National Day of Action
3/15/24
AILA Doc. No. 17101761.
EVENTS
2024 National Day of Action
March 21, 2024
AILA Members: View AILA's social media toolkit for ways to get involved.
National Day of Action 2024: Fueling Prosperity for a Stronger America
Comprised of more than 16,000 immigration professionals representing people and businesses in every part of our country and in every area of immigration law, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) offers unparalleled expertise to lawmakers searching for commonsense solutions. As a nonpartisan association, AILA stands ready to assist any member of Congress committed to reform.
We call on Congress to advance bipartisan solutions that 1) promote the nation’s economic growth and prosperity; 2) ensure the orderly, efficient, and fair processing of migrants at the U.S. southern border; 3) adequately resource immigration agencies to decide immigration matters in a timely and fair manner and to ensure safe and humane compliance with immigration law; and 4) expand legal pathways to meet the needs of American families and businesses.
To achieve these goals, AILA recommends lawmakers implement the following reforms:
Advance America’s National Interest
- Adequately fund USCIS, DOL, and DOS to reduce case backlogs and processing delays. Provide specific appropriations to accelerate implementation of e-filing and other technology initiatives that will enhance efficiency, consistency, and fairness in adjudications.
- Provide relief to individuals stuck in immigrant visa backlogs by increasing the number of available immigrant visas, exempting spouses and minor children of primary applicants from the immigrant visa quotas, enabling individuals to get the benefits of filing adjustment of status applications earlier, protecting minor children from aging out, and eliminating the per country caps. AILA supports:
- Pass legislation that would modernize our immigration system.
Ensure Effective, Fair, and Orderly Border Migration
- Dramatically increase the migrant processing capacity at the Southern border by adequately funding CBP staff and infrastructure at ports of entry.
- Increase CBP and other law enforcement operations that target Fentanyl, other drug and weapons trafficking.
- Increase funding for USCIS and DOS to speed up processing of applications for visas and other legal petitions, which will in turn reduce delays at the border and alleviate the pressure that drives people to the border.
- Expand legal pathways to reduce unauthorized entries and alleviate pressure at the border.
- Provide cities with the resources they need to support new arrivals by funding the CBP and FEMA Shelter and Services Program (SSP).
Ensure Compliance with the Law Using Humane and Effective Methods
- Ensure people appear for court hearings by investing in highly effective alternatives to detention, particularly community-based case management which is humane and increases legal compliance.
- Reduce funding for immigration jail-like detention where conditions are frequently unsanitary, unsafe, and inhumane for asylum seekers and other migrants, and costs taxpayers over $3 billion annually.
- Continue funding and support of the FEMA/CRCL Case Management Pilot Program to permit a robust evaluation of the program as it continues to serve enrollees' needs.
- Sponsor Dignity for Detained Immigrants (HR.2760) to phase out the use of immigration detention and unnecessary and onerous electronic surveillance of noncitizens.
- Exert robust congressional oversight over all government and private entities that detain or otherwise take custody of noncitizens.
- Continue to fund DHS oversight agencies tasked with documenting violations and abuse in ICE and detention custody such as the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman and the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
- Pass S.1524 - Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act of 2023. This bill is a bipartisan and good government proposal to ensure that subcontractors, including those involved in detention and custody of noncitizens, are empowered to expose fraud, waste of funds, or abuse of authority in federal spending.
Improve Immigration Courts
- Enact legislation for an Article I independent immigration court. An independent immigration court will ensure fair, unbiased, and swift adjudications of immigration cases without political influence.
- This will eliminate the current, inherent conflict of interest built into the immigration court system. Immigration judges should not report to the Attorney General who is the chief prosecutor in immigration appeals cases.
- An administration’s policy priorities should not have a direct and detrimental impact on an immigration judge’s docket.
- AILA supports the Real Courts Rule of Law Act of 2022.
- Improve immigration court management to allow immigration judges to focus on noncitizens who are a high priority for removal.
- Increase funding for immigration court support staff and ECAS management.
- Encourage consistent information and procedures relating to Webex virtual hearings and in-person hearings and transparency on specialized dockets.
- In particular, AILA supports the following bills to ensure immigration courts are efficient and fair for children:
- Fund legal representation for indigent noncitizens. Legal counsel ensures that cases move through the courts quickly and smoothly. Legal counsel not only increases the likelihood that noncitizens are prepared and attend hearings, but that the hearings are also fair.
- AILA supports H.R.2697 - Fairness to Freedom Act of 2023 (and as mentioned above S. 3065: Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2023).
Provide Legal Pathways to Permanent Status
- Congress should provide permanent legal status for people who have ties to the country but are still undocumented or only have temporary status. By some estimates, long-term undocumented residents living in the United States for ten years or more represent 6.7 million people. Of this group, 19% have lived in the United States 25 years or longer. AILA supports the following legislation that would give individuals an opportunity to seek permanent status:
Government Relations Staff
- Gregory Z. Chen, Esq. - Senior Director, Government Relations
- Sharvari (Shev) Dalal-Dheini, Esq. - Senior Director, Government Relations
- Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, Esq. – Supervisory Policy & Practice Counsel
- Michael Turansick, Esq.- Supervisory Policy & Practice Counsel
- Sofia Rosales-Zeledon - Grassroots Advocacy Associate
- Amy Grenier, Esq. - Policy & Practice Counsel
- ManoLasya Perepa, Esq.- Policy & Practice Counsel
- Paul Stern – Senior Policy Associate
- Jennifer Coberly, Esq. - Business Immigration Litigation Attorney
- Blanca Hernandez - Policy and Practice Associate
- Jonathan Valdez - Policy and Practice Associate
- Joy Hardy - Government Relations Assistant