Navigating the Humanitarian Landscape: U and T Visas, VAWA, and Humanitarian Reinstatement Under the Current Administration
Humanitarian petitions are facing more scrutiny than ever due to shifting enforcement priorities and new discretionary guidance. Practitioners must present airtight cases, anticipate agency skepticism, and prepare clients for longer waits and closer review. Our panel of experts will provide practical guidance for building resilience into filings and advocating effectively in this challenging climate.
Featured Topics
- Strengthening U and T visa cases amid rising RFEs, certification challenges, and enforcement risks
- Preparing VAWA and adjustment applicants for in-person interviews and heightened review of abuse findings
- USCIS’s new discretion memorandum: impact on all humanitarian adjudications
- Making the strongest possible case for humanitarian reinstatement, what evidence tips the balance in your favor
- How to meet reporting and cooperation requirements with law enforcement agencies (LEAs) considering the level of enforcement
- Addressing an RFE or NOID that includes the discretionary standard, especially with negative factors such as immigration violations and/or criminal records
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 | March 17, 2026 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. Live attendance must be recorded in My CLE by Thursday, March 24, 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 March 24, 2026 via My CLE.
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.
Tracie L. Morgan (DL), Atlanta, GA
Tracie L. Morgan is the founder of Hope Immigration, LLC, a family and humanitarian immigration firm in Atlanta. Passionate about helping immigrant survivors of violence and trafficking, she has held multiple leadership roles with AILA, including Georgia-Alabama Chapter Chair in 2017-2018 and several terms on the VAWA, T, and U Committee where she currently volunteers. A 2009 Georgia State Law graduate and 2019 Forty Under Forty honoree, she serves on several nonprofit boards.
Meghann E. LaFountain, AILA Board of Governors, Middletown, CT
Meghann E. LaFountain is the current chair of the AILA Connecticut Chapter. She has been practicing immigration law for over ten years and founded her own firm, LaFountain Immigration Law, LLC, in Middletown, CT, in 2017. Her practice focuses on removal defense, affirmative asylum applications, other humanitarian relief, family-based cases, naturalizations, and international adoptions. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she teaches immigration law.
Catherine Seitz, AILA VAWA, Us, and Ts Committee Chair, San Francisco, CA
Catherine Seitz is the Legal Director of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA), a nonprofit immigration legal services agency with 7 offices around the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a past chair of the AILA Northern California Chapter and currently serves as chair of the AILA VAWA, U, and T Committee. Catherine has a JD from UC Law SF (formerly UC Hastings) and was admitted to the California bar in 2001.
Maricela Amezola, San Diego, CA
Maricela Amezola is the founder of Amezola Legal Group in San Diego. She is a longtime AILA member and serves on committees focused on humanitarian relief and policy practice. Ms. Amezola received her JD from Michigan State University College of Law, graduating cum laude. She has practiced immigration law for over 17 years, with a focus on family-based immigration, waivers, and removal defense.
