AILA Calls on New Congressional Majority to Seize Opportunity to Work Toward Meaningful Immigration Reform to Build American Prosperity

WASHINGTON, DC – Following election results giving Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) called on the incoming congressional majority to move quickly from campaign promises to concrete action that restores accountability, strengthens the rule of law, and begins the long-overdue work of modernizing America’s immigration system.

AILA President Jeff Joseph called for change, stating, “The voters have chosen a new direction in Congress, giving us the chance to replace chaos with accountability and political posturing with practical solutions. On day one, the new Congress should use its oversight and legislative authority to ensure that our immigration laws are administered lawfully, fairly, and effectively, while beginning the bipartisan work necessary to build a modern immigration system that serves American families, businesses, communities, and our national interest. AILA has laid out a better way forward, grounded not in partisan slogans but in the day-to-day experience of immigration lawyers who see where the system succeeds and where it fails. Congress now has an opportunity and a responsibility to turn those principles into progress.”

AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson added, “For too long, immigration has been treated as a choice between enforcing the law and treating people fairly. That is a false choice. We can have an orderly and secure border, meaningful enforcement, due process, legal immigration pathways that meet the needs of our economy and families, and an asylum system that is both efficient and fair. The challenge for the new Congress is to prove that governing on immigration can produce something better than the cycle of neglect, overreach, and political stalemate we have seen for far too long. AILA and its members stand ready to help lawmakers build a system worthy of a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants.”

AILA’s A Better Way on Immigration: Principles for America’s Future identifies five priorities: restoring public trust through independent oversight and meaningful due process; restoring the rule of law and proportional enforcement while ensuring an orderly border; creating common-sense solutions for longtime residents; modernizing legal immigration to reflect the needs of the economy, workforce, and families; and creating a streamlined, adequately resourced asylum system.