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
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
The Trouble with Caps and Limits
Monday, June 11th was the last day US Citizenship and Immigration Service was accepting new H-1B cases subject to annual numerical caps. For the first time in years, the H-1B quotas of 65,000 for professional workers , and 20,000 for professional workers with U.S. advanced degrees, dried up in less
Renewing the Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform
On June 15, 2012, President Obama took a bold step by supporting DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano's memo offering deferred action to certain young undocumented immigrants who have been victims of congressional politicking. The President's action will enable over 800,000 individuals to come out of the
Arizona’s Exceptional and Extremely Unusual Hardship
On Monday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer declared “victory“ in the Supreme Court's ruling on Arizona v. United States. This revelation came in spite of the fact that the Court held 5-3 to strike down three of the four key provisions in Arizona's SB 1070 law. Brewer still rejoiced as the Court un
Supreme Court Deals a Major Blow to Arizona’s Immigration Law
Originally published on Huffington Post Arizona Governor Jan Brewer and the nativists who wrote Arizona's SB 1070 are putting the best public spin they can on today's Supreme Court decision but they're undoubtedly licking their wounds in private. The U.S. Supreme Court, in a loud and clear voice, bl
Presidential Election focus: Immigration or the Economy – Is there a difference?
The Administration's announcement last week that it would not deport DREAM Act eligible youth once again catapulted immigration to the forefront of the presidential race as both President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney seek to win the Latino vote. Both candidates recently addressed Latino el
Obama’s DREAMER Initiative Is Smart Immigration Enforcement
On Friday June 15, 2012, the Obama administration announced that it will halt the deportation of young immigrants who were brought to the country as minors and meet other specific requirements. The action is an affirmative and bold response to the broken immigration system and temporarily eliminates
The House Votes Against Common Sense and Family Unity
Originally published by Huffington Post Evil does its bidding in the dead of night. Maybe that explains what happened Thursday when the House passed H.R. 5855, the fiscal year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Act, on a vote of 234-182. The bill included a laundry list of immigration-related ame
Marco Rubio’s Immigration Pivot: A Search for Solutions or Politics as Usual?
Originally published by Huffington Post Recently Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said something that went largely unnoticed by the media but could foreshadow a seismic shift in the immigration debate. Speaking with reporters after his keynote speech to the Latino Coalition Annual Economic Summit, the f
AILA Film Fest Spotlight – The Other Side of Immigration
Written by: Roy Germano, PhD, “The Other Side of Immigration“ Director Roy Germano blogs about immigration issues at www.roygermano.com. The film is widely available for purchase on Amazon, Netflix, iTunes and many other sites. I am of Irish and Italian ancestry, born and raised in a primaril
Senator Grassley: Out of Touch with Economic Realities
Against a backdrop of recent press reports detailing the beating that the U.S. is taking in the international battle for brains and foreign investment, and calling for improvements to our laws governing high skilled immigration, along comes another letter of concern from Senator Grassley, this time
The Perfect Storm to Repeal DOMA
Written by: Ally Bolour, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee The last decade has brought unprecedented advancement in LGBT equality worldwide. Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Spain, and South Africa are among the countries that now recognize LGBT equality, including the right to marry. In the United States, e
AILA Film Fest Spotlight – Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth
Written by: Anne Galisky, “Papers“ Director It is an honor for all of us who have worked together to produce and distribute “Papers: Stories of Undocumented Youth“ that our film will be included in the first annual AILA Film Festival. Hundreds of people helped make the film a reality, ma
Change? Yikes!
“If we don't change direction soon, we'll end up where we're going.“-Professor Irwin Corey We've been hearing about it for a while now. We at first thought, oh no, what if it happens? Will everything change? Will I have to learn a new system? What among my assumptions will have to be thrown o
The Startup Act 2.0 Offers Immigration Solutions That Will Create American Jobs
Originally published on Huffington Post What do Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Chris Coons (D-Del.) have in common? Not much when it comes to their voting records. But today these Republican and Democratic Senators did something we haven't seen in long
Top 10 Ways to Make the Immigrant Investor Program Work
Written by Eleanor Pelta, AILA President, and H. Ronald Klasko, AILA Past President The regional center EB-5, or Immigrant Investor, program enables businesses and real estate developers seeking capital to apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to become approved to accept investments f