Professional Resources
In this series AILA’s National Pro Bono Committee interviews Chapter Pro Bono Champions, asking them five questions to learn more about how they began doing pro bono work and the impact of their work.
4/3/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040305.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Memo & Regulatory Comments
AILA submits a comment opposing the DOJ notice of proposed rulemaking that would limit the authority of state bar agencies to review complaints and allegations against current and former DOJ attorneys until the Attorney General has completed its investigation.
4/3/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040304.
Ethics
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, DOJ/EOIR Cases
The BIA reaffirmed that an obstruction of justice offense requires specific intent to interfere with the process of law, and held that a California accessory to a felony conviction categorically qualifies as an aggravated felony. Matter of Valenzuela Gallardo, 29 I&N Dec. 536 (BIA 2026)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Examples & Questions
AILA’s USCIS Operations Committee has received several reports of members who received emails from myUSCIS after the March 19th filing period closed, alerting them of “failed payment” for the registration, thus invaliding the registration. These reports include payments using ACH and credit cards.
Accessible to: Member.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 3, 2026.
4/3/26
Accessible to Public.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
On 3/31/26, President Trump signed Executive Order 14399 which would require DHS and SSA to send a list of U.S. citizens eligible to vote in federal elections to state elections officials. The EO also directs the Postal Service to start a NPRM regarding mail-in ballot criteria and handling.
4/3/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040301.
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
The court reversed the grant of habeas relief to the Mexican petitioner, holding that an unadmitted noncitizen present in the United States is “seeking admission” and subject to mandatory detention under INA §235(b)(2)(A). (Avila v. Bondi, et al., 3/25/26)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
AILA Announcements
Join us on April 10th for a roundtable that aims to serve as a space and resource to answer all questions regarding electronic payments, and ideally aid in avoiding rejections by USCIS.
4/3/26
Accessible to Public.
AILA Announcements
Join us from 4/28 - 5/12 for a hands-on, beginner-friendly online course that offers participants the skills to use Microsoft 365 Copilot today, to improve writing, streamline office work, reduce research time, and build safe workflows.
4/3/26
Accessible to Public.
Professional Resources
Acknowledging a negative online review without violating applicable Rules of Professional Conduct yet protecting your reputation and indicating your levelheadedness to potential future clients may seem like a tall order, but it is doable. This ethics article offers helpful tips.
4/2/26
AILA Doc. No. 21050330.
Ethics
Accessible to: Member, Paralegal.
Practice Resources
AILA provides the most up-to-date information available on FY2027 H-1B Cap-Subject filing. Updates to this information may be shared as additional related resources when and if they become available.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 2, 2026.
4/2/26
Accessible to Public.
Professional Resources
Learn more and sign-up to give back to the San Diego community at our virtual pro bono clinic for AC26.
4/2/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040201.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Agency Memos & Announcements, Federal Agencies
CBP’s Carrier Liaison program issued an updated bulletin on the Visa Bond Pilot Program established by DOS’s temporary final rule published to the Federal Register on 8/5/25. 12 additional countries are now subject to the visa bond, effective April 2, 2026.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
AILA Blog
AILA Past President Jeremy McKinney highlighted key questions raised and answers given in Trump v. Barbara before the Supreme Court as the Justices consider whether the “executive order was constitutionally deficient the day it was signed.”
4/1/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040102.
Accessible to Public.
Federal Agencies, Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee updated its practice pointer on immigrant visa processing at the National Visa Center (NVC). The practice pointer provides NVC processing tips and best practices for communicating and resolving problem cases with the NVC.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides a brief practice alert on DOS’s publication of Monthly Visa Issuance Statistics for September 2025 and its annual report of Visa Refusals rates for B Visas by nationality.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
CBP notice announcing that CBP has opened an additional preclearance facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport. Preclearance operations began 3/10/26. (91 FR 16011, 4/1/26)
Accessible to Public.
AILA Announcements
Join the Family Section for their April 2026 Quarterly Call on April 8th where we will discuss the different travel bans to help sort through which countries are affected, what exceptions there are, and which ones cover USCIS and which cover consular processing.
4/1/26
Accessible to Public.
Agency Memos & Announcements, Federal Agencies
USCIS announced it received enough registrations during the initial registration period to reach the FY27 H-1B cap, including the master’s cap. USCIS has made its selections and notified prospective petitioners with selected beneficiaries that they are eligible to file, beginning 4/1/26.
Accessible to Public.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on April 1, 2026.
4/1/26
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
The court held that the BIA abused its discretion in denying the petitioner’s motion to reopen based on a change in law that arguably entitled him to relief from removal, finding that the BIA’s conclusion relied on a misreading of the petitioner’s arguments. (Ramsay v. Bondi, 3/27/26)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Practice Resources
AILA’s DOS Liaison Committee provides an alert regarding NVC’s confirmation of online processing for certain employment-based petitions.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Professional Resources
This Practice Pointer addresses USCIS’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) in adjudicatory and adjudication-adjacent workflows, with a particular focus on how practitioners can identify, infer, and potentially challenge AI-driven adjudications in individual cases.
4/1/26
AILA Doc. No. 26040161.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Featured Issues
The Second Trump Administration has pursued three strategies to restrict U.S. citizenship: ending birthright citizenship, making naturalization harder to obtain, and prioritizing denaturalization. This page will collect resources, updates, and opportunities for advocacy on those three topics.
Accessible to Public.
