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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Shifting Pressure, Shifting Strategies – Whose Move Will Be Checkmate?
Chess is a two-player strategy game. Each player begins with 16 pieces: A king, a queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Pieces are used to attack and capture, with the objective to ‘checkmate' the opponent's king by inescapably trapping him. Strategy, however, is the key to ea
Top Ten Similarities Between March Madness and the U.S. Immigration System
As a native Hoosier and Indiana University graduate, I have always loved March Madness - the idea that any team could find a place and then potentially win or, at the very least, upset, the tournament is exciting and inspiring. Additionally, I love lists. Competition and the fast pace of both the
Another Kind of March Madness
For many immigration practitioners, no matter how devout a college basketball fan they may be, another type of March Madness overtakes their lives to the exclusion of all else: H-1B season. We're in the midst of it right now and it's going to be a brutal year; experts in the field expect the 85,00
The Long-Awaited and Vitally Important PREA Rule is Imminent
We heard today that the long-awaited and vitally important Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) final regulations will likely be issued next week by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The importance of these regulations cannot be overstated. The PREA Commission found that immigrant detainees a
No, It’s Not Over
Last week I came to Washington and met with House leaders about immigration reform. I heard a lot of pessimism and I certainly understand where it's coming from. After the high of the Senate bill passage, during AILA's Annual Conference of course, we've descended into the lows of inaction. There w
Advance Parole Rules Need Review
On Friday, I received a difficult phone call many immigration lawyers face on occasion. While it is fortunately a rare occasion, demographics and statistics assure us that these calls will continue. My client's derivative adjustment application has been pending since 2007, she is working based upo
GOP’s Principles on Immigration Reform: A Welcome Sign, So Let’s Steer Forward
House GOP leaders on Thursday released their standards for immigration reform. With these principles, they renewed their position that reform of our broken system can only be attained “through a step-by-step, common-sense approach that starts with securing our country's borders, enforcing our laws,
Justin Bieber’s Immigration Story: An Opportunity to Engage
How should we respond to the Justin Bieber story; as an organization, as leaders of that organization, and as individual members? The first reaction would probably be to not respond at all. It's irrelevant, it's beneath us, it's a fluff piece with no relevance to us as either attorneys or as an or
A Matter of Perspective
Is it a half loaf? Is it a permanent underclass? Or is there a way forward buried under all the rhetoric? Last year the Senate accomplished what most thought an insurmountable task - drafting and passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill that tackles restructuring our dysfunctional system. T
Representative Goodlatte and Immigration Reform
In an interview with Telemundo's Jose Diaz Balart that will air this weekend, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) discussed prospects for immigration reform. What he reportedly said made me cautiously hopeful. But it also showed me that we all have some work to do to get to smar
Hitting the Pause Button
With prospects for immigration reform continually waxing and waning almost weekly, it is time to take decisive action to ease the pain of millions waiting for our leaders to pass immigration reform. While Congress continues to debate internally whether and how it will take up this important issue,
This Time Next Year
It's holiday season again. For me, no matter what mood I'm in, I find it hard not to smile a bit more this time of year—at Santa collecting donations, or a child's face lighting up at the taste of a candy cane, or even at the often sappy holiday music that I'm unable to resist […]
Place the Agricultural Worker Provisions of SB 744 at the Head of the Table of Immigration Reform
This past summer the city of Fresno, California erected a monument to commemorate a tragic event: the deaths of twenty nine migrant farmworkers and three border patrol agents in the crash of a US government deportation plane in 1948. This event was etched into the American cultural landscape by Woo
The Intolerable Delay for Relative Petitions
I recently met with a prospective client. The facts were not unusual: she was 35 years old, a U.S. citizen who is, and has been, living abroad, and she met somebody she wishes to marry. With this decision comes a host of other major life decisions: how to introduce her fiancé to her family, when [
Hungry for Reform
As I write this, I am enjoying a mug of hot chocolate. It is the first thing I have consumed other than water in over 24 hours. And it is - hands down - the best mug of hot chocolate I've ever had. I was so hungry. I can't remember the last time I was […]
Remembering Nelson Mandela and Working Toward a Better World
Nelson Mandela will undoubtedly be remembered for many things — bringing an end to the policy of racial hatred, violence and oppression called apartheid, becoming the first black president of South Africa, relinquishing the presidency when he could have easily won reelection, and planting the seeds
Military Mixed Messages
A couple of weeks ago we heard from USCIS that adjudicators would be encouraged to use “Parole in Place“ for many close relatives of active duty, reservists, and veterans in our nation's armed services. It seemed like a no-brainer to many since these brave men and women have served our countr
Shining a Light
Chanukah began last week. A friend of mine shared his Chanukah wish with me: “Wishing the entire House of Israel Chag Hanukah Samach! May the lights of Chanukah shine thru the darkness of the world and make the world a better place.“ Indeed! Chanukah, also known as the Festival of Lights and
Believing and Being an Immigration Lawyer
Belief is a powerful, motivating force. A force that can literally compel action, both for good or evil. For me, knowledge of and belief in a power greater than myself motivates virtually all that I do. I believe that we have a responsibility as human beings to be kind to others, to assist when a
A Letter to Speaker Boehner
Crystal and I wrote Speaker Boehner a letter that I wish we hadn't had to send. His inaction on immigration reform has been incredibly disappointing, as he caves to the pressure from a relatively small group within the Republican party, my party, and does nothing. Hasn't brought up a single immigra
This Veterans Day
The flags are up again. Not as many as there are around July 4th or Memorial Day, but there are some. The news outlets have ramped up coverage: stories abound about military families and at memorials around the country veterans groups mark this day with ceremonies, wreath-laying, and salutes. 95 y
One Year Later
A year ago, Sandy tore through the New York area, leaving destruction and damage in her wake and lives upended. The subway flooded, power was out in much of the city, and life ground to a halt for millions. As Sandy was approaching, I had been in London celebrating a significant birthday. Emerging
Three So Far, Who Will Be Next?
Over the past few days, we have seen them stand up for immigration reform. Representatives Steve Denham (R-CA) ,Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), and David Valadao (R-CA) who have already been out in front on the need for a path to citizenship (Denham even did a YouTube video about it), stepped forward
Battling Preconceived Notions
We all have preconceived notions. We all assume things about people and their ideas and actions. I'm not a child development specialist (well, any more than any dad is), but I think it starts back in childhood, maybe because kids like it when things can be easily sorted and catalogued. Not that y
Where There Is a Will…There Is a Way
The question is whether Republicans in the House have the will to find a way to move towards immigration reform. As the current term nears the break for the holidays, the leaders in the House have about 20 or so days to dig deep into their conscience and do what is right for the American people. [&