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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AILA Opposes the “Stop Sanctuary Cities Act” (S. 1814)
AILA urges Senators to oppose the “Stop Sanctuary Cities Act,” (S. 1814) and cancel markup of the bill in the Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled for Thursday, August 6, 2015. AILA President Victor Nieblas condemned the bill “which forces local compliance with these illegal detainer requests.”
Recognition of Some Amazing Volunteer Work
There are hundreds of individuals who have come together on the ground to work on family detention - in Artesia, in Karnes, in Dilley, and in Berks. There are people from every far-flung corner of our nation who have worked remotely on case after case, brought attention to this tragic and inhumane i
Press Release: Deplorable Medical Treatment at Family Detention Centers
Press release from AILA and five other organizations announcing the lodging of complaints by mothers with DHS Offices for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and Inspector General regarding the deplorable medical care they and their children received while detained by DHS.
AILA Releases Seventh Edition of Asylum Primer
AILA is proud to release the seventh edition of AILA's Asylum Primer, the comprehensive, practical guide to U.S. asylum law and procedure that has been completely updated and expanded to address changes since the release of the last edition in 2009.
The Pro Bono Clinic: Nuts and Bolts
You may know that there's a lot that goes into a pro bono clinic. But planning the AILA Annual Conference Pro Bono Clinic takes it to another level. Here are some insights on the planning and logistics of this year's event, sharing what we learned at the AC for anyone looking to run a pro
Acting in Haste
National tragedies have long propelled political change. Often a terrible event will ignite a fervent desire in political leaders to take action on an issue that has been neglected or overlooked. However, it is in these times of passion and emotion that some of the worst mistakes are made. Following
Judge Stands Up for Refugee Families, Castigates Government for Policies that Traumatize Children
The American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council welcomed a ruling in Flores v. Johnson by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee that should signal the end of the mass incarceration of children and mothers seeking asylum in the U.S.
From Systems to Substance, Digital Innovation is Welcome News for Immigration
Last week, the Office of Management and Budget released a plan for modernizing and streamlining the legal immigration system. Much of the focus was on the potential positive impact of digital innovation. Recommendations included the creation of a cross-agency digital services team to support the
Preconceived Notions Shattered by Dilley
Recently, Rochelle G. volunteered at the Dilley facility where nearly 2,000 mothers and children are incarcerated despite their status as asylum-seekers. Brian Hoffman, lead attorney for the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project which brings volunteers from all over the nation to help in this remot
Release of Refugee Families is Long-Overdue Step
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council welcome plans announced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the release of some mothers and children detained after seeking refuge at our borders with the following statement.
The Global Team Effort that Freed a Mother and Child
Last Wednesday, July 3rd, a client from El Salvador won her merits hearing! I appeared with attorney Melisa Peña from Miami over video conference, while Elora Mukherjee appeared by telephone from Tokyo, Japan and John Bradley appeared, sitting next to the client, from Dilley, TX. Thank you to everyo
A Lot of Glass in Those Towers, Any Mirrors?
Antonio Olivio of the Washington Post hit the nail on the head in his July 6th column (At Trump hotel site, immigrant workers wary) regarding the building of the new Trump luxury hotel in Washington DC. Ever since Donald Trump made his ill-informed and untrue statements about Mexican and Latino imm
Vaccine Overdose of Detained Children Another Sign that Family Detention Must End
On July 4, 2015, AILA and AIC learned that, recently, medical personnel at the detention center in Dilley, Texas that holds nearly 2,000 children and their mothers mistakenly gave adult-strength Hepatitis A vaccinations to approximately 250 children.
LGBT Detention Must End
On June 23, 2015, 35 members of the House of Representatives wrote to Secretary Johnson, calling on the Obama Administration to end the detention of LGBT immigrants in ICE custody, especially transgender women.[1] The letter requested the administration seek parole and alternatives to detention for
AILA Releases New Edition of Treatise on Immigration and Crimes
AILA is proud to release the sixth edition of Immigration Consequences of Criminal Activity: A Guide to Representing Foreign-Born Defendants authored by criminal immigration law expert Mary E. Kramer.
A Long Journey for Justice: the Continuing Fight for LGBT Immigrants
As the nation rejoiced after the Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges, I recalled the celebrations at AILA's 2013 annual conference in San Francisco on the day that the Supreme Court decided Windsor v. Connecticut. Windsor and subsequent Department of Homeland Security (DHS) directives mad
A Call to Arms
(With thanks to Sir Winston Churchill) Last week, I spoke with some of our government contacts about the changes that are on the very near horizon here in Dilley. Due, I imagine, to the Congressional visit, DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson's announcement, and the Flores litigation, the asylum office will r
Little By Little, We Tear Down the Walls of Family Detention
In June of 2014, the first and most remote Family Detention Center opened in Artesia. The move was a concerted effort by the Administration to deter the influx of mothers and children and unaccompanied minors from Central America fleeing violence, persecution and despair. The Administration's prem
A Look Back to Artesia, and a Look into Karnes: Part 7
As the clock ticked toward mid-June, ICE quietly hinted that the agency would be reviewing the long-term custody status of detained families at Dilley and Karnes, although ICE would not share the criteria that they intended to apply in the review process. Yet in recent conversations with E-, she re
AILA: DHS Plans on Family Detention Are a Step Forward
AILA President Victor Nieblas Pradis welcomed newly announced DHS plans relating to family detention but said, “more is needed…Asylum seeking families should be given due process, not expedited removal. And the end of the road must be the end of family detention entirely.”
AILA Commends Government for Temporary Relief to Nepalese Nationals
AILA President Victor Nieblas Pradis applauded the government for designating Nepal for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), thanking “DHS for recognizing that the conditions in Nepal remain unsafe after the major earthquake shook the country weeks ago.”
AILA: ICE Statement on Family Detention Ignores the Tragic Reality
AILA President Victor Nieblas Pradis responded to a recent statement on family detention from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) saying "In all my 19 years of experience as an immigration attorney, I have never heard a federal agency rewrite history to this extent."
One Less Brick in the Wall, Mata v. Lynch
We would like to thank AILA for approaching us to give our thoughts on our recent Supreme Court win in Reyes Mata v. Lynch, 576 U.S.___ (2015). We met Mr. Mata in October of 2012. Probably the most outstanding thing about his situation was how typical it was. Like so many of our clients, he [̷
H-1B Cap Slows U.S. Innovation
The Fiscal Year 2016 H-1B random selection process for skilled workers is over. As with many other immigration lawyers around the country, I am dealing with employer fallout over the loss of badly needed skilled professionals whose petitions weren't selected. Many of these would-be H-1B beneficiar
Finally Free from Fear
B- and her six-year-old daughter just received a gift of immeasurable value: the gift of safety, of security, of freedom from fear. They had been through torment the likes of which I hope no one ever faces, but they made it through and I was privileged to help them. B- is a survivor of childhood [&#