What Triggers the Security and TRIG Bars?
While most practitioners associate the security and terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds (TRIG) bars with terrorism-related conduct, many clients face similar consequences stemming from U.S. criminal convictions or other activities deemed security threats. Panelists will dissect how INA §212(a)(3)(A) and INA §212(a)(3)(B) related provisions are being applied, and offer practical strategies to advocate for clients caught in this complex legal terrain.
Featured Topics
- Introduction to INA §212(a)(3)(A) and INA §212(a)(3)(B)
- Red flags to your client
- Strategies to overcome these grounds of inadmissibility and removability/relief
- “No conviction required”: how agencies apply this standard, and approaches to counteract it and advocate for fairer assessments of your clients’ circumstances
- Analysis of non-terrorism related triggers, focusing on the implications of U.S. criminal convictions and other activities deemed as threats to national security
- International Criminal Police (INTERPOL) Red Notices and association with a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO): how to fight against them
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | May 14, 2026 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. Live attendance must be recorded in My CLE by Thursday, May 21, 2026. This deadline does not apply to the OnDemand format. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.
Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.
AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org.
- AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
- Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
- The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.
To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided by May 21, 2026 via My CLE. CLE certificates will be available for download the day after the deadline reporting date.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a seminar recording.
David Strashnoy (DL), Los Angeles, CA
David Strashnoy is the Founder and Managing Attorney of David Strashnoy Law, PC. As a former Consular Officer with the United States Department of State, David specializes in resolving the most difficult consular processing matters across all visa categories. He also represents corporate and individual clients across all U.S. visa categories and industries, with a focus on work authorization and green cards for investors, entrepreneurs, artists, athletes, highly skilled workers, university students and scholars, as well as families. He currently serves as a member of AILA's State Department Liaison committee.
Michael DeRienzo, Sudbury, MA
Michael DeRienzo is a senior attorney with the Law Offices of Vugar Jafarov where he primarily focuses on Immigration Litigation in front of EOIR and Federal Courts. He is a member of the AILA New England Asylum Committee and an adjunct professor at Boston University teaching Immigration. He received his JD from Villanova University School of Law (2014).
Kerry Doyle, Philadelphia, PA
Kerry Doyle has more than twenty-five years of experience in the immigration and refugee law and policy arena, having recently served as Deputy General Counsel (DGC), Office of General Counsel (OGC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the Biden Administration. Following her service at DHS, Ms. Doyle was appointed by the Attorney General as an Immigration Judge in the Chelmsford, Massachusetts Immigration Court in December 2024. Her service was cut short in February 2025 due to the current administration’s interest in reducing staffing in the federal government. Prior to DHS, Ms. Doyle was managing partner of a small immigration firm focused on complex removal cases and federal litigation. Kerry earned a BA from The George Washington University, and a JD cum laude from the American University, Washington College of Law.
Jay Gairson, Seattle, WA
Jay Gairson is the founder of Gairson Law LLC, where his practice focuses on complex immigration and national-security matters, including inadmissibility, security-related grounds, and federal litigation. He is an adjunct professor at Seattle University School of Law, where he teaches immigration law through a systems-analysis framework.
