA’s Statement for House Hearing on “Oversight of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services”
AILA’s Director of Government Relations, Sharvari Dalal-Dheini, submitted a statement to the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship for its July 29, 2020, hearing on "Oversight of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.”
AILA Urges Immediate Passage of the NO BAN Act (H.R. 2214)
AILA issued a statement urging House members to vote yes on the NO BAN Act (H.R. 2214) and to oppose any amendments or changes to the bill. The House is expected to vote on the bill on July 22, 2020.