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.
Browse the Blog: Think Immigration collection
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood the “Line” to Get in Can Stretch to Infinity
As part of our “One Thing” series, John Manley explains that the one thing he wished people understood about immigration is that because our immigration laws were last revised more than a generation ago, the proverbial wait to reunite with family can be longer than a human lifetime.
Think Immigration: For Pride Month, and Every Month of the Year – Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court
On the AILA Blog: Think Immigration, the authors of a recent practice resource “Gender Affirming Language in Immigration Court” ask, and begin answering, a key question for all of us: how can we build a more gender-affirming courtroom together?
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood that Immigration Court Is an Unlevel Playing Field Where You Face Life and Death Decisions
As part of our “One Thing” series, Evangeline Chan explains that the one thing she wished people understood about immigration is that immigration court is structurally different than other courts and we need an Article 1 independent immigration court to ensure justice.
Think Immigration: The Next Best Thing to Attending the AILA Law Journal Symposium Is Reading This Issue
AILA Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Cyrus Mehta runs through the pieces in this special edition of the journal which focuses on the AILA Law Journal’s first-ever symposium held this Spring on “Shaping Immigration Policy Through the Federal Courts.”
Think Immigration: A Small Window Into Immigration Detention: The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman 2023 Annual Report
AILA’s Supervisory Policy and Practice Counsel Jen Ibañez Whitlock highlights the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) 2023 Annual Report noting that OIDO “is in a unique position to step in on behalf of detained individuals who are being overlooked or abused while in custody.”
Think Immigration: Reflecting on AILA’s 2024 National Day of Action
AILA New England leaders Miki Matrician and Anthony Pawelski describe how their chapter participated in AILA’s National Day of Action and highlighted the need to build relationships with congressional offices to ensure they understand the importance of immigration to the economy and communities.
Think Immigration: Well-Being Tips for Paralegals
As part of our #AILAWellBeingWeek series, Clarissa C. Andersen shares insights into how she ensures that despite every day being a new challenge, she is able to survive and thrive in her career as an immigration law paralegal.
Think Immigration: Why Law Students Should Focus on their Well-Being (By a Law Student Who Has Not)
As part of our #AILAWellBeingWeek series, AILA Law Student Member Cristina Garcia shares insights on her efforts to focus on well-being as a law student with competing priorities and what she plans to do to incorporate techniques into her daily and weekly life.
Think Immigration: Why Well-Being Week in Law Is So Important for AILA’s Members (Psst, It’s Next Week!)
AILA Practice and Ethics Counsel Charity Anastasio shares details of all the opportunities the AILA Well-Being Committee has created for AILA members to help us find balance during #AILAWellBeingWeek next week, including a way to win at AILA Bingo!
Think Immigration: Ten Lessons for Autism Acceptance Month and the Rest of the Year!
AILA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Member Lilia Alcaraz and Chair Allen Orr share ten essential insights that underscore the importance of Autism Acceptance Month and urge readers to use this knowledge year-round.
Think Immigration: How the Immigration Court System Pits Immigration Lawyers Against Each Other for the “Good of Clients”
AILA Ethics Committee Chair Cyrus Mehta explains how under Matter of Lozada, immigration attorneys, unlike any other type of lawyer, must file a bar complaint in order to help a client seek to reopen a case based on ineffective representation and why AILA urges that requirement be removed.
Think Immigration: Judge Dolly Gee Upholds Necessary Protections of Migrant Children in Recent Court Ruling
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Chair Evangeline Chan highlights the recent ruling by Judge Dolly Gee who again reminds the government that the Flores Settlement binds them to ensure that children are provided with a certain standard of care when detained.
Think Immigration: Texas-Sized Whiplash
AILA Policy and Practice Counsel Amy Grenier describes why many are feeling legal whiplash regarding the controversial anti-immigrant Texas state law SB 4 and its implementation; she explains where the law stands, the factors involved, and potential next steps.
Think Immigration: No Matter Where You Are, You Can Make a Difference During National Day of Action!
AILA Executive Director Ben Johnson urges members to share their insights with legislators, whether they are in D.C. for National Day of Action, or through in-district visits, writing that the stories shared “can be what brings a complicated issue or idea home to a member of Congress.”
Think Immigration: A Look Inside DHS’ Family Expedited Removal Management Program
AILA Law Student Member Araceli Garcia describes how University of Texas Law students were able to help families in the expedited removal program and how the expansion of the FERM program has meant the need for counsel has only grown.
Think Immigration: Customer Service Chronicles: Tracking USCIS’s Implementation of AILA’s 2021 Recommendations
AILA’s Paul Stern and Jonathan Valdez share insights into the new policy brief they developed to track the status of AILA’s 2021 recommendations for the Biden Administration to improve USCIS customer service, the impact on members and their clients, and the work remaining to be done.
Think Immigration: Magic Mushrooms and Psychedelics are Still a Bad Trip for U.S. Immigration Purposes
AILA member W. Scott Railton discusses the potential consequences of possession or use of “magic mushrooms” for foreign nationals, writing that “Magic mushrooms and psychedelics are moving to the mainstream in some places, but the immigration laws are unlikely to catch up any time soon.”
Think Immigration: Add that to the Tab – Rising Costs to Tour the United States
The new fee schedule, taking effect April 1, 2024, will have an impact on visas and applications, including those for musicians and artists as Anthony Pawelski shares in this blog post for Think Immigration in which he highlights concerns about the chilling effect higher fees may have.
Think Immigration: The New Beneficiary-Centric H-1B Registration Process – Good News for Employees, Mixed Bag for Employers
AILA Supervisory Policy and Practice Counsel Michael Turansick breaks down the new H-1B visa registration process which has been significantly updated as USCIS tries to ensure the integrity of the system and a level playing field.
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace
AILA member Maurice “Mo“ Goldman shares insights into why it feels the country is moving away from valuing its history as a “nation of immigrants“ and emphasizes the need for immigration attorneys and their clients to share their stories and shift the narrative.
25 Years Ago the State Department Recognized How Visa Consul and Immigration Counsel Can Work Together in the Visa Application Process
AILA member Liam Schwartz reflects on Department of State cable 99 State 21138 which was spearheaded by the late Stephen K. Fischel; the cable highlights the importance to the visa application process of the working relationship between consular officers and immigration attorneys.
The Mandatory Detention of Unlawful Entrants Seeking Asylum in the United States and the Due Process Protection
AILA Law Journal author Jim Nzoguma Mayua shares more about his article in the Fall 2023 edition of the journal, in which he discusses the legal uncertainty stemming from Supreme Court rulings denying asylum seekers due process protection.
Is Chevron Dead? Thoughts after Oral Arguments in Relentless, Inc. and Loper Bright Enterprises
Brian Green and Stephen Yale-Loehr describe the recent oral arguments in two SCOTUS cases which could dramatically affect federal agency review; it is yet unclear whether the decisions will hurt or help immigrants when challenging ambiguous agency decisions or interpretations.
A Bridge We Can All Cross
AILA members César Magaña Linares and Raquel Fernández—a Salvadoran Dreamer with TPS and a second generation Venezuelan American—call for intra-immigrant solidarity.
SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments on Notice Requirements (Again)
In this blog post, AILA Policy and Practice Counsel Manolasya Perepa describes the recent SCOTUS consolidated oral arguments in Campos-Chavez v. Garland and Garland v. Singh and notes that “issues of improper notice pervade multiple aspects of the immigration system.“