Immigration News
Check out daily roundups of immigration-related news stories, read articles that quote and cite AILA and AILA leadership, and check out analysis from AILA members and leadership on the AILA blog.
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AILA in the News
Browse the Immigration News collection
AILA Recognizes Lily S. Axelrod with the 2021 Sam Williamson Mentor Award
AILA recognizes Lily S. Axelrod of Memphis, TN, with the 2021 Sam Williamson Mentor Award, in acknowledgment of her outstanding efforts and excellent counsel to immigration attorneys by providing mentoring assistance.
AILA Presents Margo Cowan with the 2021 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award
AILA recognizes Margo Cowan of Tucson, AZ, with the 2021 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award for outstanding efforts in providing pro bono representation in the immigration field.
AILA Presents Stuart Anderson with the 2021 Media Leadership Award
AILA recognizes Stuart Anderson, senior contributor to Forbes Magazine and Executive Director of the National Foundation for American Policy with the 2021 Media Leadership Award, given to individuals whose efforts in the media most accurately depict immigration and immigrants.
AILA Presents Brittany Faith with the 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award
AILA recognizes Brittany Faith, of Chattanooga, TN, with the 2021 Joseph Minsky Young Lawyer Award for her outstanding contributions made as a young lawyer in the field of immigration and nationality law.
The Mixed Messages and Missed Opportunities in Biden’s FY 22 Budget
In this blog post, AILA Government Relations Directors Gregory Chen and Sharvari Dalal-Dheini highlight the mixed messages and missed opportunities on immigration issues in the Fiscal Year 2022 budget released by President Biden.
When Clients Die – How COVID-19 Has Affected Me and How I Am Learning to Cope
In this blog post, AILA member Vaman Kidambi shares his experiences learning to cope as clients are taken by COVID-19 and ways he has learned to try and maintain balance in this extremely difficult time.
AILA Presents Paul Hughes and Mary Kenney with the 2021 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award
AILA recognizes two litigators this year with the 2021 Jack Wasserman Memorial Award for excellence in litigation in the field of immigration law: Paul Hughes and Mary Kenney.
AILA Presents David Thronson with the 2021 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award
AILA recognizes David Thronson, the Alan S. Zekelman Professor of Int’l Human Rights Law at the Michigan State University College of Law, director of the Talsky Ctr for Human Rights of Women and Children, and cofounder of the Imm. Law Clinic, with the 2021 Elmer Fried Excellence in Teaching Award.
What President Biden’s Budget Should Say on Immigration
AILA's Government Relations directors Greg Chen and Shev Dalal-Dheini lay out what President Biden's budget for FY22 should have in it on immigration issues, flagging detention, representation, immigration courts, USCIS, and the State Department as areas ripe for necessary reform.
AILA Presents Rekha Sharma-Crawford with the 2021 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award
AILA recognizes Rekha Sharma-Crawford of Kansas City, MO, with the 2021 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.
AILA Presents Dahlia Walker-Huntington with the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award
AILA recognizes Dahlia Walker-Huntington of Hollywood, FL, with the 2021 Diversity and Inclusion Award for outstanding efforts in promoting diversity and inclusion excellence in the immigration legal profession.
America Closed for Immigration: The COVID-19 Visa Backlog
AILA member Dominique Pando Bucci digs into the data, showing the massive increases in backlogged visa issuances and highlights six ways attorneys can help their clients, as well as how and why the Biden administration needs to take action.
AILA Presents Elizabeth Jordan with the 2021 Arthur C. Helton Memorial Human Rights Award
AILA recognizes Elizabeth Jordan of Denver, CO, with the 2021 Arthur C. Helton Human Rights Award for outstanding service in advancing the cause of human rights.
AILA Presents Luis Cortes Romero with the 2021 Advocacy Award
AILA recognizes Luis Cortes Romero of Kent, WA, with the 2021 Advocacy Award for outstanding efforts in support of AILA’s advocacy agenda.
AILA Urges Further Shift Away from Detention as DHS Announces End to Contracts with Two Facilities
AILA welcomes news that ICE will end contracts with two detention facilities in Irwin County and Bristol County, but urges the Biden administration to take further action by conducting a full review of all people currently held in ICE custody and expanding community-based case management programs.
AILA Welcomes Biden Administration Expansion of Access to Justice and Legal Representation
AILA welcomed news that President Biden will renew DOJ's efforts to expand access to justice and legal representation, noting that, “Having legal representation is the most important factor in ensuring fair and just proceedings.”
Lingering Trump Policy Changes Continue Harming Trafficking Survivors
Corie O'Rourke, Cory Sagduyu, and Katherine Soltis reflect on their article in the Spring 2021 edition of the AILA Law Journal focused on USCIS's misinterpretation of the T visa's physical presence requirement and why the policy changes must be reversed so trafficking survivors can be protected.
AILA and Members of AILA’s Board of Governors File Complaint to Block H-1B Lottery Rule
Today, five nonprofit organizations and businesses, represented by AILA, Jeff Joseph, Charles Kuck, and Greg Siskind, sued to enjoin the H-1B lottery rule.
Civil Rights Coalition Welcomes Rescission of Trump’s Illegal Healthcare Ban
Today, litigators from the Justice Action Center, AILA, and the Innovation Law Lab, with Sidley Austin LLP, welcomed the rescission of President Trump’s long-enjoined healthcare insurance ban.
Climate Refugees Are Here
AILA member Christine Popp shares more about her recent article in the AILA Law Journal on climate refugees, explaining how she became interested in the intersection of immigration/ asylum law and climate change realities and what she hopes her article offers for practitioners.
Adjectives Matter: What Does “Exceptional and Extremely Unusual Hardship” Mean?
AILA Member Eva Loney writes about the importance of adjectives in immigration law, specifically what “exceptional“ and “extremely unusual“ mean when considered in a removal case, highlighting why her article on the topic in the Spring AILA Law Journal was important to share.
Immigration Groups Push Back Against Arizona and Montana’s Efforts to Invoke Unlawful Trump-Era Agreement Restricting DHS Policymaking
AILA joined in an amicus brief opposing Arizona and Montana’s challenge to the Biden administration’s immigration enforcement priorities guidance.
Iranians Forced Into Military Service Face Immigration Blockade
AILA member Scott Emerick details litigation recently filed to ensure Iranian nationals forced to serve in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aren't harmed by the U.S. government's decision to retroactively name it a terrorist organization.
Stand with Asians, Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) Against this Rising Tide of Hate
In this blog post, AILA Media Advocacy Committee Vice Chair Evangeline Chan shares her personal experience and provides insights into ways we can stand together against anti-AANHPI hate, writing “By standing together, we can root out racial injustice and create a truly inclusive society.“
Wanted: A Fierce Advocate for Immigrant Rights!
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Chair Fiona McEntee shares what a “want ad“ for a fierce immigration law advocate in the Biden administration might look like, modeled after the song in Mary Poppins listing the specific qualities being sought for an extremely important position.