AILA Welcomes Biden Administration Effort to Restore Integrity to America’s Immigration Courts

Washington, DC – Greg Chen, Senior Director of Government Relations for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), responded to the Biden Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) for the Executive Office of Immigration Review (EOIR) which would rescind a 2020 regulation issued under President Trump and codify well-established immigration court and judicial powers. In 2020, AILA submitted a joint formal comment opposing that rule.

Mr. Chen stated:

“AILA applauds the Biden Administration for proposing this new rule that restores integrity and fairness to the immigration court system, fundamental concepts the previous administration attempted to strip from the system. Perhaps more than any other institution, America’s courts are respected as fair and balanced. The Trump Administration sought to weaponize immigration judges into deportation machines rather than impartial and fair adjudicators whose everyday decisions gravely impact peoples’ lives. This proposed rule is vital to preventing future political interference with the courts by the executive branch. Yet even after this regulation becomes law, the immigration courts will remain under the control of the Justice Department. AILA urges Congress to pass legislation that establishes a truly independent immigration court system, under Article I of the Constitution, that will not be vulnerable to political whims or prejudices.”