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
The House Declares War On The Most Vulnerable Women Among Us
Originally published on Huffington Post Every day the news is replete with stories showing the immigration system is badly broken. Amid the dysfunction — the approximately 12 million unauthorized aliens living in the shadows; the scores of American families torn apart by deportation; and the inabili
Washington, DC Leaders – Stop Talking and Please Do Something
Written by Tony Weigel, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee After serving for nearly two years on AILA's Media-Advocacy Committee, I have closely followed a number of immigration policy issues. There are clearly some issues that spark more controversy than others, but many wholeheartedly agree that our po
DHS Releases Long-Awaited Memo on Controversial 9/11 Program
By Denyse Sabagh, AILA Past President, and Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, AILA Amicus Committee NSEERS (National Security Entry and Exit Registration System) was a controversial tracking program launched in the wake of 9/11 and aimed at visitors from predominantly Arab and Muslim countries. Those subject
All is Quieter on the Crazy Front
By: Mo Goldman, AILA Media-Advocacy Committee and Jerry Burns, Arizona Chapter Chair April 24, 2010: Governor Jan Brewer signed the controversial SB 1070 bill into law thus securing her re-election. Russell Pearce was the lead sponsor of the bill and a leader in the Arizona State Senate. Andrew Th
AILA Film Fest Spotlight – Tony & Janina’s American Wedding
Written by: Ruth Leitman (Director) and Steve Dixon (Producer) What a difference a year can make! When we attended the AILA convention 2011 in San Diego, we were in the thick of screening Tony & Janina's American Wedding across the country, asking viewers of the film to visit our website (http://to
Jumping Over Facts to Conclusions
Sometimes you read an article and think “something doesn't quite follow here.“ An April 7, 2012 article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram titled “Fort Worth engineer who got Obama's attention still doesn't have a job“ is one such article. The article lays out a tale with which one can rea
Passover In The First Person
A version of this blog was originally posted on April 19, 2011 and on the Huffington Post This week Jews all over the world celebrate Passover. Extended families, friends and strangers gather together and relive the story of the Exodus from the bondage of the Pharaohs of Egypt. It is a holiday of fr
Alabama’s Nuremberg Playbook
Written by: G. Vernon Leopold Eighty years ago I was a child in Germany, where my family had lived for generations. My father, a decorated officer of the German Air Force, who had proudly served his country in World War I, could never have imagined that in just a few years he would be singularly [&
The Fable of the Crow and the Pitcher: Why Every AILA member should attend the National Day of Action in an election year
Written by: Jeff Joseph, AILA Board of Governors Anyone listening to the Republican primary debates would assume that immigration is at the forefront of the national consciousness and that immigration has become a defining issue in this election cycle. Given the heat and rhetoric surrounding the imm
March Sadness
Originally posted on Huffington Post “Where's your Green Card! Where's your Green Card! Where's your Green Card!…“ That was the despicable taunt that met Kansas State point guard Angel Rodriguez during the first-round NCAA tournament game between Kansas State University and the Universit
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