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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Think Immigration: BIA Hands Immigration Judges the Whiteout to “Fix” Defective NTAs
AILA Past President Jeremy McKinney writes about the BIA decision in Matter of R- T- P- allowing immigration judges to “cure” defective NTAs, making them an agent of the prosecutors. This is the latest sign that an independent immigration court is necessary to ensure justice and due process.
Think Immigration: From “Alien” to “Noncitizen”: The Subtle Power of Language in U.S. Appellate Courts
AILA Law Student Member Bill De La Rosa and co-author Zachary Neilson-Papish share new research examining how terms like “alien” and “noncitizen” have been used in U.S. courts of appeal in an effort to “gain insights into potential biases and work toward a more equitable legal system.”
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood How Immigration Status Isn’t “Fixed”
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Annie Wang shares her insights and personal story when it comes to immigration status not being “fixed” or static, writing that it “can change dramatically; it isn’t as though someone’s status is immutable or set in stone.”
Think Immigration: Immigration Is the Solution, Not the Problem
AILA member Ava Morgenstern digs into the numbers to show how we need to ignore the election year rhetoric and focus on how immigration is what the U.S. workforce needs, writing “Our biggest population challenge is not growth (whether birth or immigration), but aging.”
Think Immigration: Embracing Diversity - Navigating Cultural Nuances in Immigration Law
Part of our series by DEI Scholarship winners, in this blog post author Jacqueline Abraham shares what shaped her understanding of how, “embracing diversity is not only essential in navigating cultural nuances in immigration law but also fundamental to the principles of justice and equality.”
AILA President Responds to Litigation Attempting to Halt Keeping Families Together Program
AILA President Kelli Stump reacted to the news that Texas, joined by 15 other states and Stephen Miller of America First Legal, filed litigation in an attempt to halt the newly implemented “Keeping Families Together” program, calling the states’ standing arguments “weak” and “baseless.”
AILA Joins Litigation Partners to Fight for Afghan Nationals Left in Limbo
AILA joined Christopher Dempsey and Aleksandra Peryeva in filing a class action complaint in the case LaMarche v. Mayorkas focusing on the U.S. government’s arbitrary end to expediting humanitarian parole requests for Afghan nationals in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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.”