Blog: Think Immigration
4/6/2020
In this blog post, AILA Board of Governors member Neena Dutta muses on the COVID-19 pandemic, the varying impacts on peoples' lives and livelihoods, and her personal experience, reminding everyone that in this time, socially distant though we may be, we are not alone.
AILA Doc. No. 20040638
4/2/2020
AILA’s Second Vice President Jeremy McKinney shares his plans to apply for assistance through the Small Business Administration (SBA) during the COVID-19 crisis to help his law firm stay in business; an update on how he navigates the process will be forthcoming.
AILA Doc. No. 20040234
3/31/2020
AILA member Aaron Kochenderfer shares the positive impact that immigrants have had on Detroit, Michigan, as the city orchestrates a comeback from bankruptcy only a few years ago, writing: "Detroit's history was written by immigrants and I firmly believe they will help author its future as well."
AILA Doc. No. 20033134
3/30/2020
Alma Rosa Nieto, AILA’s Media Advo Committee member, offers some details from her life and work as an immigration attorney during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing: "This too will pass and we will all have learned new ways of doing things, skills we can use later."
AILA Doc. No. 20033036
3/27/2020
AILA’s Asylum Committee Vice Chair Lindsay Harris describes the asylum seekers she met just before the COVID-19 pandemic really began in the United States. She encourages us all to take action and "right the wrongs being committed in our name on our Southern border."
AILA Doc. No. 20032735
3/26/2020
Sandra Feist, AILA’s Media Advo Committee Chair, shares a glimpse into an immigration attorney’s life during the COVID-19 pandemic, writing: "My hope is that we all come out of seclusion with greater self-confidence about our own fortitude in a crisis and a greater connectivity with our community."
AILA Doc. No. 20032632
3/19/2020
AILA’s ED Benjamin Johnson highlights USCIS processing delays, writing, "Even before the COVID-19 virus, backlogs and processing delays were staggering at USCIS. They have continued to grow thanks to burdensome policies and inefficient procedures that needlessly bog down the adjudications process."
AILA Doc. No. 20031936
3/16/2020
In this blog post, AILA member Ruby Powers offers some tips she has learned from practicing law through hurricanes and running her practice from half a world away—tips that can be applied in our current COVID-19 era.
AILA Doc. No. 20031604
3/10/2020
In this blog post, AILA member, and Immigration Justice Campaign volunteer with the El Paso Immigration Collaborative (EPIC), Elizabeth Fiechter describes the Kafkaesque labyrinth of obstacles she and her client faced trying to simply speak by phone ahead of an extremely important bond hearing.
AILA Doc. No. 20031033
3/4/2020
In this blog post, part of the Diversity & inclusion blog post series, AILA member L. Patricia Ice describes her time volunteering at the Dilley detention center helping families and how the shared bond of being members of the African diaspora helped her connect with one client.
AILA Doc. No. 20030401
2/28/2020
In this post, part of the Diversity & Inclusion Blog post series, AILA members John Pratt and Kevin Gregg offer insights into efforts to terminate TPS for Haitians, and highlight how "the work of litigators . . . is critical in the fight to expose and legally challenge . . . immigration decisions."
AILA Doc. No. 20022833
2/27/2020
AILA member Kara Hart takes a look at the new I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency required to meet the public charge rule and considers whether she'd be able to meet the requirements herself.
AILA Doc. No. 20022738
2/24/2020
In this blog post, AILA member Brent Renison describes why new legislation to allow access to counsel for immigrants placed into secondary or deferred inspection upon entry would "allow fairness to have jurisdiction at the borders."
AILA Doc. No. 20022431
2/21/2020
In this blog post, AILA Director of Government Relations Greg Chen calls for change as he describes the dichotomy between how the Venezuelan opposition leader was hailed at the State of the Union and how vulnerable Venezuelan asylum seekers are treated at the border.
AILA Doc. No. 20022131
2/11/2020
Psychological evaluations can be hugely important for vulnerable clients' cases, but attorneys may have some questions about how to best approach having one done. In this blog post, Jocelyn Dyer shares helpful tips from Aimee Miller, a clinical social worker.
AILA Doc. No. 20021132
2/7/2020
In this post, part of the Diversity and Inclusion blog post series, AILA members John Pratt, David Calles Smith, and Elizabeth Montano highlight the myriad benefits of a diverse and inclusive immigration law firm.
AILA Doc. No. 20020701
1/31/2020
AILA Second Vice President Jeremy McKinney describes why an independent immigration court is so desperately needed and shares resources related to his recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Immigration Subcommittee about this issue.
AILA Doc. No. 20013101
1/30/2020
Greg Chen, Leidy Perez-Davis, and Katy Murdza report back on the recently offered tour of tent court facilities in Texas and explain why AILA remains deeply concerned about the lack of due process. They urge the administration to "end the use of tent courts and the Remain in Mexico program."
