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.
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AILA in the News
Browse the Immigration News collection
Proposed Public Charge Rule Spreads Panic, But Would Fail at Cutting Costs
AILA member Ruby Powers highlights the newly published proposed “public charge“ rule and its potential negative impact on clients and communities while describing how the public and AILA members can engage on this important issue by commenting on the proposed rule.
Exploring All the Options – EB-5 in this Era of Uncertainty
In this blog post, past AILA president and EB-5 expert Bernard Wolfsdorf highlights some of the important information and innovative ideas that will be shared at the upcoming AILA - IIUSA EB-5 conference and reminds readers that the Early Bird option ends Wednesday!
A Resurgence of Hope for Many TPS Holders
Jason Boyd, AILA Policy Counsel, offers insights into the preliminary injunction granted in Ramos v. Nielsen, offering TPS holders, from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan, and their families, hope in a very uncertain time.
The Need for an Independent Immigration Court Grows More Urgent As DOJ Imposes Quotas on Immigration Judges
As DOJ begins implementing case completion quotas, requiring immigration judges to finish 700 cases per year or face disciplinary action, AILA voices its opposition to these quotas and renews its call for the creation of an independent Article I immigration court.
Justice Cannot Be Carried Out on an Assembly Line
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson issues a call to action, sharing comments from NAIJ president Ashley Tabaddor and advocating for an independent immigration court system, free from political pressure by any administration.
Video: AILA Calls for Immigration Court Reform
In this video, AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson explains the need to establish an independent immigration court system.
How to Manage Your Practice in the Shifting Employment-Based Landscape
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Sandra Feist shares how she has handled the growing uncertainty in employment-based immigration law practice and offers some useful advice for other practitioners.
New Rule Would Impose Class-Based Limits on Immigration, Bringing Harm to Hardworking Families
AILA condemned the proposed “public charge” rule because it “would prevent many immigrants from securing lawful permanent residence and remaining with their families…simply because they previously received some type of basic health care support, nutrition assistance, or other vital services.”
Attorney General’s Concerted Effort to Strip Immigration Judges of Judicial Independence Continues
In response to the AG's decision in Matter of S-O-G- & F-D-B-, which will prevent judges from terminating a case except in exceptionally narrow circumstances and waste the court's time and resources, AILA again called on Congress to create an independent Article I immigration court.
AILA and NALEO Educational Fund to Help Thousands of Aspiring New Americans on National Citizenship Day
AILA and NALEO Educational Fund proudly sponsor AILA Citizenship Day, taking place on Saturday, September 15, 2018; now in its twelfth year, this event brings together AILA attorneys, NALEO affiliates, law students, paralegals, interpreters, and community members to help those seeking to naturalize.
Together, a Firestorm of Support
In this blog post, AILA staff members Reid Trautz, Erin Lynum, and former AILA intern Jiedine I. A. Phanbuh highlight the importance of engaging community to support immigrants and work towards fair immigration policy.
AG Sessions’ Remarks Emphasize Need for Independent Immigration Courts
AILA responds to remarks delivered by Attorney General Jeff Sessions to a group of 44 new immigration judges.
Trump Administration Lines Up End Run Around Protections for Detained Children
The Trump administration announced plans to release proposed changes to regulations that are intended to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, a decades-old court settlement put in place to ensure the safety and proper care of children in immigration detention.
Why Representation Matters Within the Immigration Bar Itself
In this blog post, AILA member Sarah Pitney shares the importance of diversity and inclusion in the immigration bar by describing how one panelist in particular at the 2017 AILA Conference in New Orleans showed how her “professional community valued the presence of its LGBT+ members.“
Little Ease: Undocumented in America 2018
AILA member Margaret O'Donnell describes changes being made to immigration policy that negatively impact American families, offering a real client example to highlight how uncertain the future has become.
Join the Fight to Restore USCIS’s Mission and Ensure Immigration Court Independence!
In this blog post, Media Advocacy Committee Member Katie Sarreshteh highlights AILA's August Campaign and urges members to help AILA's efforts “to realign USCIS with its congressional mandate and ensure judicial independence in our immigration courts.“
The Use of Coercion by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Officials Against Parents Who Were Forcibly Separated From Their Children
AILA and the Council announced the filing of a complaint with the DHS Office of the Inspector General and Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties on the pervasive and illegal practice by DHS officials of coercing separated mothers and fathers into signing documents they may not have understood.
Complaint Details Coercive Tactics Used by Immigration Officials on Separated Parents
AILA and the Council filed a complaint with the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) documenting a pervasive, illegal practice by DHS officials of coercing separated mothers and fathers into signing documents they may not have understood.
AILA and Council File Complaint Regarding Coercive Tactics Used by Immigration Officials on Separated Parents
Resources on the AILA and American Immigration Council complaint, filed with the DHS OIG and CRCL regarding a pervasive and illegal practice by DHS officials of coercing parents into signing documents, ostensibly waiving their legal rights, including their right to be reunified with their children.
The Government’s Use of Coercion on Separated Parents
In this blog post, Immigration Justice Campaign National Advocacy Counsel Katie Shepherd describes the government's use of coercion on separated parents and the complaint AILA and the Council filed with DHS to draw attention to this illegal and unconstitutional practice.
Press Call on Complaint Regarding Coercive Tactics Used by Immigration Officials on Separated Parents
On a press call, representatives of AILA, the Council, the Dilley Pro Bono Project, and Annunciation House discuss a complaint filed by AILA and the Council with DHS’s OIG and CRCL regarding coercive tactics used by government officials against parents who were separated from their children.
Call to Arms: Don’t Let USCIS Get Away with It – Again
AILA First Vice President Jennifer Minear explains what the newly finalized unlawful presence changes will mean for students and exchange visitors and urges AILA members and the public to not allow this policy, and its inevitable consequences if implemented, to go unnoticed.
Trump Administration Further Undermines Judicial Independence
AILA responds to Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ decision in Matter of L-A-B-R-, which limits the discretion of immigration judges to grant continuances.
The Repercussions of How the Administration Has Handled Matter of Castro-Tum
AILA Member Matthew Archambeault who served as Friend of the Court in the Matter of Castro-Tum describes the case and its repercussions, and offers suggestions for how to advocate and urge Congress to act on the immense and obvious need for an independent immigration court.
New Partners in the Fight for Due Process
Karen Lucas, Director of the Immigration Justice Campaign in which AILA and the Council are partnered, describes new ways the campaign is meeting the needs of detained immigrants, including a recent partnership with Save the Children.