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
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Can the Innocence of a Child Soften the Hearts of Anti-Immigrants?
Sophie Cruz became an instant celebrity when she approached Pope Francis's motorcade to hand him a letter begging him to help her keep her parents in the United States. Her message was simple, coming from a five-year-old, yet it carried more power and conviction than any of the hateful rhetoric tha
What I Learned in Dilley
I spent a week volunteering as an immigration lawyer at the ICE family detention center in Dilley, Texas. It was a singular experience and I wanted to share some of what I learned. The detention center in Dilley opened after the 2014 “surge“ in immigrants from Central America crossing the U.S.
CARA: ICE and CCA Continue to Endanger the Lives of Mothers and Children Incarcerated at Family Detention Facility
The CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project submitted a new complaint to the DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of Inspector General detailing the inhumane conditions to which mothers and children are subjected at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
Complaint: ICE’s Continued Failure to Provide Adequate Medical Care to Mothers and Children Detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center
The CARA partners jointly filed a complaint on behalf of fourteen mothers and their children who received or are still receiving substandard medical care while detained at the South Texas Family Residential Center (STFRC) in Dilley, Texas.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees in the Immigration Debate
U.S. immigration law is a myriad of statutes, regulations, policies, memos, practices and procedures which span a wide variety of practice areas. The immigration debate playing out in the media is largely focused on the refugee, humanitarian, and family-based areas of immigration law. But this is on
Another Tool in the Fight to End Family Detention
This wasn't the blog post that I planned on writing. I had intended to simply share some information about the release of the ABA Commission on Immigration's report on family detention, and will. But I was interrupted in my writing by the immediacy of what's happening on the ground (OTG) at the fami
CARA: Coercion and Intimidation of Detained Mothers and Children Must Stop
The CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project submitted a complaint to the DHS Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of Inspector General documenting intimidation, misinformation and violations of the right to counsel at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas.
One of Millions
As an immigration attorney, I hear the life stories of immigrants from all over the world. I hear about the mothers, fathers, siblings, and children left behind; I hear about the choices people have made and the relationships that have flourished and failed. It's a never-ending stream of sadness, ho
When Our Government Operates in Its Own Flawed Reality, the Most Vulnerable Suffer
On July 24, a federal court in California ruled that the Obama Administration's policy of detaining mothers and children violated the 1997 Flores Agreement. In a 25-page ruling, Judge Dolly Gee noted she found it “astonishing“ that immigration authorities had adopted a policy requiring such an
More Than a Label
This blog post was written in response to the questions raised by the SocialWork@Simmons #MoreThanALabel campaign, an effort to highlight how immigrants are currently combating labels and stigmas and what can be done to promote immigrant pride. My name is Victor Nieblas Pradis, and in June I became
AILA: Government Ineptitude Disappoints Thousands on Visa Timing
AILA and its members were disappointed today to learn that, due to a gross government miscalculation, many individuals and families will continue to face lengthy waits before they can submit their applications for permanent residence.
The Time to Permanently Authorize the Religious Worker Program is Now
Once again, September 30 is quickly approaching, and the Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker (Religious Worker) program originally created in 1990 is set to expire unless reauthorized by that date. The program has been reauthorized numerous times, most recently 3 years ago. The Religious
The Alternate World of Family Detention
I returned to the alternate world of family detention at the end of June. It was both the most heartbreaking and most empowering thing I have ever done during my career as an immigration attorney. Trying my best to help these mothers and their children is wrenching. The family detention facility is
Thousands Will Receive Help from AILA Members to Apply for Citizenship
AILA is proud to partner with the NALEO Educational Fund for the ninth annual Citizenship Day on Saturday, September 19, 2015; the event brings together AILA attorneys and other advocates to provide assistance to lawful permanent residents eligible for naturalization.
AILA: America Must Respond More Generously to Refugee Crisis
AILA urges President Obama to go beyond the commitment he made to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees and to extend more meaningful protection to all refugees and asylum seekers whether they are resettled from abroad or have crossed U.S. borders fleeing violence, persecution, and other horrors.
A Special Place in Hell
“Don't mistreat any foreigners who live in your land. Instead, treat them as well as you treat citizens and love them as much as you love yourself.“ Leviticus 19.33-34 “There's a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.“ Madeleine Albright I met Carmen, a 36-year-old i
GOP Candidates are Wrong When Talking About Immigration
Brazen incendiary rhetoric, ignorance of the facts, and bias fueled anti-immigrant sentiment are polluting the immigration conversation. There is no question Donald Trump is out to make a name for himself in the political arena. Having declared his candidacy for the presidency, Trump has embarked on
Mistreatment of LGBT Detainees Continues with Planned Mass Transfer to Remote California Facility
On June 19, 2015, ICE/ERO announced a new policy that could significantly change the way transgender women are treated in immigration custody. On the positive side, the policy acknowledges the possibility that transgender women can be housed in women's facilities, and it promises to provide training
Witness to Inhumanity
Paralegal Laura Tovar recently volunteered in Dilley and Karnes with the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project. The experience changed her life and she wanted to share what she learned: What did you see and how did it make you feel? They all had the same look, eyes sunken with dark rings, hungry, a
Indian Independence Day
“Progress is implied in independence. Without self-government neither industrial progress is possible, nor the educational scheme will be useful to the nation…“ - Bal Gangadhar Tilak. When you think of the phrase “Independence Day,“ naturally you think of July 4th and wonderful ima
Conrad 30 – A “Win-Win” Response to the US Healthcare Crisis
Affordable and accessible healthcare has long been a national priority. However, for decades the United States has experienced a critical shortage of physicians. The addition of millions more insured Americans to the healthcare rolls under the Affordable Care Act has heightened the problem. In fa
AILA Bids Farewell to Executive Director Crystal Williams
After nearly six years as Executive Director, AILA bids farewell to Crystal Williams. AILA President Victor Nieblas Pradis noted, “Her years of dedication, not only to the field of immigration law but to the success and impact of the association, are an example to us all.”
EB-5 Up for Reauthorization: Part 2
…Continued (Read Part 1 of this blog post) In general, AILA and other industry stakeholders are finding strong bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate for the EB-5 program. And yes, Congress has extended the Regional Center (RC) program numerous times since 1992. But, and this is
EB-5 Up for Reauthorization: Part 1
The EB-5 “Regional Center“ visa program again finds itself in an all too familiar place - unless Congress reauthorizes by September 30, the program will sunset. For better or worse, the EB-5 program remains connected with three other sun-setting immigration programs (E-Verify, Conrad and Relig
DOJ’S Shameful Attempt to Pretty Up Family Detention Comes Up Woefully Short
The American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council are outraged by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) response to U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee’s ruling on the mass incarceration of children and mothers seeking asylum in the U.S.