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
Sign-On Letter to USCIS Requesting 60-Day Comment Period for Proposed Fee Schedule
On 11/12/19, AILA and other organizations signed onto a letter requesting USCIS to ensure a 60-day comment period on the proposal to adjust certain immigration and naturalization benefit fees and the associated regulatory changes.
AILA Statement for House Hearing on “The Administration's Decision to Deport Critically Ill Children and Their Families”
AILA submitted a statement to the House Oversight Committee highlighting USCIS’s role in building the Trump administration’s “invisible wall” and urging USCIS to adjudicate deferred action requests in a fair and efficient manner.
AILA Urges USCIS To Modify Overbroad I-765 Requirement Affecting Asylum Seekers
On 10/22/19, AILA’s Asylum & Refugee Liaison Committee sent a letter to USCIS expressing concern regarding USCIS’s overbroad requirement that asylum applicants seeking employment authorization under the (c)(8) category furnish the agency with all criminal and arrest records.
Organizations Urge Congress to Conduct Significant Oversight of Remain in Mexico and Use of Tent Courts by DHS and DOJ
AILA joined NIJC, Women’s Refugee Commission, and Amnesty International USA in urging Congress to conduct significant oversight of Remain in Mexico and of the use of tent courts by DHS and DOJ.
AILA and Partner Organizations Urge DHS to Delay Implementation of Public Charge Rule
On 10/3/19, AILA, CLINIC, ILRC, NILC, CLASP, and Boundless sent a letter to DHS, urging the delay of the 10/15/19 implementation of the public charge rule due to the absence of revised forms and public engagement relating to that rule.
AILA Sends Letter Requesting Information and Access to Port Courts
AILA sent a letter to various government agencies requesting information and access to tent court facilities to observe immigration court hearings.
AILA Sends Letter to USCIS Acting Director Kenneth Cuccinelli Requesting a Meeting
On 9/12/19, AILA sent a letter to Acting Director of USCIS Kenneth Cuccinelli to request a meeting. In response, USCIS declined the meeting request, indicating that Acting Director Kenneth Cuccinelli is unable to meet at this time.
AILA Sends Letter to USCIS Deputy Director Mark Koumans Requesting a Meeting
On 9/12/19, AILA sent a letter to Deputy Director of USCIS Mark Koumans to request a meeting. USCIS declined the meeting, indicating that he is unable to meet at this time.
Sign-On Letter to Members of Congress on FY2020 DHS Spending Bill
On 9/12/19, AILA and other organizations signed on to a letter urging cuts to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s budget for detention, enforcement, and border militarization and to terminate DHS’s authority to transfer and reprogram funds.
AILA Statement for House Hearing on Medical Deferred Action for Critically Ill Children
AILA submitted a statement to the House Oversight Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties for the September 11, 2019, hearing on the administration’s apparent revocation of medical deferred action for critically ill children.
Over 150 Organizations Call for USCIS to Fully Restore Deferred Action Adjudications
On September 4, 2019, over 150 organizations, including AILA, sent a letter to USCIS Acting Director Ken Cuccinelli calling for the agency to fully restore its acceptance and adjudication of deferred action requests.
Sign-On Letter to the U.S. Government on the Presidential Determination on Refugee Resettlement
On 8/19/19, AILA and others signed on to a letter urging the U.S. government to set a minimum Presidential Determination of 95,000 refugee admissions for FY2020, and to continue its commitment to the U.S. Resettlement Program.
Sign-On Letter to USCIS on H-1B Electronic Registration Tool
On 8/16/19, AILA joined others in sending a letter to USCIS urging it to confirm whether it intends to mandate use of the electronic registration system for the FY2021 H-1B cap filing season and requesting USCIS to solicit stakeholder feedback on the electronic tool prior to its implementation.
Sign-On Letter to Senate Judiciary Committee on the Secure and Protect Act of 2019
On 7/31/19, AILA and other organizations signed on to a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee urging the Committee to vote no to the harmful measures of S. 1494, the Secure and Protect Act of 2019.
Sign-On Letter to DHS, USCIS, and DOD Requesting the Continuation of Military Parole in Place
On 7/30/19, 27 organizations joined AILA to send a letter to Acting DHS Secretary McAleenan, Acting USCIS Director Cuccinelli, and DOD Secretary Esper requesting that the administration continue parole in place (PIP) for military families.
Legal Associations Call for Independent Immigration Court System
On 7/11/19, the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the National Association of Immigration Judges, and the Federal Bar Association sent a letter to Congress calling for an immigration court system independent of the DOJ.
AILA Issues Vote Recommendation on H.R. 6
AILA urges members of Congress to vote YES on Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard’s (D-CA) American Dream and Promise Act (H.R. 6), which would offer Dreamers and TPS/DED recipients protection from deportation and allow contribution to economic growth.
AILA and ASISTA Send Letter to USCIS Requesting an Extension of Grace Period for New Edition of Form I-918
On 5/29/19, AILA and ASISTA sent a letter to USCIS expressing concern that the two-month grace period spanning the current and future editions of Form I-918 is insufficient and urging an extension of that period. On 7/5/19, USCIS responded to this letter.
AILA Issues Statement to House Judiciary Committee on Markup of H.R. 2820 and H.R. 2821
AILA submitted a statement urging the House Judiciary Committee to pass H.R. 2820, Dream Act of 2019, and H.R. 2821, American Promise Act of 2019. These bills would provide Dreamers and TPS recipients with permanent legal status and a path to citizenship.
Sign-On Letter to House Judiciary Committee on Permanent Protection for Dreamers, TPS, and DED
On 5/21/19, AILA and 400 organizations signed on in support of a letter to the House Judiciary Committee urging Congress to ensure passage of permanent protections for Dreamers, as well as TPS and DED holders, without further delays.
Sign-On Letter to Senate and House Judiciary Committees on Reforming and Reauthorizing the EB-5 Visa Program
On 5/17/19, AILA joined other EB-5 stakeholder groups in sending a letter to Senate and House Judiciary Committee members in support of reforming and reauthorizing the EB-5 Regional Center Program, which is set to expire on 9/30/19.
Sign-on Letter to Senate and House Judiciary Committees on Closure of the USCIS International Operations Division
On 3/29/19, AILA and other organizations signed onto a letter to Senate and House Judiciary Committee members urging the use of oversight authority to prohibit the closure of the USCIS International Operations Division.
Sign-On Letter to DHS and DOS Requesting Venezuela Be Designated for TPS
On 3/13/19, AILA and over 200 other organizations signed on in support of a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State requesting that Venezuela be designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) due to the extraordinary and temporary conditions in the country.
AILA Issues Statement for House Judiciary Hearing on Protecting Dreamers and TPS Recipients
AILA submitted a statement to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration for the March 6, 2019, hearing on “Protecting Dreamers and TPS Recipients.”
Sign-On Letter Urges DHS and DOL to Urgently Provide H-2B Cap Relief
On 2/22/19, the H-2B Workforce Coalition, of which AILA is a member, sent a letter to DHS Secretary Nielsen and DOL Secretary Acosta requesting that their agencies make available the full number of H-2B visas authorized by the FY2019 Consolidated Appropriations Act.