"The term 'deportation judge' is itself a notable shift from the norm, since immigration judges are traditionally expected to be impartial and consider all claims, including asylum requests that could allow people to legally stay in the country." https://bit.ly/4rzzAWl

"A blind dad of two has died after he was taken into custody by Border Patrol officers and allegedly left miles away from his home, according to reports." https://bit.ly/4cMZlOm

The Administration has dismantled lawful immigration pathways wholesale, damaging our economy & national security, upending lives & growing the undocumented population. This explores the harm these policies cause & how Congress can create a better system: https://bit.ly/3ODaxDl

"Letters written by children locked up with their families for months on end reveal sadness, depression and water that makes them sick. 'Please get me out of here,' a 9-year-old girl wrote." https://bit.ly/4r8LuWs

Last year, Congress approved a $170 billion immigration enforcement package, a sum larger than what all 50 states combined spend on policing every year. Less than 8% of that is appropriated for immigration courts, while the Trump Administration fires & pushes out judges en masse.

"The potential executive order [has] alarmed banks, which have lobbied Treasury and questioned the legal basis for the proposal...The administration was still reviewing its options, including the potential for an executive order or Treasury action." https://on.wsj.com/4s9As3Q

"Before working with an attorney, make sure they are who they claim to be, urges Reid Trautz...at AILA. He suggests verifying attorneys using the appropriate resource — typically your state’s bar association or court system." https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/fake-immigration-attorneys/

Registration is open for the annual Global Migration Forum in San Diego! AILA and GMS will bring together world-renowned immigration lawyers and subject matter experts to examine the state of global migration. Register today: https://bit.ly/4c54kd1

"Despite...proving active immigration cases, pending visas, or even US citizenship, residents were...detained for days or weeks. But many who were later set free are now encountering a new challenge: ICE isn’t giving back their immigration documents." https://bit.ly/4r0SuV7

The President is expected to use 2026 SOTU to defend his immigration crackdown. “But the numbers tell a very different story...This is not what success looks like. And it is certainly not what constitutional governance requires” -AILA’s Ben Johnson https://bit.ly/3OHymK5

"Earlier this month, Brower and other Milwaukee alders announced a package of local ordinances that aim to prepare Milwaukee for a surge in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations." https://bit.ly/40rh8Dl

It's not too late to register! Join us on 2/26 for the AILA EB-5 Virtual Conference: https://www.aila.org/shop/products/view/aila-eb-5-conference

"Documents...suggest that, contrary to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons’ testimony to Congress earlier this month, new ICE officers receive 250 fewer hours of training compared to prior recruits." https://bit.ly/3N2CsvX

"Rather than dismantling the legal immigration system, DOS can achieve the Administration’s goals of putting 'America First' by recognizing that immigration is a vital tool that can protect our national security by advancing U.S. economic and global interests." https://bit.ly/4aryAO7

"Judges have castigated administration officials for testifying dishonestly, representing the law inaccurately, and above all, failing to comply promptly with their orders." https://nyti.ms/4ry0AFW

"Studies have concluded that the US would prosper by welcoming more immigrants rather than reducing their entry & engaging in mass deportation. Latest economic data show that US-born workers did not benefit from a decline in foreign-born workers in 2025." https://bit.ly/4tVCBlG

New from @ailaexecdir.bsky.social Ben Johnson: "President Donald Trump is expected to use the 2026 State of the Union to defend his immigration crackdown. But the numbers tell a very different story." https://bit.ly/3OHymK5

The Consular Practice Handbook is the essential guide for lawyers navigating today’s rapidly shifting consular landscape. The 6th edition equips both new & experienced practitioners with practical guidance needed to meet growing demands. Get yours today: https://bit.ly/3OgWbsh

"Ruben Ray Martinez, 23, was shot multiple times in South Padre Island by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer after he did not follow commands to exit his vehicle, according to internal ICE documents reviewed by The New York Times." https://nyti.ms/4s67u4P

"This blanket suspicion ['extreme vetting'] diverts limited USCIS adjudication resources away from genuine risk detection, creates severe processing backlogs, and blocks law‑abiding immigrants from contributing to the U.S. economy and communities." https://bit.ly/4tFkiAR

DHS "issued a memo Wednesday stating that federal immigration agents should arrest refugees who have not yet obtained a green card and detain them indefinitely for rescreening." https://wapo.st/3MN3tU2

"The Trump administration took steps on Thursday toward ending federal housing assistance for households with mixed immigration status, as it seeks to stop ineligible migrants from benefiting from the funding." https://reut.rs/4s24yXc

"Sykes said the administration had violated her December ruling that found it was illegally denying many detained immigrants a chance for release. She ordered DHS to provide them with notice that they may be eligible for bond."

"The Trump administration has violated more than 50 orders from federal judges in the District of New Jersey, all in cases involving immigrants’ challenging the legality of their detention." https://nyti.ms/4aKMQk1

NEW: AILA is launching A Better Way on Immigration, a series of policy briefs evaluating the first year of the Trump Administration’s policies, showing the impact on Americans and presenting a forward-looking vision for immigration policy. https://bit.ly/4tItZOW

2/19/26 update: Annual appropriated funding for DHS lapsed on February 14, 2026. Many, if not all, DHS functions can and will keep operating despite the lapse. AILA will update this practice alert as more information becomes available. https://bit.ly/4gQU0FY

At #SOTU, Trump will claim mass deportation is working. It’s not. He’s detaining mostly non-criminal immigrants & more are dying in custody. He’s damaging local economies & collapsing tourism. And he’s doing much of this illegally by detaining people without a hearing before a judge.

