AILA Takes Action — Florida and Beyond

Dear AILA members,

As we prepare for the 2023 AILA Annual Conference (AC23) in Orlando, we cannot ignore that Florida’s Governor and Legislature have been pursuing an extreme and discriminatory agenda. Sadly, what’s happening in Florida is part of a national onslaught of similar attacks on immigrants and other marginalized communities. These attacks and Florida’s recently passed anti-immigrant legislation are antithetical to AILA’s values and we must support the communities under attack.

Understanding that the commitment to hold the conference in Florida was made nearly nine years ago during a very different political environment, many members have called on us to use our presence in Orlando to advocate for change. The on-the-ground message from Florida communities and our South Florida and Central Florida chapters is loud and clear: Join with us to stop these attacks in our state, so we can unite to fight divisive and ugly politics on a national scale. We learned when AILA moved our conference out of Texas to protest anti-immigrant legislation in 2018 that the local chapter was left feeling abandoned just when it needed support the most. We will not make that mistake again.

In response, we have formed the Florida AILA Action Coalition, led by Ira Kurzban, Sui Chung, and Allen Orr, and bringing together other voices from across the AILA community. Together with AILA’s Florida chapters this coalition, in consultation with local partners, is organizing a slate of advocacy and community support activities during AC23 to address the divisive bills targeting people of color, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community. In the coming weeks, the coalition will provide updates and details on these activities to AILA membership. We are also adding opportunities in the conference program to share information and strategies, both legal and political, to confront and combat Florida’s anti-immigrant legislation and stop the spread of these dangerous and destructive policies.

AILA is committed to ensuring AC23 is a transformative event that provides a welcoming and safe space for all participants, and we hope you will join us in standing in solidarity with our Florida members and the communities they serve.

Signed,