Blog: Think Immigration
We believe that immigration law is an integral part of America’s past, present and future. We also know that immigration law is complicated. Here you’ll find experts writing in an accessible way about immigration issues, from big, broad ideas down to specific cases. Our members bring knowledge they’ve gleaned from the daily practice of immigration law to this space and offer their expertise to readers.
Browse the Blog: Think Immigration collection
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 11
AILA Member Jennifer Schear offers a glimpse into her work and office situation in Tel Aviv, Israel, and shares how during this time she has gleaned some “valuable insights into law firm management, productivity, efficiency, what and who is truly essential.“
When the World is on Fire, Exceptions Should be the Rule
AILA member Amy Myers shares why USCIS should proactively address non-immigrants' (such as students on OPT) concerns about falling out of status, writing “When we are already in a recognized crisis situation, why should discretionary post-situational relief be the only available remedy?“
Bipartisan Effort Would Help Foreign Doctors, Nurses, and All of Us
AILA's Director of Government Relations Sharvari Dalal-Dheini highlights the bill Congress can and should consider quickly to address the physician and nurse shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic and the integral role AILA and its members played in urging Congress to take this important issue up.
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 10
AILA Member Sabrina Damast shares lessons learned over the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of practice management, writing “I've learned that as prepared as I thought I was for business emergencies, there are still contingencies that I did not think to address.“
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 9
AILA BOG member Rekha Sharma-Crawford writes about a silver lining to the lockdown on the blog which “has allowed us to be able to think of ways to use technology to enhance our practices and…may have also opened the door…to finally contemplate work life balance in a way we have never be
Latest AILA Law Journal is Live – Take a Look!
In this blog post, Danielle Polen, AILA's Director of Publications & Online Resources shares some highlights from the latest edition of the AILA Law Journal, hot off the presses this week with articles by leading experts on a wide array of issues affecting immigration law.
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 8
AILA Member Hudaidah Bhimdi shares a bit about the whirlwind of home and work responsibilities facing her as an immigration attorney and single mom during COVID-19 quarantine, and how hope has reentered her life as she finds new perspective on the day to day necessities.
The “CARES Act” Is Misnamed for Immigrant Taxpayers and Their Families
AILA member Jennifer Walker Gates highlights how the CARES Act harms American mixed-status families by denying stimulus funds and the efforts underway to address that negative impact.
“Specialty Occupation” Litigation – A Rundown of the New Lawsuit
AILA member Jeff Joseph gives a rundown of the recently filed lawsuit challenging USCIS' pattern and practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analyst positions filed by businesses in the United States.
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 7
Ally Bolour, a member of AILA's Board of Governors, shares his recent difficult client interaction and highlights the need for self care in an extremely stressful time, writing “We will survive this together and come out stronger at the other end.“
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 6
AILA member John Manley offers some practical advice as he finds himself shifting from office-based work to home-based work for the foreseeable future and the many adaptations he will need to make.
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID-19 Era – Post 5
AILA members Michelle Saenz Rodriguez and George Rodriguez share their experiences thus far during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing “As long as we continue to remind ourselves and our colleagues that we are all in this together, we will find the light at the end of the tunnel and emerge together, prof
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 4
In this blog post, AILA Board of Governors member Neena Dutta muses on the COVID19 pandemic, the varying impacts on peoples' lives and livelihoods, and her personal experience, reminding everyone that in this time, socially distant though we may be, we are not alone.
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 3
AILA Second Vice President Jeremy McKinney shares his plans to apply for assistance through the Small Business Administration during the COVID19 crisis to help his law firm stay in business; an update on how he navigates the process is forthcoming.
Immigrants Are Behind the Wheel of Detroit’s Revival
AILA member Aaron Kochenderfer shares the positive impact that immigrants have had on Detroit, Michigan as the city orchestrates a comeback from bankruptcy only a few years ago, writing “Detroit's history was written by immigrants and I firmly believe they will help author its future as well.“
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID-19 Era – Post 2
Alma Rosa Nieto, AILA Media Advo Committee member, offers some details from her day-in-the-life of an immigration attorney amid the COVID19 pandemic, writing: “This too will pass and we will all have learned new ways of doing things, skills we can use later.“
We Must Right the Wrongs Being Committed in Our Name on Our Southern Border
AILA Asylum Committee Vice Chair Lindsay Harris describes the asylum seekers she met with just before the COVID-19 pandemic really began in the U.S. She encourages us all to take action and “right the wrongs being committed in our name on our Southern border.“
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 1
Sandra Feist, Chair of AILA's Media Advocacy Committee, shares a glimpse into the life of an immigration attorney during the COVID19 pandemic, ending with a positive note: “My hope is that we all come out of seclusion with greater self-confidence about our own fortitude in a crisis and a greater con
No End in Sight: New Analysis Shows USCIS Case Processing Backlog Keeps Growing
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson highlights USCIS processing delays, writing, “Even before the COVID-19 virus, backlogs and processing delays were staggering at USCIS. They have continued to grow thanks to burdensome policies and inefficient procedures that needlessly bog down the adjudicati
Business Continuity Planning: Immigration Law Practice In the Era of Covid-19
In this blog post, AILA member Ruby Powers offers some tips she has learned from practicing law through hurricanes and running her practice from half a world away, tips that can be applied in our current COVID-19 era..
When a Phone Call Truly Means Life or Death
In this blog post, AILA member, and Immigration Justice Campaign volunteer with the El Paso Immigration Collaborative (EPIC), Elizabeth Fiechter describes the Kafkaesque labyrinth of obstacles she and her client faced trying to simply speak by phone ahead of an extremely important bond hearing.
My Time in Dilley, Texas
In this blog post, part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog post series, AILA member L. Patricia Ice describes her time volunteering at the Dilley detention center helping families and how the shared bond of being members of the African diaspora helped her connect with one client.
Trump Administration’s Continued Discriminatory and Unlawful Immigration Policies Toward Haiti
In this blog post, part of the Diversity & Inclusion Blog post series, AILA members John Pratt and Kevin Gregg offer insights into efforts to terminate TPS for Haitians, and highlights how “The work of litigators, therefore, is critical in the fight to expose and legally challenge…immigration
Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency? More like an Administrative Strip Search
AILA member Kara Hart takes a look at the new I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency required to meet the new “public charge“ rule and considers whether she'd be able to meet the requirements herself.
The Bill That Would Guarantee Attorney-Client Access (But Wait, Don’t We Already Have That?)
In this blog post, AILA member Brent Renison describes why new legislation to allow access to counsel for immigrants placed into secondary or deferred inspection upon entry would “allow fairness to have jurisdiction at the borders.“