AILA Doc. No. 20013035
1/28/2020
In this blog post, AILA member Eva Garcia Mendoza describes the lengths she had to go to in order to protect her client Mario after repeated and concerted efforts to deny him the U.S. citizenship which was rightfully his, noting, "Immigration lawyers know that our work changes peoples' lives."
AILA Doc. No. 20012801
1/13/2020
AILA member Kursten Phelps shares a recent volunteer experience with asylum seekers and urges that we all resolve to engage, writing, "There are naturalization clinics to staff, border assistance projects to plug into, translations, remote CFI and bond hearing assistance to support."
AILA Doc. No. 20011332
1/3/2020
AILA BOG member Ally Bolour describes the impact of the administration's travel ban, using the example of Iran to show how and why the ban is "cruel and unnecessary." He urges everyone to "continue to fight against it for all those impacted, their families, American businesses, and our communities."
AILA Doc. No. 20010331
12/31/2019
This blog post highlights the most-read blog posts and most-watched videos produced and published by AILA in 2019 - take a look, and see you in 2020!
AILA Doc. No. 19123100
12/27/2019
In this blog post, part of the Diversity and Inclusion Blog Post series, AILA Member Sarah Pitney describes how taking 30 seconds to discuss pronouns with a client or colleague can ensure your firm is more welcoming and inclusive.
AILA Doc. No. 19122703
12/20/2019
In this blog post, AILA member Dominique Pando Bucci explains how Germany, through measures such as the Skilled Immigration Act, is opening its arms to foreign workers.
AILA Doc. No. 19122041
12/18/2019
In this blog post, AILA member Rebekah Wolf explores some of the hurdles asylum seekers are facing in El Paso, Texas, and explains how to help push back by getting involved with the Immigration Justice Campaign and the El Paso Immigration Collaborative (EPIC).
AILA Doc. No. 19121844
12/13/2019
In this blog post, AILA's leaders share insights from the recent border delegation where they witnessed the terrible impact of the Remain in Mexico policy, urging "more coordination among advocates, more aggressive litigation in each immigration courtroom, more petitions and class actions..."
AILA Doc. No. 19121303
11/26/2019
AILA member Sandra Grossman highlights the efforts in Congress to address the abuse of INTERPOL Red Notices in the U.S. immigration context and urges support for the TRAP Act which would move INTERPOL to improve transparency and deter abuse of their system.
11/25/2019
In this blog post, part of the Diversity and Inclusion Blog Post Series, AILA Member L. Patricia Ice explains the reasoning behind shifting the name of the AILA African American Interest Group to the African Diaspora Interest Group and invites interested AILA members to join the group.
AILA Doc. No. 19112530
11/20/2019
AILA's Greg Chen and Cara Pavlak highlight the positions of the Democratic presidential candidates on immigration and encourage readers to use the AILA 2020 Election Guide, and the accompanying social media toolkit, to engage on immigration during the debate.
11/15/2019
AILA member Alison Griffith describes the recent concerns regarding the reliability of EOIR immigration court data received via FOIA and urges people to contact Congress about the need for EOIR to share accurate data upon which the public depends.
AILA Doc. No. 19111506
11/13/2019
AILA University Committee Vice Chair Teddy Chadwick describes the new resources available to AILA members today and going forward through AILAU - "I'm sure that no matter your immigration law knowledge or experience, you will find AILA University useful."
AILA Doc. No. 19111331
11/11/2019
AILA Member Faye Kolly describes the cases the U.S. Supreme Court will hear November 12, 2019, relating to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and urges support for permanent protection for DREAMers, writing "While the Supreme Court decision is important, it is not a solution."
AILA Doc. No. 19111103
11/8/2019
This Veterans Day is a good time to reflect on the Trump administration’s policy changes that impact veterans and servicemembers; AILA encourages readers to contact congressional representatives and advocate for simple but immensely important changes to help veterans and their families.
AILA Doc. No. 19110801
11/5/2019
AILA Director of Federal Litigation, Jesse Bless, offers insight into the recent litigation against the president's proclamation requiring health insurance and the next steps in the lawsuit, including seeking additional plaintiffs.
AILA Doc. No. 19110530
11/1/2019
Karen Lucas, Director of the Immigration Justice Campaign, highlights the incredible impact that pro bono help can have, writing, “Immigration attorneys . . . attorneys from different areas of law . . . and volunteers from other fields altogether, have made an immense—often lifesaving—difference."
AILA Doc. No. 19110102
10/25/2019
In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, committee member Dahlia French uses Canadian PM Trudeau as an example of how "gotcha" moments occur and urges a proactive alternative: "Frank and civil conversations about meaningful diversity and inclusion efforts..."
