Press Releases

The American Immigration Council’s International Exchange Center is pleased to announce the expansion of the occupational field for which they are designated to sponsor training. The Department of States has extended the International Exchange Center’s programming to include opportunities in: Arts & Culture; Tourism; Social Sciences, Library Science, Non-clinical Counseling, and Social Services.

Today the American Immigration Law Foundation announced a name change to accompany a more ambitious mission for the organization. The new name, American Immigration Council, reflects the expansion of the organization to assume a larger role and greater involvement in the immigration policy, education, and exchange communities. It is also recognition that the organization has grown both in size and stature over the last five years as our program work has expanded beyond the courtroom and into the halls of Congress and the public square. The American Immigration Council will continue to serve existing constituencies, but will expand its reach to new partners and programs.

Newspapers are reporting today that during the official Q&A session following the Chicago bid for the Olympic Games, I.O.C. member, Syed Shahid Ali, from Pakistan, asked President Obama how smooth it would be for foreigners to enter the United States for the Olympic Games because doing so can sometimes be "a rather harrowing experience." While this I.O.C. member's concerns raise a red flag about the need for a change in our immigration policies, a litany of voices have been warning for years that the U.S. is slowly adopting an anti-visitor policy that is harming business, higher education and families.

While attempting to reform the nation's health care system, both Congress and the White House are facing considerable pressure to include immigration-related restrictions that are long on rhetoric and short on results. Faced with pressure from the right and immigration restrictionists, the new Senate mark includes over-the-top measures to exclude illegal immigrants and restrict the participation of legal immigrants. These poor policies are nonsensical, do not protect public health, and will undoubtedly result in the exclusion of U.S. citizens. Furthermore, inclusion of these provisions has failed to win support of the very critics they were trying to appease.