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
CARA – One Year Later
It's hard to believe that tomorrow will mark a year since the CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project officially launched. Four seasons have passed, during which we have worked tirelessly to end family detention, urging the Obama administration to stop detaining thousands of children and their mother
ICE Fights to Detain and Deport Teenage Girl Despite Stay
Kimberly was just 17 when she went in front of an Atlanta immigration judge and was told she would be deported. There was no legal orientation. No one asked her why she left her native Honduras or whether she was afraid to be sent back there. Even the lawyer her family hired didn't tell her […
H.R. 4731 Does Anything but Restore Integrity
On Wednesday, at a time when we are facing a global refugee crisis, H.R. 4731, “The Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act“ passed out of committee in the House of Representatives with a vote of 18-9. Unfortunately, this bill does anything but restore integrity. I suppose it depends on how
How the Years Add Up
Imagine coming to the United States to seek asylum and having to wait four years just for an interview to decide whether you get to move forward with your claim. Four years. In most jurisdictions, asylum applicants are having to do just that: wait years for an interview, when before 2013, asylum app
Students and Professors Fight for Families at Karnes Detention Center
Two weeks ago, six law students from the University of Houston Law Center's Immigration Clinic visited Karnes Detention Center. The students were Kate Chapman (3L), Ivonne Escobar (2L), Hellieth Pedroza Guzman (2L), Nekka Morah (2L), Medjine Desrosiers-Douyon (LLM), Mathilda El Hachem (LLM). Super
Chasing Away the Innovators: Not in America’s Interest
In last week's Republican debate, a significant challenge to American businesses was raised - the annual limit or “cap“ on the number of H-1B visas issued - a limit imposed twenty-five years ago, before the Internet and mobile phones and “Big Data“ were parts of everyday vocabulary. Thi
#0087
The Artesia Family Residential Center was thrown together in late June 2014 in the dark of night and in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Before the pro bono attorneys knew who or what was there, the first plane had already flown South, returning refugees who were streamlined through a farce of a
Benefits of Volunteering Go Beyond the Client
I spend most of my days steeped in PERM filings, H-1Bs and other thorny employment-based conundrums. I don't speak Spanish. The number of asylum cases I have handled can be counted on one hand. I have rarely represented clients in Immigration Court. And yet, last year, I offered to help the CARA Fam
What Asylum Law is About
I'm an asylum lawyer. Every day I fight for victims of persecution and torture from all over the world. I listen to their stories and I give them a voice. Perhaps some of the most compelling and most amazing stories of survival have been those of women - women from the Middle East fleeing the [&#
Frustrations with H-1B Processing Delays Exacerbated by USCIS Stonewalling
AILA members and their clients are well aware of the lengthening processing times for several product lines at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) service centers. However, most pronounced is the extraordinary expansion of processing times for H-1B extensions at both the
New Opportunities to Move Forward in 2016
The American people are frustrated by the inability of Congress to take action and tackle the challenging, yet not insurmountable, task of reforming our immigration system and bringing it into the new century. That shouldn't be too much to ask now that we are already well over a decade into the 21st
U Visa: A Sliver of a Silver Lining for Victims of Violent Crimes
Congress created the U nonimmigrant visa with the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act in October 2000. As the USCIS website explains, this legislation was intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic viole
What I Need to Hear
In a January 7, 2016, article in Fusion, Tim Rogers tells readers that the Obama Administration, “is on pace to deport more people than the sum of all 19 presidents who governed the United States from 1892-2000.“ Think about that for a second. This is the reality as we get ready for President
The Impact of Inaction on American Children
America is a nation of immigrants, and Congress has the critical job of making sure U.S. immigration laws are up to par. Yet, decade after decade, we are left with legislative scraps and executive orders on how to deal with the immigration system. That lack of concrete, comprehensive action directly
Defend, Don’t Target, the Vulnerable
On Christmas Eve, news leaked that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was going to begin raids to round up and deport Central American families. Over the holiday week, stakeholders, legislators, community leaders, and advocates pushed back hard on these planned raids and begged the Obama Admi
DHS Rule For Highly Skilled Immigrants: Helpful, But Timid
Yesterday morning began with a panicked message from a software engineer employed by one of my corporate clients. The engineer had “ported“ his green card application, joining my client after having been sponsored by a prior employer for permanent residence. The company was happy he had join
STEM OPT Rule: Coming, But Likely Delayed (Still Not Time To Panic, Though)
Back in October, I predicted that technology companies, universities, and foreign students would have to wait past a court-imposed February 12, 2016 deadline for a new rule that would continue the “STEM OPT Extension“ part of the Optional Practical Training Program. In order to meet the court
Ineffective and Discriminatory is not a Winning Combination
At the time of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, I was a teenager, completely unfazed by the events unfolding. My brother and I were both going to school in the U.K. and my older sister had already immigrated to the U.S. When the revolution peaked in late 1978, my parents were visiting my sister in Lo
The Ultimate Act of Motherly Love
I recently visited the Karnes County Residential Center and the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, with the American Bar Association's Commission on Immigration and as a CARA Family Detention Pro Bono Project volunteer. I have been going to jails and prisons for more than 25 yea
For Many, “Beautiful Honduras” Isn’t.
A couple of weeks ago, I read a piece in the Huffington Post quoting Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson saying that it's okay to deport kids to Honduras because it's “a beautiful country.“ Reading this ridiculous comment, I felt I had to share my knowledge of what is driving children to flee their
When the Narrative Shifts
I joined AILA's Executive Committee with quite a bit of media experience under my belt. One thing I've known for a long time is that the news cycle can turn on a dime and what you may have thought you'd be talking about with a reporter can change, sometimes mid-interview. As an example - AILA's [
Beirut and Paris, What Can We Do?
The recent events in Beirut, Baghdad and Paris have brought feelings of frustration, anger, sadness, and helplessness. While these feelings in the coming weeks may subside and take a backseat to the holiday season, they will not entirely go away. And, they shouldn't. The thought that there has to be
Scapegoating Refugees is Not the Solution
Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind, I live in constant fear. Many of us do. It's a natural reaction. Every day we step outside we are exposing ourselves to those things we fear. I fear a texting driver may hit my car. I fear a person with a gun could shoot up a […]
Building Bridges Rather than Walls
Congratulations to the people and elected representatives of San Diego. As many of us know in the immigration field, it is so easy for politicians, press and the public to demonize and scapegoat immigrants of all colors, creeds, and convictions. For years we have heard the loud cries to “build a bi
Warning: Content Not Safe for Your Peace of Mind
Ana was all of 11 days old when we met at the Berks Detention Center. She was not always the most cooperative client. I don't believe she even bothered to look at me in the two weeks she resided at the detention center. In fact her eyes didn't open at all. She had extremely poor […]