AILA Doc. No. 19102503
10/23/2019
In this blog post, AILA Policy Counsel Jason Boyd highlights 10 measures undertaken by USCIS's Acting Director which "constitute an abandonment of USCIS’s duty to fairly and efficiently facilitate legal immigration" and urges Congress to hold the agency fully accountable.
AILA Doc. No. 19102330
10/11/2019
In this blog post, AILA Media Advocacy Committee member Fiona McEntee describes her plans to use the new 2020 presidential election guide from AILA now, and during the upcoming debates; she also highlights some specific responses garnered from candidates regarding USCIS accountability.
10/8/2019
AILA Member Andrea Martinez recently participated in a Netflix Docuseries “Living Undocumented” and in this blog post she shares the key takeaways from conversations with viewers, namely that audiences feel that the work of immigration attorneys is important, difficult, necessary, and yes, heroic.
AILA Doc. No. 19100830
10/2/2019
In this blog post, AILA Amicus Committee member Sabrina Damast highlights the impact of amicus efforts, describing them in the context of a case affecting in-state tuition in Virginia for someone in the asylum backlog.
AILA Doc. No. 19100292
9/26/2019
Ruby Powers, author of the recently released AILA resource, Build and Manage Your Successful Immigration Law Practice (Without Losing Your Mind), shares some insights that helped her develop and maintain her own practice and surmount various challenges.
AILA Doc. No. 19092634
9/19/2019
Read today's update from inside the San Antonio, TX, court where IJs are hearing cases of asylum seekers located at DHS's new tent facilities in Brownsville and Laredo, TX, via video teleconference. AILA staff Laura Lynch and Leidy Perez-Davis are on the ground to learn about the new port courts.
AILA Doc. No. 19091603
9/12/2019
In this blog post, AILA Administrative Litigation Task Force leaders Tammy Fox-Isicoff and Ron Klasko urge everyone to do their part to hold USCIS accountable for the unprecedented inaction and delays in adjudications by utilizing resources AILA offers designed to move a case forward.
AILA Doc. No. 19091230
9/6/2019
In this piece, part of the Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce's blog post series, AILA member Ann Cun shares her personal family experience and how it shaped her understanding of the need to have flexible options for caregivers to meet personal and professional needs.
AILA Doc. No. 19090630
8/26/2019
In this blog post, AILA member Roman Zelichenko and co-author Michelle LePage describe the differences between U.S. and Irish immigration policies related to business needs and how "if the U.S. isn't able to compete, other countries will benefit."
AILA Doc. No. 19082636
8/13/2019
In this blog post, Alma Rosa Nieto describes the Trump administration's announced termination of a program for Filipino World War II veterans writing, "If we are truly committed to honoring these brave veterans, then we must do all that we can to ensure that they are supported and cared for."
AILA Doc. No. 19081307
8/5/2019
AILA member Catha (Nikki) Lyons describes how the administration's "Asylum Ban 2.0" is contrary to both domestic and international laws and encourages other lawyers to do their best to inform and educate the public about U.S. laws.
AILA Doc. No. 19080503
7/31/2019
USCIS leadership recently testified about a backlog reduction plan which, AILA Policy Counsel Jason Boyd argues, would simply move the goalposts and not solve the backlog at all. "We deserve a USCIS that rises to its processing time goals, not one that runs from them," writes Boyd.
AILA Doc. No. 19073105
7/25/2019
AILA member Allegra Love calls for an end to the detention of asylum seekers, highlighting two videos that show the immense harm of detention and writing, "It is time we act, so the story of our country is the bravery and resilience of people like Alpha and Luz, and not the brutality of detention."
AILA Doc. No. 19072522
7/19/2019
AILA Secretary Kelli Stump highlights recent efforts by AILA and its partners to urge Congress to establish an Article I immigration court system to ensure that "when cases are as serious as they are, when lives and livelihoods are on the line” justice is served and people get a fair day in court.
AILA Doc. No. 19071906
7/18/2019
In this blog post, AILA member Ola Mohamed draws attention to the conditions migrant children have been subjected to and encourages a "grassroots movement, a sustained outcry for the abolishment" of the detention of migrant children.
AILA Doc. No. 19071835
7/16/2019
In this blog post, AILA member David Wilks shares his experience launching a podcast to address the "general misunderstanding of how the immigration system works" that members of the public often seem to share. He also provides links to other AILA member podcasts.
AILA Doc. No. 19071630
7/5/2019
In this blog post, adapted from her speech as outgoing AILA president, Anastasia Tonello reflects on the past year and the bridges AILA and our members have built and the impact we have had.
AILA Doc. No. 19070530
7/3/2019
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson shares four concrete steps the administration should take to improve the asylum process rather than try and strong-arm Mexico into helping deny asylum seekers the due process mandated by our laws.
