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
Artesia Kaleidoscope
The three weeks are a kaleidoscope of shifting images: visual, auditory, sensory, and emotional. From 90 degree heat to heavy, cold, rain and flash flooding. It hadn't occurred to me to bring sweaters to the New Mexico desert. Apparently it hadn't occurred to the U.S. government either, as many of t
Offering Hope and Comfort to Detained Moms and Kids
Over the past year, the United States has seen a sharp increase in the number of women and young children fleeing violence in Central America. In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began opening new detention centers across the country to detain families, while their fates are deci
Artesia Betrays America: Part III
I have no way of adequately expressing the dismay, and loss and anger and hurt and woundedness that this week made me feel. Finally I figured out the word. It is betrayal. I felt betrayed. Deeply betrayed by something that I have dedicated my life to. Another lawyer who was there in the first w
Artesia Betrays America: Part II
People didn't seem to matter in Artesia, not their comfort, not their privacy, not the simple human dignity we all take for granted. There was deep and profound soul shattering heartbreak, watching these vulnerable women and children who have come to this country seeking asylum being systematically
Artesia Betrays America: Part I
In June and July, the humanitarian crisis on the border lit up the news and it was all I could think about. The headlines were full of unaccompanied minors, politicians and protesters; the front pages had pictures of children sleeping in warehouses that were too cold. My practice started seeing an
How We Got Here
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) - who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987, became the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims in 1994. Mr. Smith's district includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas H
An Arduous Success in Artesia
Friends - I share the good news that Lisa Weinberg successfully has obtained parole for one of our clients, a mother with a very sick toddler who had stopped walking and eating solid food since arriving in Artesia. As far as I know, this is the first order allowing release on parole of a family [
Judge Us by our Treatment of Child Refugees
Over the Labor Day weekend, I read the personal memoir of a World War II child refugee. A Long Way Home, by Bob Golan was published in 2005, although it was written from the contemporaneous notes of a 12 year boy whose family was driven from their home in Poland at the outbreak of World […]
Welcoming the Children to New York
On a hot, dusty summer day in the South Bronx, a small crowd gathered at a local church and community center, spilling into the street to escape the muggy air inside. By 8:30 AM, an hour and a half before our second Youth Assistance Fair of the summer was set to start, over a hundred […]
What Does a Week in Artesia Look Like?
AILA Member Megan Kludt headed down to Artesia to donate her time and knowledge, seeking to help the women and children jailed and facing an expedited deportation process. Here, in her own words, are a few snapshots from her days so far, for the full blog, see: http://immigrationartesia.blogspot.com
Let These Women Go
There is a town in El Salvador where a woman named M-C- lived. In 2003, her husband beat her face until the purple welts glowed. Your bloody face means you are mine, he said. He hit her for asking why he hit her. An open palm. A closed fist. On her arms. On her face. […]
Action on Immigration is Long Overdue
Over the past week I spent some time considering the pros and cons of President Obama taking executive action on immigration. Is this really the right approach to handling our mounting immigration problem? Should we wait on Congress to finally get a bill passed? If we wait on Congress will our curre
The United States Must Do Better for Same-Sex Partners of Asylum Grantees
Through established asylum and refugee laws, the United States offers protection to individuals who have been persecuted or who have a well-founded fear of persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or because they are perceived to be part of those communities. It is clearly docu
Ignoring the Economics of Immigration
Jeffrey Dorfman's recent opinion piece in Forbes purporting to make the economic case against comprehensive immigration reform doesn't stand up once his underlying data and unstated premise are examined. With regard to the data, his piece relies almost entirely on a Heritage Foundation report relea
After a Month in Artesia
I left Artesia on Saturday morning after about a month of volunteering. In that month, the days were approximately 16-19 hours long and full of horrific stories and circumstances that attorneys outside of Artesia can barely begin to imagine. So it's not surprising I'm sure, to those who have volunte
When Justice Isn’t Allowed to be Blind
When I saw the name “Tabaddor“ in this article, it grabbed my attention. As soon as I read it, my jaw dropped. Judge Tabaddor, one of the most impartial and brilliant judges that I have encountered in my 18-year career as an immigration attorney, was actually ordered by the Department of Justi
Beyond Artesia: Without a Choice in Karnes Detention Center
I attended the first Know-Your-Rights (KYR) presentation as a volunteer lawyer at the Karnes Detention Center on Friday. The KYR was offered by American Gateways in Austin. The organization has stepped up to offer weekly presentations, but does not have funding to do more. Just like Artesia, ther
Leaving Artesia
Only a few members of our Oregon chapter are able to stay on longer in Artesia at this time. I'm not one of them, and I'm feeling really guilty about leaving. I think it is amazing that our chapter has rallied behind the effort in Artesia and that people are making personal donations to support [
A Volunteer’s Experience at Artesia
I spent last week at the Artesia “family detention“ center, a 4-hour drive from both Albuquerque and El Paso. We had a group of roughly ten volunteers (attorneys, translators, and administrative staff) trying to stop the rapid deportations and see that the women and their children get some mo
What Do Starfish and Artesia, NM Have in Common?
Artesia is a tiny town in Southeastern New Mexico that has been thrown into the national spotlight because the federal training center located there has been turned into a make-shift detention center for women and children fleeing violence in Central America. It's dry, it's dusty, it's hot, and it'
The Heartbreak of Artesia
Driving home from a week in Artesia, New Mexico to Glenwood Springs, Colorado and all the emotions start overwhelming me. I think because the need was so constant and so immediate while I was there with the families and undaunted volunteers I never had time to stop and acknowledge the emotional side
Artesia, Day Two (and a half)
Has it really only been two days? I guess technically, it's three since I'm writing this at 1:30am. I have another long day ahead, but it's important to get this out and, you know, you can sleep when you're dead. I feel like I've been here for weeks. The intensity of this experience has everyone [&#
University of Houston Law Center Helps UAC Immigrants Coming to Houston
The University of Houston Law Center is spearheading efforts to help UACs beginning immediately and continuing into the next few months. Our Law Center's clinical program, specifically the immigration and civil clinics, are engaging in a number of projects designed to address the needs of UACs who w
Day One in Artesia: Notes from the Front Lines
We drove from Denver to Artesia yesterday, a small town in central New Mexico, about three hours from anywhere. It's about a nine hour drive down from the last high passes of southern Colorado, through the low scrub of northern New Mexico into the high barren desert. For hundreds of miles, the hor
America’s Leaders Are Failing the Children
Our country is facing one of its greatest moral challenges in years: how will we treat the migrant children fleeing violence in Central America and seeking refuge within our borders? I know how I want us to treat them. Fairly, humanely, and within the parameters of the anti-trafficking law passed by