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: What’s New In Your AILA Law Journal?
As part of our efforts to amplify the AILA Law Journal, Editor-in-Chief Cyrus Mehta shares highlights as he describes the key topics from articles published in the newly released Fall 2025 issue of the AILA Law Journal. AILA members, access your free digital copy of the Law Journal to read more!
Think Immigration: Protect Due Process for Immigrants who Cannot Represent Themselves in Court: It Just Makes Cents
AILA Member Michael Vastine describes the Administration's efforts to de-fund the National Qualified Representative Program - providing legal counsel to detained immigrants who cannot competently represent themselves - and the need to permanently protect this efficient and proven program.
Think Immigration: AILA Celebrates Pro Bono Week 2025
In celebration of Pro Bono Week 2025, AILA Pro Bono Committee Vice Chair Nareeneh Sohbatian talks about the committee's efforts to uplift pro bono work year-round.
Think Immigration: Our Immigration “Courts” Need a New Boss
AILA Past President Jeremy McKinney writes for the Think Immigration blog on the need for an independent immigration court system: “Put immigration adjudication where it belongs: under an independent Article I court, led by judges whose duty is to the law—not to a political boss.”
Think Immigration: The BIA Gives Immigration Judges License to Ignore Party Stipulations
AILA National EOIR Committee member Victoria Neilson writes for the Think Immigration blog about Matter of J-H-M-H-, the latest BIA decision that continues a trend of eliminating rights before EOIR.
Think Immigration: Call to Action During the 2025 National Celebration of Pro Bono
AILA Practice and Innovation Associate Camille Rybacki Koch offers a preview of AILA's participation in the 2025 National Celebration of Pro Bono next week, writing "we have a variety of stories, inspirational messages, tips and tricks, and opportunities to keep you going or get you started."
Think Immigration: AILA’s Citizenship Day in Chicago: Uplifting Communities in a Time of Adversity
In this blog post, AILA Chicago Chapter Citizenship Day Coordinator Megan Davis describes how the Chicago Chapter partnered with community organizations and held a successful and inspiring AILA Citizenship Day, helping people take those final steps toward naturalization.
Think Immigration: How AILA Helps Members Create Sustainable and Client-Focused Immigration Law Practices
AILA Practice and Ethics Counsel Charity Anastasio shares some key indicators from the AILA Practice Pulse study, which “offers a compelling look at how lawyers who understand themselves and their businesses are better equipped to serve their clients and communities.”
Think Immigration: Zealously Representing Clients in the Face of Trump Administration Attacks
AILA Past President Kathleen Campbell Walker describes how the Trump Administration's rapid changes to immigration agency policies, such as arming USCIS agents, combined with "eviscerating existing long-established uses of discretion based on regulations" affect immigration attorneys.
Think Immigration: Excluding International Students Hurts Agency Efficiency and the National Economy
AILA Policy and Practice Associate Mariah Ferguson details how the changes to policies affecting international students will not only affect the students themselves, but also agency efficiency, institutions of higher education, American students, and the national economy as well.
Think Immigration: Lighting the Path to Citizenship: AILA’s 20th Annual Citizenship Day
AILA Grassroots Advocacy Associate Paul Rampersaud highlights the 20-year history of AILA Citizenship Day and the ways our members have helped change lives and foster community through this important and inspiring pro bono effort. There is still time to get involved, find out how in this blog post.
Think Immigration: Citizenship as a Weapon: Is Denaturalization an Increasing Threat?
Gunda Brost, Past Chair of the AILA IA-NE Chapter, describes how citizenship and denaturalization have been used by nations over human history and what the new actions around denaturalization efforts by the Trump Administration might presage.
Think Immigration: How to Supercharge your Intake Interviews with an AI Tag Team
AILA member Jared Jaskot describes how he uses AI during an initial review for asylum seekers, allowing the attorney to dig in to see what might have been missed and ensure a more efficient process. His template could be modified to help with other areas of immigration law.
