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.
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AILA in the News
Browse the Immigration News collection
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
AILA member Maurice “Mo“ Goldman shares insights into why it feels the country is moving away from valuing its history as a “nation of immigrants“ and emphasizes the need for immigration attorneys and their clients to share their stories and shift the narrative.
25 Years Ago the State Department Recognized How Visa Consul and Immigration Counsel Can Work Together in the Visa Application Process
AILA member Liam Schwartz reflects on Department of State cable 99 State 21138 which was spearheaded by the late Stephen K. Fischel; the cable highlights the importance to the visa application process of the working relationship between consular officers and immigration attorneys.
AILA Executive Committee Shares Open Letter Regarding Efforts to Impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas
As the House Republican majority moves forward with their efforts to impeach the Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, the Executive Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) shared the following open letter.
AILA Executive Director Responds to Release of Bipartisan Senate Bill
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson responded to the newly released bill text from the bipartisan group of Senators negotiating the “Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024.”
The Mandatory Detention of Unlawful Entrants Seeking Asylum in the United States and the Due Process Protection
AILA Law Journal author Jim Nzoguma Mayua shares more about his article in the Fall 2023 edition of the journal, in which he discusses the legal uncertainty stemming from Supreme Court rulings denying asylum seekers due process protection.
AILA Responds to New Biden Administration Rules on Fees and H-1B Registration Process
AILA responded to the advance copies shared publicly by the Biden Administration regarding U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) fees and a revised H-1B visa registration process with insights from President Farshad Owji and Dir of Gov’t Relations Shev Dalal-Dheini.
Ninth Edition of AILA’s Invaluable Asylum Primer Released
Ben Johnson on the 9th edition of AILA’s Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure by Dree K. Collopy: “This book will help practitioners, those new to the area of practice as well as long-time asylum attorneys, do the best job possible for their vulnerable clients.”
Is Chevron Dead? Thoughts after Oral Arguments in Relentless, Inc. and Loper Bright Enterprises
Brian Green and Stephen Yale-Loehr describe the recent oral arguments in two SCOTUS cases which could dramatically affect federal agency review; it is yet unclear whether the decisions will hurt or help immigrants when challenging ambiguous agency decisions or interpretations.
A Bridge We Can All Cross
AILA members César Magaña Linares and Raquel Fernández—a Salvadoran Dreamer with TPS and a second generation Venezuelan American—call for intra-immigrant solidarity.
SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Notice Requirements (Again)
In this blog post, AILA Policy and Practice Counsel Manolasya Perepa describes the recent SCOTUS consolidated oral arguments in Campos-Chavez v. Garland and Garland v. Singh and notes that “issues of improper notice pervade multiple aspects of the immigration system.“
How the “Internal Enemy” Label Forces Venezuelans to Flee Their Country
AILA Law Journal authors Emercio José Aponte and Andrea Paola Aponte share more about their article in which they discuss how the current authoritarian regime in Venezuela has been violating citizens' human rights and what that means for claims of asylum.
Take the First Step and Just Apply for the Maggio Fellowship!
Alejandra Arrieta, the 2023 Maggio Fellowship winner, describes how the fellowship offered opportunities to network and train in immigration law. 2024 fellowship applications are due by February 16.
Visalaw.Ai Launches GEN 1.0: A Revolutionary AI-Powered Legal Research Tool for Immigration Law Firms
Visalaw.Ai and AILA announce the launch of GEN 1.0, the only GPT designed for immigration lawyers powered by AILA resources; Gen’s initial release is exclusively available to AILA members.
No Fault/Technical Reasons: A Chronicle of Misfeasance Exposed
AILA Law Journal author Martin Robles-Avila highlights how a flawed rulemaking process has affected Nonimmigrant Status breaches and a quandary business immigration practitioners often find themselves in determining whether a client is eligible for adjustment of status.
FOIA Behind the Scenes – How USCIS and DOS Process Immigration-Related Requests
AILA member Alexandra Zaretsky describes how the International Refugee Assistance Project decided to find out how USCIS and the State Department process FOIA requests by filing a “meta-FOIA“ which unearthed some questionable agency policies of potential interest to others.
New England AILA Members Joined Community and Government in Helping Newcomers
AILA New England Chapter Chair Robin Nice describes the recent successful set of EAD clinics hosted in Massachusetts, where state and federal agencies worked together with local partners and volunteers “to address immigration issues in a cooperative, common sense, humane manner.“
Digging Into One Key Aspect of Refugee Designations
AILA Law Journal author Betsy Fisher shares more about her recent article published in the journal which reflects on the disappointing results she has seen in one kind of humanitarian program: Priority-2 (or P-2) refugee resettlement, and seeks to identify ways to best leverage P-2 resettlement.
Daily Immigration News Clips – December 29, 2023
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on December 29, 2023.
Daily Immigration News Clips – December 28, 2023
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on December 28, 2023.
Daily Immigration News Clips – December 27, 2023
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on December 27, 2023.
Advancing Gender and Sex Equality in Asylum Protections
AILA Law Journal Author Elaine Wood shares a bit about her article entitled “Persecution Taxonomy: Adding Sex and Gender as Protected Grounds for Asylum“ in which she argues persuasively that revising the applicable language is now imperative to address contemporary concerns.
AILA Welcomes Stateside Visa Renewal Pilot Program
AILA welcomes the news from the Department of State that a Stateside Renewal Visa Pilot Program will be launched, initially limited to approximately 20,000 H-1B holders who meet specific eligibility requirements.
AILA ED: Harmful Texas Legislation Will Damage the State and Infringe on Federal Authority
As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signs anti-immigrant bills into law this week, AILA ED Ben Johnson responded stating, “Once again, the Texas governor has signed legislation that attempts to transform how immigration laws and policy are enforced and stands in clear violation of the U.S. Constitution.”
GMS Monthly E-Bulletin, November 2023
The November 2023 GMS E-Bulletin highlights student visa options globally.
An Article I Immigration Court
Mimi Tsankov, President of the NAIJ, shares brief highlights of her article on the need for an independent Article I immigration court, featured in the Fall 2023 edition of the AILA Law Journal.