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
Schumer And Immigration
Okay, the opening salvo is fired. Senator Schumer has announced the starting point of this year's immigration reform debate, kind of. In an article in the Washington Post, Senator Schumer has outlined what he sees as the baseline of immigration reform. Spencer Hsu, of Washington Post reports that Sc
Vivek Wadwha–A Voice in The Wilderness?
As many regular readers of this blog know, I am impressed by the amazing work of Vivek Wadhwa, research associate at Harvard, and an entrepreneur in residence at Duke. This week his most recently published article, The University Of Competition, in Outlook India, points out the obvious-“with its fla
Senator Ensign, Immigration and “Illegal”
What is the deal with Senator Ensign? He cheated on his wife? Don't all politicians do that? (The answer is no, not all politicians do that). So, what is the a big deal? Let me tell you-Because Senator Ensign is a HYPOCRITE! Senator Ensign received a 100% rating from every anti-immigration group out
Due Process for Immigrants, is Due Process for all Americans
This blog post was contributed by AILA Immediate Past President Charles H. Kuck: Attorney General Holder took a step towards restoring a semblance of constitutional protection to all Americans last week, when he overturned the decision of Attorney General Mukasey in Matter of Compean, an Immigration
Immigration and AILA–One Year Later
A year ago I began my journey as AILA President with a speech at our annual conference in Vancouver. I focused my words on five principles in which I believe, God, Family, the Constitution, Service, and Litigation. Today is my last day as AILA President. As I reflect on the last year, I see that [&#
The Harbingers of Doom–UPLers and Those Who Assist Them
Today, New York Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, turning his attention rather momentarily away from Wall Street, issued more than 50 subpoenas to individuals and businesses in New York City, as part of a widening investigation into immigration fraud by unauthorized practitioners and businesses, inclu
Temporary Worker Programs, An Essential Component of Immigration Reform
Deborah Notkin, AILA Past President, contributes today's blog on CIR: For those of us who have long been committed to Comprehensive Immigration Reform including a path to legalization for the undocumented, family reunification, restoring the order of law AND having a reasonable temporary worker visa
Sotomayor and Immigration Reform
Is it possible? Is there really link between President Obama's bold nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, with possible movement or non-movement on Immigration Reform this fall? The folks over at http://www.electoral-vote.com/ note that there may be a link: “A side effect of the Sotomayor nomination
Changing the Rules in the Middle of the Game
In the first week of May—without comment or, apparently, any concern for its impact—U.S. immigration officials unilaterally rewrote the law, disqualifying thousands of families and workers trapped half-way through the green card process. As a result, people who just last month would have been welcom
Making Sure Congress Gets It
A guest post from AILA Board of Governors Member Dagmar Butte: I recently received a response to a Contact Congress letter from a new Senator that appeared, on its face, to fully support CIR. As I read the letter more carefully; however, it became apparent that the letter focused almost exclusively
ICE and Nursing Mothers–To Bond or Not To Bond
A week ago I was contacted by a reporter in North Carolina who became involved in a story about a undocumented immigrant. The undocumented immigrant has been in the United States for 13 years, was the mother of five U.S. Citizen children, ranging in age from 9 1/2 to 9 months. She was taken into [&#
Seeing the Immigration World In Black and White
Today's Washington Post contains the rebuttal of Rep. Lamar Smith, a fellow Texan and the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, to Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D. Ill) regarding recommended reforms to our dysfunctional immigration laws. See http://tinyurl.com/odg4hm Rep. Smith has worked on t
The Continued Attacks on The H-1B and L-1 Visas
It seems unrelenting these days. Attacks by anti-immigrationists on the two of the most useful non-immigrant visa categories, the H-1B and L-1 visas. The most recent attacks are based either on junk science or no science at all. Recently we received at the AILA National Office a letter from Professo
It’s The Economy Stupid
The New York Times reports this morning that American and Mexican researchers have charted a marked decline in illegal crossings from Mexico into the U.S.—the result, they say, of the ailing U.S. economy. http://tinyurl.com/qnjmf7. This trend suggests that the economy, not arbitrary and unworkable c
Take this Immigration Quiz
Admit it. Every now and then you veg out in front of the computer cruising the Internet. At least I do. Tonight was just such a night. But I ran into this immigration quiz. The purpose of this quiz is to point out how far we have come, or perhaps how far we have not […]
What is the Deal with H-1Bs and Congress
You have to wonder. Why do some member of Congress use the H-1B visa as a punching bag? What is it with Durbin and Grassley, two unlikely allies on this issue?
Postville, One Year Later
Today marks the one year anniversary of the ICE raid at the Agriprocessors meat packing facility in Postville, Iowa. The raid, which was the largest worksite enforcement raid in U.S. history, resulted in the conviction and deportation of more than 300 undocumented immigrants, mostly uneducated Guate
Why Don’t You Just Come Legally–The Visa Mess
Okay, we all know there are no visas available until October 1, 2009 for any third preference employments immigrant. It stinks. It makes no sense in how we grow the economy and bring in “legal“ workers. And, we know there is a 5-9 year wait in this category. We know that there are between 8-50
Postville Gives Attorney General Holder An Opportunity To Do Justice
By AILA Board of Governors member Leslie Holman Yesterday Attorney General Eric Holder, Jr. told 11 new U.S. Prosecutors: “Your job as assistant U.S. attorneys is not to convict people,“ Holder said. “Your job is not to win cases. Your job is to do justice. Your job is in every case, every dec
Promoting UPL – another danger of hooking up on the Internet
by AILA Board of Governors member Leslie Holman “Hooking up“ on the Internet may result in an unintended coupling that has nothing to do with finding love. A few years ago my teenaged daughter was horrified when I asked her and her group of friends whether they were going to hook up with other
ICE and Ankle Bracelets–Better Than No Detention at All?
ICE DRO (Detention and Removal Officers) were trolling the Immigration Courtrooms this week in Atlanta looking for respondents who were appearing for their hearings, but whom had previously not been detained by ICE, and thus had no bond or restraints on their liberty. You ask, what would ICE be doin
Is Stephanie Rose The Right Pick For U.S. Attorney in Iowa?
A prosecutor's job is to do justice, not merely to convict. The Supreme Court's decision in Flores-Figueroa v. United States raises serious questions about whether Stephanie Rose, who has been nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa, is the right choice for the job. http://ti
Looking to Immigrants for H1N1 Cure
At a time when talented researchers are often forced to wait years to immigrate to the United States and many clamor to close the borders or to suspend legal immigration, it is important to remember who we often turn to for help in a crisis. The current H1N1 epidemic is a case in point. Apparently [
Postville Prosecutions Should Be Investigated In Light Of Supreme Court’s Identity Theft Decision
In a unanimous decision the U.S Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the federal identity theft statute may not be used against many undocumented workers who used false social security numbers to get jobs. The case was Flores-Figueroa v. United States http://tinyurl.com/d2eedn. Coincidentally, the Cou
Obama Takes it Slow and Steady On Immigration Reform
In today's Washington Post, E.J. Dionne, Jr. wrote a terrific opinion piece on the Obama administrations consensus building process on immigration reform. He talks about how Rahm Emmanuel shifted positions on immigration reform, and the problems that the Obama administration has to navigate to get t