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
AILA’s 1st Annual Immigration Film Fest
Written by: Maya Wilbourn, Film Fest Coordinator Whether I am watching an unedited independent film in a small local theater or a film that won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, there is something very exciting about film festivals. Filmmakers are eager to share their artistic exp
The Day the Music Died
Music - It's as American as apple pie. Last week 39.3 million Americans tuned in to watch the Grammys. I was not one of them. It hurt too much. That morning I had to tell a Master drummer and dancer who has spent the last five years sharing with our country the unique and beautiful […]
Walking the Walk…
Written by: Mo Goldman, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee Over the past century, a handful of people have walked across the United States for a variety of different causes. The struggle for comprehensive immigration reform has finally spawned a walk that will take four individuals on a journey across t
Don’t Do As I Do, Do As I Say
Originally posted on Huffington Post Arizona Sheriff Paul Babeu fancies himself a “Leader on Border Security“ and an immigration hardliner. In 2010, when the Obama administration mounted a legal challenge to Arizona's harsh immigration law, the Pinal County sheriff stopped just short of callin
Immigration “Linsanity”
Originally posted on Huffington Post Jeremy Lin is an unlikely superstar. He received no athletic scholarships out of high school and was undrafted out of college. He started his pro-basketball career with the Golden State Warriors after he graduated from Harvard University in 2010. He was later wai
Are the Courts Fed Up With America’s Badly Broken Immigration Laws?
Originally posted on Huffington Post Last week a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals looked at five immigration cases, turned to the Department of Homeland Security, and effectively said, “Really!? Are you really going to deport these people? Or are you going to use your common s
Immigration and Jobs: The Dangerous Zero Sum Game Fallacy
There is a simplistic but dangerous theory that forms the underpinning of many restrictive immigration initiatives. It is perhaps elegant in its simplicity, but it is dead wrong. Not only dead wrong, but highly dangerous to our economic well-being. The theory is, in essence, that every time we elimi
Immigration in the U.S. – It is all about the Economy
Written by: Deborah Notkin, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee Chair Much has been recently said about the need to reform our immigration laws to make our laws and regulations more hospitable to the best and the brightest—the scientists, the foreign born graduates of U.S. universities and, especially, th
“Self Deportation”? Inconvenience For Us All Won’t Be Enough
Last month, I noticed this piece on the Bloomberg web site highlighting the practical effect of Alabama's “strictest in the Nation“ state-level immigration law on Alabama's citizens. The article vividly illustrates what it takes to enact what Kris Kobach and other anti-immigration advocates c
Immigration 101 in Nursery Rhyme
Written by: Mo Goldman, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee Watching the Florida Republican Primary Debates this week again demonstrated that these final four candidates simply refuse to understand the dynamics of our draconian immigration system. Perhaps they just don't understand the complexity of it a
Trust Matters
Written by: Tony Weigel, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee I have participated in several meetings with Congressional staffers about immigration policy since 2006. I have had the same thoughts and questions about these interactions every time. I hoped to make some minimal impact, naïve as that may see
Pelta’s Top Five (plus) Suggestions for USCIS
I'm an inveterate list maker. I make lists of everything, on everything. Slips of paper containing household to-do's, a notebook I carry around with me with an office to-do list, a separate notebook for AILA to-do's. I even make to-do lists for my husband and children, which I am confident they grea
Senator Grassley: The Puppetmaster?
Over the past few days the lyrics of an old classic song by Buffalo Springfield have been running through my head: “There's something happening here, What it is ain't exactly clear . . .“ The reason I can't seem to shake this tune loose has to do with a series of articles published last week
My Friday Night CNN Debate With Kris Kobach
Kris Kobach, anti-immigrant restrictionist lawyer and Kansas Secretary of State, claims to know something about immigration law, but in our Friday night CNN debate he was able to do little more than throw around phrases like “backdoor amnesty“ and “illegal aliens“. The subtext of these
New Immigration Rule Will Keep American Families Safe and Together
Today the Administration will announce a proposed rule change that will save countless American families from the trauma of separation and, at the same time, make America safer. The proposed rule change is outlined in this morning's New York Times. Under the twisted immigration law the husband or wi
The Holy Innocents
By Lori Chesser, AILA Media Committee In the Catholic tradition, December 28 is the feast of the Holy Innocents. These are the babies that were killed by Herod's soldiers when he learned of the birth of a new “king“ in Bethlehem. Jesus escaped because an angel came to Joseph in a dream telling
Year End Immigration Roundup And What To Expect In 2012
When it comes to immigration, 2011 will be remembered as the year Alabama enacted HB56, the most mean spirited state immigration law in U.S. history. It targets Latinos and other people of color and effectively mandates racial profiling by state law enforcement agents. Since it went into effect last
A Holiday Tweet
It's a little unnerving when the Grinch tweets you just before Christmas. It started Wednesday when I read a shocking article in the New York Times about an undocumented immigrant who suffers from a life threatening kidney disease and requires dialysis. Because of a bizarre legal anomaly the govern
Message to USCIS: Support Your Local (and National) Postal Service
In a little-known practice that has been in place for a number of years, if an application is sent to any of the addresses for the Vermont Service Center by U.S. Postal Service, the postal service does not deliver it to the VSC, but rather, holds the application at a postal facility for the VSC [
21st Century America – or 18th Century Poland?
Two weeks ago, the immigration world was abuzz due to the bipartisan support received for a narrow, extremely technical fix to employment- and family-based immigration quotas. We learned yesterday, however, that one senator has blocked the bill from coming to a vote without substantial changes, mak
The US Department of Justice Weighs In On Sheriff Joe Arpaio
It's fortuitous that the Republicans scheduled a debate for tonight. In light of the findings released today by the U.S. Department of Justice, they'll all have an opportunity to weigh in on whether Arizona's Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is a tough law-and-order sheriff whose famous crusade ag
Newt Gingrich’s Immigration Plan: The Devil Is In The Details
I'd like to think that Newt Gingrich, the current GOP front runner, has come out squarely in favor of a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Not because I support his presidential candidacy, but because rejection of mass deportation as a solution to America'
It’s All About Enforcement
Enforcement. It is the current catch-word of the presidential race. I hear it every day. Governor Perry said it in last night's debate. “I believe in enforcement. We must enforce the laws as they are on the books.“ I agree with him. Bet you never thought you'd hear me say that. But yes, I agre
Iowa Poll Shows Likely Caucus-Goers Favor Immigration Solutions, Not Pat Sound Bites
Remember Pete Wilson? JD Hayworth? Tom Tancredo? That's what I thought. These guys are a few of the politicians whose anti-immigrant agenda played a big part in the demise of their political fortunes. And the list continues to grow. Just ask former Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, author of A
The Definition of Insanity
It happened again yesterday. A foreign worker—this time from Honda—was arrested in Alabama and cited under the state's new immigration law. Sound familiar? It should. The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago to Detlev Hager, a German executive from Mercedes-Benz, who was in Alabama to check on