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.
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Momentum Builds For Nationwide End To “Secure Communities”
Guest blog by Michael Mandel, Co-Chair, AILA-NY Advocacy/Media Committee In this era of record deportations, enforcement only policies and an all around refusal by Congress and the Obama administration to ease the daily terror felt by millions of immigrants, advocates welcomed the recent news that M
AILA Dream Defenders
I am thrilled to announce AILA Dream Defenders! AILA Dream Defenders or “AD2“ is a collaborative effort between AILA, United We Dream, the National Immigration Project, and the National Immigration Law Center. Our goal is to establish an effective pro bono program for DREAMERs across the Unit
Hey Guys, When You’re Lost, It’s Okay to Ask for Directions
By Tony Weigel Back in the mid-1990's, before GPS and Mapquest, this midwesterner attempted to navigate the roadways of greater Atlanta. It seemed like every road changed names at least twice and managed to run in every direction. What looked relatively clear on my map was indistinguishable once t
All Children in America Should Have Education and Opportunities
By Karol Brown “[I]t is doubtful that any child may reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he [or she] is denied the opportunity of an education.“ - Brown v. Board of Education Recently, state legislatures around the country have debated or approved laws that penalize undocumented immigr
Action Speaks Louder Than Words: President Obama Can Use The Law To Help Families and Businesses Even If Congress Refuses To Act On Immigration
I think we can all agree that in the past couple of weeks President Obama has demonstrated he has the guts to make tough decisions. He is a Commander-in-Chief worthy of the title; one who is willing to put the country first, regardless of risk to his own political future. Fixing our broken immigrat
Illinois Says “No Mas” to Secure Communities
By Paul Zulkie, AILA Past President On May 4, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn notified ICE that he was pulling the state out of ICE's flawed Secure Communities initiative. For us locals, it is nice to see the Land of Lincoln get national recognition for leadership on immigration policy as opposed to cr
One Down, 300 Million More To Go
Donald Trump isn't satisfied with the President's production of his original birth certificate. And I suspect others in the “birther“ movement won't be either. Trump chose his words carefully today, leaving plenty of wiggle room to keep his “birther“ rant alive. “I have accomplished s
Passover In The First Person
By David Leopold and Eleanor Pelta 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 freedom and hope. And also a celebration of springti
Take the Next Step in Protecting Foreign National Same-Sex Spouses
A couple of days ago gay rights groups and immigration advocates applauded an announcement by USCIS that it would suspend decisions on marriage based immigration petitions filed by gay Americans on behalf of their foreign national partners. That was good news for gay and lesbian Americans who have b
Remembering the Triangle Shirtwaist Workers
They had old-world names like Gussie, Rose, Max, Albina, Morris and Sarafina, and came from the “old countries“ like Romania, Russia, Austria and Italy, but they had the same dreams that immigrants have always brought to this country, and continue to bring today: dreams of security far away fr
Why Smart States’ Legislatures Are NOT Passing Immigration Bills
Guest Blog by Charles Kuck, AILA Past President We all read that the Arizona legislature has had its fill of anti-immigrant legislation, backing off passing any of the unconstitutional, anti-immigrant legislation proposed by immigrant basher-in-chief State Senator Russell Pearce. Now Kansas, home to
USCIS Gets It Right
USCIS has taken an important step in the right direction with its recent announcement that it is reviewing its policy on H-1B cap exemptions for non-profit entities that are related to or affiliated with an institution of higher education, and that until further notice, the agency will give deferenc
MSU* on Steroids
In an announcement of a report released today, the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) declares that “[n]early 200,000 children are estimated to have been born to women lawfully admitted as temporary visitors from all over the world in 2009.“ The report then goes on to suggest that these chi
Peter King’s Grand Inquisition
It's hard to imagine the chair of a major congressional committee holding a hearing about the radicalization of the Irish, Jews, Catholics, or African Americans. Yet, this morning, Rep. Peter King, Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, will do just that. King bills his hearing as an in
Really? You’re Proud of That?
Today, in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, DHS Secretary Napolitano answered a query from Senator Grassley to the effect that this administration granted fewer deferred actions in the past year than the Bush administration did in its last year. Deferred action: that would be the legal amel
ICE To Resume Deportations to Haiti: First Rule “Do No Harm”
No one can argue with the removal of dangerous criminals. That is why grounds of removability for serious crimes are in the law. But when the US effectively dumps hundreds of people, especially thugs convicted of “homicide, rape, sexual assault, robbery, sex offense against children,“ and oth
Utah’s Immigration Bill: It’s Time To Close The Loop
On Friday, the Utah legislature followed Arizona's footsteps (or is that missteps?) and passed The Utah Immigration Accountability and Enforcement Act. The law is another ill-advised attempt by a state to regulate immigration. Even though it's sweetened with a temporary worker provision and leaves
Rep. Lamar Smith Polishes His “Mythical” Immigration Agenda
In his recent Washington Times Op-Ed, Mythical racism in immigration enforcement, Rep. Lamar Smith, the Republican Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, essentially outlines what we can expect on immigration policy from the House Republican leadership over the next couple of years. Unfortunate
Why Those Opposed to Illegal Immigration Should Love the 14th Amendment
I have been pondering the issue of birthright citizenship now that it's (unbelievably) under fire, and there is one thing I just can't figure out. Why are those who are staunchly opposed to illegal immigration not defending the 14th Amendment just as staunchly? After all, the 14th Amendment sets up
Picket At Immigration ICE Offices – Not At Chipotle Restaurants
By Josie Gonzalez, Chair of AILA's Verification and Documentation Committee Picketing of Chipotle locations by the Service Employees International Union and community organizations last week after an ICE I-9 investigation uncovered the use of false documents was misdirected. The dramatic, painful an
Winning The Future
Last night President Obama laid out his vision of America. Remarkably, he did so by framing our future through the lens of history. As the President stated, “we are the first nation to be founded for the sake of an idea - the idea that each of us deserves the chance to shape our own […]
What Part of “Legal” Don’t You Understand?
The question is simply this: can a negro whose ancestors were imported into this country and sold as slaves become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immuni
Ho Ho Ho? No,No,No!
A client of mine is in a real quandary. The client has a major project with an urgent deliverable that requires a key employee to travel to the U.S. urgently. Because the company has a crack operations staff, they were on this issue early on, and we filed an L-1B petition months before the travel
Letter From Immigration Jail
This is a difficult moment for the DREAMers. The Senate has failed them, and the nation. Make no mistake, the DREAM Act will become law one day. And, so too, will there be a humane and sensible immigration policy. What we need are national leaders who care more about America than their political
Keep the DREAM Alive
By Karol Brown Wednesday night, I cheered when I heard that the U.S. House of Representatives approved the DREAM Act by a vote of 216 to 198. Yesterday, the Senate postponed their efforts to proceed with their version of the DREAM Act by a vote of 59 to 40. Several news outlets have misinterpreted t