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
A Call for a Journey
With anticipation, I awaited President Obama's inauguration speech. As I have listened over the years to many presidents speak, I waited for a call to action. Most years, we were lucky to hear a couple of words that referred in passing to the need to “secure the borders“ (at the cost of 18 b
Illinois Driver’s Licenses: A Small Step in the Right Direction
Kudos to Illinois for joining Washington and New Mexico as the only states to allow undocumented immigrant motorists to apply for driver's licenses. Last week Governor Pat Quinn promised to sign a bipartisan bill that will allow approximately 250,000 undocumented immigrants to obtain a three year,
Six Things You Need to Know about Stateside Processing of I-601A Waivers
Starting March 4, 2013, certain relatives of American citizens who are in the country illegally and need a waiver of unlawful presence before being eligible for a green card can get a decision on their case before leaving the United States. For those who can take advantage of the new rule, this mean
AILA Takes Manhattan
The holiday season was in full swing in New York when AILA President-Elect Doug Stump and I “invaded“ the city last week. No stealth maneuvers here, this was a planned, coordinated campaign - we were there to talk to the press. Most of the reporters were people AILA Communications has been wor
Our Grandparents were Entrepreneurs Too!
Anyone who believes that the entrepreneurial spirit is bred in the business school or the boardroom should visit “Shop Life,“ a new permanent exhibit that opened recently at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum in New York. The Tenement Museum tells the story of the immigrant families that live
Prosecutorial Discretion for the Families of Deferred Action Recipients
On the eve of Thanksgiving, I think I'm doing what most Americans do this time of year - I'm counting my blessings. I have so much to be thankful for - both in my personal life as well as my professional life. In my professional life, I find myself extremely thankful for several new policies imple
Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Let’s Get It Right This Time
Last week's national elections made it abundantly clear that the Latino communities and new citizens from other parts of the world have changed the equation on the issue of immigration. The impact these communities had on the re-election of Barack Obama has clearly changed the political landscape f
JUST A LITTLE RESPECT…¿Que no?
It was a frantic Tuesday with voters lining up in the early morning to cast their votes in another historic election. Media coverage lit up the screens of homes and businesses across the nation, social media crowded the internet and pundits began their analyses. By the time night had descended on
By Reelecting Barack Obama, the American People Have Demanded Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Originally posted on Huffington Post American voters chose to renew their contract with a President whose vision of economic vitality involves three distinct pillars — innovation, education and rebuilding of America's infrastructure. Nearly two years ago, during his 2011 State of the Union address,
Analysis: The GOP at the Real American Crossroads
No modern Presidential election has been determined by a single factor, although over time hindsight will diminish the perceived significance of some issues and the lens of history will bring others into sharper focus. That said, it is indisputable that President Obama owes his second term to Latin
Hurricane Sandy: An Immigration Perspective
The power is still out, the servers are down, the subway is closed, and there is a mountain of work ahead of all of us before the New York area is even close to back to normal. But amidst all the destruction, there have been a multitude of stories of people doing their best to […]
Immigrant Women: Forgotten and Discounted
While there was plenty of talk during the presidential debates about the equality of women, one group remained unmentioned and invisible: immigrant women who suffer in silence at the hands of their abusers. During the second presidential debate, candidates were asked about how each of them intended
Making a Case for Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR)
By most estimates, there are over 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. Some have crossed the U.S borders without authorization while many have come here legally and subsequently fell out of their valid immigration status. It is not a coincidence that since the enactment
An Open Letter to Gov. Jan Brewer
September 26, 2012 The Honorable Janice K. Brewer Arizona Governor Executive Tower 1700 West Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85007 Dear Governor Brewer: On August 15, 2012, you issued an Executive Order which barred those individuals eligible for Deferred Action (DACA) from obtaining driver's licenses
The H-1B Slow Dance: US Businesses Deserve Better
USCIS has told AILA that between the California Service Center and the Vermont Service Center, perhaps as many as 17,000 cap-subject H-1B petitions filed between April and mid-June remain unadjudicated, and many remain completely “untouched“ by examiners. That means that USCIS has done very li
My take on AILA’s Fall Board of Governors Meeting
It is the time of year again when the kids head back to school, the leaves start to turn, and we prepare to hunker down for the long winter. This time of year also marks the fall AILA Board of Governors meeting - so while my family set out to ride the Purple Ride 2012 […]
The Miracle of the Moment: Reflections on the Anniversary of 9/11
A version of this blog was posted on 9/11/2011 and on Huffington Post As we go through life most of us are rarely present in the moment. Our minds are elsewhere. What shade of green was the tree you passed a month ago on the way to work? What were you thinking about? What did […]
“Dreamers” Deferred Action Has Candidates Talking about Immigration
It is presidential political season again, and this time the candidates actually are talking about immigration law as November approaches. If you remember 2004 and 2008, there was a diminishing amount of debate about immigration reform as Election Day came closer. Things look like they may be differ
Waivers and AILA’s Fall Conference in Montreal
The AILA fall conference in Montreal this September is not just about foreign travel and Canadian/French food and wine. Those are important of course, but only a part of the equation. In fact, the fall conference is going to offer something unique, something AILA has never before undertaken. The co
Looking Back at AILA’s First Film Fest
AILA's Film Fest at the annual conference in Nashville was a great success. Festival attendees were thrilled to have the opportunity to see such inspirational films. More than 100 people attended the first night's red carpet event and sat down with popcorn and candy in hand to watch immigration-re
Reminding Christopher Crane That He Is President Of The ICE Union, Not The United States
The last I checked federal bureaucrats are supposed to implement the administration's policies, not publicly obstruct them. So why is Christopher Crane, President of the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council — the union of 7,000 immigration agents, officers, and employees — engaging i
Do DREAMers really need a lawyer?
We don't have all the details yet, but the basic requirements to qualify for deferred action seem, well, pretty straightforward—and a motivated high school graduate or college student might be tempted to try to apply on their own, without seeking advice from an attorney or legitimate nonprofit. Even
Ms. Sanchez’s Wild Ride
I live in Southern California, and am the father of school-aged children. Naturally, I go to Disneyland a lot. One of my favorite attractions in Disneyland is Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. Patterned after Kenneth Grahame's 1908 children's book The Wind in the Willows, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride places guests in
Aging Out: A Cruel Rite of Passage
For thousands of unlucky young people every year, turning 21 is not a cause for celebration but a reason to cry. It is called “aging out,“ a cruel rite of passage that unfairly punishes children for growing up while waiting patiently for an ever growing immigration backlog. Lauren Gray, a la
Why saying “I do” still receives unequal treatment under Federal Immigration Laws
Last month, as I read Justice Scalia's scathing dissent in Arizona v United States, I wondered what he'll be thinking when he hears oral argument in the challenge to the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The premise of Scalia's dissent was that states have the right to control their borders. It seems