Think Immigration: What Is AILA’s Rule of Law Task Force?

As an immigration lawyer in the United States, I hope we never accept, nor normalize, attacks on the legal profession by those in power who seek to violate the rights of their adversaries. As Chair of AILA’s Rule of Law (AROL) Task Force, I am actively working to make sure that doesn’t happen. From almost the moment the presidency changed hands, the Trump Administration has targeted immigration lawyers by making threats and disparaging remarks against us. Just like its attempts to intimidate the press, the military, Congress, and corporations, it hopes to advance its agenda by cowering those who may be able to stop abuses of power. Perhaps the thinking is that the more of us who leave the fight, the easier it will be to carry out its agenda.

But now is not the time to leave the fight. We are needed more than ever. Our clients are also receiving threats, accusations, and intimidation. The immigrants our members represent are some of the most marginalized in our society, yet they are subject to heightened public criticism, harsh incarceration, and violations of their Due Process rights from this Administration. AILA’s membership have admirably answered the call in these difficult times. Each of our members serve as foot soldiers in the fight to protect that foundation, obliged to zealously represent their clients while maintaining the First Amendment right (as do all Americans) to voice concerns about the lack of Due Process without the fear of reprisals. As John Locke writes in Two Treatises of Government, “Wherever law ends, tyranny begins.”

I am here to tell you that you are not alone and we have your back. The AROL Task Force was created on the heels of Trump’s March 22, 2025 memo disparaging our honored profession. It is a dedicated body charged with defending our profession, protecting judicial process, and safeguarding the right to counsel for all. We support and defend immigrants, and we support and defend you in the pursuit of that endeavor.

As a Task Force, we have several objectives. The Task Force is monitoring the actions of this Administration, including tracking executive directives, DHS/DOJ polices, and enforcement practices that threaten immigration counsel while coordinating rapid-response legal, administrative, and public-relations strategies. In addition, we create best-practice guidance, ethics advisories, and toolkits for attorneys. Furthermore, the Task Force forges alliances with other bar associations, civil rights organizations, State officials, and national leaders to amplify our voice and build a broad base of public support. Finally, the Task Force holds government agencies accountable by identifying strategic litigation and enforcement actions against unconstitutional policies and practices.

Specifically, here is what we have done and will continue to do:

Video Education

• The Task Force is recording an informational video to provide instruction to attorneys on what to do when a client is taken into ICE custody during situations such as court hearings or USCIS interviews. This video will instruct attorneys on what to do, and more importantly what not to do, in these scenarios to avoid further negative consequences for both the attorney and the client.

Tracking efforts

• The Task Force has published and will continue to publish Calls for Examples on Rule of Law issues negatively impacting attorneys and their clients, such as Warrantless Entries, Right to Counsel violations, and Denaturalization letters. The information collected is informative on what actions the Task Force, and AILA as a whole, should take.

Think Immigration Blog Post Series

• The Task Force is creating a series of blog postings for the AILA Blog: Think Immigration to counter the Trump Administration’s unsubstantiated narratives regarding fraud being committed by attorneys, highlight examples of lawyering with integrity and the highest professional ethics within the immigration bar, lift up stories of fearless lawyering in the face of government intimidation, and highlight the connection between immigration and civil rights. Topics you will see in the coming months include deterioration of civility in immigration court written by Kevin Bank, a discussion of the term ‘criminal aliens’ and what “the enforcement actions thus far have actually looked like written by Wendy Wayne, as well as a clinical and ethical analysis of how to go to bat for clients with mental competency challenges written by Kate Melloy Goettel.

Article I Immigration Court

• The Task Force has created public-facing informational material advocating for the need for an independent Immigration Court, highlighting the issues of Immigration Court being under the purview of the Executive Branch.

Tracking Disciplinary Proceedings and Ethics Complaints

• The Task Force has been monitoring any ethics complaints being filed against attorneys as well as threats of these complaints being filed. The Task Force will be creating ethics advisories and practice pointers to inform attorneys on how to navigate the increasingly hostile environment of Immigration Court.

While these are the current actions being taken by this Task Force, the group will continue our zealous advocacy in the following ways:

• Engage in actions such as outreach and education efforts
• Shape AILA’s rapid-response playbook for safeguarding due process
• Track the firing of Immigration Judges
• Provide strategy on litigation and policy
• Develop tools and resources for members on best practices and ethical obligations while navigating the practice of immigration law in the Trump Administration
• Keep AILA members up to date utilizing the AROL “Featured Issue” page on the AILA Website
• Present at AILA Conferences, providing education to members both on the Task Force’s actions and the state of Rule of Law in the country

The AROL Task Force will continue this work with purpose and resolve. We remain committed to upholding the Rule of Law by standing with attorneys facing intimidation and by protecting the immigrant clients whose rights depend on fair process and meaningful access to counsel. Through vigilance, collaboration, and principled advocacy, the Task Force will keep pressing forward to ensure that our courts, our profession, and the communities we serve are guided by the Rule of Law rather than fear and political pressure.