Immigration Reform
The last time Congress updated our legal immigration system was November 1990, one month before the World Wide Web went online. We are long overdue for comprehensive immigration reform.
Through immigration reform, we can provide noncitizens with a system of justice that provides due process of law and a meaningful opportunity to be heard. Because it can be a contentious and wide-ranging issue, we aim to provide advocates with facts and work to move bipartisan solutions forward. Read more about topics like legalization for undocumented immigrants and border security below.
Understanding Justice Kennedy’s “Upside Down” Argument in U.S. v. Texas
On April 18, the United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas, a case brought by 26 states to challenge President Obama’s frozen deferred action programs, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Plus (expanded DACA) and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and… Read More
Digesting the Argument in U.S. v. Texas: What Is Lawful Presence and Why Does It Not Mean What It Sounds Like?
The oral argument in United States v. Texas shined a light on the confusion between the term “lawful presence” and what it means to have a legal immigration status in the United States. Early in the argument, Chief Justice Roberts noted that in its brief, the United States asserted… Read More
Supreme Court Considers President’s Executive Actions on Immigration While Thousands Rally Outside
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Texas. While lawyers presented their arguments before the eight Justices inside, on the outside families, advocates, immigrants, faith groups, and a wide range of civil rights and community organizations gathered to demonstrate support for the President’s initiatives. The… Read More
The American Immigration Council Welcomes Bi-Partisan Senate Immigration Bill
Washington D.C. – The American Immigration Council applauds the “Gang of Eight” Senators who have introduced the “Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act.” The Senators and their staff have been working tirelessly, for months, to create a bi-partisan solution that attempts to fix our broken… Read More
Letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano (submitted Feb. 9, 2012)
This sign-on letter expresses concerns about DHS’s implementation of the new prosecutorial discretion policy, including the agency’s failure to grant work authorization to those who receive a favorable exercise of discretion. The letter also makes recommendations to ensure that DHS fulfills its pledge to implement an effective and fair prosecutorial discretion policy nationwide. Read More
NIJC Recommendations Regarding Implementation of the Prosecutorial Discretion Initiative (submitted Sep. 30, 2011)
This letter to several Administration officials was submitted in response to the DHS/White House announcement on August 18, 2011 that it would form a “Prosecutorial Discretion Working Group” to review pending removal cases and identify low priority cases for administrative closure. The letter urges the government to address some of… Read More
Memorandum, “Executive Branch Authority Regarding Implementation of Immigration Laws and Policies” (April 29, 2011)
This memorandum, which was released by the American Immigration Council and co-signed by two general counsels of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service, offers an overview of the scope of executive branch authority and outlines specific steps the Administration could take to forestall removals in sympathetic cases. Read More
Letter to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano (submitted April 6, 2011)
This letter requests written guidance setting forth detailed criteria for the favorable exercise of prosecutorial discretion and the assignment of a high-level officer to monitor implementation of the policy.
Texas and Other 25 States File Misleading Brief at Supreme Court
This week, Texas and the 25 other states challenging the President’s executive actions on immigration filed their brief with the Supreme Court in United States v. Texas. The brief attempts to defend the Fifth Circuit’s decision to block expanded DACA and DAPA from being implemented, but instead makes entirely… Read More
New Studies Show Refugees are Integrating
At a time when politicians and others are expressing concern about the U.S.’s refugee resettlement process, two new studies show that refugees want to integrate and are indeed integrating into the fabric of our country. However, there is much variation depending on the refugees’ country of origin, and there remains… Read More
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