AILA

"Liliana’s ordeal is not an accident of bad luck or an isolated bureaucratic failure. It’s the deliberate architecture of our deportation policy...treating congressionally enacted protections as inconveniences to sidestep rather than binding law." https://bit.ly/4i9uY7i

"Legal experts say the DOJ’s transformation of the immigration court has set a precedent that could upend the system each time a new president takes office: more mass firings, more ideological hirings, more pressure to appease whoever is in charge." https://wapo.st/4yESTAs

AILA member Benjamin Green explains how, when U.S. immigration options seem exhausted, one more question for your client may matter: Is there a Canadian connection? READ more on Think Immigration: https://bit.ly/4zMQGUy

"17 of the 19 people 60 Minutes reached who were deported to Ghana said they were subsequently sent, against their will, to countries U.S. immigration judges had ruled they should not be returned to, including Niger, Mali, Nigeria, Gambia and Guinea." https://cbsn.ws/4yI0u1e

"So while technically the ban doesn't exist, it doesn't matter practically if people are still not being able to get their green card interviews." - AILA Pres-Elect Alexis Axelrad https://n.pr/4i4MBVL

"The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit says a federal district court in Kansas misapplied legal standards in an immigration detention case and the federal government violated due-process regulations after incarcerating an Iranian national." https://bit.ly/48bfeKX

"Governing a society requires earning people’s trust, not making them afraid to engage with authorities. Whether exclusion happens by rule or by fear, the result is the same: People remain part of America while disappearing from its official portrait." https://wapo.st/4z5uEfH

"Bañuelos-Díaz told AP he had no idea he had registered to vote until he was arrested Monday outside his LA home, though he recalls getting a driver’s license around 2007. In CA, people are prompted to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license" https://bit.ly/4BoI1ct

AILA Law Journal Editor-in-Chief Cyrus Mehta gives a preview of the newly released Fall 2026 issue, describing it as "full of thoughtful contributions that in the complex and evolving field of immigration law." https://bit.ly/4iz0tYu

"Advocates say Donald Trump’s sweeping second-term immigration crackdown has caused overcrowding in detention centers nationwide that the DHS has attempted to alleviate by ramping up deportation flights to so-called third countries." https://bit.ly/4zRFVR0

AILA Past President Kathleen Campbell Walker explains why we need careful verification rather than relying on imperfect data in this new blog post: Checking Citizenship on the Voter Rolls: Why Getting It Wrong Is Easier Than It Looks https://bit.ly/4zmvIw5

"'We were seeing signs of the revitalizing industry in Springfield but those gains have been moderated by more recent losses that coincide with federal attacks on TPS...To have such an important community under threat is really destabilizing.'" https://wapo.st/4z1bS9l

"Frank-Vitale said she started noticing last summer that immigration judges were considering pretermissions at a greater scale...DHS is also moving to end the cases through pretermissions to send immigrants to countries they are not from." https://bit.ly/4zKaqYM

"Since President Trump returned to office, immigrants and activists have described haphazard health care and poor conditions at detention centers run by ICE. The number of immigrants deaths in ICE custody has nearly doubled under the Trump administration." https://nyti.ms/4zDvRL6

"Federal law gives unaccompanied minors a right to an attorney, and HHS’ own regulations stipulate they should receive a legal orientation from an independent provider. Historically, that’s been done by a network of experienced nonprofits." https://bit.ly/4enSFpX

"Immigration attorneys have warned that these new 'pop-up' courts have the potential to confuse those who are seeking to show up but then ultimately cannot find the court, denying them the right to due process." https://bit.ly/4yBsZO7

"The Trump administration cut legal immigration in half early this year with policies blocking visas for immigrants from nearly half the globe." https://nyti.ms/4k5eYEr

"In addition to compliance challenges for employers, the enforcement actions also could disrupt the lives of many workers who aren’t able to continue working on H-1Bs if PERM applications are blocked" - AILA President Elect, Alexis Axelrad https://bit.ly/4swK0Yp

"DHS said final decisions on the fate of the humanitarian immigration programs will 'be made at the appropriate time.' Until such decisions are announced, DHS added, nationals of Ukraine and Sudan enrolled in the TPS program will 'retain protection.'" https://cbsn.ws/4zxuE7W

"A group of attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the accelerated immigration process for unaccompanied migrant children, saying the Trump administration’s policies are unlawful." https://cnn.it/4zF6t7V

"California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued US Department of Homeland Security Thursday, saying that the Trump administration’s unlawful decision to arrest immigrants near California courthouses 'systematically made our communities less safe.'" https://bit.ly/4dFWOFv

"A federal judge on Thursday rejected the Trump administration’s lawsuit against New York City’s sanctuary laws, ruling that the U.S. government can’t compel police officials and other city agencies to help enforce civil immigration laws." https://nyti.ms/4hXS3Z7

"A 7-year-old agreed to voluntarily leave the country without a lawyer present to explain the legal consequences of the decision. In Arizona, an immigration judge ordered a 1-year-old baby appearing without a lawyer to file an asylum application." https://nyti.ms/4jWx37E

"The suit accused both the ICE contractor and the hotel of detaining Galvis and her child for profit, and alleged the companies engaged in a civil conspiracy by working together to use the hotel room as a detention cell." https://bit.ly/4jjF9al

"A federal judge in San Diego ordered DHS on Wednesday to reopen the diversity visa lottery for 2027, also known as the Green Card Lottery...preliminary injunction will allow for up to 55,000 people from around the world to apply for permanent residence." https://bit.ly/4e8ivOE

"Seven people detained previously by ICE filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the agency, accusing it of illegally refusing to return their personal documents and belongings months after they were released from custody." https://bit.ly/4B7lEbe

AILA Affiliated Paralegal Erick Assis shares how he applies "a layer of review that operates after the completeness check and before submission" to ensure each piece of evidence maps to a specific element of the legal standard on the cases he works on.

