Legalization

Carmen A. DiPlacido – A Champion and a Friend

Released on Tue, Feb 05, 2013

The American Immigration Council mourns the loss of Carmen A. DiPlacido, an extraordinary lawyer known as much for his kind and gentle spirit as for his singular expertise in citizenship, naturalization and consular practice. He had superb intellect, enormous practical knowledge, huge institutional memory, and unstinting and consistent generosity in sharing it all.

Before joining the private bar in 1997, Carmen had a distinguished 27-year career in the U.S. Department of State, where he served in numerous positions, including Director, Office of Citizens Consular Services and Director, Office of Policy Review and Interagency Liaison, Overseas Citizens Services, as well as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Passport Services and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Overseas Citizens Services. A singular contribution of his was the landmark Child Citizenship Act of 2000, which Carmen authored to imbue derivative citizenship with his trademark fairness and compassion.

In addition to his long-time support for our work here at the Immigration Council, Carmen was an ardent supporter of individuals with special needs, and was the president of the board of directors of Porto Charities, Inc., a charitable organization dedicated to actively assisting people with developmental or intellectual disabilities; their community and their environment.

Carmen is survived by his wife, Ann, and his daughter, Christie.

Carmen was a colleague and a dear friend to us all. He will be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him.

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New Americans in the North Star State

Published on Thu, Oct 15, 2009

The Immigration Policy Center has compiled research which shows that immigrants, Latinos, and Asians are an essential part of Minnesota's economy and tax base. As workers, consumers, taxpayers, and entrepreneurs, immigrants and their children are an economic powerhouse. As the state works towards economic recovery, immigrants and their children will continue to play a key role in shaping the economic and political landscape of the North Star State.

Published in the Reuters

Lawsuit Seeks to Learn How Government Responds to Complaints of Misconduct by Immigration Judges

Released on Thu, Jun 06, 2013

Washington, DC - The public has a right to know whether the government adequately investigates and resolves complaints alleging misconduct by immigration judges, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) said in a lawsuit filed today in federal district court in Washington, D.C.

The lawsuit, filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), challenges the refusal of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) to disclose complaints alleging misconduct by immigration judges and records that would reveal whether the agency adequately investigates and resolves those complaints. Public Citizen (PC) and the American Immigration Council (AIC) represent AILA in the lawsuit.

Each year, in immigration courts around the country, immigration judges conduct more than 200,000 formal court proceedings to determine whether noncitizens are subject to removal from the United States. In recent years, numerous observers have documented misconduct by immigration judges and weaknesses in the integrity of our nation's immigration courts.

Yet formal discipline of immigration judges is rare, and EOIR, the agency responsible for overseeing immigration judges, is not transparent about its process for resolving complaints. Based on aggregate statistics released by EOIR, in Fiscal Year 2012, formal disciplinary action was taken in response to only 1 percent of complaints resolved by EOIR against immigration judges. In contrast, nearly half of the complaints ended in what EOIR has vaguely termed "informal action."

AILA, a national association of more than 12,000 attorneys and law professors who practice and teach immigration law, submitted a FOIA request to EOIR in November 2012, asking that the agency disclose complaints against immigration judges and records that indicate how the agency resolves those complaints. To date, EOIR has failed to provide the documents, prompting today's lawsuit.Read more...

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Benjamin Johnson Discusses the Economic Benefits of CIR

Published on Fri, Jan 08, 2010

No one ever said legislating "change" would be easy. With Congress mired in health care, cap and trade and more, why not take on another issue that has vexed it for years? Take immigration. Ben Johnson of the American Immigration Council says the stars have aligned for reform.

Published in the NPR

Studies Show Immigration Reform Could Give a Boost to the Economy

Published on Fri, Mar 12, 2010

Add to the immigration debate following yesterday’s White House meetings a few recently published studies that could prove to be useful in pushing for comprehensive immigration reform.

One study shows that comprehensive immigration reform could add $1.5 trillion to the country’s GDP over the next 10 years by increasing consumption and investment. Comprehensive immigration reform, here, is defined as a plan that “creates a pathway to legal status for unauthorized immigrants in the United States and establishes flexible limits on permanent and temporary immigration that respond to changes in U.S. labor demand in the future.” According to this Center for American Progress and Immigration Policy Center study, comprehensive reform would also boost wages for both native-born and newly legalized immigrant workers.

Published in the The Washington Independent

Steve King: Immigrants Aren’t ‘Real Americans If They Love Taxes’

Published on Fri, Apr 16, 2010

This week, crowds of peaceful immigration reform supporters gathered outside post offices in several cities bearing signs with slogans stating “We Love Taxes!” and “Viva Taxes!” in an effort to demonstrate that there are millions of undocumented immigrants who are eager for a chance to be brought into American civil society and pay taxes as part of their civic duty. Advocates also submitted thousands of blank tax forms to federal lawmakers that could’ve been filled out to by undocumented immigrants who have the capacity to generate billions in tax revenue.

Published in the Think Progress

Immigration Blueprint

Published on Fri, May 07, 2010

Lawmakers in at least nine states are using Arizona’s immigration law as a test case to craft similar legislation, ratcheting up the pressure on the federal government to act before states enact a patchwork of laws that undercut federal authority.

Arizona’s S1070 opened a door that national anti-illegal immigration advocates had been pushing against for years. Groups such as the Federation for American Immigration Reform and its legal wing, the Immigration Reform Law Institute, have sought for years to create model legislation on illegal immigration that would withstand legal challenges and create a blueprint for states and cities that wanted to follow suit.

Published in the Arizona Capitol Times

Congress on Border: Big Bill vs. Bits

Published on Mon, Jun 07, 2010

Should they wait for the comprehensive package, gambling that some heretofore elusive breakthrough will land on their plates? Or should they slice off what they can, when they can?

"That's the question everyone is asking right now," said Wendy Sefsaf, a spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Immigration Policy Center, which advocates a comprehensive approach.

Published in the Arizona Daily Star

N.J. Employers, Landlords Being Targeted For Illegals

Published on Thu, Jul 22, 2010

A rough estimate on the number of illegal immigrants residing in the nation as well as New Jersey places the numbers at a minimum of 500,000 in the state, and about 12 million nationwide. The Immigration Policy Center (IPC), the research and policy arm of the American Immigration Council, released a study last year that found illegal immigrants made up 9.2 percent of the state's workforce.

Published in the New Jersey Newsroom

How to get Judicial Relief Under 8 USC 1447(b) for a Stalled Naturalization Application

Section 336(b) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. § 1447(b), gives a district court jurisdiction to intervene in a case where USCIS has failed to make a decision on the naturalization application within 120 days of the applicant’s “examination” by USCIS. This Practice Advisory discusses the nuts and bolts of bringing a suit under INA § 336(b). It also discusses when attorneys fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act are available.

Published On: Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | Download File