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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This Is the Part of Illegal That I Don’t Understand
Yesterday, I looked down at my speedometer to see that I was driving at 55 mph in a 40 mph zone. I clearly was in violation of traffic laws. I came home to notice my neighbor firing up a barbeque grill on his balcony-a definite violation of the city fire code. I then read about […]
In The Eye of The Perfect Storm
4:30 a.m. came a little too early. But the alarm went off and I had to get up to catch my plane to Kansas City. Tony Weigel, the Kansas/Missouri AILA chapter chair, had assembled a very ambitious agenda for the day, chock-full of print and electronic media interviews, a press conference, and partic
Preparing for the Perfect Storm
Guest blog by Tony Weigle, Chair, AILA Missouri/Kansas Chapter On July 1st, I walked into the opening session of the Annual Conference and into my first day as Chapter Chair of the Missouri/Kansas Chapter. As I found my seat, a few of my chapter members informed me that Kansas City's Kris Kobach an
Suing Arizona—What Choice is There?
Guest blog by Charles Kuck, AILA Immediate Past President There is no surprise in the Obama Administration's lawsuit to stop enforcement of Arizona's immigration law-SB 1070. President Obama must defend federal authority to act exclusively on immigration law. The Supreme Court has long held that sta
Installation Speech of AILA President David W. Leopold
As delivered to the membership at the plenary session of the AILA Annual Conference on July 1, 2010 in Washington, D.C. Thank you, Chuck, for your kind introduction. I would also like to thank my father, who you have now all had the pleasure of meeting via video. The rest of the story is that [R
Have We Really Come To This?
The headline in a report on KGUN9 (a Tucson, Arizona TV station) reads: Group of illegal immigrants shot at, 1 wounded near Rio Rico (AZ) Apparently a group of undocumented immigrants were shot at while walking in the desert away from the border on Friday. The reports indicate that two men weari
USCIS Fee Increases: Show Us the Service
It's fair to say that no one likes price increases. However, any price increase is far easier for a consumer to swallow if the consumer feels that he or she is getting something of value in return for the additional money paid, whether it is an improved product or more efficient service. Would tha
I HAVE Read the Arizona Law. And, It Still Stinks
I was at church on Sunday when a fellow parishioner decided to engage me on the Arizona anti-immigration Law. His main point was this: “it is exactly like federal law.“ When I explained to him that it was not actually “exactly“ like federal law and that in fact there is no federal law
Troops On The Border – Again
Written by: Kathleen Campbell Walker Sitting here in El Paso where I can actually view the border fence and one of our ports of entry from my office window, I am disappointed to see the typical report about the placement of National Guard troops at the border during an election season. We are n
Ohio S.B. 238: Political Grandstanding at the Expense of Public Policy
Today the Ohio Senate Insurance, Commerce, and Labor Committee held a final hearing on S.B. 238, a bill that prohibits undocumented foreign nationals from receiving workers compensation benefits. The proposal is the brain child of Senator Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) and squarely aimed at Ohio's most
My Mom Has No Papers
Yesterday in Maryland a second grader asked First Lady Michelle Obama whether the President was going to “take away“ people who didn't have “papers“. Apparently, the child's mother had expressed some fear in the privacy of their home. Michelle Obama, who is also the nation's “First Mom&#
Governor Brewer, Read Your Own Law!
“You aren't going to be asked for ID unless you first commit a crime,“ said Arizona Governor Brewer in defense of Arizona's new immigration law. Really? Arizona SB1070, as amended by HB2162, applies the “papers please“ requirement to any “lawful STOP, detention or arrest.“ People c
Behind the Sound Bites on Arizona’s Immigration Law
One of the problems with debates on serious issues being played out in the media is that all sides, by necessity, make their arguments with shorthand and sound bites. The same is true, in spades, of the public discussion on Arizona's SB1070 immigration law. Much of the debate centers around the law'
Why the Major Leagues Should Boycott AZ
They'll take you out of the ball game They'll pick you out of the crowd. They'll hand you a warrant, your bags they will pack They'll make sure you never get back ‘Cause they root, root root For their “home“ team. If you're not white it's a shame. Don't say uno, dos, or tres strikes […]
The Arizona Law, Immigration Reform and Real Leadership
Much has been written and said about the new Arizona Law pertaining to immigrants (it pertains to everyone actually, and certainly is not limited to undocumented immigrants). From Eugene Robinson and Richard Cohen at the Washington Post, to John Stewart on The Daily Show, and even Tom Tancredo, ever
Shame On You Governor Brewer—Boycott Arizona Now
Congratulations Governor Brewer, your signature on SB 1070, an anti-immigrant bill which effectively makes all Latinos the target of arrest or interrogation, has now enshrined your legacy with the likes of Governor Evan Mechem, who will be forever remembered for his cancellation of the state's Marti
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s Choice
All eyes are on Governor Jan Brewer today. On her desk is SB 1070, an anti-immigrant bill which would effectively make all Latinos the target of arrest or interrogation, whether or not they are U.S. citizens, lawful immigrants, or undocumented foreign nationals. Indeed, such a hate-motivated bill ma
Perception is Reality
One of my favorite movie lines is from “The Princess Bride.“ Vizzini, the mastermind behind the kidnapping of Princess Buttercup, upon seeing the Man in Black pursuing them keeps repeating the word “inconceivable.“ Finally, Inigo Montoya, one of of Vizzini's then assistants says: “You ke
Razing Arizona
You've heard of hate speech. Now the Arizona legislature has given the nation “hate legislation“ which reads more like a law passed in Nuremberg, Germany in 1935 than in Phoenix in 2010. If implemented S.B. 1070 would transform Arizona into an oppressive police state for foreign nationals and
Immigration, By The Numbers
Yesterday the USCIS released its FY 2009 immigrant visa numbers. More than a million people legally immigrated to the United States in FY 2009. Almost 60% of those folks did so through the adjustment of status process, meaning they were already in the U.S. when their place in line was reached. While
The Audacity to Hope
By The AILA Media Advocacy Committee Several weeks ago on Sunday, March 21, hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in Washington D.C. to advocate for a change in our immigration laws. And then, on Saturday, March 27, thousands more demonstrated in Los Angeles in solidarity with the Washington
SCOTUS Affirms That Immigrants are People Too!
The Supreme Court yesterday issued what can only be considered a seminal decision as it applies to the constitutional rights of all immigrants. In Padilla v. Kentucky, 555 U. S. ___ (2010), the court expressed, at least in summary, its dismay at the increasing difficulties caused by today's immigrat
Immigration Detention Gone Rogue
Just when you thought it couldn't get much worse. Now we are told that ICE agents grab mentally ill immigrants right from mental hospitals, ship them off to a Texas detention center without word to family or counsel, and deport them. Could ICE's behavior be any more horrific? The latest ICE outrage
Immigration Enforcement By The Numbers
I'm going to stop using the word “shocked“ to describe my reaction to ICE's dirty secrets. Frankly, it is tough to be surprised by the antics of an agency which administers a draconian a detention system in which 107 immigrant detainees have perished since 2003. But I must admit I am taken aba
Deporting “Them” All–A Costly, Ineffective Solution
The Center for American Progress released a report detailing the actual cost of the only solution proposed by anti-immigration restrictionists-Mass Deportation. In “The Costs of Mass Deportation,“Marshal Fitz, Gebe Martinez and Madura Wijewardena have put together a realistic appraisal of the