Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID-19 Era – Post 2
Alma Rosa Nieto, AILA Media Advo Committee member, offers some details from her day-in-the-life of an immigration attorney amid the COVID19 pandemic, writing: “This too will pass and we will all have learned new ways of doing things, skills we can use later.”
We Must Right the Wrongs Being Committed in Our Name on Our Southern Border
AILA Asylum Committee Vice Chair Lindsay Harris describes the asylum seekers she met with just before the COVID-19 pandemic really began in the U.S. She encourages us all to take action and “right the wrongs being committed in our name on our Southern border.”
Practicing Immigration Law in the COVID19 Era – Post 1
Sandra Feist, Chair of AILA’s Media Advocacy Committee, shares a glimpse into the life of an immigration attorney during the COVID19 pandemic, ending with a positive note: “My hope is that we all come out of seclusion with greater self-confidence about our own fortitude in a crisis and a greater connectivity with our community, as we come together to support one another.”
No End in Sight: New Analysis Shows USCIS Case Processing Backlog Keeps Growing
AILA Executive Director Benjamin Johnson highlights USCIS processing delays, writing, “Even before the COVID-19 virus, backlogs and processing delays were staggering at USCIS. They have continued to grow thanks to burdensome policies and inefficient procedures that needlessly bog down the adjudications process.”
Business Continuity Planning: Immigration Law Practice In the Era of Covid-19
In this blog post, AILA member Ruby Powers offers some tips she has learned from practicing law through hurricanes and running her practice from half a world away, tips that can be applied in our current COVID-19 era..
When a Phone Call Truly Means Life or Death
In this blog post, AILA member, and Immigration Justice Campaign volunteer with the El Paso Immigration Collaborative (EPIC), Elizabeth Fiechter describes the Kafkaesque labyrinth of obstacles she and her client faced trying to simply speak by phone ahead of an extremely important bond hearing.
My Time in Dilley, Texas
In this blog post, part of the Diversity & Inclusion blog post series, AILA member L. Patricia Ice describes her time volunteering at the Dilley detention center helping families and how the shared bond of being members of the African diaspora helped her connect with one client.
Form I-944, Declaration of Self-Sufficiency? More like an Administrative Strip Search
AILA member Kara Hart takes a look at the new I-944 Declaration of Self-Sufficiency required to meet the new “public charge” rule and considers whether she’d be able to meet the requirements herself.
The Bill That Would Guarantee Attorney-Client Access (But Wait, Don’t We Already Have That?)
In this blog post, AILA member Brent Renison describes why new legislation to allow access to counsel for immigrants placed into secondary or deferred inspection upon entry would “allow fairness to have jurisdiction at the borders.”
Defending Freedom Needs More Than Heroes – Governments Must Be Accountable
In this blog post, AILA Director of Government Relations Greg Chen calls for change as he describes the dichotomy with how the Venezuelan opposition leader was hailed at the State of the Union and how vulnerable Venezuelan asylum seekers are treated at the border.
An Inside Look – Tips from a Clinical Social Worker Helping Asylum Seekers
Psychological evaluations can be hugely important for vulnerable clients’ cases, but attorneys may have some questions about how best to approach having one done. In this blog post, Jocelyn Dyer shares helpful tips from Aimee Miller, a clinical social worker.
The Truth About our Immigration Court System
AILA Second Vice President Jeremy McKinney describes why an independent immigration court is so desperately needed and shares resources related to his recent testimony before the House Judiciary Committee Immigration Subcommittee about this issue.
After AILA Attends Tour of the Laredo Tent Court, Questions Still Abound
In this blog post, Greg Chen, Leidy Perez-Davis, and Katy Murdza report back on the recently offered tour of tent court facilities in Texas as well as why AILA remains deeply concerned about lack of due process and urges the administration to “end the use of tent courts and the Remain in Mexico program.”
Immigration Judge vs. Passport Agency – the Battle Over Mario’s Citizenship is Finally Over
In this blog post, AILA member Eva Garcia Mendoza describes the lengths she had to go to in order to protect her client Mario after repeated and concerted efforts to deny him the U.S. Citizenship which was rightfully his, noting “Immigration lawyers know that our work changes peoples’ lives.”
Resolve to Do Pro Bono – One Attorney’s Experience
AILA member Kursten Phelps shares a recent volunteer experience with asylum seekers and urges that we all resolve to engage, writing, “There are naturalization clinics to staff, border assistance projects to plug into, translations, remote CFI and bond hearing assistance to support.”