AILA Announcements
Join us for the 2026 AILA Spring CLE Conference and Webcast to get an insider’s view of what is happening at the government agencies. Agency officials and AILA liaison committee members will discuss the latest regulatory and policy initiatives affecting your practice and clients.
4/1/26
Accessible to Public.
AILA Announcements
Join us on April 10th for a roundtable on translating data insights into practical actions when navigating client cases and making business decisions for their firms.
4/1/26
Accessible to Public.
Agency Memos & Announcements, Federal Agencies
USCIS released updates regarding increased vetting procedures. Notably, USCIS established procedures to lift benefit processing holds for some cases and groups, such as asylum seekers not from “high-risk” countries and certain applications for EADs, oath ceremonies, and petitions from U.S. citizens.
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Federal Court Cases
The court held that substantial evidence supported the BIA’s denial of CAT deferral to petitioner, concluding that El Salvador’s harsh prison conditions were not specifically intended to inflict torture and that the risk of future torture was speculative. (Fuentes-Pineda v. Bondi, 3/24/26)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on March 31, 2026.
3/31/26
Accessible to Public.
AILA Blog
AILA Member Brian Chase Malone describes "the simple but stark reality: for a growing number of clients, habeas corpus in federal district court is, in practice, the only path to freedom" and highlights AILA resources to help members be ready when a client's situation requires those skills.
3/31/26
AILA Doc. No. 26033162.
Accessible to Public.
Practice Resources
The DOS Liaison Committee provides a briefing on the April 2026 Visa Bulletin, with discussion of significant advancement across most family preference and employment-based categories due to visa restrictions imposed by Presidential Proclamations.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Human Rights First is asking for help identifying either (1) potential class members or (2) evidence that the government has enacted a no-release policy. Responses are requested to be submitted by Wednesday April 8.
Accessible to: Member.
Client Flyers
AILA provides a flyer to help your clients understand common terms used in removal proceedings. The flyer is available as a generic PDF version and a Word version you can customize with your firm's information. The PDF is also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, and Spanish. Please share.
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, DOJ/EOIR Cases
The BIA held that an objection to a defective NTA is forfeited if not timely raised by respondent, and that where a respondent fails to appear but received proper notice of the hearing, the IJ should proceed in absentia and not terminate. Matter of Lopez-Orellana, 29 I&N Dec. 533 (BIA 2026)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on March 30, 2026.
3/30/26
Accessible to Public.
Immigration News
Under President Trump, more denaturalization cases are being filed. AILA Senior Director of Government Relations Shev Dalal-Dheini explained that federal prosecutors face a high bar in such cases and questioned whether the Administration’s goal was to win in court or to create fear and chaos.
Accessible to Public.
Professional Resources
AILA’s National Pro Bono Committee interviews 2026 Chapter Pro Bono Champions, asking them five questions to learn more about how they began doing pro bono work and the impact of their work.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Cases & Decisions, DOJ/EOIR Cases
The BIA held that where an IJ finds that a Form I-213 is unreliable and insufficient to establish alienage, the IJ must point to specific evidence in the record sufficient to rebut the presumption of reliability. Matter of Mercado-Martinez, 29 I&N Dec. 529 (BIA 2026)
Accessible to: Member, Student, Govt/Policy, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
DOL notice of proposed rulemaking to revise methodology for determining prevailing wage levels for the EB-2, EB-3, H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 visa programs.
Accessible to Public.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
USCIS notice of the approval of a new credentialing organization, The Evaluation Company, to issue certificates and certified statements for individuals seeking to enter the U.S. to work as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and licensed vocational nurses. (91 FR 14865, 3/27/26)
Accessible to Public.
Cases & Decisions, Congressional Updates, Federal Court Cases
On 3/26, AILA briefed Congress on three policy briefs from the A Better Way on Immigration series focusing on the Administration’s policy changes made over the past year to pursue its mass deportation campaign, weaken the asylum system, and make the immigration courts less efficient and independent.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Congressional Updates
On 2/27, AILA conducted a Congressional briefing covering three policy briefs from the A Better Way on Immigration series highlighting how the Administration’s policies have hindered the legal immigration system from supporting U.S. economic growth and national security.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Professional Resources
In this series we'll hear from AILA's 2025 Pro Bono Champions to learn more about why they do pro bono work.
3/27/26
AILA Doc. No. 26032704.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Practice Resources
The unsealed Buona Forchetta ICE raid warrant is significant because it reveals, in rare detail, how an I‑9 audit can escalate into a criminal worksite raid—offering a concrete roadmap of how ICE/HSI builds employer‑focused immigration cases.
Accessible to: Member.
Press Releases
AILA responds to the Senate’s approval of funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that excludes enforcement funding for ICE and CBP, emphasizing that public safety and rule of law are interconnected and that law enforcement agencies must adhere to constitutional and legal standards.
3/27/26
AILA Doc. No. 26032702.
Accessible to Public.
Liaison Minutes
AILA’s CBP Committee provides an agenda in advance of the planned meeting with CBP’s Office of Field Operations on April 16, 2026.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Immigration News
Aggregated local and national media coverage of major immigration law news stories being discussed throughout the U.S. on March 27, 2026.
3/27/26
Accessible to Public.
Tutorial Videos
Watch this short video to learn a six-step process to follow to correct a mistake.
Accessible to: Member, Student, Paralegal.
Federal Agencies, FR Regulations & Notices
DHS notice stating that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is further extending the “Finding of Mass Influx of Aliens” first issued 1/23/25. This extension, dated 1/12/26, will expire in 180 days. (91 FR 14703, 3/26/26)
Accessible to Public.