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
Enforcement Off the Rails
There's been a lot of news coverage of the ICE raids, of the aggressive tactics used to arrest vulnerable families at their homes and to arrest children on the way to school. But what hasn't received as much coverage is the damage that raids victims endure after their arrest. Some remain trapped in
Adjusting Back to Real Life
It's been an adjustment getting back into the “real life“ of being home after being in Dilley for a month. I love my family. When I got home from volunteering at the family detention center in Dilley, the first thing I did was hug my wife and son. It wasn't just because I missed them, […
This Father’s Day
On Sunday, my kids will wake me up extra early and play “Las Mañanitas“ to wish me a Happy Father's Day while handing me handmade Father's Day cards. They'll give me extra hugs and tell me they love me. That's what's done on Father's Day in my house. It's nothing special, though it means a [&#
Ghosts in History?
May 31st marked the last day of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. To celebrate, the Pan Asian Lawyers of San Diego recruited other local bar associations for some lawyerly fun - reenacting Chy Lung v. Freeman, 92 U.S. 275 (1875), otherwise known as the “22 Lewd Chinese Women“ case. The As
In Search of Consistency
Ralph Waldo Emerson famously opined that “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds…“ I have often opined (less famously) that, if Emerson is correct, there must be very few small-minded adjudicators at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Even in areas where U
Family Detention Takes Another Hit
I don't know about you, but some days it seems like family detention is a battle being fought on multiple fronts - the lawyerly equivalent of air, land, and sea. We have hundreds of pro bono attorneys and volunteers fighting nonstop to help families in the three facilities and helping families once
A City on the Hill: San Francisco Protects the Rights of Refugee Children and their Families
On April 27, 2016, the Mayor of San Francisco approved $1.8 million for two years to fund the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC), a unique partnership of 13 legal service providers brought together to represent children and families on the surge dockets before the San Franc
My American Dreams PBS Film Project
For four years, all across the United States, they have come to law offices like ours. They have come with tidy stacks of records from their years in the United States - vaccination cards, dog-eared school grade cards, pay stubs from high school jobs, college awards. The older ones come by themselve
Outrage
“Apurar, cielos, pretendo, Por qué me tratáis así, qué delito cometí contra vosotros naciendo. Aunque si nací, ya entiendo qué delito he cometido; bastante causa ha tenido vuestra justicia y rigor, Pues el delito mayor del hombre es haber nacido.“ ~ by Pedro Calderón de la Barca Outrage is the
Why AILA Liaison Work is Crucial Even in Contentious Times
Liaison work has long been at the heart of AILA member services. Liaison, when effective, is a critical bridge for members who are facing issues in their practices, helping to raise those issues with the various agencies to work toward a solution. However, in recent years, some have begun to questio
Fighting Roadblocks to Driver’s Licenses for Immigrants in Georgia
Until September 2015, Georgia issued driver's licenses to foreign nationals residing in the U.S. as long as they were statutorily eligible. Then, due to a “policy change,“ the Department of Driver Services (DDS) began demanding that foreign nationals show they had been lawfully admitted to the
Recognize these Mothers’ Sacrifices on Mother’s Day
From Day One of the Obama Administration's efforts to expand family detention, children have been the hardest hit. In Artesia, Berks, Dilley, and Karnes, these vulnerable asylum seekers are the ones who suffer the most when fleeing danger and coming to the U.S. seeking lawful protection for their sa
Anything I Can Do, You Can Do Better… in Dilley!
Sunday is Mother's Day in the U.S. and having just met some of the most incredible mothers I have ever encountered, I wanted to share that experience. In Dilley, TX, I met countless mothers who risked their lives to come to the U.S. for their children. Not for economic reasons, not for “a better li
Are You Considering Canada?
As the American presidential election nears, some of us in Canada have been asked by media and other interested parties what the real options are if someone wanted to head north. ABC News reported in March that Google searches for “how to move to Canada“ surged as high as 1,150%. We thought we
What Happened Yesterday
It was early Monday morning in Los Angeles and all along the West Coast of the United States, people were just waking up. Cars were jamming the freeways, lines were forming at coffee shops and TVs were tuned to the morning news. Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., the five men and three women who current
The End Nears for this Politically Charged Game of Chess
On Monday, April 18, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the controversial case, United States v. Texas, to determine the fate of more than 3 million undocumented individuals. The lawsuit, filed by Texas and 25 other states shortly after the administration announced the expansion of D
The H-1B Visa Program: The Dial-up Connection to the High-speed Wireless World
There are far too many moments when the dysfunction of our outdated immigration system becomes crystal clear. One of those moments occurred this week when U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it had received a record number of H-1B visa petitions during the five-day fili
Looking Back and Looking Forward
In 2013, there was great momentum for immigration reform. The Senate had already passed its immigration bill, and pressure was being put to bear on the House to do the same. There was a sense of hope and great support for immigration reform nationwide. Pro-immigration reform blog posts and opinion p
Preparing for Battle
In the days following the opening of the Artesia detention center, I remember reading in awe on Facebook about the lawyers that were driving out and banging on the gates, demanding to be let in, insisting these mothers and children be allowed access to counsel. I followed, in the news, through socia
At Long Last, Volunteering at Dilley
It was a trip nearly eight months in the making, my sojourn to Dilley. As Chapter Chair in summer 2014, I heard the requests for volunteers and donations. I focused on getting the word out and supporting members who volunteered. As a business and family immigration lawyer with little asylum law expe
CARA – One Year Later
It's hard to believe that tomorrow will mark a year since the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project officially launched. Four seasons have passed, during which we have worked tirelessly to end family detention, urging the Obama administration to stop detaining thousands of children and their mother
ICE Fights to Detain and Deport Teenage Girl Despite Stay
Kimberly was just 17 when she went in front of an Atlanta immigration judge and was told she would be deported. There was no legal orientation. No one asked her why she left her native Honduras or whether she was afraid to be sent back there. Even the lawyer her family hired didn't tell her […
H.R. 4731 Does Anything but Restore Integrity
On Wednesday, at a time when we are facing a global refugee crisis, H.R. 4731, “The Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act“ passed out of committee in the House of Representatives with a vote of 18-9. Unfortunately, this bill does anything but restore integrity. I suppose it depends on how
How the Years Add Up
Imagine coming to the United States to seek asylum and having to wait four years just for an interview to decide whether you get to move forward with your claim. Four years. In most jurisdictions, asylum applicants are having to do just that: wait years for an interview, when before 2013, asylum app
Students and Professors Fight for Families at Karnes Detention Center
Two weeks ago, six law students from the University of Houston Law Center's Immigration Clinic visited Karnes Detention Center. The students were Kate Chapman (3L), Ivonne Escobar (2L), Hellieth Pedroza Guzman (2L), Nekka Morah (2L), Medjine Desrosiers-Douyon (LLM), Mathilda El Hachem (LLM). Super