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
Think Immigration: I Wish People Knew Our Immigration Laws Haven’t Aged Well
As part of our “One Thing” series, Sandra Feist highlights specific examples of how our immigration laws do not serve the interests of American businesses or communities well and calls on Congress to move forward with immigration reform that would be reflective of today’s realities.
Think Immigration: The CBP One App Is Not Enough
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Law Student Scholarship recipient Brenda Macías López describes why she believes the CBP One App is not enough to help ensure vulnerable immigrants can have a meaningful chance to claim asylum.
Think Immigration: Seven Reasons Why Immigration Attorneys Should Know About the EB-5 Visa Program
Past AILA president Ron Klasko lays out seven reasons why having a basic knowledge of EB-5 can help attorneys serve their clients’ needs; AILA recently created an EB-5 Interest Group for those interested in learning more and sharing ideas.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood that the U.S. Healthcare System Depends on Immigrants
As part of our “One Thing” series, Anthony Pawelski explains how “despite the vital role of immigrant healthcare workers, our immigration system is simply not designed to help us build the healthcare workforce we need, especially in medically underserved communities.”
Think Immigration: USCIS Policy Changes Open New Opportunities for Immigration Lawyers to Support Stateless People
In this blog post, AILA members Betsy Fisher and Samantha Sitterley describe a recently developed USCIS process to determine whether a person is stateless; an upcoming AILA Roundtable will delve further into how AILA members can support stateless clients.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood Their Sibling Is Not an “Immediate Relative”
As part of our “One Thing” series, Shannon Shepherd explains how outdated immigration laws keep families apart and that we need to urge Congress to build “an immigration law system that meets the needs of today’s America, not the one from decades ago.”
Think Immigration: My Initial Lifeline Was DACA
More than twelve years after DACA was first announced, AILA Policy and Practice Associate Blanca Hernández shares how the program was a lifeline for her and why she will continue to fight on behalf of all the DREAMers without a path to permanent status.
Think Immigration: Protecting Afghan Asylum Seekers Who are Not Considered “Allies”
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Law Student Scholarship recipient Sanaa Talwasa describes why she believes USCIS should regard all Afghan asylum applicants as "allies" and consider them eligible for an expedited asylum application process and supportive policies.
Think Immigration: Chevron Is Dead! Thoughts on the Immigration Impact of Loper Bright Enterprises
AILA Members and immigration litigation experts Brian Green, Mark Stevens, Cyrus D. Mehta, and Stephen Yale-Loehr describe the potential impact of the SCOTUS decision in Loper Bright, noting that “the time to challenge federal agency policies and adverse decisions in court has arrived.”
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood the “Line” to Get in Can Stretch to Infinity
As part of our “One Thing” series, John Manley explains that the one thing he wished people understood about immigration is that because our immigration laws were last revised more than a generation ago, the proverbial wait to reunite with family can be longer than a human lifetime.
Think Immigration: For Pride Month, and Every Month of the Year – Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court
On the AILA Blog: Think Immigration, the authors of a recent practice resource “Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court” ask, and begin answering, a key question for all of us: how can we build a more gender-affirming courtroom together?
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood that Immigration Court Is an Unlevel Playing Field Where You Face Life and Death Decisions
As part of our “One Thing” series, Evangeline Chan explains that the one thing she wished people understood about immigration is that immigration court is structurally different than other courts and we need an Article 1 independent immigration court to ensure justice.
Think Immigration: The Next Best Thing to Attending the AILA Law Journal Symposium Is Reading This Issue
AILA Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Cyrus Mehta runs through the pieces in this special edition of the journal which focuses on the AILA Law Journal’s first-ever symposium held this Spring on “Shaping Immigration Policy Through the Federal Courts.”
Think Immigration: A Small Window Into Immigration Detention: The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman 2023 Annual Report
AILA’s Supervisory Policy and Practice Counsel Jen Ibañez Whitlock highlights the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) 2023 Annual Report noting that OIDO “is in a unique position to step in on behalf of detained individuals who are being overlooked or abused while in custody.”
Think Immigration: Reflecting on AILA’s 2024 National Day of Action
AILA New England leaders Miki Matrician and Anthony Pawelski describe how their chapter participated in AILA’s National Day of Action and highlighted the need to build relationships with congressional offices to ensure they understand the importance of immigration to the economy and communities.
Think Immigration: Well-Being Tips for Paralegals
As part of our #AILAWellBeingWeek series, Clarissa C. Andersen shares insights into how she ensures that despite every day being a new challenge, she is able to survive and thrive in her career as an immigration law paralegal.
Think Immigration: Why Law Students Should Focus on their Well-Being (By a Law Student Who Has Not)
As part of our #AILAWellBeingWeek series, AILA Law Student Member Cristina Garcia shares insights on her efforts to focus on well-being as a law student with competing priorities and what she plans to do to incorporate techniques into her daily and weekly life.
Think Immigration: Why Well-Being Week in Law Is So Important for AILA’s Members (Psst, It’s Next Week!)
AILA Practice and Ethics Counsel Charity Anastasio shares details of all the opportunities the AILA Well-Being Committee has created for AILA members to help us find balance during #AILAWellBeingWeek next week, including a way to win at AILA Bingo!
Think Immigration: Ten Lessons for Autism Acceptance Month and the Rest of the Year!
AILA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Member Lilia Alcaraz and Chair Allen Orr share ten essential insights that underscore the importance of Autism Acceptance Month and urge readers to use this knowledge year-round.
Think Immigration: How the Immigration Court System Pits Immigration Lawyers Against Each Other for the “Good of Clients”
AILA Ethics Committee Chair Cyrus Mehta explains how under Matter of Lozada, immigration attorneys, unlike any other type of lawyer, must file a bar complaint in order to help a client seek to reopen a case based on ineffective representation and why AILA urges that requirement be removed.
Think Immigration: Judge Dolly Gee Upholds Necessary Protections of Migrant Children in Recent Court Ruling
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Chair Evangeline Chan highlights the recent ruling by Judge Dolly Gee who again reminds the government that the Flores Settlement binds them to ensure that children are provided with a certain standard of care when detained.
Think Immigration: Texas-Sized Whiplash
AILA Policy and Practice Counsel Amy Grenier describes why many are feeling legal whiplash regarding the controversial anti-immigrant Texas state law SB 4 and its implementation; she explains where the law stands, the factors involved, and potential next steps.
Think Immigration: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Make a Difference During National Day of Action!
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson urges members to share their insights with legislators, whether they are in D.C. for National Day of Action, or through in-district visits, writing that the stories shared “can be what brings a complicated issue or idea home to a member of Congress.”
Think Immigration: A Look Inside DHS’ Family Expedited Removal Management Program
AILA Law Student Member Araceli Garcia describes how University of Texas Law students were able to help families in the expedited removal program and how the expansion of the FERM program has meant the need for counsel has only grown.
Think Immigration: Customer Service Chronicles: Tracking USCIS’s Implementation of AILA’s 2021 Recommendations
AILA’s Paul Stern and Jonathan Valdez share insights into the new policy brief they developed to track the status of AILA’s 2021 recommendations for the Biden Administration to improve USCIS customer service, the impact on members and their clients, and the work remaining to be done.