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
Divergent Approaches: Immigration Law and Policy in the United States and Canada
As an immigration attorney living and working in Canada, helping those seeking to visit or immigrate to the United States, I have the opportunity to see some significant differences between the two countries when it comes to immigration policy. Frankly, while both the U.S. and Canada are historicall
AILA Urges House to Reject Wasteful and Unnecessary Border Wall Spending
AILA opposes adding funding for a wasteful and unnecessary border wall to the funding package set to be voted on later this week; members of the House plan to add the $1.6 billion in funding to a spending measure covering, among other things, Defense, Military Construction, and Veterans Affairs.
A Righteous Act
Lately, I have been thinking about the word “righteous“ and its application to our immigration laws. Is it righteous to deport hardworking parents, separate families and engage in mass deportation? Is it righteous to strip people of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Action for Child
AILA Welcomes Bipartisan Dream Act of 2017; Calls on Congress and the Administration to Protect Dreamers
AILA welcomes the introduction of the Dream Act of 2017, a bipartisan bill authored by Senators Lindsey Graham and Dick Durbin, that would provide young people who were brought to the U.S. as children a chance to apply for lawful permanent residence if they meet certain requirements.
There’s Always More to Learn
When I first began practicing law, I thought I knew everything I could ever need to know about immigration. I'd been a business immigration paralegal for several years before law school and had learned a lot about nonimmigrant visas and employment-based green cards. I'd assisted with processing th
An Obscure Trump Administration Policy that Needlessly Harms Americans
Laws often have unintended consequences. Sometimes, good government officials adopt interpretations of the law designed to mitigate those unintended consequences. But sometimes, the most anti-immigrant politician in recent memory directs his subordinates to adopt policies that undermine those mitiga
One Road to Immigration Law
True confession: I did not take immigration law in law school and I took Latin as my foreign language class. AILA members, reading that, I'm sure you just groaned. But the fact was, I did not become an attorney to practice immigration law. About 20 years ago though, my life took a happy turn and [&
Hypocrisy Unbridled: The Dismantling of the International Entrepreneur Rule
This week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced its intent to delay and likely eliminate a new immigration rule that if implemented would, to borrow a phrase, make America great. The “International Entrepreneur Rule“ was finalized on January 17, 2017, and was set to take effect
House Appropriations Committee Gives Trump Administration Blank Check to Implement Mass Deportation Plan
AILA strongly opposes the funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee, which would massively increase immigration enforcement and border spending at a time when border apprehensions have plummeted and ICE and CBP funding is already at all-time high levels.
Finding Equilibrium in an Unsteady World
“You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.“ - Tom Brokaw So far this year, I've experienced dark moments where my calling in […]
“Wait Your Turn and Come Lawfully” (in 30 Years)
During a speech in Texas, Attorney General Jeff Sessions said that intending immigrants should simply “wait your turn“ to enter the United States legally. The insensitivity of this statement clearly shows that Mr. Sessions, like many government officials and members of the public, just doesn't
The Top Eleven Terrible Things in President Trump’s Budget
There are a lot of things wrong with the President Trump's Fiscal Year 2018 budget request. Some of the immigration-related provisions have been mentioned in the press or by advocates, while others are flying relatively unknown under the radar. But they all have one thing in common: they are meant t
Not Winning Hearts or Minds
On Sunday, I was online, browsing for cool science gifts for my nieces and doing my best to ignore the pop-up ads for princess-themed everything. Eventually, I found an outstanding chemistry set and set about to buy it. At around the same time, I read a Washington Post story about a group of scho
Will Government Employees Show Some Moxie in the Immigration Struggle?
In case you haven't noticed, advocates for immigrants and favorable immigration policies in this country are at war with the current administration in Washington. And, for those who think the attitude in Washington will change in the next four to eight years, think again. Unfortunately, negative att
AILA: House Bills Erode Public Safety and the Constitution
AILA urged lawmakers to oppose two bills slated to be taken up this week by the House of Representatives: the “No Sanctuary for Criminals Act” (H.R. 3003) and “Kate’s Law” (H.R. 3004), noting that the bills “will undermine public safety and erode our nation’s bedrock constitutional principles.”
Judge: Government Still Failing to Meet Standards for Detaining Children
AILA welcomed U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee’s decision affirming that the federal government is violating the 20-year-old Flores settlement agreement governing the custody and release of all immigrant children nationwide; Judge ordered a Juvenile Coordinator appointed to ensure compliance.
Travel Ban – An Update
The “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States“ Executive Order has once again been modified. From its original far-reaching, chaotic launch on January 26, to its initial limited injunctions, to its nationwide stay, withdrawal and replacement, to more injunctio
SCOTUS Says No Ban on Travel for Those with U.S. Connections But Will Hear Full Case in October
AILA welcomes the Supreme Court’s decision to consider the Trump Administration’s Muslim-focused travel and refugee ban litigation but raised strong concerns of the potential impact of the decision to lift part of the injunction that had prevented the federal government from implementing the ban.
New World Requires New Strategies
I had heard a rumor that it was a fire-able offense for anyone in Ira Kurzban's firm to concede a conviction in immigration court. So while talking to Ira at a conference once, I asked him if it was true. He informed me I had heard wrong. He explained that it is a fire-able offense […]
Guardians of our Constitution
Adapted from the installation speech of Annaluisa Padilla, 2017-18 President of AILA
AILA Elects New Officers; Annaluisa Padilla to Serve as President of Association
Today, AILA elected new officers to its Executive Committee for the 2017-2018 term during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA. Annaluisa Padilla was installed as AILA’s President.
AILA Announces 2018 Annual Conference Will Be Held in San Francisco
AILA announced that the association’s 2018 Annual Conference will be held in San Francisco, CA, June 13-16, 2018. The conference had been set for Grapevine, TX, but the Board of Governors voted earlier this month to move the event after weighing the potential impact of SB 4.
Free Legal Consultations from Immigration Attorneys During AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans
On June 24, 2017, AILA, in partnership with AILA’s Mid-South Chapter and Catholic Charities of New Orleans, will offer free Know Your Rights presentations and immigration law consultations in New Orleans as part of the seventh Pro Bono Clinic held in conjunction with AILA’s Annual Conference.
AILA Presents Nora Elizabeth Phillips with the 2017 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
AILA will recognize Nora Elizabeth Phillips, of Los Angeles, CA, with the 2017 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award, for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field, this week during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.
AILA Presents Sarah Owings and Ruby Powers with the 2017 Advocacy Award
AILA will recognize Sarah Weston Hayes Owings, of Atlanta, GA, and Ruby Lichte Powers, of Houston, TX, with the 2017 Advocacy Award for outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s legislative agenda during AILA’s Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA.