WASHINGTON, DC, June 11, 2018 – Today, the Attorney General issued a precedent decision in a case that he referred to himself. In the decision, he vacated the Board of Immigration Appeal’s (BIA) decision in Matter of A- B and announced that in his view, domestic violence victims and other victims of crimes perpetrated by […]
American Immigration Lawyers Association
AG Session’s Latest Move Further Erodes the Independence of Immigration Judges
WASHINGTON, DC, May 17, 2018 – Today, in a precedent decision, the Attorney General of the United States announced that immigration judges and members of the Board of Immigration Appeals no longer have the authority to “administratively close” court cases before them, with the exception of cases that meet very narrow criteria. With this move, […]
DOJ Ignores Set of Recommendations to Strengthen Immigration Court System Efficiency and Effectiveness
WASHINGTON, D.C. April 23, 2018 – In response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and the American Immigration Council received a partially redacted report written by Booz Allen Hamilton and commissioned by the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). The comprehensive report investigated a range of immigration […]
DOJ Strips Immigration Courts of Independence
WASHINGTON, D.C. April 3, 2018 – The Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR), part of the Department of Justice (DOJ), has instituted strict quotas as part of immigration judges’ individual performance evaluations, a shift that strips away the independence held by judges who are making high stakes decisions about whether a person will be deported. […]
AILA’s “Invisible Wall” Report Sheds Light on Trump Administration Policies to Restrict Legal Immigration
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 21, 2018 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) today released a new report, “Deconstructing the Invisible Wall: How Policy Changes by the Trump Administration are Slowing and Restricting Legal Immigration.” Highlighted by real-life case examples, the report describes the broad array of immigration-related policy and procedural changes that have been implemented […]
AILA Report “Cogs in the Deportation Machine” Shows Massive Escalation of Immigration Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. March 14, 2018- The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) today released a new report detailing how the Trump administration has systematically increased enforcement, using harsh, indiscriminate methods to deport thousands of families, asylum seekers, and people who have lived and worked for years in the United States. AILA President Annaluisa Padilla said, “With […]
Civil Rights Report Describes Legal Liabilities for Local Police that Detain Immigrants for ICE
WASHINGTON, DC, March 7, 2018 -Five leading immigrant and civil rights organizations issued a joint report today detailing the illegalities inherent in each of the U.S. government’s repeated attempts to enlist local law enforcement authorities to arrest and detain people on behalf of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The report, Assumption of Risk: Legal […]
Trump administration rewrite of USCIS mission statement removes phrase “a nation of immigrants”
WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb. 23, 2018 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) expresses its deep disappointment at the Trump administration’s rewrite of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) mission statement to, among other things, remove the phrase “a nation of immigrants.” “Removing words in the USCIS mission statement cannot change the proud history […]
Senate Bipartisan Efforts to Save Dreamers Destroyed by Veto Threat
WASHINGTON, D.C. Feb. 16, 2018 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) expressed deep disappointment in the failure of the Senate to pass commonsense reforms to protect Dreamers. At the same time, AILA commends the many Senators who stood firm against the nativist voices demanding legislation to gut legal immigration and make our country weaker. […]
AILA: Congress Must Pass Dream Legislation Before the Holidays
WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 8, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) urged Congress and the President to pass the Dream Act before the December holidays. Failing to act will hurt Dreamers, their families, and the businesses and communities that depend on them. “Since the disastrous decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals […]
AILA Deeply Disappointed by Decision to Terminate Temporary Protected Status for Haiti
WASHINGTON, DC November 21, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) denounced the decision of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 58,000 Haitian nationals, effective July 22, 2019. A country may be designated for TPS when conditions resulting from a natural disaster, civil conflict, or other […]
AILA: Ending DACA Would Be Inhumane and Bad for America
WASHINGTON, D.C. Sept. 4, 2017- The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) condemned reported plans that the Trump Administration will end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program with a six-month enforcement delay. This decision would leave the lives and dreams of nearly 800,000 hardworking DACA recipients hanging from the thread of an unspecified, hoped-for […]
House Appropriations Committee Gives Trump Administration Blank Check to Implement Mass Deportation Plan
WASHINGTON, DC, July 12, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) strongly opposes the funding bill released by the House Appropriations Committee, which would focus on massive increases in immigration enforcement and border security and result in the deportation of thousands of undocumented people with children, family and other strong ties to the United […]
AILA: House Immigration Bills Erode Public Safety and the Constitution
WASHINGTON, D.C. June 29, 2017 – Today, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), urged lawmakers to oppose two bills slated to be taken up this week by the House of Representatives: the “No Sanctuary for Criminals Act” (H.R. 3003) and “Kate’s Law” (H.R. 3004). AILA President Annaluisa Padilla noted, “In one fell swoop, these mean-spirited […]
AILA Urges House Committee to Move Away from Cruel, Costly, and Ineffective “Enforcement-Only” Immigration Legislation
WASHINGTON, DC May 17, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) urges the House Judiciary Committee to move away from cruel, costly, and ineffective “enforcement-only” immigration reform; none of the bills being discussed at Thursday’s hearing will make our country safer. The bills include the “Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of […]
AILA: Revised Muslim and Refugee Ban Halted by Federal Courts
WASHINGTON, DC, March 16, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) welcomed the issuance of two temporary restraining orders from the U.S. District Courts in Hawaii and Maryland, halting implementation of key parts of President Trump’s revised Executive Order, issued March 6, 2017, which would temporarily ban Muslims and refugees from travel and admission […]
AILA: No Matter How Written, a Muslim and Refugee Ban Won’t Make U.S. Safe
WASHINGTON, DC, March 6, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) denounced President Trump’s rewritten Executive Order, which is again based on the false premise that barring Muslims and refugees from coming to America will make the country safer. The ban was revised in an effort to get around the court orders that blocked […]
AILA: Ramped Up Enforcement Will Trample Due Process and Harm Families and Communities
WASHINGTON, DC, Feb. 22, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) condemned the recently released Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memos that set forth a series of aggressive enforcement tactics to be rolled out on a massive scale. These policies, if implemented as written, will trample due process. AILA President William A. Stock noted, […]
AILA: Targeting Muslims and Refugees Betrays American Values and Will Not Make Us Safer
WASHINGTON, DC January 28, 2017 – The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) denounced President Trump’s Executive Order that is based on the false premise that barring Muslims and refugees from coming to America will make us safer. AILA called on Congress and the public to stand up against this action which is antithetical to core […]
Facts and realities about immigration law and policy
Aug. 29, 2016 – AILA has issued an immigration policy update to serve as a backgrounder on current immigration law and policy as they relate to creating a legalization program. The political debate on immigration this week was dominated by questions of whether Donald Trump is changing his position on immigration or simply softening his […]