Blog: Think Immigration
6/30/2020
Asylum experts Dree Collopy and Lindsay Harris highlight the ways in which asylum adjudication inefficiencies have contributed to USCIS's $1.2 billion budget shortfall and urge Congress to hold USCIS accountable, linking to AILA's Take Action on the issue that members of the public can easily use.
AILA Doc. No. 20063004
6/26/2020
In this blog post, Michael Eatroff shares Mirna's story; she was one of the plaintiffs in the litigation filed by AILA, Justice Action Center, Innovation Law Lab, with pro bono counsel Mayer Brown to protect children from aging out under the April 22 Proclamation.
AILA Doc. No. 20062607
6/25/2020
AILA Member Matt Maiona highlights USCIS’s outrageous statement in response to the SCOTUS DACA ruling, showcasing the dire need for agency reform. Maiona writes: "Perhaps now more than ever, government institutions must strive to restore the faith of Americans in the integrity of government."
AILA Doc. No. 20062501
6/23/2020
In this blog post, AILA's past president Kathleen Campbell Walker reflects on her path into immigration law, the complicated nature of the field, and some of the reasons she reads and re-reads the INA/CFR.
AILA Doc. No. 20062306
6/19/2020
AILA member Paschal O. Nwokocha calls on all immigration attorneys to take concrete steps to address racism and injustice, writing, "We cannot be patient anymore; we cannot wait for racial inequality and injustice to recede. We must be involved actors in the future we seek."
AILA Doc. No. 20061902
6/18/2020
In this blog post, AILA member Maureen Sweeney previews her AILA Law Journal article and describes how litigators can fight against Chevron deference in asylum and withholding cases and presents factors that can weigh "in favor of robust judicial review of BIA and AG decisions."
AILA Doc. No. 20061800
6/12/2020
AILA Website Editorial Manager Kritika Agarwal shares insights about the civil rights movement's impact on immigrants and how we must "recognize the commonality of our struggles with the struggles of Black Americans and take concrete steps to support their fight against racism and injustice."
AILA Doc. No. 20061200
6/9/2020
AILA Director of Government Relations Sharvari Dalal-Dheini shares insights about USCIS's request to Congress for $1.2 billion, and urges Congress to "ensure that the agency is transparent about its spending, accountable for its inefficiencies, and on track towards fiscal responsibility."
AILA Doc. No. 20060934
6/8/2020
In this blog post, AILA Customer Services Manager LaJuan Campbell shares her experiences with racism and injustice and the difficult conversations they’ve forced her to have with her son Dominick about America's societal prejudices and how he could stay as safe as possible.
AILA Doc. No. 20060835
6/5/2020
The AILA Diversity and Inclusion Committee is deeply saddened by the recent unjust and tragic police killings of Black Americans and stands in solidarity for the demands for justice and accountability. This blog post includes perspectives from four members and calls for change.
AILA Doc. No. 20060533
6/4/2020
As part of AILA’s internal reflection during this time, staff were invited to share perspectives and experiences relating to America’s divisive and unjust past, the current situation, and our commitment to a better future. In this blog post, we welcome these insights from Joy Hardy.
AILA Doc. No. 20060439
6/1/2020
AILA member Patrick McCormick reviews some of the alterations to IRS policies during the COVID-19 pandemic and asks how they could impact multinationals in particular. McCormick notes: “These questions are raised even though we all realize that guidance related to COVID-19 is evolving. . . ."
AILA Doc. No. 20060130
5/22/2020
AILA Member Kevin Gregg shares his experience during COVID-19 thus far, including on how, with the time freed up from less travel and commuting, he has started a podcast on precedential immigration decisions.
AILA Doc. No. 20052235
5/19/2020
In response to rumored plans by the administration to tighten nonimmigrant visas, AILA member Doug Penn shares the impact one of his clients has had by creating American jobs while in the U.S. on a nonimmigrant visa and why the administration should not block these job creators from the U.S.
AILA Doc. No. 20051931
5/15/2020
AILA Member Alex George highlights how the pandemic has impacted her life and practice as a new attorney, writing, “My ‘wins’ used to look like approval notices and green cards . . . [now] success looks like making that person feel seen and heard, even when you have to tell them no.
AILA Doc. No. 20051500
5/14/2020
Chuck Kuck, AILA’s past president, highlights the H-1B class action litigation and renews the call for plaintiffs, noting: "The only way to stop USCIS from continuing to rewrite immigration law through RFE and denial is to challenge them boldly, fiercely, and publicly in the federal courts."
AILA Doc. No. 20051432
5/12/2020
AILA Member Jennifer Schear offers a glimpse into her work and office situation in Tel Aviv, Israel, and shares how during this time she has gleaned some “valuable insights into law firm management, productivity, efficiency, what and who is truly essential.”
AILA Doc. No. 20051231
5/7/2020
AILA member Amy Myers shares why USCIS should proactively address nonimmigrants’ (such as students on OPT) concerns about falling out of status, writing: "When we are already in a recognized crisis situation, why should discretionary post-situational relief be the only available remedy?”
AILA Doc. No. 20050735
5/5/2020
AILA's Director of Government Relations Sharvari Dalal-Dheini highlights the bill Congress can and should consider quickly to address the physician and nurse shortage during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the integral role AILA and its members played in urging Congress to take this important issue up.
AILA Doc. No. 20050501
5/1/2020
AILA Member Sabrina Damast shares lessons learned over the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of practice management, writing "I’ve learned that as prepared as I thought I was for business emergencies, there are still contingencies that I did not think to address."
AILA Doc. No. 20050136
4/28/2020
AILA BOG member Rekha Sharma-Crawford writes about a silver lining to the lockdown, which "has allowed us to be able to think of ways to use technology to enhance our practices and . . . may have also opened the door . . . to finally contemplate work life balance in a way we have never before."
AILA Doc. No. 20042834
4/27/2020
In this blog post, Danielle Polen, AILA’s Director of Publications & Online Resources shares some highlights from the latest edition of the AILA Law Journal, hot off the presses this week with articles by leading experts on a wide array of issues affecting immigration law.
AILA Doc. No. 20042731
4/24/2020
AILA Member Hudaidah Bhimdi writes about the whirlwind of home and work responsibilities facing her as an immigration attorney and single mom during the COVID-19 quarantine, and how hope has reentered her life as she finds new perspective on day to day necessities.
AILA Doc. No. 20042434
4/22/2020
AILA member Jennifer Walker Gates highlights how the CARES Act harms American mixed-status families by denying stimulus funds and the efforts underway to address that negative impact.
AILA Doc. No. 20042235
4/20/2020
AILA member Jeff Joseph gives a rundown of the recently filed lawsuit challenging USCIS’s pattern and practice of arbitrarily denying H-1B nonimmigrant employment-based petitions for market research analyst positions filed by businesses in the United States.
AILA Doc. No. 20042035
4/16/2020
Ally Bolour, a member of AILA's Board of Governors, shares his recent difficult client interaction and highlights the need for self-care in an extremely stressful time, writing: "We will survive this together and come out stronger at the other end."
AILA Doc. No. 20041604
4/14/2020
AILA member John Manley offers some practical advice as he shifts from office-based work to home-based work for the foreseeable future and comes to term with the many adaptations he will need to make.
AILA Doc. No. 20041431
4/10/2020
Michelle Saenz Rodriguez and George Rodriguez share their COVID-19 experiences thus far, writing: "As long as we continue to remind ourselves and our colleagues that we are all in this together, we will find the light at the end of the tunnel and emerge together, profoundly changed by the journey."
AILA Doc. No. 20041000
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
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
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
