Why Representation Matters Within the Immigration Bar Itself
In this blog post, AILA member Sarah Pitney shares the importance of diversity and inclusion in the immigration bar by describing how one panelist in particular at the 2017 AILA Conference in New Orleans showed how her “professional community valued the presence of its LGBT+ members.”
read moreTearing Families Apart in More Ways Than One
In this blog post, AILA member Ally Bolour highlights how the use of Ryan White Care Act (RWCA) funds for the family separation policy could have an impact on low-income families seeking treatment for HIV.
read moreA Fighting Chance to Claim Asylum
Earlier this year, a young man called James* fled his country of origin after enduring yet another attack on his life, this time at the hands of his family members who learned he was gay. They also reported James to the police, who began searching for him because, under a law outlawing homosexuality, the authorities viewed him as the culprit rather than the victim of an unjustified attack. The writing was on the wall: if James stayed, he would surely meet the fate of his late boyfriend, who lost his life a few years before to similar senseless cruelty.
read moreHow 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...
read moreMistreatment of LGBT Detainees Continues with Planned Mass Transfer to Remote California Facility
On June 19, 2015, ICE/ERO announced a new policy that could significantly change the way transgender women are treated in immigration custody. On the positive side, the policy acknowledges the possibility that transgender women can be housed in women’s facilities, and...
read moreLGBT Detention Must End
On June 23, 2015, 35 members of the House of Representatives wrote to Secretary Johnson, calling on the Obama Administration to end the detention of LGBT immigrants in ICE custody, especially transgender women.[1] The letter requested the administration seek parole...
read moreA Long Journey for Justice: the Continuing Fight for LGBT Immigrants
As the nation rejoiced after the Supreme Court ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges, I recalled the celebrations at AILA’s 2013 annual conference in San Francisco on the day that the Supreme Court decided Windsor v. Connecticut. Windsor and subsequent Department of...
read moreThe Queer Community’s Road to Equality
In June 2013, SCOTUS helped turn a page in the queer community’s struggle for civil rights. By striking a pertinent portion of the indefensible Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the Justices cleared the way for LGBTQ citizens of this country to strive for full equality...
read moreThe United States Must Do Better for Same-Sex Partners of Asylum Grantees
Through established asylum and refugee laws, the United States offers protection to individuals who have been persecuted or who have a well-founded fear of persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or because they are perceived to be part of those...
read moreLGBT Rights and Attitudes in Ukraine: the Immigration Perspective
As immigration lawyers, we know that global conflict affects immigration law and policy. I wanted to take a closer look at what is going on in and around Ukraine as it affects LGBT individuals since persecution and fear may drive people out of that region and toward...
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