"More than 11,110 habeas petitions have been filed in the first weeks of 2026, surpassing the roughly 9,250 filed in the whole of 2025, according to court data analyzed by NewsNation." https://bit.ly/4qLnurY

Local AILA chapters play a crucial role in connecting immigration law professionals through regular, accessible events that foster networking, mentorship, and community support. Learn how you can get involved with your local chapter: https://bit.ly/4qJAb6Q

"Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg argued in court that immigration detention is not supposed to be a punishment. Immigrants can only be detained as a way to facilitate their deportation and cannot be held indefinitely with no viable deportation plan." https://bit.ly/4rXPuK7

"Local communities standing on the frontlines know firsthand what works: safety through inclusion, stability through support, and resilience through collaboration. When immigrants feel safe and secure, the entire community benefits." https://bit.ly/4tJ2N2I

"Courts are being confronted with harrowing stories about women being separated from their nursing infants or housed in cramped and ill-equipped ICE facilities while pregnant, in conditions that threaten their health." https://politi.co/4qGs9eE

"In a secret deportation arrangement, the Trump administration flew nine people, nearly all of whom had been granted U.S. court protections from being sent back to their home countries, to...Cameroon in January. None of them are from Cameroon." https://nyti.ms/40jsuJu

“A joint review by ICE and the Department of Justice (DOJ) of video evidence has revealed that sworn testimony provided by two separate officers appears to have made untruthful statements,” acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. https://bit.ly/4kFFEKp

People are suffering inside Dilley. A baby denied medication after respiratory failure. A mother in pain, possibly with cancer, unable to get consistent care. More than half detained are kids. Dilley has been shut down before & must be shut down again.

AILA member Andre Mckenney writes for the Sun Sentinel: "In that moment, I knew these small wins matter. One person went home [from immigration detention] to his family. Maybe tomorrow, one more will, too. We can’t give up, even when all feels lost." https://bit.ly/40gvdDy

“I have a client in detention who’s been here 30 years, no criminal history, and has a family,” said Rekha Sharma-Crawford. “In the past the individual would be eligible for a bond hearing and be able to fight their immigration case in due course.” https://bit.ly/3OjnLVI

"Barranco's family said he arrived in the United States in the 1990s and was in the process of applying for parole in place, which is a program that allows the immediate relatives of military members to apply for legal status." https://cbsn.ws/3MFJ3MI

"A federal judge ruled Thursday that the Trump administration has been violating the rights of people detained by ICE in Minnesota, saying the agency had stashed them in an ill-equipped, overcrowded facility without access to attorneys." https://politi.co/4aP5Leo

"Homan said a significant drawdown of federal agents in Minnesota has already occurred this week and will continue into the next...Follows the decision last week to withdraw 700 of the 3,000 agents originally sent to the state late last year." https://bit.ly/4rgUnxK

"Many people, including immigration lawyers, are surprised to learn that non-citizens have been permitted to enlist in the U.S. military for 250 years. In fact, no uniform rule governed enlistment of immigrants in the Armed Forces until 2006." https://bit.ly/4rdX3fv

"Law mandates strict protections of the identities of taxpayers, including the sharing of data within the federal government. Undocumented immigrants have for years paid taxes with assurances...that doing so would not result in them being targeted." https://wapo.st/3O2v3gu

"Last year, 28% of completed immigration removal cases among those in detention ended in voluntary departure, a higher share than in any year prior...Voluntary departures among those detained grew nearly every month of 2025, reaching 38% in December." https://cbsn.ws/4rMJDam

Polls show the public is alarmed and want ICE & CBP reined in. Congress must demand real guardrails before funding DHS: require warrants for street arrests; ban racial profiling; no enforcement at churches & schools, and consequences when agencies break the law.

Immigration law and policy are at a pivotal moment. AILA's 2026 Annual Conference can help you prepare to meet the challenges ahead, lead with confidence, and grow as an advocate for fairness and justice for all immigrants. Register today: https://bit.ly/3Zm8xRR

"Jackie was detained along with her four children, all of whom are U.S. citizens, at a park in Washington state near the Canadian border. She and her kids spent 14 days in detention before her children were released to a family friend." https://to.pbs.org/4tsNLxS

Today AILA hosted a press briefing discussing strategies to safeguard against abuses by DHS personnel. The speakers emphasized the critical importance of transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to legal and constitutional standards.

If the government can send agents into an immigrant family’s home without a judicial warrant, it can send them into yours. That’s the whole point of the 4th Amendment: a neutral judge stands between us and the door. Treating that safeguard as optional is frightening.

"The notice stated that due to federal changes within Medicaid, the federal-state program for hundreds of thousands of low-income and disabled Americans, 'limited' personal information could be shared with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement." https://bit.ly/4aaiVCG

AILA Senior Counsel of Practice and Ethics Charity Anastasio details the recent surge in immigration scams and the coordinated and sophisticated schemes threatening legitimate providers’ reputations in a new #ThinkImmigration blog post. https://bit.ly/46ME0Rk