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
A Guide Through the Labyrinth: AILA Local Liaisons
In this blog post, part of our series from the Member Experience Committee, Olivia Lee highlights the ways AILA local liaison volunteers can help by offering insights into local government office operations and describes how to identify the right agency liaison to answer your questions.
Think Immigration: Empowering Immigration Professionals for the Challenges Ahead
In this blog post, AILA President Kelli Stump shares why she believes “we are entering a new chapter in immigration law that promises to bring both immense challenges and critical opportunities” making AILA’s work supporting our members more important than ever.
Think Immigration: INTERPOL Red Notice - More from the AILA Law Journal
AILA Law Journal author Sandra Grossman digs into updates about INTERPOL Red Notices and the updated article she and Ted Bromund shared in the most recent edition; these notices have a massive impact on affected clients and are often misunderstood.
Think Immigration: What My Firsthand Experience with Asylum Seekers Taught Me
As part of our DEI Scholarship winner series, Estefani Munive shares her personal experience working with asylum seekers and their need to not just have legal representation, but also more holistic services because of the trauma and harm they have endured.
Think Immigration: When Irish Eyes are Crying - Remembering our Beloved Immigration Advocate Billy Lawless
AILA Chicago member Fiona McEntee shares a remembrance of immigration activist Billy Lawless, writing that “Billy’s work reaches far beyond Chicago and Ireland. It touches every individual he fought for and every community he strengthened.”
Think Immigration: Understanding EU Immigration law and the Latest on the Schengen Visa Scheme
AILA Law Journal author Yuu Shibata shares insights into the “complexity of EU immigration law and policy, which operates at both the supranational and intergovernmental levels” in this blog post, which builds on her article in the law journal.
Think Immigration: Making Connections through AILA’s Interest Groups
Karen Hill from AILA’s Member Experience Committee encourages AILA members to join Interest Groups, writing that Interest Groups have helped her with “friendships, mentorships, successful lawyering and business-building.”
Think Immigration: A New Resource for Effective Immigration Court Advocacy
In this blog post, authors Michelle Méndez and Victoria Neilson discuss AILA’s newest book on trial skills and how it can help lawyers prepare and succeed in immigration court proceedings.
Think Immigration: Children Should Not Face Immigration Court Alone
AILA Law Student Member Magdalena López Murphy explains the high stakes for children facing removal or deportation proceedings and the bipartisan effort to establish a children’s court within EOIR to ensure children have fair access to protections and obtain legal representation.
Think Immigration: Immigration Lawyers Need to Keep Pointing Out Things that “Make No Sense”
As part of our AILA Law Journal amplification series, Craig Shagin and Maria (Mia) Vejarano share insights into the three specific issues they chose to highlight for their article “This Makes No Sense.” AILA members, don’t forget to download your free digital copy of the law journal.
Think Immigration: What’s Changed in Immigration Law over the Last Two Years? What Hasn’t!
In this blog post, AILA member Elizabeth Montano details some of the many changes to immigration law and policy over the last two years as she explains why she turns to Kurzban’s Immigration Law Sourcebook for the comprehensive resource she needs to serve her clients.
Think Immigration: Getting Back to Basics - How to Improve the Entire Immigration System
AILA Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Cyrus Mehta previews the fall edition writing, “Our immigration laws will not get better unless we continue to advocate and share our expertise about how our existing system’s weaknesses harm America.”
Think Immigration: The Most Powerful Immigration Practice Tool – U.S. District Court Litigation
In this blog post, Brian Green explains why he believes “There has never been a better time to challenge unreasonable denials issued by USCIS and other federal agencies” and how the federal court litigation online course can set you and your clients, up for success.
Think Immigration: Don’t Fall for It! Avoiding Immigration Scams
In this blog post, Reid Trautz and Camille Rybacki Koch from AILA’s Practice and Professionalism Center describe some common immigration scams and ways to protect yourself, linking to helpful resources offered by trusted sources to help you avoid those seeking to take advantage.
Think Immigration: From Adversity to Advocacy - The Power of the Immigrant Experience
AILA DEI Scholarship recipient Maryam Soroush advocates for immigration law reform, writing “how much better off would we be if Congress were to fully reform the system to address the country’s workforce needs today and make it adaptable to address future opportunities as well?”
Think Immigration: Why Do You Need an Immigration Attorney?
In this blog post, AILA New England chapter chair Mitch Montgomery compiled insights from several law student interns answering the important question: Why Do You Need an Immigration Attorney?
Think Immigration: How the New D3 Waiver Guidance Is Unlocking Opportunities for Dreamers in the Workforce
AILA Members Krsna Avila, Dan Berger, and Stephen Yale-Loehr share two “D3 waiver” success stories and highlight the Cornell Law School effort to advise eligible clients and track progress under the updated guidance issued by the Biden Administration earlier in the summer.
Think Immigration: Rules on Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers Must Be Revisited
AILA Member John Daniels explains why USCIS should revisit the provisional unlawful presence waiver process. The current rule, among other things, leaves applicants without work authorization with backlogs stretching to nearly four years, needlessly harming American families.
Think Immigration: Top 10 Things to Consider When Applying for a United States Nonimmigrant Tourist Visa
AILA Affiliated Paralegal Kathryn Bouchard describes some key things to keep in mind if someone is planning a visit to the United States for tourism in this useful Top Ten list, highlighting some important U.S. government resources for applicants to read through along the way.
Think Immigration: It’s a New Era – Jump in and #GOTV
AILA Past President and member of the AILA's SCOPE Committee William (Bill) Stock describes a recent get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort led by the Philadelphia Chapter, with members nationwide participating. He urges you to get involved either in person or virtually this election cycle.
Think Immigration: Breaking Down Barriers - Improving Asylum Laws for Queer Migrants
AILA DEI Scholarship Award winner Abby Leigh advocates for changes to asylum law, describing reforms necessary in order to “offer LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers a meaningful chance to claim protection and live up to America’s promise of safety for those fleeing persecution.
Think Immigration: BIA Hands Immigration Judges the Whiteout to “Fix” Defective NTAs
AILA Past President Jeremy McKinney writes about the BIA decision in Matter of R- T- P- allowing immigration judges to “cure” defective NTAs, making them an agent of the prosecutors. This is the latest sign that an independent immigration court is necessary to ensure justice and due process.
Think Immigration: From “Alien” to “Noncitizen”: The Subtle Power of Language in U.S. Appellate Courts
AILA Law Student Member Bill De La Rosa and co-author Zachary Neilson-Papish share new research examining how terms like “alien” and “noncitizen” have been used in U.S. courts of appeal in an effort to “gain insights into potential biases and work toward a more equitable legal system.”
Think Immigration: I Wish People Understood How Immigration Status Isn’t “Fixed”
AILA Media Advocacy Committee Member Annie Wang shares her insights and personal story when it comes to immigration status not being “fixed” or static, writing that it “can change dramatically; it isn’t as though someone’s status is immutable or set in stone.”
Think Immigration: Immigration Is the Solution, Not the Problem
AILA member Ava Morgenstern digs into the numbers to show how we need to ignore the election year rhetoric and focus on how immigration is what the U.S. workforce needs, writing “Our biggest population challenge is not growth (whether birth or immigration), but aging.”