AILA Doc. No. 19070390
6/28/2019
AILA member Amanda Brill shares a recent experience in which lessons learned from other AILA experts in the Athletics, Culture, Entertainment, and Science (ACES) interest group helped her serve her clients, and encourages others to attend the upcoming first-ever ACES conference in August.
AILA Doc. No. 19062890
6/25/2019
This blog post is adapted from AILA President Marketa Lindt's installation speech given at AILA's 2019 Annual Conference in Orlando, FL. A video of her speech is embedded as well.
AILA Doc. No. 19062501
6/19/2019
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Sandra Feist shares the math behind where the H-1B fees have been going, supporting more than $5 billion in training and scholarships in STEM fields for Americans and making a huge difference to researchers and educators alike.
AILA Doc. No. 19061933
6/12/2019
AILA member Isabel Duarte describes a recent immigration court hearing she witnessed with families impacted by the “Remain in Mexico” or “Migrant Protection Protocols” policy, showing how the program harms families and is an assault on human rights and due process.
AILA Doc. No. 19061280
6/7/2019
In this blog post, AILA member and ACLU MN Policy Counsel Julia Decker highlights recent changes to social media information collection and the serious civil liberties implications and chilling effect the collection will have.
AILA Doc. No. 19060703
6/3/2019
In this blog post, AILA Treasurer Jeremy McKinney urges AILA members to vote on a set of bylaws amendments, writing that while most of them aren't Earth-shattering, there are amendments that would provide much needed "structure, formality, risk management, and most importantly, due process."
AILA Doc. No. 19060335
5/24/2019
In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, committee member Olivia Lee explores her own family's history and urges all of us to break down the "perpetual foreigner" stereotype that can divide us.
AILA Doc. No. 190524
5/15/2019
AILA Senior Counsel of Pro Bono Program Jocelyn Dyer highlights recent wins for transgender asylum seekers detained in Pearsall as part of the Immigration Justice Campaign and urges readers to get involved to help more detained immigrants get a fair day in court.
AILA Doc. No. 19051504
5/13/2019
In this blog post, AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Fiona McEntee reflects on NDA 2019 and the successful effort to have Congress hold USCIS accountable for crisis-level processing delays.
AILA Doc. No. 19051333
5/8/2019
AILA member John Manley explains why the citizenship of the new British royal baby is even a question, and highlights some of the complexities of U.S. immigration law.
AILA Doc. No. 19050831
5/7/2019
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson details recent misinformation from the president about the border, immigrants, and asylum seekers, and notes, “Sadly, the Trump administration’s border enforcement strategy remains largely unchanged even as the nature of the challenge has changed dramatically.”
AILA Doc. No. 19050735
5/6/2019
AILA Senior Legal Editor Rizwan Hassan highlights a visual artist and community educator, Michelle Angela Ortiz, who has brought attention to families detained in Berks, PA, writing "we must use whatever skills and talents we have at our disposal to battle the injustices we see."
AILA Doc. No. 19050600
4/30/2019
AILA Policy Counsel Jason Boyd highlights data from a recent USCIS response to Congress, noting evidence that “USCIS policies are undermining the agency’s statutory mandate to efficiently process applications and petitions for immigration benefits” and calling for USCIS to be held to account.
AILA Doc. No. 19043031
4/26/2019
In this blog post, AILA President Anastasia Tonello announces the inaugural edition of the AILA Law Journal, highlighting the articles and themes within the seven pieces and inviting articles for future editions.
AILA Doc. No. 19042671
4/19/2019
AILA member Tracie Klinke's recent experiences in practicing family immigration law helped develop the sessions for AILA's Annual Conference Family Track. Have you experienced similar situations? Join us in Orlando to learn solutions. Save $250 on the advanced registration rate through May 13.
AILA Doc. No. 19041933
4/18/2019
AILA member Jeremy Weber shares insights into the vital role USCIS International Operations serve and highlights how closure of those offices will negatively impact all too many Americans, their families, American businesses, and refugees.
AILA Doc. No. 19041830
4/9/2019
AILA member and Senior Legal Editor Rizwan Hassan writes about the recent New York State Scholastic Chess child champion Tanitoluwa Adewumi as an example of the asylum seekers and refugees who have made America great over generations, urging that we take action and call for good immigration policy.
AILA Doc. No. 19040996
2/26/2019
In this blog post, part of the AILA Diversity & Inclusion series, AILA Second Vice President Allen Orr recognizes Black History Month, shares important research and analysis, and writes, "In the drive for immigration reform, black immigrants must not be forgotten or left out of the equation."
AILA Doc. No. 19022695
1/24/2019
AILA member Sabrina Damast highlights the damaging provisions in the bill supported by the administration to end the shutdown which would negatively impact Dreamers, TPS recipients, and asylum seekers.
AILA Doc. No. 19012470
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George P. Tzamaras
Belle Woods
Tessa Wiseman
Duygu Eruçman