Think Immigration: DC Court Holds Firm Against Trump Attempt to Use 212(f) to End Asylum at Border
In this blog post, Miroslava Becerra Garcia and Amy Grenier dig in to the recent ruling in RAICES v. Noem in the D.C. District Court which found that the Administration did not have the right to suspend the entry of noncitizens at the U.S. Border which would have prevented claims of asylum.
Think Immigration: How Pro Bono Cases Change Lives
In this blog post, AILA member Nikki Esposito Whetstone shares three unique examples of AILA members’ pro bono work that changed the lives of clients, and the attorney members who were able to use their legal expertise and “skills in service of those with nowhere else to turn.”
Think Immigration: The O-1 Visa – Building an Extraordinary Ability Case in Today’s Climate
In this blog post, AILA member Muhammed Üzüm details the O-1 visa which “remains one of the most powerful yet misunderstood pathways available to individuals with extraordinary ability” and the importance of “crafting cohesive narratives where every document supports the case’s core message.”
Think Immigration: Straight From the Horse’s Mouth – An AI Experiment That You Can Absolutely Rely Upon
As AI proliferates, AILA member Vaman Kidambi asks ChatGPT itself to describe why it can serve as a tool for research but that, “No AI model, no matter how advanced, can accurately predict decisions in this environment without oversimplifying or missing critical human and legal context.”
Think Immigration: The Fourteenth Amendment Survives in 22 States: Trump v. CASA, Inc. Call to Action!
Jeremy L. McKinney, Rekha Sharma-Crawford, and Brian S. Green team up on this blog post detailing what the SCOTUS decision on universal injunctions means for the fight to preserve birthright citizenship.
Think Immigration: Riley v. Bondi – Riley’s Silver Lining
Jeremy L. McKinney, Brian S. Green, Robert Cohen, and Rekha Sharma-Crawford write up the SCOTUS decision in Riley v. Bondi, noting 6 practical takeaways the decision means for immigration attorneys in the removal context.
Think Immigration: Reconsidering the Reconciliation Bill: What it Means for Immigration
AILA's Grassroots Advocacy Associate Paul Rampersaud details the current status of the Budget Reconciliation bill under consideration by the Senate, highlighting the need for AILA members to speak out against the harmful changes it would make to immigration law
Think Immigration: What Do Tech Savvy Immigration Agencies Owe the Tech Unsavvy
In this blog post, AILA Law Journal Author Allison Huang describes how she was inspired to dig into the use of technology in immigration agencies and courts for her article in the Spring 2025 issue of the AILA Law Journal.
Think Immigration: Eroding Trust: USCIS and EOIR’s Role in Trump-Era Immigration Enforcement
AILA staff members Heather Hogan, Cristina Rodriguez and Vanessa Dojaquez-Torres describe the impact of ICE arrests at immigration courts and USCIS interviews, and how those arrests are robbing individuals of “due process, something that has stood as a bedrock of U.S. jurisprudence and principles.”
Think Immigration: Beyond the CLE: Why Every AILA Member Should Experience the Annual Conference
Roman Zelichenko from AILA’s Member Experience Committee highlights his favorite Annual Conference experiences outside the classrooms, and why he feels “The real magic lies elsewhere and is what draws me back year after year.”
Think Immigration: Why We Had to Write About Legal Reform: The Justice Gap and Immigration Law
AILA Law Journal authors Matthew Blaisdell and Michele Carney explain why they wrote about the justice gap and immigration law, noting "by understanding what’s happening-and why-it’s-happening, we can all play a part in building a system that truly delivers justice for all."
Think Immigration: Birthright Citizenship on the Brink: Takeaways from Trump v. CASA Oral Argument
Brian Green and Jeremy McKinney describe oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Trump v. Washington, and Trump v. New Jersey, writing “The Administration came to curb what it calls judicial overreach. The Justices instead spent two hours confronting the chaos that would erupt without a nationwide bar.”