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
Think Immigration: First Circuit Decision on “Climate Refugees” Must Not Discourage Advocates’ Efforts to Help
In this blog post, IRAP senior attorney and AILA member José G. Miranda details how, despite a recent federal court setback, advocates can continue to work to expand policy and legal frameworks to protect climate-displaced individuals.
AILA Welcomes Launch of “Keeping Families Together” Program – Lives Will Be Changed
AILA President Kelli Stump and Executive Director Ben Johnson welcome the implementation of the Keeping Families Together program which is an example of the Biden Administration putting families first and implementing sensible solutions to problems created by our outdated immigration laws.
Think Immigration: Give a Day, Get the Chance to Change Lives in Your Community on AILA Citizenship Day
Adonia Simpson and Caroline van der Harten offer insights into how unique AILA Citizenship Day is and how participating in this effort allows AILA members to share a few hours of legal expertise in a way that truly changes lives as people take the final steps toward citizenship.
Think Immigration: The Advantages of EB-5 Today
AILA member Dominique Pando Bucci describes how the enactment of the EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 (RIA) means more immigration attorneys may want to get up to speed on this option for clients to invest in the U.S. economy and streamline their immigration pathway.
Think Immigration: How Noncitizens Are Disadvantaged at Arraignments by “Neutral” Practices and Procedures
DEI Scholarship recipient Asmaa Hamadan describes how the criminal justice system is failing to guarantee noncitizens due process, writing “The system should be reformed to ensure that an individual’s situation is assessed holistically and not discriminate… for factors they cannot change.”
Think Immigration: Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien – The Art of Handling Misplaced Anger
AILA member Vaman Kidambi shares insights to help attorneys and others facing difficult conversations with clients because of misplaced anger in this blog post, writing, “Being calm and understanding with the client is still the best approach.”
Think Immigration: Court Conundrum: Omaha Immigration Court Frequently Compromises Due Process Rights
In this blog post, Kelly Shanahan highlights an ACLU of Nebraska report detailing due process concerns in Omaha immigration hearings, and urging readers to tell Congress to remove EOIR from the Department of Justice and establish an Article 1 independent immigration court system.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Knew Our Immigration Laws Haven’t Aged Well
As part of our “One Thing” series, Sandra Feist highlights specific examples of how our immigration laws do not serve the interests of American businesses or communities well and calls on Congress to move forward with immigration reform that would be reflective of today’s realities.
Think Immigration: The CBP One App Is Not Enough
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Law Student Scholarship recipient Brenda Macías López describes why she believes the CBP One App is not enough to help ensure vulnerable immigrants can have a meaningful chance to claim asylum.
Think Immigration: Seven Reasons Why Immigration Attorneys Should Know About the EB-5 Visa Program
Past AILA president Ron Klasko lays out seven reasons why having a basic knowledge of EB-5 can help attorneys serve their clients’ needs; AILA recently created an EB-5 Interest Group for those interested in learning more and sharing ideas.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood that the U.S. Healthcare System Depends on Immigrants
As part of our “One Thing” series, Anthony Pawelski explains how “despite the vital role of immigrant healthcare workers, our immigration system is simply not designed to help us build the healthcare workforce we need, especially in medically underserved communities.”
Think Immigration: USCIS Policy Changes Open New Opportunities for Immigration Lawyers to Support Stateless People
In this blog post, AILA members Betsy Fisher and Samantha Sitterley describe a recently developed USCIS process to determine whether a person is stateless; an upcoming AILA Roundtable will delve further into how AILA members can support stateless clients.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood Their Sibling Is Not an “Immediate Relative”
As part of our “One Thing” series, Shannon Shepherd explains how outdated immigration laws keep families apart and that we need to urge Congress to build “an immigration law system that meets the needs of today’s America, not the one from decades ago.”
Think Immigration: My Initial Lifeline Was DACA
More than twelve years after DACA was first announced, AILA Policy and Practice Associate Blanca Hernández shares how the program was a lifeline for her and why she will continue to fight on behalf of all the DREAMers without a path to permanent status.
Think Immigration: Protecting Afghan Asylum Seekers Who are Not Considered “Allies”
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Law Student Scholarship recipient Sanaa Talwasa describes why she believes USCIS should regard all Afghan asylum applicants as "allies" and consider them eligible for an expedited asylum application process and supportive policies.
Think Immigration: Chevron Is Dead! Thoughts on the Immigration Impact of Loper Bright Enterprises
AILA Members and immigration litigation experts Brian Green, Mark Stevens, Cyrus D. Mehta, and Stephen Yale-Loehr describe the potential impact of the SCOTUS decision in Loper Bright, noting that “the time to challenge federal agency policies and adverse decisions in court has arrived.”
AILA President: SCOTUS Overturning “Chevron” Doctrine Will Impact Immigration Cases
AILA President Kelli Stump responded to today’s SCOTUS ruling overturning the “Chevron” doctrine, noting that while “the Loper Bright and Relentless cases had nothing to do with immigration law” the decision “will have a significant impact on many immigration adjudications.”
AILA Executive Director Welcomes Administration’s Moves to Protect Haitians in the United States
AILA ED Ben Johnson welcomed news that the Biden Administration will redesignate and extend TPS for Haitian nationals and offer hardship work authorization for Haitian students, stating, “This is exactly what U.S. leadership should look like when confronting a humanitarian crisis of this magnitude.”
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood the “Line” to Get in Can Stretch to Infinity
As part of our “One Thing” series, John Manley explains that the one thing he wished people understood about immigration is that because our immigration laws were last revised more than a generation ago, the proverbial wait to reunite with family can be longer than a human lifetime.
U.S. Court of Appeals Damages Lower Courts’ Power to Hold Executive Branch Accountable for Refusing to Issue Diversity Visas
AILA, JAC, and ILL respond to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia’s reversal of the lower court’s order in Gomez v. Biden (first known as Gomez v. Trump). Class counsel is evaluating possible next steps and will be in touch with class members shortly.
Think Immigration: For Pride Month, and Every Month of the Year – Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court
On the AILA Blog: Think Immigration, the authors of a recent practice resource “Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court” ask, and begin answering, a key question for all of us: how can we build a more gender-affirming courtroom together?
AILA President Responds to Supreme Court Decision in Department of State v. Muñoz
AILA President Kelli Stump responded to the Supreme Court ruling in Department of State v. Muñoz, which held that U.S. citizens do not have a fundamental liberty interest in their noncitizen spouses’ ability to come to the United States.
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood that Immigration Court Is an Unlevel Playing Field Where You Face Life and Death Decisions
As part of our “One Thing” series, Evangeline Chan explains that the one thing she wished people understood about immigration is that immigration court is structurally different than other courts and we need an Article 1 independent immigration court to ensure justice.
AILA Applauds Announcement of Life-Changing Protections for Undocumented Spouses of U.S. Citizens and Dreamers
AILA applauded the Biden Administration’s announcement of executive actions to provide protections and work authorization for some undocumented spouses and children of U.S. citizens and Dreamers with comments from President Kelli Stump and Executive Director Ben Johnson.
Biden Announces Immigration Protections for Up to 550,000 Spouses and Children of U.S. Citizens
On the Immigration Impact blog, the American Immigration discusses the Biden Administration announcement of two major new policies to help streamline paths to legal status for certain long-time undocumented immigrants and highlights their potential impact.