Blog: Think Immigration
We believe that immigration law is an integral part of America’s past, present and future. We also know that immigration law is complicated. Here you’ll find experts writing in an accessible way about immigration issues, from big, broad ideas down to specific cases. Our members bring knowledge they’ve gleaned from the daily practice of immigration law to this space and offer their expertise to readers.
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Administrative Action Wish List, Part 1
It's post-election time. Do you know what that means? It's time for some broad administrative action on immigration! No more broken promises. The more than decade-long delay in passing comprehensive immigration reform into law has had a significant and damaging toll on families, businesses, comm
What It Boils Down To
Well, pundits are hashing over what happened on Tuesday but here's what it boils down to: Republicans will have control of the Senate in the next Congress (at least 52-43), as well as strengthening their majority in the House (at least 243-175). A new Congress offers possibilities, offers the hope o
Latinos: History Proves Your Votes Can Make a Difference
Elections are just around the corner and given the likelihood that Republicans will take control of the Senate the Latino vote is more crucial than ever. But why would Latinos pass on voting this year? The answer: most are dissatisfied with President Obama's broken promises on immigration reform. I
Artesia: A Day in the Tour of Duty, Part 4
This is what you need to know: The due process violations are still going on in Artesia. While the nation's attention is on other concerns like Ebola and the mid-term elections, mothers and children are still being detained in Artesia and other facilities. The work of the Artesia Volunteer Heroes
Artesia: A Day in the Tour of Duty Part 3
*Some details have been changed to ensure privacy of clients. The rest of my day went like this: 2:45 pm. I return to the attorney's trailer. I prep two more clients for credible fear interviews taking place the next day. I meet with a young mother who belongs to the Maya Mam indigenous group in
Artesia: A Day in the Tour of Duty, Part 2
*Some details have been changed to ensure privacy of clients. The day continues: 10:00 am. I get notified the Immigration Judge is ready for another client's bond hearing. I quickly ask for my client and request to be escorted to the trailer housing the Immigration Court. As we are walking to the
Artesia: A Day in the Tour of Duty, Part 1
Note: Some details have been changed to ensure privacy of clients. There was no way for me to explain my time at Artesia in one blog post. Instead, I offer a look at one of the days I spent there in posts today, continuing over the next three days as well. I hope readers get a […]
Championing the Vulnerable
As an immigration lawyer from Vermont, I was thrilled to see the recent letter that Senate Judiciary Chairman Leahy (D-VT), one of my Senators, led the charge on. What does that letter to the Department of Homeland Security condemn? The heartless and inhumane expansion of family detention. It is app
Welcoming Brilliance to Our Shores
Birds do it, bees do it, even educated PhDs do it… In this case, I'm not referring to falling in love as in the popular song from the 1930s, but migrating. There are many aspects to what drives people to leave their country of birth and make a new country home. When people rail against [R
Karnes is a Disgrace
Let me begin with this: We, as lawyers, have to be careful not to let our emotions cloud judgment. But I must say my trip to Karnes Detention Center this past weekend brought to the forefront of my consciousness a number of strong emotions which cannot be ignored. I saw there the faces of detained [
A Look Into Karnes
AILA member Ruby Powers volunteered at the Karnes detention facility recently; her experience inspired her to write an article which will be available in full soon on AILA's volunteer resource page. Excerpts from the piece are below: “I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by other attorneys
A Shameful Chapter in Our History
The family detention center known as the “T. Don Hutto Residential Center“ opened in May 2006. Most of the families previously housed at this residential center, like those currently housed at the Artesia and Karnes Detention Centers, were families awaiting adjudication of their asylum claim
Artesia Kaleidoscope
The three weeks are a kaleidoscope of shifting images: visual, auditory, sensory, and emotional. From 90 degree heat to heavy, cold, rain and flash flooding. It hadn't occurred to me to bring sweaters to the New Mexico desert. Apparently it hadn't occurred to the U.S. government either, as many of t
Offering Hope and Comfort to Detained Moms and Kids
Over the past year, the United States has seen a sharp increase in the number of women and young children fleeing violence in Central America. In response, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) began opening new detention centers across the country to detain families, while their fates are deci
Artesia Betrays America: Part III
I have no way of adequately expressing the dismay, and loss and anger and hurt and woundedness that this week made me feel. Finally I figured out the word. It is betrayal. I felt betrayed. Deeply betrayed by something that I have dedicated my life to. Another lawyer who was there in the first w
Artesia Betrays America: Part II
People didn't seem to matter in Artesia, not their comfort, not their privacy, not the simple human dignity we all take for granted. There was deep and profound soul shattering heartbreak, watching these vulnerable women and children who have come to this country seeking asylum being systematically
Artesia Betrays America: Part I
In June and July, the humanitarian crisis on the border lit up the news and it was all I could think about. The headlines were full of unaccompanied minors, politicians and protesters; the front pages had pictures of children sleeping in warehouses that were too cold. My practice started seeing an
How We Got Here
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) - who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987, became the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Claims in 1994. Mr. Smith's district includes most of the wealthier sections of San Antonio and Austin, as well as some of the Texas H
An Arduous Success in Artesia
Friends - I share the good news that Lisa Weinberg successfully has obtained parole for one of our clients, a mother with a very sick toddler who had stopped walking and eating solid food since arriving in Artesia. As far as I know, this is the first order allowing release on parole of a family [
Judge Us by our Treatment of Child Refugees
Over the Labor Day weekend, I read the personal memoir of a World War II child refugee. A Long Way Home, by Bob Golan was published in 2005, although it was written from the contemporaneous notes of a 12 year boy whose family was driven from their home in Poland at the outbreak of World […]
Welcoming the Children to New York
On a hot, dusty summer day in the South Bronx, a small crowd gathered at a local church and community center, spilling into the street to escape the muggy air inside. By 8:30 AM, an hour and a half before our second Youth Assistance Fair of the summer was set to start, over a hundred […]
What Does a Week in Artesia Look Like?
AILA Member Megan Kludt headed down to Artesia to donate her time and knowledge, seeking to help the women and children jailed and facing an expedited deportation process. Here, in her own words, are a few snapshots from her days so far, for the full blog, see: http://immigrationartesia.blogspot.com
Let These Women Go
There is a town in El Salvador where a woman named M-C- lived. In 2003, her husband beat her face until the purple welts glowed. Your bloody face means you are mine, he said. He hit her for asking why he hit her. An open palm. A closed fist. On her arms. On her face. […]
Action on Immigration is Long Overdue
Over the past week I spent some time considering the pros and cons of President Obama taking executive action on immigration. Is this really the right approach to handling our mounting immigration problem? Should we wait on Congress to finally get a bill passed? If we wait on Congress will our curre
The United States Must Do Better for Same-Sex Partners of Asylum Grantees
Through established asylum and refugee laws, the United States offers protection to individuals who have been persecuted or who have a well-founded fear of persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or because they are perceived to be part of those communities. It is clearly docu