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
AILA: AG Sessions Cites Flawed Facts in Missive on the Immigration Court System
AILA condemned attacks by AG Sessions on the immigration courts and the due process rights of immigrants, stating that “For the AG to blame immigration lawyers for imagined trespasses is both malicious and wrong. We will not let that misinformation pass without setting the record straight.”
High-Skilled Immigration in a Time of High Uncertainty
For decades, business immigration law, and high-skilled business immigration in particular, was something of a transactional practice. There was little debate that our country benefits when American employers have access to the world's best and brightest talent, and while there were difficult cases
When Law Professors Attack: Four False Assumptions in the WSJ Op-Ed
Apparently, it is now fashionable to blame immigration lawyers for the ills of the U.S. immigration system. It started in October when Attorney General Jeff Sessions, railed against the “dirty immigration lawyers,“ baselessly charging that they are exploiting loopholes (also known as “the law&
Two Business Immigration Lawyers in “Baby Jail”: A Report from Dilley
“I can barely handle being a prisoner here….“
Senate Appropriators Propose Billions for Mass Deportation Machine
AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released on 11/21/17 by the Senate Appropriations Committee, which would dramatically increase spending on immigration enforcement while stripping funds for critical oversight programs.
AILA Deeply Disappointed by Decision to Terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
AILA denounced the decision by DHS to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian nationals, effective July 22, 2019. AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noted, “Given the great uncertainty surrounding the future of Haiti…the administration’s decision is shortsighted and uninformed.”
Gratitude for America and the Hands that Built it
Thinking back on Thanksgiving from when I was a child, I remember being told by my parents and teachers to be grateful for what I had, including living in the United States. But as a kid, the meaning of “how lucky I was to live in the U.S.“ wasn't easy to comprehend. Of course, I […]
Sounding the Alarm on State Department Staffing
The president of the American Foreign Service Association, Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, has sounded the alarm over what she describes as an effort by the Trump administration to weaken the Department of State (DOS) by slashing staffing, leaving senior management positions unfilled, and freezing hi
Getting Through the Reinstatement Maze
It often seems like the deck is stacked against our clients, particularly when the government uses tools like reinstatement of removal that are complex to defend against. Reinstatement sounds simple, but in practice the government can mistakenly apply it or fail to ensure safeguards are taken to pr
Staying in the Know about EB-5
Yesterday, I consulted with an AILA attorney about whether there are legal ways to transfer money out of a small Asian country that has strict currency transfer restrictions. The day before, a securities lawyer called me to discuss job creation problems in an ongoing EB-5 project. Last week, I email
Stand Up and Be an Advocate: Your Talent and Expertise Can Effect Meaningful Change
Immigration attorneys stand up for immigrants every day. But, our talent and expertise is typically channeled into advocating for our clients before the federal administrative agencies or immigration courts. To serve our clients well, we focus on understanding the latest developments in United State
On Immigration, It’s Time to Start Listening to Each Other
When it comes to civil dialogue, we are living in a low moment in our nation's history. Honest debates that yield real solutions to our common problems seem like a quaint notion—and that disturbs me. As the executive director of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, an organization of 15,000
AILA: Ending Protected Status Will Tear Apart American Families, Harm Businesses, and Communities
AILA warned that the decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 2,500 Nicaraguan nationals will harm American families, businesses, and communities.
Rhetoric Versus Reality on Employment-Based Immigration
The Trump administration recently released extensive data about the H-1B program, including the names of H-1B employers, and so I was curious how this data has been used and interpreted, and also whether we can glean something about the motivations for the data dump. I didn't need to look far. The a
IJ Performance Quotas: A Threat to Due Process and Judicial Independence
On October 12, 2017, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration seeks to impose numeric quotas on immigration judges as part of their performance evaluations. Speeding up deportation proceedings without regard to the impact on due process and judicial independence is an affront to th
Defending the Practice of Immigration Law in an Age of Falsehoods
In his October 12th remarks to the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), Attorney General Jeff Sessions lamented the fact that those with a credible claim for asylum have in recent years more frequently exercised the rights and protections provided to them under the Immigration and Nationa
A Fighting Chance to Claim Asylum
Earlier this year, a young man called James* fled his country of origin after enduring yet another attack on his life, this time at the hands of his family members who learned he was gay. They also reported James to the police, who began searching for him because, under a law outlawing homosexuality
Temporary Protected Status for Sudanese Ending – Dust Off Those Case Files
Last month the administration announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Sudan, effective November 2, 2018. The September 18 announcement stated that Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Elaine Duke had “determined that conditions in Sudan no longer support its designation,&#
Volunteering in Family Detention – Saving One Family at a Time
I volunteered a week in Dilley, Texas, at the South Texas Family Residential Center to give back to the immigrant community and the most vulnerable. While I was there, I also learned more about asylum law, which has made me a better lawyer. Here's what I saw and learned:
Undeterred by White Supremacist Threats, AILA Stands with America’s Immigrants
After members of a white supremacist group targeted our building, AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson stated: “AILA and its members will not be deterred or distracted from our work and our mission to stand by America’s immigrants and to advocate for fair and just immigration laws and policies.”
Good News You Can Use
Are you overwhelmed yet? I have to be honest, there are moments when I want to throw up my hands and somehow pause it all: the non-stop announcements from the Trump administration, calls and conversations with anxious immigrants and advocates, and our work coordinating pro bono services for vulnerab
AILA: Trump Administration Erodes Integrity and Fairness in Immigration Courts
AILA strongly opposes the Trump administration’s plans to impose numeric quotas on immigration judges in order to speed up deportations which threatens the integrity of the immigration court system and the independence of the judicial branch.
AILA: Attorney General Derides the Role of Due Process in the American Asylum System
AILA rejected the baseless attacks on America’s asylum system by the attorney general, noting that “Given the humanitarian concerns involved, the tragedy here is that nowhere in the attorney general’s harangue against the system were any useful solutions that would actually make the system better.”
Fighting for the Underdog
Some of Hollywood's most iconic films have featured an “underdog“ plot: a protagonist facing impossible odds who proves victorious through greater tenacity and determination. This is certainly a theme our immigrant clients and immigration law practices can relate to, perhaps now more than eve
AILA: White House Principles on Immigration Fail America
AILA condemned the Trump administration’s “Immigration Principles and Priorities” as destructive and unworkable. AILA reaffirms its commitment and support for real bipartisan immigration reform to increase our country’s shared prosperity and restore our legacy as a nation welcoming to immigrants.