"City officials said the federal agency disregarded requirements to thoroughly consider the plan’s environmental consequences and consider reasonable alternatives in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Administrative Procedure Act." https://bit.ly/4yYIIrl

"Police chiefs are signing lucrative agreements to deputize cops as deportation agents without approval from elected officials — with some then finding themselves facing a wall of local resistance." https://bit.ly/4B6vo5M

Join the AILA New York Chapter on December 7, 2026, for its 25th Annual Immigration Law Symposium, a full day of in-depth education, practical guidance, and expert analysis on the latest issues affecting immigration practitioners.

"According to the Washington Examiner, the administration is launching a 45-day enforcement surge, starting in San Diego. Quoting sources, the newspaper said agents were instructed to go after anybody, regardless of criminal history." https://bit.ly/4sc15GH

"The U.S. has long welcomed foreign-educated physicians as a way to ameliorate its doctor shortage. Already, an estimated 102 million Americans live in communities that don’t have enough primary care providers." https://bit.ly/4B35nnH

"Federal immigration agents began targeting agricultural communities in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas last month, leading livestock organizations to issue a joint public statement in protest." https://bit.ly/4hIAAoJ

The 39th Annual AILA CA Chapters Conference and Webcast is almost here, bringing three days of conversations, connections, and practical takeaways to San Francisco, November 5–7. Now is the time to lock in your spot!

"Tendo is among at least 65 pastors, priests, imams, chaplains, rabbis, monks, deacons, and other religious figures detained by U.S. immigration authorities since January 2025." https://bit.ly/4igsOm7

"He was detained by federal agents in February while buying diapers for his two young children. Though he has no criminal record, he spent eight consecutive months in ICE detention, including several months in solitary confinement." https://bit.ly/3VumYF3

AILA supports Rep. Chu's letter focused on an issue of upmost concern: demanding answers about rising immigration bond denials, increasingly unaffordable bond amounts, and concerns about the independence of immigration judges under the Trump administration.

ICE officers fired multiple rounds at a vehicle during an enforcement operation in NYC, with a 5-year-old child reportedly in the back seat. A system that puts children, families & entire communities in the path of this kind of violence is a system that demands scrutiny. wapo.st/4yHk7qY

"The number of active DACA holders declined by 14%, to 436,350, between September 2025 and June 30. Meanwhile, the backlog of pending renewal applications has more than quadrupled over that timeframe, to over 125,000." https://cbsn.ws/4yMr0aE

PERM practice continues to evolve, and the latest guidance is here. Completely reorganized to take practitioners through every stage of a PERM case, this updated edition features new content, practical tools, and expert analysis to help you navigate today’s PERM landscape. Order your copy today!

"That plan to convert warehouses into detention centers faced fierce backlash and legal challenges from residents and immigrant advocates...But an NPR investigation has found signs that the New Jersey facility is being used." https://n.pr/4yexrlJ

"Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership told agents nationwide on Tuesday to increase immigration arrests by 1,000 more people daily, returning to a previous goal of 3,000 daily arrests, according to two sources familiar with the verbal directive." https://cnn.it/4ydNFLQ

Need to see the details, but this announcement, if true and as sweeping as it suggests, will land a blow on the America's economy, competitiveness, and the public's pockets.

"I indicated that I was a member of Congress, and I was here to provide oversight and to enter and to see this series of rooms...They said no, I was not allowed to enter," said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona. https://bit.ly/47a2ZxX

"Cities where immigration raids took place in 2025 experienced a nearly 3% decline in weekly foot traffic and a more than 6% drawdown in spending...around 8 billion fewer visits and billions of dollars worth of lost spending in those places that year." https://cnb.cx/471Kz2m

"The judge is asking immigration officials to submit more documentation about ICE holding rooms [including] daily headcounts...and confirmation detainees are getting timely medical screenings." https://cbsn.ws/4zoDTaO

"Judge Brown wrote that immigration agents involved in the arrests had given 'inconsistent, false and misleading testimony' in court...He found that the officers were inexperienced, possessed little understanding of the law." https://nyti.ms/3Tpfqmn

With AILA Fall Conference just around the corner, AILA member Brittany Faith highlights ways attendees can balance demanding professional schedules with self-care & local activities. Don't miss out – there's still time to register for the conference!

"Approximately 1,000 detainees were living there; some are elderly, others are legal DACA recipients, and many have pending asylum claims...those who have been detained and their families...are sounding bells about conditions inside the center." https://bit.ly/4yDwg02

NEW: AILA member Remzi Güvenç Kulen examines how recent EB-1A adjudication trends are influencing immigration strategy for founders, emphasizing the role of evidence development, case sequencing, and the relationship between O-1A and EB-1A pathways.