Immigration News
Check out daily roundups of immigration-related news stories, read articles that quote and cite AILA and AILA leadership, and check out analysis from AILA members and leadership on the AILA blog.
Are you a member who was quoted in a news story? Contact newsroom@aila.org to let us know.
Are you a member of the press? Visit the Press Room.
AILA in the News
Browse the Immigration News collection
Trapped in the U.S. or Trapped Abroad – Havoc Caused by Regional Bans Continues
Matt Maiona highlights the impact of the existing regional travel bans, using one of his clients' situation and urges people take action and tell the Biden administration to end the bans, as well as making additional changes to allow the Department of State to address the backlog and delays in proce
Litigation and Liaison Work Hand in Hand to Good Effect
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson highlights how litigation with the American Immigration Council combined with liaison efforts led to USCIS accepting FY2021 H-1B cap-subject petitions rejected or closed solely because the petitioner requested a start date after October 1, 2021.
Immigration Law, Family, and Pride Month
In this blog post, AILA President Allen Orr posed some questions to Jennifer Yeaw, a member of the Diversity & Inclusion committee about Pride month and how immigration law and policies have gradually grown more inclusive to LGBTQIA+ families, but there's still a long way to go.
Welcoming Juneteenth
In this blog post, AILA member Yasmin Blackburn welcomes the federal recognition of Juneteenth as a holiday and urges us to use the day to reflect, research, and learn about America's history and to take action to ensure a more just future.
Recognizing the Impact of Fathers and Father Figures
In recognition of Father's Day, we asked AILA members to share how something their dad did or said helped them choose immigration law as a profession; read these five inspiring and heartfelt examples.
Reflections on the Life and Impact of the Late Judge Robert Katzmann
In this video blog post, Cyrus Mehta reflects on the life and impact of the late Judge Robert Katzmann, explaining how he was the impetus for projects to help immigrants receive legal representation that affected so many families and individuals.
AG Garland Vacates Asylum Precedents That Harmed Victims of Violence
AG Garland vacated decisions in Matter of A-B- and Matter of L-E-A-, both of which had arbitrarily overturned years of established case law. By vacating these two decisions, the AG has restored access to asylum for many people fleeing persecution abroad.
Nine Years Later…DACA is Not Enough
Mo Goldman shares the example of his client to explain that DACA isn't enough and Congress needs to act because “A year from now, we should not be celebrating the ten-year anniversary of DACA“ but instead “the first months of a path to citizenship for these deserving individuals.“
Nine Years Since DACA Was Announced – the Senate Needs to Act
AILA celebrated the ninth anniversary of the creation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, but AILA President Allen Orr, Jr. called on Congress to enact permanent protection for Dreamers, saying it “would be a moral and economic victory for the entire country.”
A Transformative Year Ahead
Allen Orr, newly installed AILA President for the 2021-22 term, shares his story and his vision for a transformative year ahead in this transcript of the installation speech he gave on June 10, 2021 during AILA's Annual Conference.
AILA Elects New Officers for 2021-2022
AILA selected officers for the 2021-2022 term. Allen Orr, Jr. was installed as President and the following officers were elected: Jeremy McKinney as President-Elect, Farshad Owji as First Vice President, Kelli Stump as Second Vice President, Jeff Joseph as Treasurer, and Alexis Axelrad as Secretary.
AILA Presents Robert Juceam with the Founders Award
AILA recognizes Robert Juceam, of New York, NY, with the Founders Award, which is given from time to time to the person or entity having the most substantial impact on the field of immigration law or policy.
AILA Presents Sarah Peterson with the 2021 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award
AILA recognizes Sarah Peterson of Minneapolis, MN, with the 2021 Susan D. Quarles AILA Service Excellence Award, in recognition of her outstanding service, over a period of years, in advancing the mission, development, and value of AILA for its members and the public it serves.
Negligence and Mayhem – We Need to Phase Out the Use of Migrant Detention
In this blog post, Sarah Owings shares the realities of what immigration detainees face and why she wants “you to push for fair and humane ways to process people's' immigration paperwork, outside of detention“ so the detention machine can be shut down entirely.
AILA Recognizes Lily S. Axelrod with the 2021 Sam Williamson Mentor Award
AILA recognizes Lily S. Axelrod of Memphis, TN, with the 2021 Sam Williamson Mentor Award, in acknowledgment of her outstanding efforts and excellent counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance.
AILA Presents Margo Cowan with the 2021 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
AILA recognizes Margo Cowan of Tucson, AZ, with the 2021 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field.
AILA Presents Stuart Anderson with the 2021 Media Leadership Award
AILA recognizes Stuart Anderson, senior contributor to Forbes Magazine and Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy with the 2021 Media Leadership Award, given to individuals whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants.
The Mixed Messages and Missed Opportunities in Biden’s FY 22 Budget
In this blog post, AILA Government Relations Directors Gregory Chen and Sharvari Dalal-Dheini highlight the mixed messages and missed opportunities on immigration issues in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget released by President Biden.
AILA Presents Brittany Faith with the 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award
AILA recognizes Brittany Faith, of Chattanooga, TN, with the 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for her outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law.
AILA Presents Paul Hughes and Mary Kenney with the 2021 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award
AILA recognizes two litigators this year with the 2021 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law: Paul Hughes and Mary Kenney.
When Clients Die – How COVID-19 Has Affected Me and How I Am Learning to Cope
In this blog post, AILA member Vaman Kidambi shares his experiences learning to cope as clients are taken by COVID-19 and ways he has learned to try and maintain balance in this extremely difficult time.
AILA Presents David Thronson with the 2021 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
AILA recognizes David Thronson, the Alan S. Zekelman Professor of Int’l Human Rights Law at the Michigan State University College of Law, director of the Talsky Ctr for Human Rights of Women and Children, and cofounder of the Imm. Law Clinic, with the 2021 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award.
What President Biden’s Budget Should Say on Immigration
AILA's Government Relations directors Greg Chen and Shev Dalal-Dheini lay out what President Biden's budget for FY22 should have in it on immigration issues, flagging detention, representation, immigration courts, USCIS, and the State Department as areas ripe for necessary reform.
AILA Presents Rekha Sharma-Crawford with the 2021 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
AILA recognizes Rekha Sharma-Crawford of Kansas City, MO, with the 2021 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.
AILA Presents Dahlia Walker-Huntington with the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award
AILA recognizes Dahlia Walker-Huntington of Hollywood, FL, with the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award for outstanding efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion excellence in the immigration legal profession.