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 Joins Partners in Urging Congress to Provide a Pathway to Citizenship
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 Recommendations on Biden Administration Enforcement Priorities
AILA offers recommendations to DHS on how to improve the interim enforcement priorities and ensure consistent implementation.
AILA and the Council Join Partners in Urging the Biden Administration to Ensure Maximum Visa Use in FY2021
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 Supports the Fair Treatment of Asylum Seekers Wrongfully Deported Under the Asylum Cooperative Agreements
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 and Partners Urge Urgent Action Following the Assassination of Haitian President Moise
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 and the Council Express Concern over President Biden’s Continued Use of Title 42 Expulsion Policy
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 Supports Recommendations to the Biden Administration on Reversing Anti-Black Immigration Policies
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 and Partners Urge DHS to Stop Detentions and Transfers as COVID-19 Cases Spread in ICE Custody
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 and Partners Send Letter Requesting DOJ and EOIR to Repeal the EOIR Fee Rule
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 and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights Press the Biden Administration to Redesignate Haiti for TPS
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 and Partners Urge DOJ to Review EOIR Personnel and Install New Leadership
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 and Partners Urge the Attorney General and DHS Secretary to Create a Welcoming, Effective, and Timely Asylum System
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 Submits Statement to House Judiciary Committee for Markup of NO BAN Act and the Access to Counsel Act of 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 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.